Howdy LongWalker, you must mean 45 Colt. You can't cut down 45 ACP to make 44 Spcl!! And even cutting down 45 colt will have thicker necks than normal. I found some new 44 Spcl brass. Sending you a PM so somebody else doesn't see it first.
Got an order in, still waiting for confirmation--THanks!
Actually, if you have more time than sense, you can
size 45 acp down to a 44 "short", or even a 41 "short". This was written up in
Handloaders Digest years ago. In the mid-'80s I used this process to get by during a time of no 41 mag brass. But it is a pain. . . .
1) Resize 1x fired acp. For this step, carbide or steel die doesn't matter.
2) Lube well, size the 45 acp case in a 44 Mag/SPEC STEEL die. Try this with a carbide die and you'll bust the carbide ring; I've never been willing to try with a nitrided die.
3) Next you have to size down the web of the case, leaving a small rim. This works best in a die that has no bevel at the bottom--you need a square or nearly square entry into the die to swage the web down. Usually this means shortening a sizing die, but some of the Herters dies from the 50s will work too. Remove the shellholder from the ram and substitute a shellholder for something larger (like an H&H mag shellholder--it won't actually grip the case). Press the case into the 44 die until the only thing sticking out is the rim you've now created.
4) Press out from above (usually a hammer and punch are needed). At this point you have a 44 short that may or may not work in your 44 special/mag. See if the case will chamber. If it won't chamber, the web is still too large--repeat the sizing stage using the oversized shellholder.
5) to get 41 shorts, you can repeat steps 2-3-4 with a STEEL 41 mag die.
In any case, you'll probably need to shorten an expander die and a seat/crimp die in order to use the short cases.