Destination Success. I just need some directions.

P

Pond James Pond

New member
Can you believe it?!

Back in February I ordered and loaded some SWCs to make some .44Spl loads for competition. I have only just found the time to shoot them over a chrono today.... :rolleyes: The initial thread is here.

The good news is that they all shot well, grouped pretty well and didn't lead my barrel. The bad news is that they were really slow!! Between 540-720fps. These all put me in the Minor PF category and I had hoped to stay in major as I have been with my 900fps plated rounds, exploiting the Redhawk's weight to offset the more powerful rounds.

So I'd need to hit about 850fps, minimum, with these bullets.

The other issue was that there was quite a bit of unburnt powder. Not masses, but enough to potentially stop the cylinder closing mid-match. In any case, any unburnt powder can only mean irregular velocities.

So, the status quo:
Lead SWC 200gr over 6.6gr N320 (max so far) @ about 700fps with no leading but some residual powder. Crimp about 1/4 turn.

And the goal:
Lead SWC 200gr over N320 @ about 870fps with no leading and no unburnt powder.

Is it possible and if so, what could I change to achieve it?
 
More N320. Velocity will be higher and burn more complete.
You may end up with an overload by .44 Special standards but safe when shot in a Magnum revolver.

I recommend a chamber brush for use between stages. A .45 bore brush might do well enough, a .50 certainly will. I carry a toothbrush to clean out from under the extractor.
 
More N320. Velocity will be higher and burn more complete.
You may end up with an overload by .44 Special standards but safe when shot in a Magnum revolver.
Click to expand...

I'm not worried about overloads. The plated bullets of the same weight hit 900fps with sub-but-near-max .44Spl loads of N320.

I'd need to heap another half-grain of N320 in there as the plated loads are about 7.2gr. and the reason I'd steered away from heavier loads was all the talk of leading at higher velocities.

I add the following as the loads above result from cross-referencing a number of sources but are not published per se.

CAUTION: This post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
 
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I shot a lot of .45 ACP Major with commercial cast bullets and always had a little leading. It did not affect the shooting. I have scrubbed it out since going to coated bullets.

Handcast bullets, right alloy, right diameter, good lube, won't lead but are a lot of work that I only put into rifle ammo for which I cannot buy good bullets.
 
Well, as per usual, there are self-imposed limitations on my handloads.

In this case it is simply that these bullets were bought a t a veeeeery good price so changing bullet type at this stage is a no-no. I either use these bullets or I go back to plated.

I can only really play with crimp and charge... Perhaps OAL, although I doubt that would help overly.
 
Any idea how hard they are?

I have shot lead cast out of the 9mm with hot loads and no issues, those were Penn?

Claim to fame being hard cast not soft with special blend, we used to get similar out of adding linotype. There's is a slightly different mix and hotter firing characteristics claimed (I had not found an upper limit)

Certainly (with a gas check) rifle bullets go out 1800 frs without an issue.

Not my gig these days so not up on it.
 
Factory .44 Special is a 246gr lead at 750(ish - 6" barrel).

The things most important about lead bullets, to prevent leading are alloy hardness and bullet fit to the bore, and the velocity (and lube). Even "hard" slugs can lead the bore if the bullet to bore fit is bad.

For the technical, there is the Brinnel scale of hardness, but I get by using the "rule of thumb". (for this, it helps a lot if you actually have a thumbnail)

Press your thumbnail into the slug hard. (I check on the base of the bullet). If your thumbnail (or other suitable object) make a deep gouge, the slug is soft. A small dent means "medium" and no dent, just a bright mark means good and hard.

I'm sorry I don't have any experience with the Norma powders. Slower pistol powders will burn "dirty" until/unless they are loaded to their upper pressure limits. Sometimes the "efficient" pressure level is only found in magnum cartridges. Depends on the powder, and other variables.

Bump up the powder charge a little, load a few test rounds, shoot, and watch for leading. Repeat until you either get velocity you want, or you get signs of leading. If they start to lead your barrel, back of the charge, and live with that speed as the best you will get from the soft slugs.

Good Luck, and let us know how it goes.
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

Well, I'm going to load some more: 6.8gr, 7.0gr and 7.2gr. That top charge matches my plated loads.

I may also load some of the lighter ones, but increase crimp. Perhaps that will allow the powder to burn more fully and pressure to build a tad more.

The light loads were .22LR recoil levels in the Redhawk. So, although Minor, it would make double taps way easier!

Then I can do some back-to-back comparisons to see what split times they generate.
 
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