First time I ever did anything this dumb...

Courageous Lion · October 1, 2009, 12:18 AM

The reason I am posting this is because maybe someone else will avoid doing what I did. The other day I picked up a bag of .44 magnum out in my shop and decided I'd do some practicing with it. The problem that developed was due to a recent move from a storage facility to my shop with some of my older ammo and reloading components. When I say older, I'm talking 1994. Anyhow, I pulled out my 4" S&W Model 29 with the magnaported barrel and dropped 6 of these puppies into the cylinder. Took careful aim and squeezed off six rounds. They didn't kick as much as I remembered .44 doing and they weren't as accurate as they used to be, or maybe it was me! When I went to extract the brass, heck it was so hard to get them out that I had to tap the extraction rod with my rubber mallet! EVERY one of them was SPLIT. Not just one, but all of them. And I'll be darn there wasn't the least bit of pressure signs on the primer. Nice and round showing no flatness at all. Weird....so I put 6 more in...same thing. Then I put 6 more in and shot one, extracted it and it was split, shot the next extracted it and it was split...Then I noticed another anomaly...the case was BULGED! Heck, I thought maybe I better look closer at this and then I went and got my READING GLASSES and guess what? ...DRUM ROLL...I couldn't' believe I was this dumb...These weren't .44 magnum cartridges. WHAT, I don't even OWN and never have owned what these fit! They were .41 magnum cartridges and they dropped right into that .44 magnum like they were made for it. Apparently my assumption and failing to double check with READING GLASSES what the caliber was, I managed to run 18 rounds of .41 magnum through my .44 magnum. AND thankfully the only damage was to the brass. And to my ego, after all I have been reloading and shooting for 35 years.

What had happened I expect is I had loaded some .41 magnum for a friend up where we used to live and somehow had ended up with about 40 rounds when we moved away. They sat in that zip lock bag in storage along with 30,000 small pistol primers, 20,000 large pistol primers and about 30,000 more small rifle, large rifle, magnum rifle, magnum pistol primers AND two cases of 3660 9mm JHP Winchester JHP bullets, 2,000 Remington 240 grain hollow-point .44s, about 3,000 .223 bullets, maybe 40-50 pounds of assorted powder since, 1994 which was the last time I did any major reloading. I had thought ahead and loaded up a BUNCH of rounds of assorted calibers for what I foresaw as the CRAP hitting the fan.

And now I have been selling off a bunch of the components because I just don't need them!

Back to the subject at hand...FORTY ONE MAGNUMS will fit in a .44 and FIRE! So before you pick up some ammo that has been lying around a while and popping it into your .44... be sure it IS .44 ammo! Unfortunately I can't shoot with my reading glasses on! Bet this will never happen again...that is unless I want to use the .44 with .41 ammo and leave no real rifling on the bullets and use them up close...hmmmm.....

armoredman · October 1, 2009, 12:42 AM

selling 9mm stuff, huh, huh???

Glad all went ok, sir. Good lesson.

Kyo · October 1, 2009, 12:47 AM

hope your ego heals. lol on the story. that is funny!

Old Grump · October 1, 2009, 02:07 AM

Good thing is it didn't hurt your gun but I bet it wasn't very accurate. I had bought a few boxes of 44 mag reloads from a guy I had been buying from for years. One round was a 41 magnum, the sizes are so close that unless you are trying to compare them you won't see the difference so don't feel bad. It was only that one round in a box of 44 magnums and the rest of the rounds were fine. I kept it after finally getting it pounded out of the cylinder, split from base to neck and it's my reminder. I don't buy reloads from anybody any more.

SL1 · October 1, 2009, 08:02 AM

I had a friend who switched barrels at the range and put a 9mm in a .40 S&W barrel. It FIRED. The case did not split, but bulged enormously. He was lucky, and there was no gun damage.

Another possibility is to stick a .44 Magnum cartridge into a .45 Long Colt revolver. The rims are the same diameter, while the bodies are different diameters, so it is a little easier to see the difference than the OP's situation with the .41 and .44 Magnums. But, the differene in effect could be catastrophic, with gun damage and injury.

