New 44 special, new load

[kelbro]

Been shooting the Lee TL430-240SWC 50/50 WW/Pb +2%Sn (drops right at 250gr) for a while in light 44 Mag loads. I want to use this bullet in my new 44 special since I have so many already cast. I know about the Skeeter load of 7.5 Unique but I am also looking for something that will meter a little better in the Dillon.

The other 'problem' with this mold is that it drops .432. The cylinders on this Ruger are .430 so I had to order a new sizer. Barrel slugs .4294.

Anybody have one of these Lipseys that can offer some guidance on bullets and sizing?

[44MAG#1]

If you are a good enough shot to tell the differences in the metering inconsistances with unique you must be awesome. But a good load is 9.0 gr of power piostol for 1056 fps out of my 45/8's. BH

[Ben]

I've shot my Ruger 44 special with 5.5 grs. of Red Dot with this bullet ( 431215 HP ). It shoots well. This mold has been plain based by Erik.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/431215%20%20HP/PICT0002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/431215%20%20HP/DSCI0001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/431215%20%20HP/PICT0001-2.jpg

Here is a group with the Keith 250 gr. bullet :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Ruger%2044%20Special%20%202/PICT0002.jpg

[kelbro]

If you are a good enough shot to tell the differences in the metering inconsistances with unique you must be awesome. But a good load is 9.0 gr of power piostol for 1056 fps out of my 45/8's. BH

Not awesome but I was hitting the 150yd gong with ease on Sunday. Open sights! I have weighed quite a few drops and Unique is not as consistent as many other powders.

This pistol is the most incredible factory Ruger that I have ever handled and I've handled a bunch of them. When Lipsey commissions them, they are RIGHT. Kind of reminds me of Ranch Dog and Lee :)

[Ben]

Unique is not as consistent as many other powders.

True, but it can still deliver a high level of accuracy and performance in many pistol and rifle cartridges.

[kelbro]

Unique is not as consistent as many other powders.

True, but it can still deliver a high level of accuracy and performance in many pistol and rifle cartridges.

No doubt! One of the best and I use a lot of it. But there are better flowing powders and cleaner burning powders. For high volume, I fire up the Dillon and Unique is not the best powder for my Dillon. Works fine in the Lyman 55 so I don't understand what the differences are but I have seen as much as a 1/2 grain spread in the Dillon. I like mine a little tighter.

[Ben]

I have a friend that is also a reloader and his Dillion powder measure has given him a lot of problems with it's ability to throw consistent charges. He says he has also experienced 1/2 gr. variations with his.

[44MAG#1]

I've got a Dillon and have used Unique quite a bit. There are many that have used Unique much more than I have. When I set my Dillon I check several charges before I start reloading. I will see how much the charge varies and try to get an average charge weight as my load. Say I want 5.4 gr as I shot yesterday evening with the 45 Auto Rim and a 270 SAA bullet by Mihec. If the load varies slightly in several throws but the average hovers around 5.4 then to me it is 5.4. I don't worry about it.
When you get a good load with Unique the velocity is just as consistant as with any other. I have gotten single digit SD with it easily over the chrono. Accuracy is there too so what more could one ask for.
Still I like Power Pistol over Unique. But I don't sweat it though.

[NHlever]

I have come to feel that with some powders like Unique, volume is as important, or even more important than weight. Of course you must use save loads! I have used Unique in one load, or another in just about all the firearms I have owned, and never have seen much difference in accuracy between thrown, and weighed charges. My old Lyman 55 throws Unique pretty well anyway.

[44MAG#1]

Went to the Dillon just a few minutes ago and bumped the aforementioned load to 5.6 gr Unique. I then threw 8 charges and watched where the fell on the scale and the extreme spread of 8 thrown charges was .1 gr either way with the average at 5.6.
More than good enough for me.

[EMC45]

Shot some 200gr. Lee RNFPs over 6gr. Titegroup from the Taurus 431. They did well. Real well.

[PacMan]

Interesting that your cylinder throats are .430 as mine are a tight .432. Have a 5 1/2'' one on order and am hopping that the throats will be the same.

I went to 15gr of 2400 behind a 250gr Keith and getting better accuracy than i can use anywhere besides on a bench rest. Averging 1057fps for 6 shots.



Dwight

[kelbro]

Interesting that your cylinder throats are .430 as mine are a tight .432. Have a 5 1/2'' one on order and am hopping that the throats will be the same.

I went to 15gr of 2400 behind a 250gr Keith and getting better accuracy than i can use anywhere besides on a bench rest. Averging 1057fps for 6 shots.



Dwight

Yep and they are consistent. Hope that's not going to cause problems. .431 or .432 would be nice.

Felt the 'Ruger Constriction' at the barrel/frame junction when I slugged the barrel. I know it sized my slug down. Counting on having to firelap this barrel. Plan to run some .430s through it Saturday and see if it leads. If so, it will get firelapped. Maybe, just maybe, I have .430 throats and a .430 barrel. Never had one like that before. Another challenge :)

[canyon-ghost]

Ruger got the specs pretty close, I bought the Blackhawk in 44 Special, blued. It's an instant favorite!

Ron

[kelbro]

Shot a few today. 6.5 and 7.0 of Unique shot very well. 7.5 pretty good too. Will do some more testing in that range. Testing is always fun. 6.0 and 6.5 of HP38 shot very well too.

[Tom Herman]

Went to the Dillon just a few minutes ago and bumped the aforementioned load to 5.6 gr Unique. I then threw 8 charges and watched where the fell on the scale and the extreme spread of 8 thrown charges was .1 gr either way with the average at 5.6.
More than good enough for me.

With an average 5-8 grain loading, I'm seeing no more than a +/- .1-.2 grain variation when dropping Unique for handgun rounds on my Dillon RL-550...
Happy Shootin'!

-Tom

PS: I use 6.5 grains Unique with the Lyman 429421 240 grain bullet. Also picked up both the blued and SS Lipsey's Rugers... They shoot great! -T

[kelbro]

This pistol seems to like 7.0 Unique with both the Lee TL SWC and the 429421 so I think that's where I'll tune.

Shot the 8.5 and 9.0 of Power Pistol today. That 9.0 load is rather 'snappy' :)

[MtGun44]

Power pistol subs for Unique pretty well in my .44 mag loads. 9.0 PP is just about
the same vel and accy as 10.0 Unique for me.

In .45 ACP I have chrono'd large velocity variations with Unique in a Dillon 450 at the time.
Even with 125 fps variation (pretty sure NOT due to powder qty variation) the accy is very
good. How this works, I don't pretend to know, but have seen it repeatedly.

Bill

[redneckdan]

No need to size down those 432 bullets for a 430 throat. As long as they chamber shoot them as cast.

[kelbro]

My 429421 drops just under .431. Absolutely no leading with Felix lube.

[kelbro]

Well the Skeeter load is still top dog. Stepped up some Power Pistol loads today and they shot pretty well but the 7.5gr Unique was the best in this pistol.

I would go ahead and drag the chrono out but the Forest Service currently has a ban on shooting due to the fires out here.