Ever shot a 44 mag shell in a 45 Colt?

[edlmann]

I have a friend that kept trying to convince me it was ok to shoot .41 mag in a .410 shotgun. I don't have any 41 mag otherwise I'd have been tempted to let him try it out.

Your friend sort of has about half the story right.

.410 is closer to .45 in bore size.

Back in the early '70s, T/C sold Contender barrels in .45LC with choke (wink wink, nudge, nudge).

Easily rechambered to .410 3".

I suspect a .41 mag in a .410 barrel would just rattle down the bore.

 

[onesureshot]

There was a guy at the range a few years ago that was having a hard time "getting his deer rifle ready". He asked if I would spot for him. After 4 rounds going every which way but on the paper, I asked him if his scope was loose. As we were checking everything over I noticed the .30-06 stamped on the barrel and the .270 Win printed on the box of factory ammo. I asked him about it and he swore the rifle was a .270. I pointed out the caliber marking on the barrel. He packed up and went home without saying another word.

I felt bad for him, as he had been telling me how broke he was and really needed to put meat in the freezer for his family. He had bought two boxes of ammo and went through almost all of it before we caught the problem.

 

[s4s4u]

standing on our hind legs

How many legs you got?

 

[ftr53]

Yep. Did it once; no ill effects.

Range session with the EMF/Uberti 7-1/2" .45LC. Ammo was in one of those 50-round zip-lock loose bulk bags picked up at the gun show--nickel brass, lead round nose, except for one with a jacketed soft point. No biggie, just one of five rounds chambered in the Uberti. During the five-shot string, one of the rounds went off with considerably more vigor than the others: louder report, more flash, but no noticeable increase in recoil.

'Wow, that one was sure different.' When the empties fell out--and they all did easily, with no prompting from the ejector--a quick study of the case heads showed that one was a .44 Mag. It had been in the bag all along, unknown and unsuspected--49 .45s and one .44. No split case, no bulged case, no abnormal signs of any kind on either the case or the gun. Probably, as has already been mentioned, the smaller diameter bullet went down the larger barrel without having a chance to build up any excessive pressure.

The moral of the story: No more gun show plastic bag bulk ammo. Period. And no ammo except factory or my own handloads. That was a once-only experience, and I intend to keep it that way.

 

[edlmann]

All these comments (including mine) point out the benefits of modern metallurgy.

I'd hate to think what would happen to an old blackpowder Colt or S&W Schofield.