# .44 caliber ball, 50 grains of blackpowder **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2002, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-caliber-ball-50-grains-of-blackpowder/97996 "2002-03-13T04:34:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-caliber-ball-50-grains-of-blackpowder/97996/41 "2002-03-19T01:33:02Z")
Okay, I’m embarassed. It sounds like you have a _lot_ more experience in loading bp into cartridges than I do. I tried loading .44-40 just once and mangled every darned case. As I mentioned in an earlier post, almost 90% of my blackpowder experience involves muzzleloaders. I certainly should have been more careful about shooting my mouth off. Sorry. Incidentally, though, you really can set it off by crushing the granules. I discovered the following equation by accident: (a few loose granules of 3f)+(hard-soled shoes)+(concrete floor)=(required change of underwear) ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-caliber-ball-50-grains-of-blackpowder/97996/42 "2002-03-19T03:05:06Z")
I’m not the king of soot lords but I think I’ve earned my black sash. I’ve got a lot of experienced shooters to learn from on the SASS message board. .44-40 is a bit tricky to load and as you’ve seen. The walls are so thin it’s easy to crush or buckle. I load on a progressive press, something else that goes against conventional wisdom. I do have to make sure that cases are seated in the shellplate or I’m guaranteed to crush them in the sizing die. Now that I’ve got my setup dialed in I don’t find .44-40 to be any more difficult than a straight wall caliber with smokeless. I do take the extra step of putting wax cookies over the charge before seating the bullet which gives me a chance to visually check each charge. When I get the automatic powder measure conversion I’ll be loading almost as fast as I do .45 ACP. I’ll make a note to not compress charges by stomping on concrete 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-caliber-ball-50-grains-of-blackpowder/97996/43 "2002-03-19T20:53:48Z")
Looking back through my previous posts in this tread has convinced me that I should never again post at 2:00 am after I’ve had a couple of beers. **Padeye** - I realize that the above mentoned posts come off as really snarky. The thing is, I was just trying to tell you what _I_ do. It just didn’t come out right. Yes, I am probably paranoid. Yes, I am _extremely_ careful with blackpowder. I’m also extremely careful with the double-based powders I load in my target shells for skeet. Having said that, I will tell you that your point about mechanical measures is well taken. I load muzzle-loaders from flasks with measuring spouts (all brass) and don’t think twice about it. What I was trying to say is that no one should use equipment intended to load modern propellants with BP (without the modifications you described, safety glasses, etc.). I should have realized that you and **Johnny L.A.** already know what you are doing. I just didn’t want someone new to the game to do something really dangerous. Really, there was no offense meant, and I bow to your superior knowledge (this is NOT sarcasm). Although, If you want to build a Pennsylvania Rifle… I promise, this is the last time I bump this thread. [sub] But if **Padeye** wants to start a “Cowboy Shooting” thread, I have a couple of questions.[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-caliber-ball-50-grains-of-blackpowder/97996.md?page=2)