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How many of you reload Pistol ammo?

Sako

Sako

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Jan 19, 2005
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OK.. I have been reloading for rifles since the early 90's but have never reloaded pistol ammo...

I picked up a nice S&W model 57 8 & 3/8 inch barrel .41 mag this weekend and I want to load for it and kill a deer with it... I bought some brass & Dies....

Any insight? anything tips that are different than loading for rifle... any thing to keep in mind?

thanks
 
I've been handloading handgun ammo for about 15 years now and I am still learning ;)
1)You won't need to lube the cases as long as you bought carbide dies.
2)You will need to flare the case mouths after sizing to seat the new bullet(expander die)
3)You should crimp the bullet so that under recoil the bullets don't dislodge and jam the cylinder
I've never loaded for .41 Magnum but have loaded several thousand .44 Mag/Spec and .357 Mag and .38 special.
Your die instructions should cover most differences as well as a good manual(you already knew that though) :)
 
firefox about covered everything. Trim lenght is important for
proper crimp and you will have to use different primers from
rifle primers.

I have not loaded for the 41 also but it is good round. I do
load for 44,357,38,32h&r,7MM tcu and 35 remington for my contender.
 
I load for the 44 Mag. Back in the early 80s I shot one that belonged to a friend I was shooting big bore silhouettes with. It was really nice. had more knockdown than the .357 Mag without the muzzle blast of the .44. I've taken several deer and a couple hogs with my TC Encore 44 Mag. The .41 should do just fine. Have fun! If Barnes makes a bullet for it, I'd go with that for hunting. They're awesome!
 
I was looking at the barnes bullets (which i am a fan of) but man they are high.... I am leaning more towards the hornady for everyday & then load up a few barnes for hunting....

Thanks for the input...
 
Re-Loading smaller handgun rounds can be a little monotonous on a single stage press due to high numbers. The progressive press would make a lot of sense if you load a lot. I myself use a shell kicker on my single stage rock chucker so that every time I pull the handle up it will lift and drop the case in a container for me. Like Firefox said carbide dies are great, and save lots of lube time. Don't make the mistake I made and flare the cases out too much. Just a slight flare.
 
The first die in the 3 die set sizes and deprimes. You don`t have to resize clear to the shellholder, and if you do you ger an hour glass shaped loaded round with a pronounced ridge where the bullet ends inside the case, plainly visible from the outside. Play with the die and size just enough to properly hold the bullet and your ammo will look much better.
 
One thing to consider when loadig pistols rounds is the amount of powder being used, It is easy to double charge a 45acp and similar rounds due to the small amount of powder being used. I use extra caution when the powder and case capacity present this opportunity. Just something to think about.
 
Cull Buck Hunter said:
One thing to consider when loadig pistols rounds is the amount of powder being used, It is easy to double charge a 45acp and similar rounds due to the small amount of powder being used. I use extra caution when the powder and case capacity present this opportunity. Just something to think about.
Click to expand...


very critical information, and very good info!
 

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