I think the rule about havig only one gun and only the ammo for that one gun on the bench at one time is a good one. And, if you need reading glasses to see what you really have, then make sure you take those to the range, too.

But, even with good eyesight, the brain does funny things. I saw a guy at the bench yesterday who was shooting a 22 rimfire gun and a .223 gun. While shooting the rimfire, he reached over and picked up a .223 cartridge and did not think about it until he tried to get it into the reloading port. He then got a sheepish look and decided to take a break for a few minutes. That combinaton is not dangerous, but there is a long list of combinations that ARE dangerous.

SL1

QBall45 · October 1, 2009, 09:28 AM

I'm happy to hear that this error ended without damage to you or your gun.

Reading the story...I could not help but see the humor.

**Mike Irwin** · October 1, 2009, 10:05 AM

I use Birchwood Casey brass black on my .41 Magnum rounds to make damned sure that I don't inadvertently load one into my Model 24 .44 Special. I don't even want to contemplate what the results of that might be.

koolminx · October 1, 2009, 10:13 AM

I shoot both a 41 mag and 44 mag, but I am always careful to see what's going where.

I'm glad this never happened to me, but that's probably because I recognize the two different casings.

I am glad you didn't split the cylinder and get hurt.

AlaskaMike · October 1, 2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Another possibility is to stick a .44 Magnum cartridge into a .45 Long Colt revolver. The rims are the same diameter, while the bodies are different diameters, so it is a little easier to see the difference than the OP's situation with the .41 and .44 Magnums. But, the differene in effect could be catastrophic, with gun damage and injury.

I did this very thing in my Ruger Redhawk in .45 Colt. I was testing Blue Dot and had two loads, both with 15.5 grains of Blue Dot. One was .44 mag with a 250 grain SWC, and the other was .45 Colt with a 270 grain SWC. Unfortunately I took them both out of the ammo can and set them on the range bench.

I didn't notice anything strange until the 5th shot with the Redhawk--the bullets from shots 4 and 5 had keyholed. Then shot number 6 made a strange poof noise. All 5 of the first rounds expanded and sealed the chambers, but round number 6 had split. It's now mounted over my reloading bench.

Mike

45Colt_Man · October 1, 2009, 10:39 AM

.41 Magnums also fit and fire in .45 Colt revolvers. I don't shoot both at the same time anymore. They do keyhole when they the target.

koolminx · October 1, 2009, 10:51 AM

What's key holing? The slug hitting sideways like in tumbling?

AlaskaMike · October 1, 2009, 12:33 PM

Yep. The smaller bullet doesn't grip the rifling in the larger caliber revolver's barrel, and isn't stabilized in any way as it exits the barrel. Not only doesn't it grip the rifling, but it's bouncing and skidding to some degree as well.

Mike

Slamfire · October 1, 2009, 06:32 PM

As a "Science Experiment", I fired a 44 Spl in a N frame 45 LC.

44 Special round fired in M25-7

250 LSWC 7.3 grs Unique WLP (nickle) primer velocity: 620 fps

same round averaged 930 fps in 6.5' M24

I really doubt you caused any damage to your gun.

3StrikesNC · October 1, 2009, 08:54 PM

Good point.

Here's a question; What do you do when you neck down one caliber to another and how do you keep them identified? For example, I've necked down .308's to 7mm-08. Headstamp is .308. Caliber is 7mm.

For the moment, I don't have a .308, but do have a .243, which can also be made from .308's.

I'm going to look up brass black.

Courageous Lion · October 1, 2009, 09:02 PM

I am sure the Model 29 is very stout and since it is made to hold up to .44 magnum chamber pressures, most likely even with a split case the powder couldn't build enough pressure to damage the cylinder. I would suspect if I were to find the bullets that there wasn't any rifling on them. So between the gasses escaping past the bullet and the strength of the cylinder, I was "safe".

I do recall a friend who was interrupted by his wife (that's his excuse) while reloading .44 and instead a proper amount of Unique, he put a double dose thinking it was another powder that he normally used and THAT was the end of that gun as it blew the cylinder up. He told me that it kicked really hard and the top strap blew off along with the sight. He was sad...but guess what? S&W sold him a new nickle one for $100 bucks UNDER WARRANTY even though he told them what he did!! LOL! That was when S&W was interested in customer relations. He was really lucky someone near him didn't get shrapnel.

