Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45 Colt "Magnum" Shotshells for Snakes & Rats

I've been meaning to put this little primer together for a while, but just never got a round tuit. But this w/e I had some time on my hands, so here ya go.

OK, the problem as far as I'm concerned is that the world is full of critters that need to be blown to smithereenies at every opportunity. By which I mean any spider larger than a half-dollar, any venomous snake, and any rodent that takes up residence where I don't want it.

Since I most always have a blaster strapped to my hip, I thought it might serve if I was to buy some CCI shotshells and see how they worked. Well, they don't work very well at all, unless you're REAL close to the critter in question, which is kind of contrary to the whole point of carryin' a blaster.

So in 2001 I read an article in the Gun Digest handguns annual about how to make "magnum" 45 Colt and 44 Mag shotshells. I tried it out and found a recipe that works like gangbusters. I've been slayin' snakes, tree-rats, and mice with these things for over 10 years.

Here's the deal: a CCI 44 Magnum shotshell holds about 100 gr of #9 shot. But if you make your own "magnum" shotshells, your 44 Mag shells will hold about 180 gr of shot, and your 45 Colt shells will hold 200 gr of #9 shot, and about 210 gr of #12 shot! The difference on the receiving end is truly impressive.

Since I almost always carry a .45 Colt revolver when out hunting, I mostly make and use this caliber. I have a handful of .44 Mag shotshells (which are a LOT harder to make, trust me).

So here's how you do it. (This might take a few posts to get it all done. Please bear with me.)

Okay. First thing, always start with a clean, well-organized reloading bench. A messy reloading bench is a recipe for disaster. Don't ask me how I know this.



Now, the base cartridge for your .45 Colt "magnum" shotshell is the .444 Marlin case.



What you need to do first thing is measure the length of your SHORTEST .45 Colt revolver (cylinder length, I mean, not barrel). For me, it's the Single Action Army. Here's a Uberti SAA clone, the blackpowder first generation frame of which is my shortest 45 Colt cylinder.



Once you've measured your cylinder, you need to measure out your 444 Marlin cases...



...and then cut them to length in a vise using a hacksaw. I forgot to take pix of me sawing up cases. Trust me, it's not that hard if I can do it. Use your case-mouth chamfering tool to clean up the edges are you're ready to size the necks.

The big problem with the 444 Marlin case is that it binds in the cylinder throats. So what I do is run the 444 Marlin cases up into a .44 Magnum sizing die to narrow the neck down, like so:



As you can see, I size the necks down about 1/2". It's not rocket science, all you need to do is size 'em down until you can fit them in the cylinder without pushing them too hard.

By the way, as any serious reloader will tell you... after making sure you have a clean bench for your projects, you should never, never, EVER, imbibe alcohol while reloading.




Beer's okay, though.

Now, prime your cases using large rifle primers. Large pistol primers won't work. Don't ask me how I know this. Just use large rifle primers.

[img]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/444Marlinbrassheadstamp.jpg[/img]

Charge the cases with 6.0 gr of Unique...

[img]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/Adding6grUnique.jpg[/img]

And now you're ready for the wads.

I use AA .410 wads, as shown. They are too long, though, so you'll need to push one into a powder-charged case, then mark it with a felt marker to know how short to cut them. Then you cut a bunch of wads up with a utility knife.

[img]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/410wads.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb332/DocDarkside/Marking410wads.jpg[/img]