.44 mag reamed to .445 super mag or .444 marlin cut to 1.8&q

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Biggjimm
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.44 mag reamed to .445 super mag or .444 marlin cut to 1.8&q

Post by Biggjimm » Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:48 am

I'm considering rechambering my .44 mag encore rifle barrel. The factory chamber is what seems a little extreme to me. It's got right at .685" from the start of the forcing cone to the leade edge of the rifling. I don't know a lot about chambers yet but that seems like a lot of jump for the bullet to start engraving the rifling. So anyways I thought maybe a rechamber to .445 super mag might help tighten the chamber specs up a bit & at the same time get my effective range out closer to the 200+ yd area. Then I was reading about guys cutting .444 marlin brass down to 1.8" (which is the max case length in Indiana for rifles for deer hunting) and they called them .44 mad max. If I have the chamber cut to accommodate the 1.8" .444 cases, I could use more of a slower burning powder to take advantage of the 22" barrel length (i think that's how that works anyways) & I could probably run a little heavier bullets that would stabilize better in the 1:20" twist (again I think that's the way it goes, heavier bullets in the faster twist?) And could possibly get it in the 200+ yd range & with the 1.8" case length It might be enough to get rid of the factory forcing cone all together & get me a nice chamber with a good throat & really make it a shooter. Does this sound like something that might work out? Either way if I rechamber to .445 or the 1.8" .444's i'll have to hand load & it seems like the 1.8" chamber would be the smarter choice to clean up the factory chamber & take advantage of the larger case capacity. Seems like it adds up to me but sometimes I get my numbers wrong. Might be better off to just have a nice .460 S&W barrel made for it & go that route. ????
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bgreenea3
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Post by bgreenea3 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 2:02 am

How's it shoot now?

I would try some heavyweight loads first, because with that chamber setup you aren't as confined with oal as you are in a 44 mag revolver.... Beside that's a whole lot more cost efficient than teaming the chamber and loading up for a wildcat round...

The 460 barrel would be nice though.......
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Biggjimm
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Post by Biggjimm » Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:58 am

That's the problem that I guess I left out originaly, after going to hornady's 300gr xtp's I can finally get it under 4" at 100yds. I'm guessing the sloppy chamber with such a long forcing cone is most of the problem. If I could get some tighter consistent groups out of it I would be fine with leaving it alone. Although the idea of making it capable of 250 yds or so would be nice. I don't think I'll mind loading for wildcat especially once I get an acceptable load for hunting that's all ill do with it is deer hunt. I figure I'm probably going to handload anyways as soon as I get my press all set up. And I'm going play around with some loads in the factory mag chamber before I do anything & see if I can get it shooting acceptable groups. I was just considering my options. And yes the 460 would be nice. I missed a good deal on a brand new encore pro hunter with a bergara bull barrel in .460 s&w about a month ago. I could of picked it up for $500 w/ 2 boxes of shells. Oh well you can't win them all right.
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bgreenea3
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Post by bgreenea3 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:48 pm

hmmmm..... 4" with a pistol caliber isn't that bad. thats minute of deer vitals.

have you checked w/ TC to see what they reccomend from that barrel? might be out of spec.
"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."

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Biggjimm
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Post by Biggjimm » Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:47 pm

Yeah really it is but I like to get my rifle dialed in better than that if I can that way if I mess it up I know it was all me. If my rifles shooting 2 or 3 inches off & I'm shooting a couple inches off that could add up to a missed animal or worse yet a wounded deer running around & that's the last thing I want. So after I called TC the first time & was told it was a 1 in 32" twist & when it wouldn't shoot the 225 gr bullets I checked it & I came up with 1 in 20" so when I called back they said "oh yeah that's a custom shop barrel & it is 1 in 20") so that's when I got the 300gr loads & I took it to the range today & man it is shooting pretty sweet now with the 300gr hornady's. I was sighting it in on 1" bullseyes at 100yds, 4 shot groups & out of four different groups, all 4 holes were in the bull or touching it. They were all around 3/4" groups so I can't complain about that at all. That's the kind of confidence I like to have in my equipment so when that buck of a lifetime, or just a meat deer for that matter, presents itself, I know that if I do my part, then he's gonna take a truck ride. Biggjimm.
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