Suggestions on 44 special please....

[Marcruger]

Amen Gary. The only exception I have found is that Missouri Bullets' Hi-Tek coating allows some wiggle room and their 12 hardness bullets obturate/seal with no leading all the way down to low velocities. Their 18 hardness 240 grn coated 44 Keith works beautifully at 850fps. Again, I am thinking the coating allows for fudge room with velocities. I am not associated with them in any way, just trying to save others time and money. My buddy JB put me onto MO Bullets when I had issues with Rim Rock running way too hard and leading. God bless, Marc

QUOTE=gwpercle;142120600]The bullets are too hard for the vel. and pressures you are ...
Shooting for ( sorry about the bad pun) .
You will do better with bhn 8 - 9 for those loads .
Hardness is good for magnum loads ... and the shooting public has been sold a story about Hard Bullets being better ... they aren't except when you want +1000 fps .
Took me 40 years to learn that ... Try Clip on Wheel Weight metal mixed 50/50 with soft lead ... that will give you bhn 8 - 9 and is just right for midrange loads . If you cast them ... simply air cool .
I use this mix for all my light and standard pressure mid-range handgun loads ... and it works like a Black Magic Voo-doo Spell .
Don't get suckered into the harder is better mantra ...
Gary[/QUOTE]

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I tried 5.5 grains Titegroup in my 24-3 .44 Specials with a cast Lee SWC that weighs out about 220 grains with WW alloy. Accuracy was ok, but not outstanding, and my impression was that the recoil impulse was sharp for the level of the load. i.e. it kicked hard for no hotter of a load than it was. I was given some Titegroup and trying to find a good use for it but it hasn't really impressed me so far. I'll probably go back to AA5 for light to standard loads.

 

[mtgianni]

You're right, of course, but regrettably, you'll never sell the "hard cast" advocates. While there is understandably a small niche for hard cast bullets, it's obvious from many posts that quite a few don't understand alloy hardness. Maybe they like the way "hard cast" looks or sounds when they type it or say it.

Hard Cast are great for selling as are hard lubes. They stay in place and reduce buyer complaints due to inconsequential dings. They sure don't help shooters.

 

[old tanker]

Big soft bullets work better at .44 Special velocities. Guns that are supposed to have .429 bores are sometimes as big as .432. (yeah, Ruger, I am talking about you) If the cylinder throats are .430, your frustration will be profound.

I have been using Unique since it was made by Hercules and came in paper cans. I may have to change when the current tub runs out if Alliant doesn't resume production for the consume market.

 

[daverich4]

Big soft bullets work better at .44 Special velocities. Guns that are supposed to have .429 bores are sometimes as big as .432. (yeah, Ruger, I am talking about you) If the cylinder throats are .430, your frustration will be profound.

I have been using Unique since it was made by Hercules and came in paper cans. I may have to change when the current tub runs out if Alliant doesn't resume production for the consume market.

Two of the throats in my 24-3 are .433. The other 4 are .432.

 

[Yendor357]

I used to cast the world's Greatest 44 bullet. The fabulous 429421. My lead supplies dried up. I ran out. I quit casting.

I tried a couple of the "Hard Cast" / hard lubed iterations. I could never warm up to those. And those powder coated red/green/blue things. I'm sorry. I'm not shooting red or green bullets. I have my standards.

Enter Berry's 240 Flat Point. Looks like a real bullet. Shoots as clean as a jacked one. The Berrys at 1000 fps out of my Bisley Blackhawk is the ticket as afar as I'm concerned. The powder? CFE.

I couldn't see the first 4 impacts. I was beginning to think I was missing the whole plate until shot #5 went a bit low.

 

[M29since14]

I use 231/HP38 and Unique to load .44 Specials. I'd recommend checking the size of the exit bores (some call them "throats") in the chambers of the cylinders in the guns involved and getting bullets sized that size or a tiny bit bigger - not more than 0.001" larger, if possible. Hard bullets should be OK if you do that. Maybe not preferred, but OK. Softer bullets would be preferable.



I also agree that it's hard to beat the old Keith-designed bullet in the .44 Special. Lyman has produced differing versions of the mold to produce that bullet over the years but most I have been around worked just fine, in spite of the minor variations. Maybe you can find some of those bullets.

 

[Forrest r]

A super hard oversized bullet being swaged down as it's being pushed by a powder that is known for its extremely high short start pressure that kicks rather than pushes a projectile.

What could possibly go wrong???

 

[Marksman]

,44 Special/Magnum load..........

For nearly 50 yrs. I have been shooting a 200gr. RNFP bullet over a charge of 7.5gr. of Unique. I have shot this load out of both .44 Special and .44 Magnum loaded in those cases. For the last several years I have been shooting bullets from T & B Bullets (T&B Bullets) out of Oregon, no complaints with these bullets accuracy is fine.

 

[gwpercle]

I tried 5.5 grains Titegroup in my 24-3 .44 Specials with a cast Lee SWC that weighs out about 220 grains with WW alloy. Accuracy was ok, but not outstanding, and my impression was that the recoil impulse was sharp for the level of the load. i.e. it kicked hard for no hotter of a load than it was. I was given some Titegroup and trying to find a good use for it but it hasn't really impressed me so far. I'll probably go back to AA5 for light to standard loads.

