My new .44-spcl carry round

Bronco89

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My new carry round is the Blazer, 200gr, Speer Gold Dot. I've heard great things about this round, and I like the non-corrosive aluminum casings. This will be replacing my 180 gr Hornady XTP rounds. It comes in a box of 50, at a great price as well, so I'll see how they print on paper and I just might put one in a row of water jugs. I'll stick with Hornady critical defense for my .38, but if I like this ammo, it just might give e that nudge to buy a Charter Arms Bulldog.
 
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If you get a .44 Bulldog, you'll need a pair of these. I'm not kidding:
VyUg6b9.jpg
 
My new carry round is the Blazer, 200gr, Speer Gold Dot. I've heard great things about this round, and I like the non-corrosive aluminum casings. This will be replacing my 180 gr Hornady XTP rounds.

"Non-corrosive aluminum casings" ??

Since when are Hornady brass cases corrosive?

And what about steel cases - not many of those are corrosive.

By the way - casings are what sausage is made with.
 
S&W Pachmayr

If you get a .44 Bulldog, you'll need a pair of these. I'm not kidding:
VyUg6b9.jpg

I have S&W Pachmayr's on my model 21. I really like the wood but with Buffalo Bore ammo they really soak up the energy.

I have really given a lot of thought to a DOA only Bulldog in 44 special as a back up.
 

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I really wish S&W would come out with a fixed sight, lightweight, round butt N or L frame revolver, a bobbed hammer and no lock in 44 Special. While they are at it a blued version and one in stainless with QUALITY from the 70's.

They wouldn't be able to keep them in stock and could charge a premium price.

But the I still believe in Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
 
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""Non-corrosive aluminum casings" ??
Since when are Hornady brass cases corrosive?
And what about steel cases - not many of those are corrosive."


There was a posting today in another area of this forum where the poster was talking about getting corrosion in his revolver chambers from using brass-cased ammo. I have not heard of that before. Did I miss something?
 
I recently had an email exchange with a person from the "technical department" at Speer relative to the expansion capability of the .44 Special Gold Dot round. Specifically, I had reached out to them to see if they had done any gel testing on the round out of a short barrel. I asked because one of my carry guns is a Model 69 with a 2-3/4 inch barrel.

The reply I received was that they only gel test "law enforcement rounds", so I guess they don't consider that round for LE use. He also said that the bullet should (emphasis mine) expand at and above 750 fps.

I've not chronographed the round from my short barrel nor have I found any examples of it online (Youtube, Lucky Gunner, etc.). So before you decide to carry the round with a short barrel (under 4"), you may want to do some chronographing to see what velocity you get.
 
"Non-corrosive aluminum casings" ??

Since when are Hornady brass cases corrosive?

And what about steel cases - not many of those are corrosive.

By the way - casings are what sausage is made with.

Really? Non-Corrosive is a sales feature advertised in the past by CCI, and yea, it's a thing. I don't shoot steel cased anything. I reload most of my brass, obviously not aluminum. I also buy a lot of spent brass much of it advertised as casings from ebay. I've been reloading .38 & .44 for 30 years, and it as my earlier post with the corrosion on Hornady brass. Brass corroding is, in fact, another sales feature of nickel-plated brass casings. I just prefer a heavier .44 spcl round to the Hornady 165 gr Critical Defense. I don't eat or stuff much sausage.
 
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I recently had an email exchange with a person from the "technical department" at Speer relative to the expansion capability of the .44 Special Gold Dot round. Specifically, I had reached out to them to see if they had done any gel testing on the round out of a short barrel. I asked because one of my carry guns is a Model 69 with a 2-3/4 inch barrel.

The reply I received was that they only gel test "law enforcement rounds", so I guess they don't consider that round for LE use. He also said that the bullet should (emphasis mine) expand at and above 750 fps.

I've not chronographed the round from my short barrel nor have I found any examples of it online (Youtube, Lucky Gunner, etc.). So before you decide to carry the round with a short barrel (under 4"), you may want to do some chronographing to see what velocity you get.
Mine is a 4.25" 69, which I have enjoyed greatly. The Charter Arms Bulldog is on my want list. I have a CA 6-shot .38 that goes with me everywhere. I've really enjoyed it as well. It's just a tad smaller than the Smith K frame snubs, which I also love. I sold a M15 a few years back and I am still regretting that.
 
The Pachmayr Compacs really help on the recoil, they are wider than the stock rubber grips on the Bulldog.

Buffalo Bore makes a nice 200 gr hard cast sharp-shoulder wadcutter round that is safe for use in the Bulldog.

8iNmiju.jpg

Also a nice looking CA Bulldog. I will have to try some of those grips on my CA Undercover Police, (6 shot .38spcl)
 
""Non-corrosive aluminum casings" ??
Since when are Hornady brass cases corrosive?
And what about steel cases - not many of those are corrosive."


There was a posting today in another area of this forum where the poster was talking about getting corrosion in his revolver chambers from using brass-cased ammo. I have not heard of that before. Did I miss something?

I think that I'd be less concerned about it being corroSIVE (to my revolver) and more concerned about it corroDING (the brass tarnishing or steel rusting).

Aluminum is much more corrosion-resistant than brass or steel, and I suspect that is more what was being referred to.
 
I used to be able to find that ammo fairly regularly, but I have not seen any in the past few years -- where are you finding it?
 
Midway USA

I used to be able to find that ammo fairly regularly, but I have not seen any in the past few years -- where are you finding it?

I usually have luck at Midway USA and sometimes at Luckygunner.
 
A few years ago I used to have a Taurus 445 about the same size as a Bulldog. My carry ammo was the Blazer, 200gr, Speer Gold Dot. It was accurate and fairly tame in the little gun. It was the only thing I shot in the Taurus.
 
My new carry round is the Blazer, 200gr, Speer Gold Dot. I've heard great things about this round, and I like the non-corrosive aluminum casings. This will be replacing my 180 gr Hornady XTP rounds. It comes in a box of 50, at a great price as well, so I'll see how they print on paper and I just might put one in a row of water jugs. I'll stick with Hornady critical defense for my .38, but if I like this ammo, it just might give e that nudge to buy a Charter Arms Bulldog.

Aluminum will corrode pretty easily, actually, depending on the alloy.
 
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