Power Pistol in 44 SPL+P Quickload

I've been using 8 grains of PP pushing the 429421 (255 grain plain base SWC) and is an excellent load in its own right. It basically duplcicates the "Skeeter-Keith" load of 7.5 grains of Unique but does it within SAMMI spec pressure. I clock between 990-1005 FPS with this load from my 6.5" S&W 624...it is extremely narrow standard deviation with very high accuracy. Cleaner burning, too. Great all around load, but I have a hankering that it could be powered up slightly to 22kPSI or 25kPSI and nearly match the slower powders in performance. If someone with QL could run that out it would be great. This bullet will seat .385" deep in the 44 Special case if crimped in the groove.

Glad someone else has discovered how well PP does in the .44! I use it much more in .44 mag, but I'm pretty much just scaling up the same load to the longer mag brass.

I haven't done any real testing, but I strongly suspect it's also a little less position sensitive than Unique.

8 grains and a Keith is my go to .44 special load. Load them in large batches as it shoot well in all my .44 specials.

Yea, Unique is a good, useful powder. And it works in shotguns and handguns. I like its bulkiness, as it pretty much fills a 44 special case with that bullet. But running it head-to-head against PP it comes up short. Despite the PP being less bulky, the PP is cleaner, lower extreme spreads, and actually produced better accuracy in my testing though both were quite good.

The classic 2400 keith 44 special loads have not demonstrated as good of accuracy and for some bizzare reason they disperse to the left of my point of aim (go figure).

I was wondering if I could get PP up to 1100-1200 FPS while staying under 25Kpsi. For whatever reason my 624 is a "fast" revolver clocking better speeds than the load data would suggest. It does have a 6.5" barrel and a very tight gap (under 3 thou) which may be the reason..

I chronographed 260gr SWC Keiths over 8gr PP @1010fps through a 5.5" Colt, it is a good load that stays inside the pressure limits. But. For whatever reason through 3 guns here, my Unique load shoots tighter.

I load the same bullet both ways, but for an accuracy edge I lean to Unique. May-be the alloy?? Mine could be better suited for 18,000-ish pressures of skeeters load. And PP such less pressure that it needs softer lead. That's about my only guess why I could be seeing this when everyone else claims PP loads are better.

And I'm recording nearly identical observations in my 41's.. power pistol good for a backup, but Unique shoots tighter. Again, quite certain it's the lead & the pressures at work on it making the variance ... never have tried to push it to find any hotter higher than standard loadings with PP. I like VvN110 for my big loads.

I have loaded and fired 8.5 and 9gr PP with 240gr SWCBB in both a 696 and a NF 7.5 and the 9gr load is pretty loud and I can tell it has more recoil than 8gr. It is obviously faster and gets to a target much faster at distance. I have not chronoed it.

The exact load I shoot in 2 .44 Specials is 8 gr. of PP and 429421. One of my .44 specials is a Vaquero, the other a 3" GP100. I had Smith 696 a few years ago, but a load that I thought was safe in it, 7.5 gr. Unique and 429421 split the forcing cone. Smith warranted the barrel. Those guns have plenty stout cylinders, but that forcing cone is thin, and in my opinion, the thin portion simply protrudes into the frame opening too far. The GP100 also has a thin barrel cone, but I believe it's a bit thicker than the Smith, and doesn't protrude into the cylinder window nearly as far. I don't load anything hotter than the 8 gr. of PP in it for that reason.

What kind of speed are you getting out of the GP100? 7gr. of Unique gets 830fps out of my 3" with that bullet just found some PP and I'm looking for a load.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boogieman

What kind of speed are you getting out of the GP100? 7gr. of Unique gets 830fps out of my 3" with that bullet just found some PP and I'm looking for a load.

---

I would like to know to.8-)

Handloader #260 lists some +P Power Pistol loads for the 429421 in a NMBH Flat Top 5.5", tops out at nearly 1100 FPS.

Link

Pearce lists the 8.5 and 9gr PP load in the Lipseys .44 flattop article at 1,035 and 1093fps with a 250gr 429421. 17.0gr A2400 at 1,211fps. This would be tierIII loads..

I see I am redundent as this info is in the link above............