Reloading 44 and 303?

[Deacon Frank]

So I'm considering getting into reloading for 44 Magnum and 303 British. I don't have a lot of space or a lot to invest, so I'm keeping it small/simple for now. Equipment:

• Lee hand press
• Lee primer die
• 4-piece Lee die set for 44mag, 2-piece Lee "collet" set for 303 Brit (neck sizer and bullet seater only)
• Generic electronic scale
• Franklin Arsenal tumbler with corncob media

Load for 44 Magnum:

• Used brass (Hornady, PRVI, Starline)
• CCI 350 primer
• Speer 270gr or Hornady 165gr JFN bullet
• 17-19gr Ramshot Enforcer (I prefer A2400, but can't find it anywhere)

Load for 303 British:

• Used brass (fireformed PRVI and Winchester)
• CCI 200 primer
• Speer 180gr JRN
• 42-46gr Accurate 2700

Do those of you who reload have any insight or suggestions to offer? Anything specific to these calibers?

 

[auk1124]

Never used a Lee hand press before, but neck sizing is definitely the way to go on 303. Even then, don't use your brass more than a few times, or you will become very familiar with the use of a broken shell extractor. Enfield chambers are so loosey-goosey that brass doesn't last long.

A powder trickler is a handy thing to have; sometime in the future you might want to get one. Redding used to make an excellent trickler and I assume they still do.

A brass tumbler is not necessary, in my opinion. You can clean your brass by hand good enough to reuse. Might not be shiny, but who cares? Google "cleaning brass by hand" and you will find a hundred different ways to get the job done.

Instead of a tumbler I'd look at taking that money and putting it into a cheap single stage press. You can mount one on a piece of 3/4 inch ply wood and clamp it to an end table in an apartment and reload hundreds of rounds that way. I did exactly that for years, back when I was single. Worked like a charm.

Never reloaded 44, but with 303, IMR 3031 is a great powder. Sometime in the future, pick up a jug and give it a try, unless you find your holy grail load with the Accurate.

 

[noelekal]

I reload for both .44 Magnum and the .303 and fully agree with auk1124's post. It's a good one.

Two tumblers live here but are scarcely used. Seemed important once to go for the ultimate in shiny brass but just isn't important to me any more. I feel tumblers are overrated and oversold.

Three .303s live here and I've handloaded for one additional one that has now gotten away from me. auk1124's right about neck-sizing and watching for incipient case head separations. About three reloads and toss 'em in favor of new cases. All four of the .303s for which I supplied with handloads have had over-long chambers. Good for function in conditions of wartime grime, but a bedevilment for the handloader.

Did you mean to say 265 grain Hornady bullet when you stated "165 grain" bullet?

 

[captaincaveman]

The hand press can be somewhat unpleasant. It's smaller than it looks, with less leverage than it ought to have. I use one for depriming sometimes and cases with tough primers require serious force or winding up and slamming it, and once the primer gives way I fear that I'll crush a finger.

For the same price Lee offers their "Reloader" C-press (not to be confused with the Lee Loader). You could mount it to a block and then clamp the block to a table when you want to use it.

With either the hand press or the Reloader C-press you will need a way to prime. I like a hand primer instead of the prime die. However, if you want to prime on the press, for not much more money than the press and the prime die you can move up to the Lee Breech Lock Challenger Press that is equipped for priming.

If you had space but not money, instead of a tumbler or hand-cleaning you could use a free Craigslist/curbside treadmill with a $1 drum. If you're handy you can make it much smaller; remove the arms and belt/platform, shorten the frame, and place the drum directly on the rollers. (Keep the relocated control panel intact unless you're good at electronics!)

 

[Deacon Frank]

with 303, IMR 3031 is a great powder

I'd read that it's the closest thing to the military-production ammunition, so I'll check it out, maybe go with that instead of the Accurate 2700.

As for bullet weight on the 44mag, noelekal was correct, I meant to say 265gr (Hornady Interlock JFN).

 

[JimmyHAD]

I've used Hercules Unique for 44 spl and magnum for many years. If you can get some of that it is a real good powder for moderately hot loads. Like 900 ft per second. I used to go for the 2400 when I was trying to emulate Elmer Keith, but accumulated damage to my elbow from shooting hot + loads convinced me that less is more ;-)

 

[Ad Astra]

Remember those .303s will stretch, too- be able to measure, and trim or discard.

Wind up with reloads too long to chamber, eh.


