Deep seated .44mag loads

[HDS]

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone here has tried this deep seating method for achieving a milder .44 magnum load?

I am mainly interested in doing this with VV N110 powder as I have a canister of it I want to use up. Following the loading manual (well it does not have my bullet model which is ~253gr) gives me a hefty 1400fps rounds out of my 629 with a starting load, that's pretty stout and I am not sure if that puts undue stress on my pretty princess revolver or not.

So I read about deep seating loads and reducing the amount of powder an equivalent amount. I have some loads I have made where I have seated the bullet to the first driving band instead of the crimp groove:
http://i42.tinypic.com/m7gydy.jpg

Instead of 20 grains of VV N110 I got 16 grains of N110 instead (this load might be too light for proper ignition, N110 lights a slight compression). Been sitting on these rounds a real long time as I have not had a chance to use my revolver and the weather has been bad for shooting, nevermind using the chrono.

Weather's getting good again now but still no revolver (gunsmith), I got an 1892 however so I am thinking of trying it in that one, maybe it's also safer since that action is real strong. Anyway my hope is to be able to develop a good and clean burning light magnum load that would keep in the 1100-1200FPS range out of a 6" barrel.

Think this is a viable approach or am I likely to blow myself up?

[Grandpas50AE]

I have done what you are doing, but I did it with H110 and 2400 for my old 629. I basically went back to the starting load and worked up when I started seating the boolit deeper. Never made it back to the published max when I seated deeper like that.

[44man]

I never tried that but have to wonder if it will change the velocity???
Deep seating raises pressures so you are duplicating hot .44 special loads in a long case is all.
Run them over a chrono and tell us.

[41 mag fan]

Same for me as Grandpas50AE, I used h110 and AA9. Shot them thru my SBH. Never noticed any pressure issues and I was loading at near max on both powders

[badgeredd]

I never tried that but have to wonder if it will change the velocity???
Deep seating raises pressures so you are duplicating hot .44 special loads in a long case is all.
Run them over a chrono and tell us.

Using 44 Special data loads in the 44 Mag and seating the boolit to a like OAL, Working up the loads, I've had good results in my Model 29...albeit a slightly slower load with good powder burn. Very accurate too! I believe I was in the high 1200 fps range with the loads using a 250ish boolit.

Edd

[44man]

Sounds good! :-)

[JJC]

Don't have anything on that powder. Maybe for future reference check out Handloader Magazine, October 2005 #237. Midrange 44 mag article. Velocity goes from 960 to 1158 fps with 250 gr cast.

[Larry Gibson]

I never tried that but have to wonder if it will change the velocity???
Deep seating raises pressures so you are duplicating hot .44 special loads in a long case is all.
Run them over a chrono and tell us.

+1

Use .44 SPL data, especially for "milder 44 magnum load" with the deep seated bullets. As mentioned the "hotter" 44 SPL loads will get you "medium" 44 Magnum level loads.

Larry Gibson

[HDS]

Sadly there's no N110 load data for .44spl, at least not from Vihtavuori. This mostly stems from my desire to use the N110 powder, if not I would just use N32C which is a superb powder for .44spl.

[beagle]

I've played that game in the .357 Magnum with Lyman's 358429 for use in my Marlin M1894 and it works well. Nothing wrong with the practice as long as you start low.

I sure wish I was blessed with an abundance of N110. It's a great powder for the .222 and .223 with cast bullets. Unfortunately, no one stocks it here and with a 2 pound cannister running $33 last time I looked and hazmat at $17 plus shipping, we're getting into the $25 dollar a pound range here./beagle

[runfiverun]

now you just made him laugh.....

[44man]

I've played that game in the .357 Magnum with Lyman's 358429 for use in my Marlin M1894 and it works well. Nothing wrong with the practice as long as you start low.

I sure wish I was blessed with an abundance of N110. It's a great powder for the .222 and .223 with cast bullets. Unfortunately, no one stocks it here and with a 2 pound cannister running $33 last time I looked and hazmat at $17 plus shipping, we're getting into the $25 dollar a pound range here./beagle
Going to get worse. My friend searched all the stores in VA for 4895. He paid $30 for a pound! Every store wanted the same amount. :twisted:

[HDS]

now you just made him laugh.....

I dunno we pay 63 euros for a 1kg (2,2lbs) container.

[fredj338]

Using less powder & deep seating, same result as using more powder @ normal OAL. Deep seating results in higher pressures/vel, so you aren't accomplishing anything useful but saving a bit of powder.

[williamwaco]

Well?

Disregarding pressure: you can always control that by reducing the charge.

This seems like a particularly bad idea to me. You didn't mention what cases you are using but if you are using magnum cases, you are increasing the bullet jump by around 100 thousands of an inch. This is equivalent to loading the bullet normally in .44 Special cases.
If you are using .44 special cases, that bullet is going to have to jump almost a quarter of an inch more than a normal loading would require.

I believe, based on my testing, this will have a negative impact on accuracy.

Consider if you will, why do bullseye shooters use .38 special revolvers instead of .357 Magnum revolvers? They know what combinations produce the best scores.


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[Larry Gibson]

Sadly there's no N110 load data for .44spl, at least not from Vihtavuori. This mostly stems from my desire to use the N110 powder, if not I would just use N32C which is a superb powder for .44spl.

I'd think the N110 is too slow burning for 44 SPL level loads(?) but would probably work with the 240+ gr bullets seated out to 44 mag length with magnum loads?

However, as you mention the N32C "Tin Star" is an excellent powder in the .44 SPL, especially under 240 - 250 gr bullets. I've just completed a serious test of that powder in multiple cartridges for SASS CBA shooting for Powder River Cartridge Company (site sponsor). I found Tin Star to be a very good powder in the 44 Special and will be using it myself.

Larry Gibson

[HDS]

Well?

Disregarding pressure: you can always control that by reducing the charge.

This seems like a particularly bad idea to me. You didn't mention what cases you are using but if you are using magnum cases, you are increasing the bullet jump by around 100 thousands of an inch. This is equivalent to loading the bullet normally in .44 Special cases.
If you are using .44 special cases, that bullet is going to have to jump almost a quarter of an inch more than a normal loading would require.

I believe, based on my testing, this will have a negative impact on accuracy.

Consider if you will, why do bullseye shooters use .38 special revolvers instead of .357 Magnum revolvers? They know what combinations produce the best scores.

.

Based on what I had read, deep seating improved accuracy:
http://www.levergun.com/articles/thoughts.htm

At any rate they did not burn well enough at reduced levels. I will just learn to live with more recoil until my N110 is up, then I will maybe move to N105 or N340/350. Though I suspect the vast majority of my loads will be using N32C.

[williamwaco]

Based on what I had read, deep seating improved accuracy:
http://www.levergun.com/articles/thoughts.htm

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Interesting article.

Back in the 60's my shooting buddies all had 7.5 and 8.375 inch Rugers and Smiths in .44 mag. Our most fun was shooting at watermellon sized sandstone rocks at 250 to 500 yards.
After about five or six shots to get elevation and windage, we could hit them better than 50%.

As to the deep seating of the bullets, I am curious as to why there was not one mention of actual shooting tests with these loads.

I admit I have never tested them either I just know what the "big boys" actually do.

I may put that on my bucket list. It would be an interesting test.
Right now I am running two tests on comparative accuracy of gas check bullets with no check and plain base vs bevel base bullets in handguns.

It will be several months before I will have time to fool with it.


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