44 mag brass life

[broham]

For my 40 and 357 the brass seems to last forever as most my loads are just target loads. My 44 loads are a little more stout as I load for a dessert eagle and it needs a pretty hot load to cycle the action. Just wondering about how many loads you guys get out of your 44 with hot loads. What case failure signs do you look for in an handgun besides the obvious. Thanks much.

 

[highlander 5]

Shoot them till they split,that's when you know they are no good. not trying to be funny here either.

 

[hydraulicman]

I would shoot it till it splits. If i was loading rounds for hunting i'd use new brass. That's just me

 

[broham]

That's kind of what I thought highlander. Only had that happen once with a 357 shell. Didn't even know it till I went to load the brass the next time and saw it. I have been thinking of getting some star line brass to use for all my heavy loads. ( I say star line because it's the only brand I don't have now, easier to sort) I hate surprises when I'm shooting. So I guess the only way to tell when a case is going to fail is after it fails? Thanks much for the input guy's.

 

[actionflies]

I highly recommend starline brass for hot loads like 44mag and 357mag.

 

[Ranger J]

I load some pretty stout loads of H110 for my rifles and have only had a half dozen split over the years. Yep, shoot them until they split.

RJ

 

[dogrunner]

I tend to stay away from the really stout stuff, but that said .44 brass seems nearly everlasting.
I have not quite two boxes of Norma re brass that I bought new in 1966 and don't recall EVER seeing one die! Thats the only stuff I can accurately date, but a lot of the Win, Rem & misc. I have
must date to the early to mid '60s and splittage has been a rare issue.

 

[lgbloader]

I would shoot it till it splits. If i was loading rounds for hunting i'd use new brass.

Yup.

LGB

 

[357mag357]

Someone posted a experiment by a Big Brass Co. not sure which one. They tested a 38 special over 150 times before failure. I wish they would do that for the 44 Mag.

 

[achildofthesky]

Heck, I have got 12+ loadings out of even Amerc brass. Some light loads, some thermo nuclear hot, all with a very stout crimp as I shoot them in my Marlin 1894. I have only lost a few due to splitting but don't think I will see 20x loads on them. I usually save 1x fired Win brass for my hunting loads, nickel plated please as I store them in a leather holster...

Yep, run 'em till they split.

 

[broham]

thanks a lot guys, I will take all your great advise.

 

[depoloni]

Let me glean on the community experience for THIS...

I tend to shoot my new 44-mag brass "full house" with 2400/110 and jacketed bullets about 5 times. Then I shoot 231/cast loads, pretty mild at about 850fps for around another 5 loads...

...at which point I start to see a light black "star" pattern around the primer edge recess due to the relative looseness of the primer pocket. Sometimes fills in the lettering on the case head. Any worries? Usually start tossing them at this point although it's never hung up a cylinder on me, or left any other evidence of happening aside from a light dusting of soot on the hammer-block side of the cylinder. Figured it meant they had to go from my rifle experience, despite the primers staying put (they don't fall out at loading, either). Gents?

 

[uf-engineer]

Question. Do you have to trim the brass or does it depend upon the powder charge?