kmca Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Just wondering, is a shortened 44 Special case the same as 44 Russian case? I've got a bunch of Special cases and only a few Russian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 From my Speer reloading manual. "The 44 Special was an outgrowth of the shorter 44 Russian cartridge introduced in the 1870's [...] The 44 Special is a slightly lengthened version of the Russian and was introduced with black powder loading in 1907. [...] pressure tests show that some often recommended high performance loads produce near-magnum pressures." I had always heard that both 44 Russian and 44 Special could be shot in a 44 Magnum chambered revolver. I would be very careful loading the shorter Russian with the same load you're using for a modern 44 Special. I would work up to it first, checking for all the signs of overpressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmca Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Actually, I want to load the Special to Russian. From the specs I've found, the Russian's rim diameter, thickness and neck diameter are .001 smaller than the Special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Santiago Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) I've never fired 44 Russian but I have fired .44 spl in my .44 mag revolvers with no problem. The only thing I have ever heard of, but not experienced with the shorter special rounds is that after enough of them, they will form a ring inside the cylinder near the crimped end of the case. The ring 'could' cause tightness in the chamber when loading the longer magnum cases. Again, I have not fired enough of the special cases to experience this firsthand. I've just downloaded 44 mag cases to .44 special velocities. Edited December 8, 2009 by pas44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Watson Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 The custom loaded .44 Russian ammo that came with my No 3 New Model was loaded in shortened .44 Magnum brass. I don't know if it had been neck reamed but it shot and reloaded fine for the old gun. I sold it to a collector when David Chicoine scared me out of loading smokeless for the old topbreaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trini Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 get hold of pshys2. In the past club matches he has used a S&W M29 shooting .44 Russian. Not sure if he only uses .44 Russian brass or has used .44 Special. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmca Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 get hold of pshys2. In the past club matches he has used a S&W M29 shooting .44 Russian. Not sure if he only uses .44 Russian brass or has used .44 Special. Thanks. I've talked to him before and he's the one who tipped the balance to get the work done on my 29. I hate to bother him again, he was SOOOOO helpful. If he sees this thread I hope he'll reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 just trim them off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmca Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 just trim them off Thanks, I did that and it works. Too bad I can't say the same for magnum cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I've used Russians for several years in my M29, with moon clips. They work great and give up nothing in accuracy. They don't work with speedloaders as you need a bit longer case length to work. I've used 3.8 clays with a 240 LRN since 2004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beans Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 (edited) On makeing 44 Russian brass from existing pistol brass The Reloaders Manual of Cartridges Conversion Page 565 states Case Preparation " 44 Magnum or (Special)> trim to length. Use 44 Spl dies for size & seat." It also shows that the rim thickness on the 44 Russian is .059 and the 44 Specia/ Magnum brass is .60 The trim to length for the .44 Russian is .97 the load length or OAL is 1.43 They recommend a load of 246 gr lead bullet with 3.6 grains of Bullseye for 700 FPS If inside reaming is required they usually state that as well as thicking a rim or changing rim diameter. None of that was suggested when using 44 mag brass Edited January 24, 2010 by Beans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I've never fired 44 Russian but I have fired .44 spl in my .44 mag revolvers with no problem. The only thing I have ever heard of, but not experienced with the shorter special rounds is that after enough of them, they will form a ring inside the cylinder near the crimped end of the case. The ring 'could' cause tightness in the chamber when loading the longer magnum cases. Again, I have not fired enough of the special cases to experience this firsthand. I've just downloaded 44 mag cases to .44 special velocities. The ring you are talking about happens in .357's when you shoot 38 spl in them as well. A brass bore brush a couple of times through the cylinder after some Hoppes will take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 I've only been using the .44 Russian in my Model 29 for about a month now and am real happy with it. I converted the 29 for full moon clips and now it loads like my Model 25. You can get .44 Russian brass from Midway and Track Of The Wolf. 500 cases are just under $100. I'm shooting 4.0 of Unique for a major load with 245 gr LRN bullets that I cast. Average velocity is 670 fps. Accuracy is very nice. 1 1/2 inches so far but I still need to play with bullet diameter. At .432 they shoot great. At .430 not so great so I ordered a new sizing die for .433. My cylinder throats are all .432 checked with my pin guage set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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