300 grain-.44 load advice needed?

N

nattie

New member
I have alot of 300 grain hard cast "copperized" bullets I want to load with a full load of APP. I'll be using large pistol primers. I wondered if anyone had loaded along these lines. I don't know what kind of velocity or power to expect?I'll be shooting a 7 1/2" SuperBlackhawk. All replies will be appreciated.
 
I take it that APP is Alliant Power Pistol?
If so, wrong powder for that round and bullet combination.
In these heavy loads in a 44mag you will need something along the lines of 2400 or IMR 4227 with a mag primer.
I will load 44mag with PP for light plinking or range loads but it just burns to fast to be a good powder in heavy bullet or mag loads.
Alliant does not even list PP in the 44mag on their web site because it's burn characteristics.
PP is suited for auto pistol and low level revolver rounds


From Alliant web site
Principal Purpose: High performance 9mm, .40 S&W and 10mm
Secondary Uses: Moderate pistol cartridges
 
Ok - I see
Best when posting that you spell out your components - helps prevent confusion.
As for black powder, never got into that - sorry - no help here!:D
 
Those 300 grainers sound like heavy bullets.

This article contains some relevant info:

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/st_0301_blackpowder/

Now imagine the impact the .45 Colt and .44 WCF cartridges must have had on handgun shooters of the 1870s. Some early .45 Colt factory loads carried as much as 40 grains of blackpowder under 250-grain bullets. That charge was quickly deemed too hot, and the factories thereafter loaded 35 grains. That load easily permitted velocities in excess of 900 fps from 7 1/2-inch barrel lengths. Factory .44 WCF loads used 200-grain bullets, but they contained a full 40-grain charge of blackpowder. Again from the 7 1/2-inch barrel of Colt SAAs, velocities passed 900 fps. These two handgun cartridges were the tops in their day. A look at the size of the .45 Colt and .44 WCF cases compared to the smaller rounds mentioned helps explain their power. The .45's case was 1.29 inches long, or the same as today's .357, .41, and .44 Magnums, and the .44-40's was a bit longer at 1.31 inches...
Click to expand...
 
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For what it's worth, I just tried loading APP in some .45 Colts and the accuracy was horrible. Also, given your case size I'm left wondering how much powder you'll be able to get in them with a 300gr bullet and I wonder if the loads wont be somewhat anemic?

Normal black powder doesn't mind being compressed a bit and it's stronger than APP so I'd suggest that you try FFFg black powder, compressed just a bit by the bullet, instead of APP but even so I'd be curious to know how many grains (by volume) you can get in a .44 case and still have room for a 300gr bullet.

H777 doesn't like to be compressed (I'm told) and Blackhorn 209 doesn't offer load data for a 300gr bullet in .44 so you'd be a test pilot, so I guess APP, Pyrodex and BP are your three options. Frankly, I'd go with BP in that case.

If you do decide to use APP please report back how it goes.

Thanks,
Oly
 
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