anyone reloading .44 special?

[kennedy759]

just bought a charter arms bulldog in 44 special, 2 in barrel. loaded up a couple with 240 gr berrys plated flat nose and a starting load of 4.9 grs of universal with crimp. shot it into 2x6 and the bullet went in 1/4 in and bounce out. then shot a friends reload, same bullet, but 7 grs of unique and almost penetrated thru the 2x6. Is my load too light? these bullet measure .429 while my lee instructions say they should be .430, could they be too small? I had to pull a test rd apart with a kinetic hammer and it took a couple of hard whacks to do the job. going to up my powder and see what happens.

 

[Leo]

That had to be pretty embarrassing when your bullet bounced off. I knew a guy that took a shot at a metal sign with a .25. The bullet bounced back and stuck in the middle of his forehead. That was even more embarrassing



The Hodgon site says you can go up to 5.6. I think I would try 5.5. Don't forget, you only have a 2 inch barrel. The data site shows Universal powder velocity from an 8 inch barrel. You might try a faster burn rate powder. to optimize the velocity from your snub nose. Maybe Titegroup

 

[bgcatty]

I reload .44 special and .44 magnum. Your load is way light. The 5-6 grains of Unique under a 240 gr. bullet should go right through the 2x4. I do not think the bullet is the problem here. It is the load. IMHO

 

[Bill2905]

There is nothing wrong with your bullet diameter. Different bullet brands/styles will span a range of several thousandths in diameter and 0.429 is the nominal diameter for 44 bullets. Universal and Unique are very similar in burn rate and the load with 7.0 grains Unique is going to deliver quite a bit more energy in my estimation. Try going up in charge weight with Universal. You still have room to work your way up another 10%. Just take it slow and make sure your cases are still ejecting easily as you near the max.

 

[kennedy759]

thanks for your input, due to powder shortage I am stuck with universal, its a good thing as I use it for .40, .38, .45lc and 16 ga, and I have a bunch of it, so going to up the charge and see what happens

 

[DadSmith]

just bought a charter arms bulldog in 44 special, 2 in barrel. loaded up a couple with 240 gr berrys plated flat nose and a starting load of 4.9 grs of universal with crimp. shot it into 2x6 and the bullet went in 1/4 in and bounce out. then shot a friends reload, same bullet, but 7 grs of unique and almost penetrated thru the 2x6. Is my load too light? these bullet measure .429 while my lee instructions say they should be .430, could they be too small? I had to pull a test rd apart with a kinetic hammer and it took a couple of hard whacks to do the job. going to up my powder and see what happens.

As stated above the velocity is from an 8" barrel. Just figure 20-25 fps per inch of barrel velocity loss. So your snub nose should be approximately around 120-150 fps slower than shown velocity.

 

[kennedy759]

ok, tried a hotter load, 5.5 gr universal, better results but still not a lot of penetration into a 2x6, but that is good, less danger of going thru a wall and hitting someone. also easy on the hand and gun, thanks

 

[DadSmith]

ok, tried a hotter load, 5.5 gr universal, better results but still not a lot of penetration into a 2x6, but that is good, less danger of going thru a wall and hitting someone. also easy on the hand and gun, thanks

240gr bullet should penetrate a 2x6 and keep going. I shoot 40gr 22lr out of a TX22 and they almost come out the other side of a 2x4 which is actually around 1.5" thick.

 

[DadSmith]

I have some 44 special brass laying around. I've been playing with the idea of making a heavy for caliber load. Like a 300gr FN hard cast and pushing it around 700-750fps in a 6.5" barrel.

I only have a 44mag.

Now question for the more knowledgeable reloaders.
If it has to much pressure will the high pressure signs be present even in the 44 magnum cylinder?
Would the primer still flatten out, and other high pressure signs?
Since this would be a 44 special case I would think over pressure signs would show, or am I wrong about this?

 

[Aszerigan]

I have some 44 special brass laying around. I've been playing with the idea of making a heavy for caliber load. Like a 300gr FN hard cast and pushing it around 700-750fps in a 6.5" barrel.

I only have a 44mag.

Now question for the more knowledgeable reloaders.
If it has to much pressure will the high pressure signs be present even in the 44 magnum cylinder?
Would the primer still flatten out, and other high pressure signs?
Since this would be a 44 special case I would think over pressure signs would show, or am I wrong about this?

First - what platform are you shooting it from?

Standard pressure from a 180gn & 240gn CFE Pistol load in 44 special is 12k-13k psi. Pressures from an H110 load on 44 Mag is upwards of 35k+. That's a lot of room to play.

I would think that if you shot that 300gn with a reduced load for 240gn bullets, you'd be fine, even with a moderate pressure spike. Find a lead 300gn bullet to start, and load it with the starting charge minus 0.3gn for 240gn load data. That should give you a safe starting point. But check your barrel and make sure your 300gn lead ashtrays are going down range. :-).

Also, chrono everything and work up from there.

You'll see pressure spikes in the cases before they rupture. There is no wall thickness difference between 44 Spec and 44 Mag, so it'll hold the pressure, assuming your platform is up for the challenge.

 

[DadSmith]

First - what platform are you shooting it from?

Standard pressure from a 180gn & 240gn CFE Pistol load in 44 special is 12k-13k psi. Pressures from an H110 load on 44 Mag is upwards of 35k+. That's a lot of room to play.

I would think that if you shot that 300gn with a reduced load for 240gn bullets, you'd be fine, even with a moderate pressure spike. Find a lead 300gn bullet to start, and load it with the starting charge minus 0.3gn for 240gn load data. That should give you a safe starting point. But check your barrel and make sure your 300gn lead ashtrays are going down range. :-).

Also, chrono everything and work up from there.

You'll see pressure spikes in the cases before they rupture. There is no wall thickness difference between 44 Spec and 44 Mag, so it'll hold the pressure, assuming your platform is up for the challenge.

It will be in a 44mag revolver.
However, I'd like to make this load safe for 44 Specials that's why I'm questioning the pressure.
In a 44mag cylinder it should show the same over pressure signs that it would in 44 Special correct?

 

[Leo]

yes, same safety standards, same indications.

 

[Leadeye]

44 special and 44-40 for me are 200 grain RNFP with 8 grains Unique. 44 mag and 45 Colt are also 8 grains with 240 and 255 grain bullets.

 

[Michigan Slim]

44 special and 44-40 for me are 200 grain RNFP with 8 grains Unique. 44 mag and 45 Colt are also 8 grains with 240 and 255 grain bullets.

I've shot deer with a 10 grain load of Unique with my 200 grain RNFP in .44 mag.

 

[True4ever909]

240gr bullet should penetrate a 2x6 and keep going. I shoot 40gr 22lr out of a TX22 and they almost come out the other side of a 2x4 which is actually around 1.5" thick.

 

[Michigan Slim]

How big of a entry hole did ot make?

.44?