AA

 

[Deacon Frank]

I've used Hercules Unique for 44 spl and magnum for many years. If you can get some of that it is a real good powder for moderately hot loads. Like 900 ft per second. I used to go for the 2400 when I was trying to emulate Elmer Keith, but accumulated damage to my elbow from shooting hot + loads convinced me that less is more ;-)

I'm shooting these out of a lever-action (Marlin), so I'm not too worried about recoil. I'm more concerned with 100yd (or so) effectiveness on feral pigs and deer, and ease of use (ie, relatively flat trajectory). I know what you're saying though...I used to have a S&W 629, and the Buffalo Bore 270gr hurt too much to shoot more than a few in one sitting. Took the fun out of it.

Mike (@Ad Astra), I assume trimming brass involves cutting the case opening to bring the case length into spec? I wasn't aware that the 303 stretched significantly. What do you find to be the best way of doing this? I see there's a Lee gauge, but is that the best way? I almost wonder if reloading is worth it for this cartridge.

 

[Ad Astra]

I have the Lyman case trimmer (I think!) and although pistol brass like .45 Colt never stretches, the milsurp rounds I load (6.5x50 Jap., 7.7x58 Jap, 8mm Mauser, .303 etc) do.

Too much stress, and cracks/head separation. It's aggravating but milsurp brass has a shortened life, especially the bad-headspace calibers I like.

AA

 

[auk1124]

Reloading is a great hobby in and of itself. You may enjoy it as much as shooting - I do.

The Lee case trimming system is dead simple, cheap, foolproof, and works great for milsurp rounds. Be sure and add a chamfer tool to your order, to use after trimming.

A lot of people poo-poo Lee equipment, but in my opinion it is an excellent entry into reloading. They used to make a kit that had a scale, press, basically just about everything except your dies. If they still make this kit, it might be worth checking out.

 

[RoRo]

Are many of you shooting the .303 ? I was going to buy a no.4 as a fun informal target gun/plinker. But had thought about using it unscoped as a deer rifle. Ever since ruger did the run of no.1's in .303, there is some good quality hunting ammo available.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I load a lot of .44 Magnums. I use a 240 gr LSWC Keith bullet. 10 gr. of Unique chronographs 1100 fps out of my 6" revolver.

 

[Ozziedoc]

Lots of good information above.

My 2 cents is this; Ditch the Lee hand press if you plan to use a collett die. A collett die requires a fair bit of pressure at the end of the stroke and quite apart from the hand press not really being up to it you need a combination of great biceps with tiny fingers to prevent squashed fingers.

The little Lee C press is also not adequate for that in the long term.

At a bare minimum you need a Challenger or equivalent RCBS Partner if you intend to collet size.

 

[bberg100]

Do yourself a favor and don't scrimp on a press. Lee bench presses are aluminum and do OK for light duty use, a "hand" press will discourage further exploration of the vast reloading hobby. A cast iron press is the way to go and they will last a lifetime with nothing more than a drop of oil every once in a while. RCBS Rockchucker, Lyman Orange Crusher, and Hornady Lock-n-Load are great presses.

 

[Wishoot]

I've been using the hand press for 44mag and 357mag with Lee 4-die sets.

It's slow going, but not horribly so. I can usually load 50 rounds in about 35 minutes.

I may break down and get a turret press one of these days, but I'm in no hurry.

 

[jkingrph]

I'm shooting these out of a lever-action (Marlin), so I'm not too worried about recoil. I'm more concerned with 100yd (or so) effectiveness on feral pigs and deer, and ease of use (ie, relatively flat trajectory). I know what you're saying though...I used to have a S&W 629, and the Buffalo Bore 270gr hurt too much to shoot more than a few in one sitting. Took the fun out of it.

Mike (@Ad Astra), I assume trimming brass involves cutting the case opening to bring the case length into spec? I wasn't aware that the 303 stretched significantly. What do you find to be the best way of doing this? I see there's a Lee gauge, but is that the best way? I almost wonder if reloading is worth it for this cartridge.

44 Mag is a different animal out of a rifle as compared to a pistol. Go with a fairly heavy bullet, 240 gr Keith is fine, and any standard load will be fine on deer and pigs. Play with it at the range a bit and I think you will find it plenty flat shooting out to about 150 yards. Zero it there and see how it strikes at intermediate ranges.

I have one of the 629 classic models, with a fairly long barrel 7 3/8 or something like that, and ported. I'm getting a bit older and have a little arthritis and it is a bit more than I care for anymore. The little Ruger Super Blackhawk is out of the running and will probably be passed on to my son.

