Author Topic: Favorite .44-40 dies?  (Read 2701 times)

Offline Oregon Bill

  • American Plainsmen Society
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1000
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 153
Favorite .44-40 dies?
« on: April 02, 2019, 06:14:35 PM »
Which brand do you prefer, and why?

Offline Bryan Austin

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1015
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 17
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2019, 08:06:52 PM »
I wish I had one of these!!!
Chasing The 44-40 Website: https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester

Chasing The 44-40 Forum: https://44-40.forumotion.com

Offline Cliff Fendley

  • NCOWS Member
  • Top Active Citizen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3697
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 360
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2019, 09:45:18 PM »
Which brand do you prefer, and why?

RCBS Cowboy, simply because they work the best. For crimping either the Lee FCD or Redding roll crimp depending on what I'm doing with the ammo.
http://www.fendleyknives.com/

NCOWS 3345  RATS 576 NRA Life member

Johnson County Rangers

Advertising

  • Guest
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #3 on: Today at 10:12:42 AM »

Offline King Medallion

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1180
  • SASS #: 14753
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 165
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2019, 10:09:32 PM »
Only ever had 1 set, Lyman, for 25+ years. Never had any issues.
King Medallion

Offline Jake C

  • Department of the Atlantic, GAF # 834
  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 579
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2019, 08:08:59 AM »
RCBS Cowboy, simply because they work the best. For crimping either the Lee FCD or Redding roll crimp depending on what I'm doing with the ammo.

My experience with .44-40 is very limited, but my RCBS Cowboy dies have been a blessing. They're fantastic.
Win with ability, not with numbers.- Alexander Suvorov, Russian Field Marshal, 1729-1800

Offline mtmarfield

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 546
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1639
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2019, 05:59:39 PM »
      Greetings, All!

   I've been using RCBS Dies for all of my Henry and Win 1866 handloads: with ".44HenryRF Duplication" in mind,
the FL Sizing Die is fine, because it turns the true Bottle-Neck case into a Straight-Taper case, and reduces the case
capacity appropriate for the reduced BP charges. M. Venturino goes so far as to write that it doesn't seem to 'over-
work' the brass, either.
   However, I also intend to load 'Full-Charge' BP .44WCF for my Win '73, and I'm going to want that little extra volume
that the true case dimensions can provide. I don't recall seeing this mentioned, and I'd like to enquire of the Group if
anyone can provide the Make / Model / Part #  of a Sizing Die that will size the neck, but minimally size the rest of
the case.

      Thanks Mucho!

              M.T.Marfield
                5-15-19

Offline greyhawk

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1070
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 49
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2019, 07:40:33 PM »
Just to be different! ;D

I use a Lee universal decapping die for all my BP decapping (best thing I ever bought)

Use a RCBS seating die with a flat boolit plunger I made

I dont resize cases (I reckon commercial resize dies are really hard on brass)  if /when they get a little squeezy to chamber I have a set of 5/8th dies in 44mag for my small Super Simplex turret press and by happy coincidence the crimp die will take a 44/40 case - barely touching the neck (.426 for about 1/8th inch) and just reducing the base enough to chamber easy again - perhaps if I shortened that a bit it would make a perfect resize die ?  Also have a set of proper 44/40 dies for the small press with a neck size die and have expanders for 44/40 (.427)and 44 mag (.430) .... so a hodge podge of dies from three sets works for me. 

Offline Ranch 13

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1841
    • Historic Shooting.com
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 8
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2019, 08:44:13 PM »
 I really like my Redding dies.
Eat more beef the west wasn't won on a salad.

Offline Marshal Hangtree

  • Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 19
  • SASS #: 105256
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2019, 06:20:48 AM »
Redding dies for me, too.

Offline Jubal Starbuck

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 231
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2019, 06:30:45 AM »
RCBS for me. I ground a little off the bottom of the sizer die and no problems since

Offline Bryan Austin

  • Top Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1015
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 17
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2019, 07:01:31 AM »
It really depends on what I am loading and how I am to use such loads.

For .427 bullets I use a Lee resizing die.
For .429/.430 bullets I used the RCBS Cowboy resizing die
This is preferred because of the size and or design of the bullets. No need to over work the brass if all one is using is .429 bullets. The Lee die resizes all the way down to a .427 bullet.

For some loads I use RCBS "M" dies for both the 44-40 diameter bullets (.427) and 44 magnum diameter bullets (.429./430).

Roll crimping is my preferred method of which again the Lee or RCBS pending bullet size and crimp groove design like the "Magma" bullet offered by the majority of commercial casters.

The LEE Factory crimp die, in my opinion, damages the case by distorting the material leaving an ever lasting "mark" on the case mouth. In no way have I ever had any case failures because of it, I just don't like it.

The LEE (LFCD) squeezes the case mouth forming it's crimp groove into soft lead bullets that don't offer a good crimp design such as the Lyman 427098 bullets that are designed to sit on top of a caseload of powder such as black powder or Dupont #2 early "bulk" smokeless powder that was loaded bulk for bulk just like black powder.

I prefer the Redding 44-40 Profile crimp die when using authentic 44-40 profile bullets such as the Winchester JSP and even Speer's 200gr JHP

This all has to do with "bullet support". For additional "bullet support" I use a modified die to resize some cases in order to lengthen the neck to give proper support to the longer seating Lyman 427098 and other replica 427098 designed bullets such as the Accurate 43-215C. Read: https://curtisshawk21.wixsite.com/44centerfire/ancient-history-pt-1 scroll halfway down the page (notice see photo example).
Chasing The 44-40 Website: https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester

Chasing The 44-40 Forum: https://44-40.forumotion.com

Offline Isom

  • Deputy Marshal
  • Very Active Citizen
  • *
  • Posts: 94
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 1
Re: Favorite .44-40 dies?
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2019, 11:53:24 AM »
Started reloading in '69 with an RCBS set-up, they worked fine ,,,, never saw any eason to change. I've got a couple of sets in Lyman and Hornaday, that was because my LGS was out of what I wanted in RCBS. Got my first set of 44-40 RCBS dies in'96, finally settled on a .429 bullet. I've got 3 pairs of OM Vaqueros, 1 pr. of Colts, 1860 Henry, 1866 short rifle, '73s and '92s, in original and replicas. I seat and crimp with one die. I tried the RCBS Cowboy dies, the Lee FCD die and I really couldn't tell the difference. I use smokeless and b/p. Main match is now 38-40 @ B/P, still use the regular RCBS dies. I've got no complaints.

YMMV,
Isom

 

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk

© 1995 - 2023 CAScity.com