ideas?? comments??

[tackdrvr]

Greetings all. Several years ago when a friend gave me the reloading stuff I started with I also got Speer #8 & 10 manuals. In the #10 it shows a round ball "gallery load" in several calibers. I was immediately fascinated and determined that I would one day load some of these. Between then and now I researched and read all I could find about them. About 3 or 4 weeks ago I finally got everything aligned and loaded up 50 of them. Let me add here that I am talking .44 Spl here. Recipe from Speer #10 calls for W-W cases CCI 300 primers and a Speer .433 120gr ball. I selected the Unique load @ 3.0gr. There are no minimums and maximums listed, just the one weight.
Actual loads were made using new Starline brass trimmed to 1.14" Wolf LP Primers, Speer .433 120gr ball & 3.0gr of Unique.
I shot these in a Charter Arms Bulldog with a 2" bbl, S&W 696 with a 3"bbl & a S&W 29 with a 4" bbl.
First up with the Bulldog I fired 5 single action. Accuracy was abysmal and you could actually see the ball flying towards the target. My 696 was not much better altho it did put a couple to within 4" of POA. I noticed that the cylinder was a little sticky opening and most of the primers were backed out a little. Case extraction was no problem though I did notice that the outside of the brass was almost completely and uniformly covered in soot.
So I loaded up the S&W 29 and cut loose.... well one round anyways cause the primer backed out to the point of tying up the cylinder. Got it freed up, tried it again with the same result. No problems with case extraction and lots & lots of soot.
When one of these goes off it sounds sort of like a flintlock where you can distinguish between the primer ignition and the charge ignition with a third sound of the ball striking the target. As far as report, it is no louder than an air rifle and sounds remarkably like one. Recoil is of course almost non-existent. All rounds were fired SA at a fire & check target rate of speed as I was a little concerned with a barrel obstruction. It looks as if all the primers backed out to some extent or another with the ones from the 4" bbl being the worst. I have maybe 20 or so left out of the original 50.
So friends, neighbors and reloading experts worldwide, what is going on??? Speer #10 sez that accuracy can be very good out to 50' and I guess if hitting the barn is your only aspiration then there is some truth in their claims. I was hoping for something I could use for plinking & such but the primer issue concerns me. What could or would cause this issue. Is there a fix for it?? Anybody else ever load anything like these??
Thoughts & comments welcome.

 

[novalty]

My guess is far too low a powder charge. Unique needs to be loaded higher for cleaner burning. 3.3gr of Unique seems far too low. Heck I load 5.0 gr Unique in 9mm, and 6.0gr in 45acp, and these are not in the high range of the my Lyman 49th edition. Doesn't look like primers on your fired brass are seated deep enough either, are the primers in the unfired cases seated flush?

 

[venomballistics]

going to an oversized ball and sending them through a size die might help matters a bit by giving you more bearing surface ... but you still have no lube groove to let you heat them up enough to deal with the poor combustion issue.

 

[OKFC05]

the primer issue concerns me. What could or would cause this issue. Is there a fix for it??

You get the same effect by shooting primed cases with no powder. The pressure built up between the primer and case forces the primer backwards. In a normal load, the case is driven backward reseating the primer. The "cure" is to drill out the flash hole larger, but then the case is dangerous for normal loads. Drilled out cases are also used for wax bullet loads using only the primer.

Most "weird" loads like wax bullets, plastic buillets, round ball, don't shoot to point of aim. Why would you expect the light projectile to match the heavy normal bullet?

Most people I know who messed with such round ball loads wound up using some sort of filler and/or black powder lube to get some semblance of accuracy. Personally, I just don't get it. If I want to shoot round ball, I have blackpowder revolvers designed just for that.

 

[venomballistics]

I have to agree with OK. there are other options that make more sense and are less of a bother.
He mentions the primer only wax bullet which I must admit is a gem in its own right.
they are short range and give a few fliers but the collateral damage is so minimal it is comparable to airsoft.
for autos and single shots theres no need to get cute with your flash holes revolvers will need to be drilled and properly designated.
size the cases and pour a block of wax between 3/8" and 1/2" thick while it has solidified but is warm enough to work with shove the cases mouth down through the block (think cookie cutter)
prime em and set up your indoor range.

 

[colt_saa]

I have been shooting round ball out of 45 Colt for decades. These were developed from an old Paco Kelly article on Cat Sneeze loads. That is all you hear when fired, a Cat Sneeze.

As has already been told you are not building up enough pressure.

I used to use Unique as well but learned that 231 was a far superior powder for this purpose. It will build pressure a bit faster and reduce or eliminate your primers backing out.

For the 45 Colt I load 3.2 grains of 231 behind two 140 grain .457 lead balls. This is pure lead, there is no need to size it, it is very soft.

Velocity is right around 550 FPS depending on what firearm I use.

This is quite in the handguns but I made these for the lever and pump rifles. It is quieter than a suppressed 45 pistol. You hear the hammer drop and the projectiles hit. At 20 yards they usually strike about 1"-2" apart.

They have dispatched many unwanted critters over the years

If you want to stay with Unique and that light of a load you will probably have to drill out the primer holes. The cases will still get dirty because pressure is so low.

 

[tackdrvr]

Thanks so far for all the responses, It has helped me some. ColtSAA could I work my way up from the 3.0gr load untill I find one that gives the preformance I want??? I might also try some HP-38 that I have on hand, it is the same as 231 I believe.
Let me state here that wax bullets were my first reloading project several years ago. I painted the bases of all the brass I drilled out so there would be no chance of using them for regular loads. My sons & I had a blast in the garage with them and I now keep some on my ammo shelf at all times. Why??? One mans weird is another mans unique. I like having unique things. It would be an awfully dull day at Baskin-Robbins if we all ate vanilla ice cream. Anyways, thanks to all for your input and happy loading.