Opinions please on .44 special load

[Kermit2]

I'm loading for the .44 special. I have one of the TALO Ruger .44 specials with a 4 5/8" barrel. I'm using boolits cast with the Lyman #429421 mould and a 50/50 mixture of wheel weights & soft lead. I've shot the 7.5 grain Unique "Skeeter" load and it shoots pretty good, but a touch high. Two inches high at 25 yards with the 240 grain boolit. Gave a good group...just high. I have the rear sight depressed as low as it will go. It averaged 961 fps from my revolver and showed no signs of pressure.

If I increased the charge to 7.8 grains of Unique would I still be in the safe zone for the Ruger, and would it drop the impact of the boolits down? As always advice is appreciated.

[NHlever]

A little more velocity will bring the group down a bit, but more than likely not enough to make much difference. Unfortunately, you really need a higher front sight, and that is a problem that is altogether too common in Ruger single actions. I did mention that issue to a guy that works in the Ruger project development team just last week again. I got lucky with my .44 Special Blackhawk, and can just get my groups centered, but that gun could use just a hair more front sight, and I have others that are back at Ruger for that problem, or are waiting their turn to ship to Ruger. Shipping the guns that need higher front sights back to Ruger is what needs to be done since it seems they aren't going to do much about it on their own! :D :D

[38-55]

Kermit2 Sir,
I've always had good luck with 4.5 to 5.5 of unique in the .44 special.. I know this is contrary to conventional wisdom but it has worked well for me in multiple guns... With that said rugers, in my experience ahh, how to say it politely... Can be some what lacking in the quality control department... Ya gotta play with em' a bit to get them to shoot.. Most important tip I can give ya is to match the bullet diameter to the front of the cylinder, not the throat.. doing this seems to make em' settle down and behave..
Hope this helps
Stay safe
Calvin
PS your pretty safe with the 7.8 load...

[Dale53]

kermit2;
I have two of the Ruger .44 Specials (5½" Lipsey Special and a 4 5/8" SS Talo edition). Both of mine shoot to the sights. However, each of us sees the sights a bit differently. What will work perfectly well for one will not necessarily work for another (point of impact).

However, if your revolver is only hitting two inches high at 25 yards, it is a simple matter to rectify.

You only have to remove a few thousandths from the top of the rear sight blade. It will only take a VERY small amount. I suggest you take a couple of strokes with a "fine" file, then try. This won't work for major corrections but in your case should do it with a minimum of fuss. There is no way I would send my gun back to Ruger for this minor correction.

The rear sight blade is replaceable if you should over correct (at very small cost) but if you are slow and careful, there is no reason you can't handle this yourself, if you have a minimum of handskills.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

By the way, the stainless Rugers have a pinned in front sight and Ruger has various heights available. Again, you can do this yourself (or have your local pistolsmith handle it).

Unfortunately, the blued Rugers have integral front sights (silver soldered on) and are best handled by a pro.

Incidentally, the Ruger .44 Specials are some of the best made revolvers that Ruger has ever made. Neither of mine required anything but a trigger job and the cylinder throat dimensions are near perfect. They both will shoot under 1" at 25 yards from a rest.

Dale53

[Bass Ackward]

If I increased the charge to 7.8 grains of Unique would I still be in the safe zone for the Ruger, and would it drop the impact of the boolits down? As always advice is appreciated.



The theory is that increased velocity will lower POI. But .... that observation is if everything is OK.

If the gun is hitting high in the forcing cone, the "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" comes into play and it is possible that you can increase velocity and POI stays the same or even .... climbs.

With my 44, I have to stay with 200 to 230 grain bullets to have elevation flexibility otherwise 240s / 250s need 2400 and encouragement to leave the bore in a hurry (1100 fps) before I have enough elevation for single hand, off hand work. (PIA)

The saving grace here is that I am not limited with the 200 LEE RF or the 429215 which it seems to like so I can conserve on the lead anyway.

[Dframe]

Another possibility is to use a lighter bullet. I'm shooting 200 grain bullets in my 44s. A lighter bullet usually prints just a bit lower.

