Herco in the 44 Special +P

[ddixie884]

Thanks for going though all this trouble Larry. Real work here. It's a shame your 'tender broke too!

It's remarkable how well Quickload corresponds to your testing and what little published info has to offer.

That said I do not think old Herco (the kind with the knight on the bottle) really outperforms powerpistol in anyway. It is dirtier. Also, I get slightly narrower deviations with PP, probably because it meters better.

The new herco (with blue label) which supposedly meters better and is clearer burning may be better than PP being a touch slower and more nearly filling available case volume.

If you want Larry I can send you some #503s lubed or unlubed whatever your preference if you care to work those up. I know a lot of folks here (including myself) love that bullet.

I hope you do as real data is so nice to have and Larry sure does a good job. I'm getting to be a junkie......

[curioushooter]

FWIW the 503 crimped in the groove doesn't seat as deeply as the 429421 that I have (an Arsenal mold clone). If anything the 503 should have less pressure despite being a few grains heavier. One thing that is weird the 429421 is said to weigh 250 or 255 grains. With 96-2-2 alloy that I like it usually weighs just under 260 while the 503 weighs around 262-264 with the same alloy. This is after lubing. I guess the lyman spec weight is with #2 alloy or 16:1 or some other light alloy.

[ddixie884]

I think it is with Lyman #2. My Lyman 4 cavity throws COWW at 253gr. It is from the early 70s, has a round grease groove, and a full front band. I have fired it more than any other in .44 Mag and .44Spl.............

[Rodfac]

Thanks for the pressure work ups, Larry...you've confirmed my Quickload calculations. I'm an enthusiastic user of Skelton's old load for my .44's, both Spl and Mag...7.5 gr of Unique, getting 16,300 psi with RCBS 44-240 for 923 fps from a 5.5" bbl. or 874 from a 4.6" tube, or 964 from my 6.5" Smith M24...while 8.0 gr of Herco with the same bullet gives me 15,150 and 906 fps again using the 5.5" bbl. or 855 from a 4.6" tube. Either load has enough umph to put down a crippled horse here on our farm...a sad day for all concerned...

Both powders do give me great accuracy from 3 Flat Top Ruger .44 Spl's, and a Smith M24 with a 6.5" bbl. using that RCBS bullet, and does as well with Mihec's version of the 503 bullet. Wish I could get them to feed through my Marlin 336 Texan in .44 Magnum...but it's a single shot with any of the above. Same is true with my son's Marlin 1894 Cowboy .44.

Best regards to all, and thx again Larry. Rod