Thread: .44 Magnum Load for Bear that's Safe to Shoot in 629
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Old 12-31-2010, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Dump1567 View Post
Thanks for all the great info.

One of the reasons I asked about this, was an ammo review I read on midwayusa.com in reference to:

Buffalo Bore Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum +P+ 340 Grain Lead Flat Nose Gas Check Box of 20
Buffalo Bore Ammunition 44 Remington Magnum +P+ 340 Grain Lead Flat Nose Gas Check Box of 20 - MidwayUSA

This had me a little worried.
Matt G of Fairbanks, AK : Date posted: 8/4/2010

I bought these rounds for bear protection while moose hunting. I shot them in a super redhawk. For my pistol they did fine, at the range it has a 1.5" pattern at 25 yards which was outstanding. However, my buddy now has a .44 magnum S&W paper weight. He shot two rounds of it after I put 10 rounds through mine. The 2nd round he shot off seized the gun up solid and the gunsmith has deemed it a $900 paper weight. His S&W was sent back to the factory to see if they could repair it and had no luck freeing the cylinder and informed him that due to him using a round with pressures in excess of what S&W has rated the fire arm for they cannot help him. I would not recommend this round for anything other than Rugers and Freedom Arms
Dump-

The article says that "S&W says that since he used a load that exceeds what the S&W gun is designed for, that they can't help him".

Something there smells fishy to me. The BB 340 +P+ load is loaded to 43,500 CUP. That's the exact same pressure that was SAAMI spec for the .44 magnum from its inception in 1955, and was so up until a few years ago when SAAMI lowered it to 36,000 psi (roughly 40,000 cup, though there's no direct correlation between the two, nor anyway to precisely cross reference them). The guns are proofed at almost double that pressure to make sure they can withstand an accidental overload that could ruin their product and kill their customer.

Those rounds are normally too long to fit into a S&W cylinder and have it cycle correctly anyway. They will cause rapid wear to a S&W as I posted earlier. If you are interested in the straight skinny, call Tim Sundles at BB and talk to him.
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