October 1, 2009, 12:18 AM	#1
Courageous Lion Member Join Date: September 18, 2009 Location: I hang out near Harrison, Arkansas Posts: 29	First time I ever did anything this dumb... The reason I am posting this is because maybe someone else will avoid doing what I did. The other day I picked up a bag of .44 magnum out in my shop and decided I'd do some practicing with it. The problem that developed was due to a recent move from a storage facility to my shop with some of my older ammo and reloading components. When I say older, I'm talking 1994. Anyhow, I pulled out my 4" S&W Model 29 with the magnaported barrel and dropped 6 of these puppies into the cylinder. Took careful aim and squeezed off six rounds. They didn't kick as much as I remembered .44 doing and they weren't as accurate as they used to be, or maybe it was me! When I went to extract the brass, heck it was so hard to get them out that I had to tap the extraction rod with my rubber mallet! EVERY one of them was SPLIT. Not just one, but all of them. And I'll be darn there wasn't the least bit of pressure signs on the primer. Nice and round showing no flatness at all. Weird....so I put 6 more in...same thing. Then I put 6 more in and shot one, extracted it and it was split, shot the next extracted it and it was split...Then I noticed another anomaly...the case was BULGED! Heck, I thought maybe I better look closer at this and then I went and got my READING GLASSES and guess what? ...DRUM ROLL...I couldn't' believe I was this dumb...These weren't .44 magnum cartridges. WHAT, I don't even OWN and never have owned what these fit! They were .41 magnum cartridges and they dropped right into that .44 magnum like they were made for it. Apparently my assumption and failing to double check with READING GLASSES what the caliber was, I managed to run 18 rounds of .41 magnum through my .44 magnum. AND thankfully the only damage was to the brass. And to my ego, after all I have been reloading and shooting for 35 years. What had happened I expect is I had loaded some .41 magnum for a friend up where we used to live and somehow had ended up with about 40 rounds when we moved away. They sat in that zip lock bag in storage along with 30,000 small pistol primers, 20,000 large pistol primers and about 30,000 more small rifle, large rifle, magnum rifle, magnum pistol primers AND two cases of 3660 9mm JHP Winchester JHP bullets, 2,000 Remington 240 grain hollow-point .44s, about 3,000 .223 bullets, maybe 40-50 pounds of assorted powder since, 1994 which was the last time I did any major reloading. I had thought ahead and loaded up a BUNCH of rounds of assorted calibers for what I foresaw as the CRAP hitting the fan. And now I have been selling off a bunch of the components because I just don't need them! Back to the subject at hand...FORTY ONE MAGNUMS will fit in a .44 and FIRE! So before you pick up some ammo that has been lying around a while and popping it into your .44... be sure it IS .44 ammo! Unfortunately I can't shoot with my reading glasses on! Bet this will never happen again...that is unless I want to use the .44 with .41 ammo and leave no real rifling on the bullets and use them up close...hmmmm.....

October 1, 2009, 02:07 AM	#4
Old Grump Member in memoriam Join Date: April 9, 2009 Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in Posts: 3,144	Good thing is it didn't hurt your gun but I bet it wasn't very accurate. I had bought a few boxes of 44 mag reloads from a guy I had been buying from for years. One round was a 41 magnum, the sizes are so close that unless you are trying to compare them you won't see the difference so don't feel bad. It was only that one round in a box of 44 magnums and the rest of the rounds were fine. I kept it after finally getting it pounded out of the cylinder, split from base to neck and it's my reminder. I don't buy reloads from anybody any more. __________________ Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. --Daniel Webster--

October 1, 2009, 10:05 AM	#7
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,642	I use Birchwood Casey brass black on my .41 Magnum rounds to make damned sure that I don't inadvertently load one into my Model 24 .44 Special. I don't even want to contemplate what the results of that might be. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