Mix the clip on wheel weight alloy 50/50 with soft lead .
44 special operates at a fairly low pressure the hard WW bullet can't slug up and fill throats ... My free unlimited WW source retired from the Tire Business ... when I started mixing the WW with soft scrap lead ... Accuracy Improved with all my revolvers like 38 special , 41 special , 44 special and 45 AR (auto=rim).
I wish I had been told that 40 years ago ... but the word I had was COWW were good for everything ... it's not so .
Gary

 

[rockquarry]

Mix the clip on wheel weight alloy 50/50 with soft lead .
44 special operates at a fairly low pressure the hard WW bullet can't slug up and fill throats ... My free unlimited WW source retired from the Tire Business ... when I started mixing the WW with soft scrap lead ... Accuracy Improved with all my revolvers like 38 special , 41 special , 44 special and 45 AR (auto=rim).
I wish I had been told that 40 years ago ... but the word I had was COWW were good for everything ... it's not so .
Gary

Good post; you're certainly right.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I'll try that. My only problem is I have a lot more WW and linotype than I do pure lead. I need to find another source.

 

[gwpercle]

A good source for scrap lead is Home Construction / Renovation ...
Older homes used lead sheathing for roof flashing and shower pans ...
a remodel / new roof to a older house will usually yeild a good deal of sheet lead ... the Contractors will give it to you if they know you want it ...
otherwise they have to dispose of it ... I had 3 contractor's that would call me regularly ... Gary ... I got you some more lead !
Gary

 

[gdpolk]

I'm shooting 240gr cast lead Kieth type projectiles at the recommended powder charge on the bottle of HP-38. All four of my 44's shoot it very well.

 

[BillBro]

I still have to say that I personally have had the best luck with Matts Bullets (maybe I should quit hyping him, he now has an aggravating backlin/wait time) and really liked GTBullets stuff but Id say theyre done selling bullets and will soon close. Montana Bullet Works is another fine one, if you have money to burn. I like Rimrock too but again, very spendy. Theyre bulk type bullets for 46 and 357 are a pretty good deal though. Stateline is a good one to for your basic, standby bullets for the classics.
I wish I had my own range where I could recover/recycle my own lead because I start for sure casting my own.

 

[Marcruger]

Every revolver is different, so an "accuracy load" in one may be awful in another (especially in .22lr). You have to work up a load on your own. I appreciate this sentiment, "ive seen some impressive 50 yard targets that for some reason, have muzzle blast burn damage to them." On another forum a member kept saying his load was extremely accurate at 50 yards, but his load specs looked dodgy at best. My friend and I had a long discussion about it. A few months later he made another post saying a new load had excellent potential. His photo showed a scattering of shots on a paper plate at 10 yards. My definition of accuracy is that I would like to get a cloverleaf with each load. Hardly ever happens, but I work towards it. Clearly the paper plate shooter's definition of accuracy is much looser than mine.

 

[Rodfac]

For my M69, 629, & 24, as well as a trio of Ruger Flat Top BH's in .44 special, I cast my own bullets using wheel weight alloy, air cooled, lubed with 50-50 alox to beeswax, and sized to 0.430". This size gives me a tight fit on the cylinder throats of all six guns, & is essential to good accuracy. Lyman's molds: 429421, 429215gc, & 429244gc all work well in both .44 magnum and special brass.

If buying commercial LSWC's, I like and have had good success with Missouri Bullet Co.'s 240 gr LSWC's with a 12 rating hardness. With them I re-lube with Lee Liquid Alox, thinned 30% with paint thinner and swirl lube them right over the commercial lube. It's a big help against leading if the sizing isn't quite right, i.e. too small for the throats.

Using Special brass, I like 6.5 gr of Win 231 and 7.5 gr of Unique with any of the three Lyman molds or Missouri's offerings. These are sub-2" grouping loads at 25 yds in my guns, but you have to get the sizing right. 0.431" will work as well, but 0.432" is too big and tougher on the gun. Muzzle vel. runs ~900+ fps from 4" bbl's. and is a good field load with moderate recoil.

The 7.5 gr of Unique load, BTW, is universally famous as Skeeter Skelton's favorite using any good quality 240 gr LSWC sized correctly & loaded in Special brass.

For magnum brass, up the charges 1/2 grain for similar velocities.

Sizing is the key with lead alloy, with hardness a close 2nd...generally, below say 1100 fps, you want a softer bullet than most commercial bullets...Missouri is the exception with their bhn 12 offerings.

HTH's Rod

 

[Eddie Southgate]

I use either the Lyman Keith bullet or the Lyman Ray Thompson GC bullet with either Unique or 2400 .

 

[Claymore33]

I'm running 7 gr 231 / hp38 with a 240 keith from Missouri Bullet.

out of a 4 inch smith it's good plinker, but not very good at 100 yds.

I load that same round. If I want to shoot 100 yards, I load magnum version. .44 Special is a 40 yard round for me.

 

[BeachBumShooter]

I have been using the Lee 240 grain LSWC tumble lube bullet, clip on wheel weights, water quenched, powder coated, lightly lubed with homemade 40-40-10 lube, sized to .430 in a 44 special case, heavy roll crimp, with 4.2 grains of Bullseye, and shot though my 5" 629 Classic with extremely good accuracy for more than a decade! That combo make me look good at the range.

However, I shoot the same load through my 4.25" model 69 and get ok accuracy at first, but after three or four cylinders start to get lots of leading and after 50 rounds, forget about it.

My point is, it may be the gun, not the load that is the problem.