.44 DA First Model and Companion

[mejetski2000]

Dad's unloading some of his collection and I'm getting a 5" Nickel .44 DA First Model and an Iver Johnson .32 top break that I may be giving back to Mom for a nightstand gun. I'm glad to see the DA's have such a following and if the piece is in shoot-able condition that's what I plan to do with it, concocting some very mellow hand-loads for it. I have a bunch of Hodgdon Titegroup and the starting charge shows pressure data with my bullet weight to be about 5,100 CUP. Is this a safe load level for this gun ? I'm using a 200gr Laser Cast 200gr RNLFP....

Thanks Pete

 

[delta-419]

Titegroup

My feelings on Tightgroup is that it is unforgiving and does not give you any wiggle room for a mistake. An old 44DA was made when metal was much different then it is today. I shoot Hodgdon Triple 7 in my S&W 44/40 Frontier with a 200gr cast lead bullet. It mimics black powder pressures and is loaded by volume, just like BP. Cleanup is easy, just soap and hot water and a hairdryer. Don't forget to wash up the cartridge cases as it is very hard on brass. Hope this helps.

 

[glowe]

Pete - how much are you going to be shooting a 130 year old revolver? I have one that handles low pressure smokeless loads just fine, but I do not make a habit do shooting lots of rounds through it. These are antiques and my opinion is that they are meant to be enjoyed, but not used as a daily shooter. Parts are very difficult to come by for these revolvers.

I use very light Clays loads that run about 550 fps and find it plenty accurate. The problem with black powder or BP substitutes is that they are very dirty and need to be cleaned with soap and water. I have used Pyrodex, 777, etc. and find all hotter than standard BP, so if you want to go in that direction, might as well use the real stuff. Standard BP loads run about 700 fps.

 

[mejetski2000]

Thanks Guys. I'm thinking maybe I should buy a couple of boxes of Black Hill's 210gr ammo and just run a few when I hit the range with other stuff that's not as old. Probably safer and hopefully not too hard on the gun.