Do I Need More Crimp?

[Bigscot]

I was shooting my new Win Legacy in .44 mag yesterday using a 200 gn Lee rnfp with 12 gn of 2400. The rounds shot fine but there was a fair amount of unburned powder in the spent cases and down the barrel. Also the fired brass was sooty in a strange way. The brass was not just dirty like from shooting the older Unique but had a hue which looked like the brass gotten really hot and had soot on it in patterns as if the brass was passed through a candle flame. And some places were still shiney. I have tumbled the brass and it has cleaned up fine. Is this an indication of needing more crimp? I didn't put a real heavy crimp like on 20 something grain load of 296, just enough to bring the brass into the crimp groove.
I am using Win large pistol primers which I use for everything with no problems.

Any ideas?

Bigscot

[StarMetal]

BigScot

That's an awful light load for 2400 and light 200 gr bullet. Lyman lists a starting load for 44 special (not 44mag, so imagine the case is smaller here) of 15 some grs with a 205 gr bullet. You're using 12 gr in a bigger case. 2400 is on the slow side so you would need a heavy bullet or a heavy crimp to get it to burn better. Sounds like the load is so light that it's not expanding the case to chamber walls. Even when 2400 burns good it leaves unburnt powder in various places, but you sound like you have more then the norm.

Try upping your powder charge or switching to a faster powder.

Joe

[SharpsShooter]

Ditto what Joe said....You are not developing enough pressure to expand the case and seal it in the chamber. My Lyman cast boolit book shows loads of 18gr of 2400 as minimum charge for a 205gr boolit with a velocity 1404fps from a 18 inch barrel. Maximum charge weight is 24gr @ 1831fps. VMMV

[mag_01]

The advice given is right on---just to go to the other exstreme---I have used 25 grs. of 2400 behind a 225 SWC---A hot load---I do not advise it----there is no powder residue just a handfull of 44 Mag------------------Mag_01 :lovebooli

[Bigscot]

Thanks for the help.
I am trying to get to a fun plinking load with this bullet. I tried 11 gns of Unique with this bulled but it leaded heavily. Some of the guys at the range thought that Unique was too fast and the boolit was stripping the rifling. This is a plain based boolit lubed with FWFL and some with Lee LA. I did not get any leading with these loads with either lube. The load was fun to shoot.
Would it be better to go to a lighter load with Unique? Is there a better powder for this purpose? I have Unique, 2400, 296, 231, I-4227 and AA#7 as far as pistol powders.

Thanks again,

BS

[Dale53]

Bigscot;
If you want a nice, light load use 5.9-6.9 of W231. The top load will give you just under 1000 fps with little recoil.

Dale53

[Newtire]

The 200 gr. Lee that I have drops the bullets around .430" and I have gotten good accuracy out of it with BlueDot but only in a smaller charge and not in a .44 mag. I was using it in a .444 with 14.0gr. BlueDot and got great accuracy at 50 yds. Any more powder & no more accuracy. That is my son's favorite plinking bullet since he was 10 yrs. old. Lee Liquid Alox works just great all the way to the end of the 22" barrel without leading either.

[9.3X62AL]

As sort of a comment on the 12.0 x 2400 load using the 200 grain-class 44 boolits, the old, weak '73 Winchester using this boolit in 44-40 WCF can safely take 14.5 grains of the newer 2400 without a problem. My '73 hasn't leaded the bore at all with boolits fired over The Holy Black, 2400, Unique, or RL-7.......still, I'm wondering if a gas check isn't a good idea in that longer (19") barrel. I can't call the results so far "accurate", though--more like "minute of blacktail/muley at 75 yards".

The bore is not great--I'm still weighing GC vs. PB for the 215 grain RFN I'll have Dan cut for me. The Lyman 427098 molds don't reliably produce the .430" boolits needed by the rifle's casual dimensions--the .432" castings in Taracorp (#429244) spring back to .430" in the existing .429" sizer, so I might be able to get some multi-tasking from the contemplated mold if it will shed boolits at .431" or a mite fatter. The Lee 200 FN is actually a pretty good design for the "44-40 Fat", it just needs a little more lube capacity or a gas check for my rifle.

There are no fleas on the 44-40 level loads in a 44 Magnum--200 grainers at 1200 FPS or so. The '73 I refer to using loads of that nature took dozens--more likely, a hundred plus--deer and a few black bears in its career as a saddle carbine and ranch gun. You can shoot it all day, too--not a thing enjoyed with full-boat 44 Magnums in a Marlin 94 or like platform.