Just wondering...

[deanadell]

...sitting here at my desk at work, not at my reloading bench, so I can't just look......

I have a Lee carbide pistol die set for .44 Magnum. Can I also load .44 Special with these same dies?

Just bought a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 Special so I was wondering if I was going to have to pick up another set of dies.....

Thanks

Don

 

[overkill0084]

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=875273
Yes.

 

[Scorch]

Generally, with a 44 Mag die you can also reload 44 Special, although you will have to adjust the die down to roll crimp the bullets. Resizing is no problem (same case diameter), you will just have to check if the seat/crimp die screws down enough to crimp the 44 Specials.

 

[PawPaw]

I've got a .44 Special set that I use to load .44 Special and .44 Magnum. You may be able to use your set to load both calibers.

On Lee's FAQ page, they say this:

Frequently, dies from one caliber may be used to load other calibers. Due to the locations of crimping shoulders, the operation may only work for dies of the shorter caliber to the longer. You may notice a label depicting the shorter die in your set for the longer version of the cartridge, we do this to reduce costs.

The only way to find out is to try. As in all things with reloading, be careful and proceed with caution. However, it wouldn't surprise me if the bullet seating/crimp die is the same in both the .44 magnum and the .44 special sets.

 

[g.willikers]

Lee dies, bless their hearts, will do double duty for 44/44M. 38/357, and others, and are marked as such.
But not all dies will.
I have a set of 357 dies that will not even come close to working for a .38.
So, it does pay to ask and look.

 

[zippy13]

I have a set of 357 dies that will not even come close to working for a .38

A .38 or .44 special die can be raised to accommodate a longer magnum cases. But, a magnum specific die can't be lowered or "smallerized" to accommodate the shorter specials. If that's the case, why would anyone get a mag die? Simple, some shooters don't want to miss that bottom 1/10-inch, or so, of the case when sizing a mag case with a special's die.