Low recoil powder for Bulldog .44 special

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Grizzly2

New member
I have an older Stratford 3" Bulldog in .44 special.

I've been loading 4.5 to 5 grain and max 5.5 Bullseye with lubed 225gr cast lead. I also have a partial box of 190gr cast lead swc bullets in stock.

My question is would Unique raise or lower recoil levels in these mild loads?

Has anyone actually experimented with powders seeking low recoil in these light loads? I imagine they are staying in the 600-700 fps range. These are for range use. I carry the Underwood 200gr full wadcutters and when I want to duplicate these I can load the 5.5 Bullseye to get a little closer. I'm wondering if I really need Unique or another powder for this application. I know it is a favorite of many.
 
The mild plinker I used a lot of at one time is the 240-40 grain swaged lead .430" bullet made by Hornady over 3.9 grains of Bullseye fired by any LP primer. I no longer remember how I came up with that load. Here's what it did at 25 yards from my copy of your gun. I concluded a 180-grain wadcutter probably would have brought the elevation down to match the front sight. To address the windage error, I later filed the right side of the frame notch open and reblued it.

The one modification on my gun is a I got a set of wood grip panels for it that extended the grip to include a place for my little finger. The grips were made by an outfit called Mustang back in the 1980s. I found a picture, here.

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Unique is just a little slower. I load 200 gr cast with Unique for my Bulldog and a 5 1/2" Blackhawk. Quickload is not great with straight wall cartridges, but for comparison, 5.5 gr Bullseye would equate to 6.3 gr Unique in my pistols. Not enough of a difference to change what you're using, and I don't think you would feel any difference in recoil.
 
That's also the ratio of the maximum loads Alliant has for 240-grain LSWC's; 5.5 and 6.3 for Bullseye and Unique, respectively. Right in between would be Hodgdon Universal, which I find burns a little cleaner than Bullseye or Unique. As to recoil, a maximum load of Unique gives you more velocity than a maximum load of Bullseye, so, yes it will recoil more. If you adjust it down to match the velocity of your Bullseye load, it won't burn as cleanly because the peak pressure will be lower. The barrel time will be longer and you will eject a little bit higher powder and gas mass, so the recoil impulse should be higher, though whether it feels any different or not is pretty subjective. With some guns and some grips the fact the peak pressure of the lighter, faster load is higher makes the recoil feel sharper to some.
 
A couple of things to remember. The weight of the powder is added to the weight of the bullet when figuring recoil, however slight it is. And, slow burn rate powders like Unique (in relation to the burn rate of Bullseye) at low velocities don't generate enough pressure to burn very cleanly. Personally, I would use small charge weights of powders such as Bullseye, Red Dot, and 700X.

Don
 
It's true the total recoil impulse will increase, but you do see lots of folks claim the perceived recoil (as opposed to actual recoil) is lower with slightly larger charges of slightly slower powder. I can't say that has ever been my perception; just that it's frequently reported in handguns. I don't think I've ever heard it claimed for a rifle load, though.
 
Less recoil Less powder. The lowest I found listed was 4.2 bullseye for a 240 cast lead bullet. This will recoil less than your 4.5 Bullseye.

I bought a Pacmayer grip for my Bulldog. It made a HUGE difference.

David
 
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Seems like hand size means alot with that Bulldog frame. I have a wood classic grip and it seems to cause my middle finger to hit the trigger guard alot. I tried the Pachmayr Compac grip which I loved on a 3" J frame but it also lets the frame hit that middle finger under recoil. I've found the rubber grip they currently supply on their guns to be the best fitting for my hand size and probably how I grip the revolver.

I suppose I'll go ahead and pick up a can of Unique and see if I can tell any difference. It seems there are folks in both camps. Some for the elongated push of the somewhat slower Unique and some for the lower pressure and complete burn of Bullseye or a faster powder.

It won't hurt to have some around anyway. Years ago I used it in other calibers and most likely still will. It's not got a reputation for being a very versatile powder for no reason.

Thanks for the thought provoking comments.
 
Unclenick, that is a really nice 25 yard group with that light revolver. I haven't seen those swaged bullets in years. i used to use them in .38s years ago.
 
Thanks. Back then I was still shooting in bullseye matches, and that group was fired offhand target style. My records don't have a sandbag group for the gun. I don't know why not, except that I may have blown off the idea because I've found that I can't get good sandbag groups from snubbies. The two-hand hold over bags shortens the distance from the eye to the sights, increasing the optical alignment error. Back then I often felt I had a more precise sight picture with the gun out at the end of one arm. I don't really feel that way today, though. I think Gunsite changed what I was used to.

That plinking load is so light the soft bullets did just fine. No leading.
 
If you go from your 225 gr bullet to something like the 180, you should feel less recoil, even with the accompanying increase in powder charge.
 
Real Gun wrote:

If you go from your 225 gr bullet to something like the 180, you should feel less recoil, even with the accompanying increase in powder charge.
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Yes - agree!
I went all the way down in bullet weight
to the Missouri Bullet Company Cowboy #12.
 
It's a revolver, so its vertical POA will change with bullet weight noticeably. Picking the right weight for your sight picture is a good criterion.
 
It seems there are folks in both camps. Some for the elongated push of the somewhat slower Unique and some for the lower pressure and complete burn of Bullseye or a faster powder.
Click to expand...

Actually, the fast powders will operate at a higher pressure level than Unique for the same velocity, that's why they tend to burn better.

Don
 
I found that 215 gr swc shoots very close to poa for me. The factory loads like the Silvertip 200gr and Underwood 200 gr full wadcutter shoot almost an inch low and probably faster.

I haven't tried any Unique since they say it has been changed and improved. Is it still a very good all around powder as many state? Or does it have some still competition now that many more powders are on the market.
 
Let me put it this way; if you were stuck on an island with only one powder, it would be a good one to have.;)

Don
 
For my plinking rounds, I run a cast round about 200gr (if I remember right) and a healthy dose of Trailboss. It’s just one of those powders that I love shooting with. Sure there are other options that you can use but I also use this load to introduce new reloaders to the hobby.
 
I also use trailboss for reduced power rounds in the 44 spl and 44 mag.
IIRC I used 5 gr of TB under a 215 gr lead bullet. It was very comfortable to shoot.
 
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