44 Spcl, AA#9 & Oregon Trail 240gr SWC

[daverich4]

Recently I purchased a Ruger New Model Blackhawk in 44 Spcl and have been working up some handloads for it. I've been using the Oregon Trail 240 Gr SWC's because I had several thousand on hand. I shot several hundred rounds over 6.9 grains of Unique which is the maximum suggested load in the LaserCast reloading manual. They're ok but nothing special in the accuracy department and kind of dirty so I thought I'd try a couple of their other suggested loads using different powder. The manual lists a range of 11.4 to 13.2 grains of 2400 so I loaded up 20 rounds with 13 grains. The manual also lists a range of 9.7 to 10.8 grains of AA9 so I loaded up 20 rounds with 10.5 grains. I'm using new Starline brass and the same WLP primers the manual lists. I shot 5 rounds of the 2400 loads and they shot much cleaner than the Unique loads with better accuracy as well. Then I shot 5 rounds of the AA9 loads. The first thing I noticed was that recoil was a fraction of the other loads but there was a hole in the target so I shot up the rest of them being very careful that there was a hole every time. The AA9 loads are by far the most accurate of the 3 powders in my gun but the recoil at best could be described as "Powderpuff". In searching this forum when I got home I ran across suggested loads up to 16gr of AA9 so is it possible that the max load for it in the LaserCast manual is a mistake? It lists the AA9 load as producing the highest FPS of any of the powders so it seems likely. I really liked it and would shoot a bunch of them if the load is safe but I don't want to have to check the target every time to make sure the bullet actually left the barrel. I've got Trail Boss and 231 I could use for light loads but as I said, I really liked the AA9. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Larry from Bend]

Ross Seyfried ? Lipseys Ruger Flattop .44 Special Bisley Revolvers

 

[Aticus]

AA's manual shows a max load of 10.8 #9 for a 240 SWC. Their online manual shows no loads for #9 in 44 Spl. I don't know where the poster got 16.9 grains in a 44 Spl. but Accurate doesn't show any where near that much for ANY bullet. I'd be VERY careful about loading that much #9 even in a Blackhawk.

 

[daverich4]

Ross Seyfried ? Lipseys Ruger Flattop .44 Special Bisley Revolvers

Thanks for the response. I've previously seen that article but don't see any mention of a suggested AA9 load in it. I've got other powders I intend to try but at this time 10.5 Gr. of AA9 worked so well that I'd like to keep shooting it if I could be sure the bullet will leave the barrel every time. Thanks again.

 

[gaijin]

You need to chronograph the AA9 and 2400 loads.

Their burn rate is very similar. I have read (but am not suggesting) that you can substitute 2400 data for AA9 data.
I load both powders in .41, .44 mag and .45 Colt.
The accuracy loads AND velocity have been quite close in weight for both powders.
You need to chronograph the loads.........

 

[WHO CARES]

There are 44 special loads and then again there are 44 special loads.

I believe SAAMI specs suggest chamber pressure of 14,000 and it is what you will see in manuals. But there is a situation here not unlike the 38 special and the 38 special +P.

The 44 special has been around for over 100 years and the SAAMI pressure is kept at a safe level for all guns. The Ruger Black Hawk is a much stronger gun and can take higher pressures.

Where you want to go and how high you feel safe to load for your gun is your decision. You will have to actively follow the current literature and make your own decision. Sometimes you have to push these guns a bit to make them shoot their best.

The Ross Seyfried article above is good information. I would recommend finding a copy of Brian Pearce's article from the Handloader magazine where he discusses loading for the 44 special.

ward

 

[Nemo288]

That and a lot more about our favorite 44 is at:

44_Special_Articles

---
Nemo

 

[mdell49]

The articles posted by Nemo 288 post of articles list an abundance of loads and I just saved it to my Favorites. You are very close to a couple of loads that are considered Classic .44spl loads. Often referred to as Skelton's load it consist of 7.5 grs of Unique and Lyman's 429421 and another outstanding load is 13.5 grs of 2400. The 2400 load is a little more accurate in my .44 spl both loads are good for about 950 fps from a 4" bbl. A good load for plinking and just low recoil pleasant shooting is 5.5 grs of WW231. approx. 750 fps. These loads are completely safe in your Blackhawk and will cover just about anything you could invision using the 44spl on.