 

[windinthewillows]

I carried a smelly on a trip to Point Barrow in case a Polar Bear got silly. Thankfully, niether of us was. If you need a moose round
RHINO bullets out of Australia make a splendid 215 grain that duplicates the old canadian DOMINION load. Rifle condition is paramount, and if you have a later two piece head the number stamp 1-4 tells a lot. Except for the last version triggers were pinned onto the guard and a sloppy pin fit from wear the #1 accuracy issue. People equate sloppy battlefield chambers with innacuracy and respond with sloppy
reloading. I treated my cases like match loads; squaring up the primer pocket, cleaning up the neck and measuring OAL so the bullet just kissed the lands.It doesn't make a target rifle but consistency in grouping was greatly improved. My unit were all packing magnums. I had served in Kodiak and carried a Mauser 98 in 30-06 with 220 grains as did the guides of that time. The local Inuit thought my choice splendid and I gifted it to one when leaving.

 

[nortac]

I think it would be a false economy to invest in a Lee hand press. As has been mentioned, get a cast iron single stage press. You will be much more satisfied with that press. Lee dies are OK in general, but probably my least favorite. You don't need a vibratory case cleaner to start off with, but when you do get one, I'd use crushed walnut shells over corncob media. They are smaller particles that don't get stuck in primer pockets if you polish after depriming and they last much longer than corn cob media.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I prefer corn cob over walnut. You can get fine enough to not clog primer pockets. I believe the grit is 20/40. I buy it by the 40 lb sack for around 35 bucks. It and a cap of Nu Finish car polish make brass look new.

 

[captaincaveman]

I've used Hercules Unique for 44 spl and magnum for many years. If you can get some of that it is a real good powder for moderately hot loads. Like 900 ft per second. I used to go for the 2400 when I was trying to emulate Elmer Keith, but accumulated damage to my elbow from shooting hot + loads convinced me that less is more ;-)

Plus, it's as near to an all-purpose powder as exists. Load data exists for it for every handgun caliber I've checked, shotgun shells, and data even exists for using Unique as a reduced recoil load for most .30 rifle calibers (at least for cast bullets).

Reloading is a great hobby in and of itself. You may enjoy it as much as shooting - I do.

A lot of people poo-poo Lee equipment, but in my opinion it is an excellent entry into reloading. They used to make a kit that had a scale, press, basically just about everything except your dies. If they still make this kit, it might be worth checking out.

Well said, on both counts! It's a whole hobby unto itself, perhaps even more fascinating than shooting, and I get to do it at home, in the evening, early in the morning, in my bare feet and boxers, with nobody around.

I'm relatively new to this, but I have no real complaints about my Lee equipment. That includes the Loadmaster progressive press that is so polarizing, with every discussion attracting brigades of Dillon users to describe their loathe and a few meek Lee apologists. I kinda hoped for more of a challenge, but so far I haven't had any problems that aren't similar to problems commonly reported for other brands. Maybe the future will give me more puzzles to solve (hopefully not on a day when I need to crank out a bunch of rounds!).

As for kits, each manufacturer offers a variety of kits now.

I prefer corn cob over walnut. You can get fine enough to not clog primer pockets. I believe the grit is 20/40. I buy it by the 40 lb sack for around 35 bucks. It and a cap of Nu Finish car polish make brass look new.

I grabbed a $4 bag of corn cob bird litter at Walmart while I was there for groceries. It's more coarse and may stick in primer pockets if I pre-deprime. Anyway it and Nu-Finish do the job well and I haven't yet had to buy anything more so I haven't had to seek better corncob/walnut at a pet supply store or industrial supply.

I think it would be a false economy to invest in a Lee hand press.

Not necessarily.

If you are discouraged by it from continuing or delving further into handloading then it's a bad thing IMO but probably not a false economy. Let's face it, most of us probably spend more with reloading as a hobby than we would have spent without it.

There's the old cliche of "your don't spend less on ammo, you just shoot more" which I rather dislike since it is the default answer to a common question and is complete doublespeak; the answer should be "cost per round is indeed reduced but you'll probably end up spending it shooting more"...but more important, IMO, is that reloading is a deep rabbit hole. You start with a single stage press, a cheap scale, a few other minor things, then the next thing you know you're buying extra presses, chronometers, electric case prep stations, casting equipment, lubrasizer presses, and a zillion other fun tools and accessories -- and bulk packs of powder and primers.

However, if you are NOT discouraged by it, maybe it whets your appetite through joy or maybe its shortcomings spur you to move along to bigger and better presses, then the hand press is not wasted and it is not going to collect dust. It's great for doing easier operations while reclining on the couch watching TV with the wife, it's great for a bug-out bag, and it's great to bring to the range (along with prepared/primed brass) for load development. Then you're buying every dang thing under the sun, having too much fun, and spending all your money on saving money reloading!