Range report... M1950 Target

[Fishslayer]

Went down to American Shooting Center Saturday with a bunch of test loads. My Model of 1950 Target already has made pretty clear her distaste for cast boolits of the .452 variety and I really didn't enjoy cleaning out mass quantities of lead from... well... everywhere.

So Saturday I had a bunch of Berry's .451" plated bullets in 230gr RN and 200gr SWC. Got about 70 rounds or so through her before she started tightening up. I'll live with that. I also had my Ruger KP90 .45ACP & Taurus 669 .357. Had a great time. Touched off my first handrolled .357 Magnums. Whoa!

Well, I think I found something the M1950 likes. Only 10yds & off a sandbag, but I think the 58 year old gal will gitter done if I do my job.

Oh yeah. I was using a 6 o'clock hold. My 230gr RN loads all printed a bit high. If I want to run the big pills I think I'll have to go with FMJ or JHP & bump the charge a bit.

 

[29aholic]

I had one I bought from another member and would have been perfectly happy with it if I had never shot it. 200swc loads that shoot little tiny groups with my 1955 Target patterned with the 1950. Curiously, I had some 45 GAP ammo that I could shoot with the moon clips and they shot fairly decent. I sold that gun to fund another purchase.

 

[fyimo]

Nice looking revolver and a really nice last group.

 

[Fishslayer]

The 1950 does seem to be fussy. I can't help but think that the light barrel has something to do with it. It seems very sensitive to velocity.

I have some other loads to try including some warmer 230gr Gold Dot HP I put together.

An M1955 or 6" 25 are definitely on my wish list. I DO enjoy shooting the 1950, tho! Has a great balance.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Very nice! These six-guns are a finicky lot, ammo thats very accurate in one can be so-so in another. I keep a log of what gun likes what to eat.

 

[H Richard]

Looks like you found the right combination load for that gun!

 

[50 target]

Fishslayer, that is one might fine group from a 50 Target. I have one that is an April 1951 gun and I do lover her, but fell out of love quickly as nothing I fed her was acceptable. I have a load of 4.4 gr. to 4.5 gr. of Bullseye under a Lyman #452460 200 gr. SWC and it shoots in anything that wears a 45 acp designation. EXCEPT that is my 50 target. Got so disgusted with it I finally stuck it in the safe and didn't use her for 10 years. One day my brother gave me some Lee 190 gr. tumble lube bullets and said "try these in some of your 45 guns". Well one day I loaded some with the same Bullseye charge and went to the range and as an after thought grabbed the 50 Target. At 25 yards rested, it put 5 rounds in a group that could be covered by a quarter. Whoa !! Must be a fluke. Shot another group and got the same results. I'm in love again. Only shoot paper punching loads. Have other guns for heavy charges. Oh, and the load with the Lyman #452460 that won't shoot in the 50 Target shoots like a laser beam in my pre model 25. Go figure. Just proves women are fickle. Enjoy.

 

[carelesslove]

1950 & 1955 Target .45's

Fickle is a good term for these old guns.

I simply grew tired of scraping the lead out of the bores & cylinders of a ~1953 vintage 1950 Target and a ~1970 vintage 1955 Target. I saw sporadic accuracy degrade into bore & cylinder leading, until a wise old gun sage told me to give up on hard / heavy bullets.

He told be to load dead soft (swaged) 200 gr. SWC's over 3.8 to 4.0 gr. of Bullseye and simply accept the low & slow velocities, if I wanted target accuracy.

BINGO ! Both of these old guns stopped leading (bore & cylinder) and delivered target accuracy (1 1/4" @ 25 yards).

Velocities were down (~700 fps), but I can certainly accept that, at the accuracy level provided.

I remarked to my old gun sage that I was surprised that the soft lead would hold in the shallow rifling and be accurate. He laughed at me and said the accuracy came from the soft lead bullet upsetting to fill the 0.455+ cylinder throats, before the lube was blown off the bullet, by the hot gases blowing past it before it got to the throat.

His theory is now my practice. All I had to do was listen. Now if I can get my .460 and Thunder Ranch 325 to shoot this good.....

carelesslove

 

[Fishslayer]

He told be to load dead soft (swaged) 200 gr. SWC's over 3.8 to 4.0 gr. of Bullseye and simply accept the low & slow velocities, if I wanted target accuracy.

Hmmm... may just try that. Both my 6" M28-2 and 6" Taurus 669 really like a 158gr LSWC on top of 3.8gr of Bullseye. It's actually a +P load in a Magnum case. A powderpuff to shoot but really accurate.

I still have most of a 500 box of 200gr LSWC. My Ruger semi auto hates 'em. Maybe I'll give 'em another try with the 3.8 Bullseye loads in the wheelgun.