First try at loading for handgun

[35Whelen]

166968
Good day gents. Loaded rifle for many years and still can't get enough. Took the plunge this year and found a beautiful S&W 29-2. This is my first attempt at loading handgun with my new mold. Lyman 429421 comes in at 250 grains. Starline 44 Mag brass, Winchester large pistol primer with 16 grains of Alliant 2400 to get me started. Is this crimp sufficient on these rounds......or do I need more or less. Any comments or criticisms from the more experienced are welcomed. Sure wished we could hunt with handguns north of the 49th, but alas our Gov't will never allow it.

[OS OK]

Looks like it could be a tad-bit too much. Just get the OD of the front rim of the case even with or slightly under the OD behind the crimp groove and you'll have it…won't be overworking the brass, lasts longer.

Great job…clean castings.

OS OK

[6622729]

That's a lot of crimp. Aim for what OS OK explained.

[paraord]

Wow, thats a crimp. My 44's dont have nearly that much crimp. That low cost 44 mag is fun isnt it? I wish I could find some 2400 in my neck of the woods but I am really liking my AA#9. Let me see if I have a picture of my crimp, it might have to wait until I get home.

[Scharfschuetze]

16 grains of 2400 is pretty light, so the lighter crimp is probably a good suggestion. Keep track of your results with the heavy crimp and then compare results with the lighter crimp recommended above. See which one gives you the best ballistic uniformity and accuracy at a longer range, say 50 yards or so. Then you'll know how to load your future rounds. In the end, your revolver and load combination will tell you what's what.

[paraord]

Here we go, had to upload it.

http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz154/paraord1911/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_074815_zpsdmvos3b4.jpg (http://s823.photobucket.com/user/paraord1911/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_074815_zpsdmvos3b4.jpg.html)

Ive had good results with this level of crimp. And like OS OK said it will extend brass life. But those cast boolits and reloads look VERY NICE!

[35Whelen]

Thanks gents....I'll take those comments and see what the results are at the range. Stumbled onto 6 lbs of 2400 for a very good price along with 3lbs of Unique that I will play with too.

[DerekP Houston]

post #6 is about what my level of crimp for revolver rounds

[35Whelen]

Thanks for the advise....I'll back that crimp die off a bit til I just get under that front driving band.

[runfiverun]

that load is pretty light.
IMO the heavier crimp will work in your favor here.

I was getting a little bit of unburned powder at 17 grs and worked forward [a mag primer cleaned up the 17gr load but I lost accuracy]
at 18grs things seemed to settle down again, so I swapped back to the standard primers and I kept going to 19.

[44man]

Great boolit for the Smith. Get case tension and don't crimp too much.

[35Whelen]

166979She's a purdy one........barely a cylinder stop drag line on this one. I don't think she's had many rounds through her. Owned one years ago in a stainless and had a friend load me up some 265 Speer jacketed flat points...I believe the load was around 22 grains of 2400 and remember they would knock a divot in a steel plate like a 12 gauge slug would. Loved the recoil on those rounds....just had to let it recoil and not try to hold on for dear life.....LOL

[Frank V]

35Whelen
I'm another who likes a heavy crimp in the .44 Mag. or Special.
That Lyman 429421 is a hard bullet to beat it'll do most things needing done with a six-gun! You'll find it accurate too. A lot of folks don't like light loads with 2400, but I've found 2400 to be a great powder & it will stand being loaded down a bit. Give it a try & see how it goes, you may find your gun really likes it. I'd much rather see someone start at the bottom rather than at the top of the load charts as you've done. Actually I've found 2400 to be a very versatile powder & a very usefull one. With 2400 & Unique you will have the .44 Mag. covered for just about every kind of load you will want.
Let us know how it goes at the range, I'm betting that load will be accurate & fun to shoot.
Good shooting.

[mdi]

I too am a "heavy crimper", but those you show are on the "heavy side" or max for what I'd use. My alloy and mold cast 420421s at 250 grains and are very accurate in my 3, .44 Magnum revolvers. In my opinion, a heavier crimp adds to "consistency", especially with lighter loads of 2400 (or most any slower .44 powder)...

[35Whelen]

Well these turned out to be very accurate loads......so accurate and fun to shoot that I forgot to Chronograph the load. There were a lot a people and the range today and I never like breaking it out when its that busy. The bark of the 44 sure gets a lot of people turning their heads....LOL
There was some unburned powder in the barrel and cylinder using this load...so I am going to go up from there, and will likely use the Unique for the lower velocity rounds.

[Frank V]

Well these turned out to be very accurate loads......so accurate and fun to shoot that I forgot to Chronograph the load. There were a lot a people and the range today and I never like breaking it out when its that busy. The bark of the 44 sure gets a lot of people turning their heads....LOL
There was some unburned powder in the barrel and cylinder using this load...so I am going to go up from there, and will likely use the Unique for the lower velocity rounds.