 

[WHO CARES]

Thanks Nemo for posting all those articles - good stuff to read.

ward

 

[daverich4]

Thanks to everyone that responded. I emailed Oregon Trail asking if the load in their manual was correct and they called back and said that it was. I really wish I could chronograph the load but I live in North Carolina and as far as I can tell, every outdoor range within a hundred miles of Charlotte is owned by a private club so I have no place to set up my chronograph. (That also means I haven't done any hunting since moving here 4 years ago as there's no place to sight in or practice at distances past 25 yards that the public indoor ranges typically offer). Brian Pearce lists a load of 16.5gr of AA9 under a 255 cast bullet in his Handloader article on the New Model Blackhawk but I have no interest in loads like that in mine. I have a 29, a 629 and a Super Blackhawk for that power range. Also writing in Handloader, Dave Scovill lists a load of 12.3 grains of AA9 under the 250 RCBS cast bullet so I think I'm going to work up to something like that and see how it goes.

Boy, the young lady that called me from Oregon Trail was positive their 10.5 max was correct for a standard 44 Special load though. I'm aware the New Model Blackhawk is stronger than that which is why I'm ok with working up to 12.3 grains but still. The recoil from shooting their load feels like touching off a .22. Sure wish I had a place I could chronograph this stuff. Thanks again to everyone.

 

[Neumann]

Since the Blackhawk is a .44 Magnum, theoretically it will handle magnum loads in a .44 Special case, reduced appropriately due to the smaller case size (which increases pressure). DO NOT DO THIS! A magnum round that fits in a .44 Special (only) revolver may leave pieces of the cylinder and frame in the woodwork. 16.5 grains of 2400 is within spitting distance of the 20.5 grains I load for magnum.

2400 does not work well for light loads. It is designed for high velocity at pressures approaching 40,000 psi. I'm not aware of any particular caveats for 2400, but some slow powders will actually spike pressures in light loads. When I use it for .44 Magnum, it nearly fills the case, which improves consistency.

Unique is a good load for .38 Special and .44 Special, and burns clean if you keep it above midrange in the loading table. Lubricant on the cast bullets contributes heavily to the smoke and dirt you produce, but again less at hotter levels. Oregon Trail tables seem more on the "cowboy" level than those in Lyman 29th Ed.

Bullseye burns too fast, IMO, for anything hotter than 600 fps and a wadcutter. W231 is somewhere in between, but meters well and burns clean. I use W231 mainly for pistol rounds, which performs well in short cases with higher pressures.

 

[WHO CARES]

This Black Hawk is not made on the same frame as the 44 magnum is offered. All of the Ruger 44 specials are offered only on the smaller midsize frame which can be had either with or without adjustable sights. The cylinder is also smaller diameter and as such has thinner chamber walls. Read NOT AS STRONG! But these Rugers are still much stronger than many 44 specials out there.

Age is not the determining factor either, there are also modern 44 specials that are very weak actions.

 

[4barrel]

You may wont to measure the cylinder end. It should read .429 to .430. 6.9 is my target load in my 629 with 44 special. Unique & a 240 grain .430 swc. in mine. It is a little dirty but wipes off with a rag. Order your bullets the same size as the cylinder bore od.

 

[daverich4]

You may wont to measure the cylinder end. It should read .429 to .430. 6.9 is my target load in my 629 with 44 special. Unique & a 240 grain .430 swc. in mine. It is a little dirty but wipes off with a rag. Order your bullets the same size as the cylinder bore od.

Mine measures .430. I started with 6.9 grains of Unique but as you noted, it's pretty dirty. The 2400 & AA9 loads are MUCH cleaner and, in my gun at least, noticeably more accurate.