Outpost75 and Savvy Jack,
Good afternoon gents, from the very few posts I have entered on this forum, I recon you guys would be the experts on Rel 7 and the 44-40 cartridge. My very limited knowledge base comes from yourselves and John Kort. I imagine there are others that also know and have written about Rel 7 and the 44-40 cartridge and I apologise to them, I just haven’t read them yet.
Outpost75, on 07-03-2018 you posted an article about Reloader 7, the 44-40 cartridge and a 200 grain bullet in No.2 alloy:-
"My best results to date in .44-40 loads which are safe to use in older rifles like the 1873 Winchester has been with Alliant RL7, using charges from 24.5-26.0 grains, depending upon bullet weight and case capacity. The objective is to provide a case full of powder which gives base support to the bullet in the same manner in which black powder does. The correct charge is a full case with no airspace, with slight compression; about 1/16" is good. RL7 powder may be further compressed safely, but there is no advantage to doing so.
RL7 was pressure tested and recommended many years ago by Hercules to provide the full-charge black powder velocity using smokeless powder, closely approximating pre-WW2 factory load ballistics in the .44-40. A "nominal case full" of RL7 provides a safe load with a 240-grain lead bullet using 24.5 grains of powder or with a 200-grain lead bullet loading 26.5 grains of powder.
You cannot get enough RL7 into a .44-40 case to get into trouble, as with when you load bullets heavier than 200 grains at an overall cartridge length which feeds in the 1873, increased seating depth reduces powder capacity, so the charge is self-limited by available powder capacity. These loads are also safe in revolvers, although they leave unburned powder particles which can be a nuisance".
I think I mentioned previously I had cast some 43-215C accurate bullets in 50-1 tin lead. They actually weigh in at 220grains. I also cast some 43-245C accurate bullets that weigh 249grains.
The seating depth from base to crimping grove of the 220grain bullet is .350”. The remaining space will accept 26.5grains of Rel 7 which comes to the base of the bullet allowing .019” compression.
The seating depth from the base to the crimping grove of the 249grain bullet is .421”. The space remaining is taken up with 24.5 grains of Rel 7 to the base of the 249 grain bullet which will allow .029” of compression.
As these are a "nominal case full" of RL7, I am thinking of adjusting the loads listed below for my 1873 Winchester before I try them:-
220gr bullet from 25gr (untested) to a max charge 26.5gr rel 7,
249gr bullet from 22.5gr (untested) to a max charge 24.5gr Rel 7.
My previous loads had consisted of max charges of Rel 7 for the:-
Lee mould 213gr 26.5gr
Winchester Repeating Arms Co. mould 200gr 26.5gr also.
Your thoughts on this plan gents would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Bob.