October 1, 2009, 09:02 PM	#15
Courageous Lion Member Join Date: September 18, 2009 Location: I hang out near Harrison, Arkansas Posts: 29	Damage to M29 I am sure the Model 29 is very stout and since it is made to hold up to .44 magnum chamber pressures, most likely even with a split case the powder couldn't build enough pressure to damage the cylinder. I would suspect if I were to find the bullets that there wasn't any rifling on them. So between the gasses escaping past the bullet and the strength of the cylinder, I was "safe". I do recall a friend who was interrupted by his wife (that's his excuse) while reloading .44 and instead a proper amount of Unique, he put a double dose thinking it was another powder that he normally used and THAT was the end of that gun as it blew the cylinder up. He told me that it kicked really hard and the top strap blew off along with the sight. He was sad...but guess what? S&W sold him a new nickle one for $100 bucks UNDER WARRANTY even though he told them what he did!! LOL! That was when S&W was interested in customer relations. He was really lucky someone near him didn't get shrapnel. Last edited by Courageous Lion; October 1, 2009 at 09:08 PM. Reason: speellling

October 1, 2009, 12:42 AM	#2
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,480	selling 9mm stuff, huh, huh??? Glad all went ok, sir. Good lesson.

October 1, 2009, 12:47 AM	#3
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	hope your ego heals. lol on the story. that is funny!

October 1, 2009, 08:02 AM	#5
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	I had a friend who switched barrels at the range and put a 9mm in a .40 S&W barrel. It FIRED. The case did not split, but bulged enormously. He was lucky, and there was no gun damage. Another possibility is to stick a .44 Magnum cartridge into a .45 Long Colt revolver. The rims are the same diameter, while the bodies are different diameters, so it is a little easier to see the difference than the OP's situation with the .41 and .44 Magnums. But, the differene in effect could be catastrophic, with gun damage and injury. I think the rule about havig only one gun and only the ammo for that one gun on the bench at one time is a good one. And, if you need reading glasses to see what you really have, then make sure you take those to the range, too. But, even with good eyesight, the brain does funny things. I saw a guy at the bench yesterday who was shooting a 22 rimfire gun and a .223 gun. While shooting the rimfire, he reached over and picked up a .223 cartridge and did not think about it until he tried to get it into the reloading port. He then got a sheepish look and decided to take a break for a few minutes. That combinaton is not dangerous, but there is a long list of combinations that ARE dangerous. SL1

October 1, 2009, 09:28 AM	#6
QBall45 Senior Member Join Date: April 5, 2008 Location: South Central Minnesota Posts: 584	I'm happy to hear that this error ended without damage to you or your gun. Reading the story...I could not help but see the humor.

October 1, 2009, 10:13 AM	#8
koolminx Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2009 Posts: 520	I shoot both a 41 mag and 44 mag, but I am always careful to see what's going where. I'm glad this never happened to me, but that's probably because I recognize the two different casings. I am glad you didn't split the cylinder and get hurt.

October 1, 2009, 10:39 AM	#10
45Colt_Man Member Join Date: April 15, 2006 Posts: 59	.41 Magnums also fit and fire in .45 Colt revolvers. I don't shoot both at the same time anymore. They do keyhole when they the target.

October 1, 2009, 10:51 AM	#11
koolminx Senior Member Join Date: January 12, 2009 Posts: 520	What's key holing? The slug hitting sideways like in tumbling?

October 1, 2009, 12:33 PM	#12
AlaskaMike Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 947	Yep. The smaller bullet doesn't grip the rifling in the larger caliber revolver's barrel, and isn't stabilized in any way as it exits the barrel. Not only doesn't it grip the rifling, but it's bouncing and skidding to some degree as well. Mike

October 1, 2009, 06:32 PM	#13
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	As a "Science Experiment", I fired a 44 Spl in a N frame 45 LC. 44 Special round fired in M25-7 250 LSWC 7.3 grs Unique WLP (nickle) primer velocity: 620 fps same round averaged 930 fps in 6.5' M24 I really doubt you caused any damage to your gun.

October 1, 2009, 08:54 PM	#14
3StrikesNC Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2007 Location: in a house Posts: 473	Good point. Here's a question; What do you do when you neck down one caliber to another and how do you keep them identified? For example, I've necked down .308's to 7mm-08. Headstamp is .308. Caliber is 7mm. For the moment, I don't have a .308, but do have a .243, which can also be made from .308's. I'm going to look up brass black.