I won't chronograph while there are many people at the range either, you will get asked oh can I chronograph my gun? My standard answer is if you will let me shoot I will chronograph for you. They don't understand that one low shot will destroy a chronograph, but then they didn't pay for it so they probably don't worry about it. If they won't let me shoot their gun, I don't chronograph their loads, it's that simple.
I've got a couple of guns that I haven't chronographed, they kill game so efficiently it's a who cares about the speed thing!;)

[murf205]

Count me as a heavy crimper too. I've had such good luck with the tighter crimps that I never tried light crimping. My favorite load is 16.5 grs of 2400 and a 250 gr 429421 Lyman and never had a hiccup with it. I use a standard primer too. In my 4" 629 S&W it goes 1016fps and shoots really good. That boolit with 10.5 grs of Unique is 1063fps in the same gun and it is really good. I wouldn't take the 2400 load any lower, but @ 16-16 1/2 grs you should be fine with the crimp you have. Might work the brass abit more but Starline is making it every day(thankfully)

[sharpshooter3040]

I also like the heavy crimp. I shoot 21 grains of 2400 behind the Lyman 429421.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[454PB]

I'm with 44man.......correct case tension is more important than heavy crimps.

[DougGuy]

I'm with 44man.......correct case tension is more important than heavy crimps.

Actually, you need *both* for it to all work to it's best. A hard boolit needs less crimp than a softer one. Softer boolits can "swage" against the crimp under recoil and allow the base of the boolit to move.

[Frank V]

I've found 2400 can be loaded from light to heavy & it'll work well.
Actually some people don't like 2400 they say there are other better powders.
I've used 2400 for a LOT of years in the .357, .22 Hornet, .44 Special & Mag. I LIKE it it's a great powder & doesn't need mag. primers, in fact Elmer Keith said he never used mag. primers with 2400 & that's good enough for me.
Enjoy!

[44man]

I don't use mag primers in the .44 even with 296, not needed at all. Groups triple with mag primers. Prime example of primer pressure moving boolits before good ignition. I use nothing but Fed 150's in the .44.
I have tested every crimp you can make a hundred times with all calibers I shoot and found it is only an aid to prevent boolit movement from recoil and does have little to no affect on powder burn. I found just enough is all you need. Too much crimp can break case tension and bulge brass just below it.
Soft lead can be swaged, sized, trying to push through so you have a smaller boolit and signs of crimp left on fired brass.
If you think the brass jumps open before boolit movement, you drink Bud Light! [smilie=l: The boolit forces the crimp open, not pressure behind it. I can't tell you how much brass I picked up on the range that still was crimped.
Make the boolit tough enough to size the brass when seating, just under throat and a little over groove and forget about the OBTURATION garbage.
I just found an article I saved from a gun writer stating hard boolits get gas cut since they won't expand to obturate. Most hog wash I ever read so it went into the recycle bin. You make the PLUG first, not after trigger break. Fit is mentioned a million times here so why would you look farther?
I was testing 200 yard drop with my .44 using my 330 gr boolit. I just shot 3 shots to measure. Just info, not for hunting. This boolit is .430" to .4305" out of a .4324" throat and .430 groove.
Load is 21 gr of 296 and a Fed 150. Drop was high at 35" but look at what it does. Crazy 1-5/16" at 200 and it has done 1/2" at 50 yards. The boolit is water dropped to 20-22 BHN but some will always say to soften it or air cool so it will expand to seal.
Sorry will never happen.167444

[fredj338]

Nice first run. I agree, being a long time 44mag reloader & shooter, too much crimp. While 2400 is more forgiving than slower powders downloading, I think you'll find better combustion around 18gr. If you want medium vel loads, go with the unique. Neither get mag primers.

[35Whelen]

Thanks for all the information fella's. Love this forum, it's like being with all your neighborhood pals when you were a kid swapping ideas and such. Cool.

[paul edward]

After reloading your new brass a few times, with crimping and case mouth belling, they might need to be annealed.

When I first started reloading .44 Magnum, I noticed, after a few reloads, cracks around the case mouth. Those cases were set aside and trimmed to make .44 Specials, the rest were annealed and remain in use.

[44man]

I am still shooting brass in my .44 from the early 80's and lost one a while back.
DO NOT anneal revolver brass or you will have a mess with pulled boolits. Some do but use mouse loads. The .44 is very sensitive to case tension and even new brass is the worst.
Case tension must be the same from one piece of brass to the next.
If brass is cracking, you crimp too much.
The group I showed was with brass loaded over 40X. Old, old Rem brass. I would NEVER shoot IHMSA with new brass. Testing new brass showed the worst groups ever.167515 This is one test with 50 shots, scoped at 50 yards with new brass.
I can measure seating pressure and new is the worst.

[Frank V]

I've got some .44 Special brass that's the old baloon head brass. It works fine.

[murf205]

I won't chronograph while there are many people at the range either, you will get asked oh can I chronograph my gun? My standard answer is if you will let me shoot I will chronograph for you. They don't understand that one low shot will destroy a chronograph, but then they didn't pay for it so they probably don't worry about it. If they won't let me shoot their gun, I don't chronograph their loads, it's that simple.
I've got a couple of guns that I haven't chronographed, they kill game so efficiently it's a who cares about the speed thing!;)

Ditto Frank, Those chrono's live in a very dangerous neighborhood!

[Frank V]

Yes they do.