[Kermit2]

I contacted Ruger and they are sending me a taller front sight blade. The front sight blades are pinned on this model so replacement shouldn't be too tough. The Ruger rep advised that the new blade would likely be too tall and would need to be touched up with a file to bring the point of impact down where it needs to be. Hopefully this will help. Other than this issue I really like the revolver. It shoots well and groups well...just high.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I had a BRNO 98/22 Mauser made in Czechslovakia in 1924 that shot 18" at 50 yds. I solved the issue with some aluminum foil and some epoxy. I made a rough mold for the front sight and attached it to the front sight with some hot glue after cleaning off all oils and solvents.

I made it so the epoxy would adhere to the front sight on all sides and then I mixed some ground charcoal to add black to the color of the epoxy.

I got it all mixed and then applied the epoxy to my makeshift mold. After letting it dry overnight I removed the foil and with a file I shaped it to suit me. I cleaned off the extra epoxy on the sides and front and back of the front sight.

I tapered the front sight epoxy to a flat but narrow wedge shape. It pretty much followed the contours of the original sight but now was much taller.

Then with my rifle, a file or two and some ammo and targets to the range we went.

My first two shots were about 4 inches low at 50 yds but only one inch low at 100 yds. I filed a little off the top and gradually we got to where I was only a mite low at 50 and right on at 100 yds.

With the back color of the epoxy and filed down and smoothed up pretty good it almost looks like an original sight. Only with careful examination can you see the joint line where the iron changes to epoxy. Great stuff.

Since then the rifle is no more. The barrel was scrapped along with the ugly stock and all the metal stuff except for the floor plate for the magazine and some screws etc. It now wears a Douglas Match Grade barrel in 6.5 MM. It was chambered for 6.5 x 55 MM Sweede. New laminated wood thumb hole stock, Buehler safety, bolt face worked on, jeweled bolt and my scope properly mounted and sighted in for 200 yds.

I stand at my shooting table and lob my alloy cast boolits at a target at 200 or 300 yds over 10 gr of Unique powder. So easy and so much fun. Love those steel gongs.

[EMC45]

I just shot some 200gr. RNFP Lee bullet last night over 6gr. Titegroup. They did very well. Accurate and seemed to have some "oomph"! Will Chrono these to see what I am looking at. Shot from a Taurus 4in.

[jerry_from_ct]

Move along............ nothing to add here...........;)

[Wally]

A little more velocity will bring the group down a bit, but more than likely not enough to make much difference. Unfortunately, you really need a higher front sight, and that is a problem that is altogether too common in Ruger single actions. I did mention that issue to a guy that works in the Ruger project development team just last week again. I got lucky with my .44 Special Blackhawk, and can just get my groups centered, but that gun could use just a hair more front sight, and I have others that are back at Ruger for that problem, or are waiting their turn to ship to Ruger. Shipping the guns that need higher front sights back to Ruger is what needs to be done since it seems they aren't going to do much about it on their own! :D :D

A screwhead on my Ruger Superblackhawk broke off--I could not get the stud out--I sent the pistol back to Ruger & asked them pretty please to put on a taller front sight, as the pistol shot high when using .44 Special loads. They did and now I can shoot to point of aim with .44 Special & .44 Magnum, medium loads. IMHO they should use a sloted front sight with a pin that allows one to change the front sight blade easily---they do use this on their SS Blackhawks.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I had a similar problem with my SBH Bisley shooting too high. I personally would have been happy to only have had 2" at 25yds. Mine was 2 feet high at 50 yds!

I solved the problem on mine by having two things done to the gun. I cut the barrel to 5" and I had a Weigand front sight with a removable blades installed.

This way I can compensate for the differences in velocity between magnum and special loads by changing the front sight blade which takes exactly 15 seconds. I also installed a Bowen rear sight and the Ruger one was Krap.

This problem is all about how much time the bullet spends in the barrel as the gun is in recoil. The slower the bullet, the longer it is in the barrel the more the muzzle of the gun raises up before the bullet exits. Obviously higher front sight helps this.

A tighter grip also helps with this.

I bought a BH Bisley .44 Spec and haven't shot it yet. If it is only 2" high I'll aim low. :lovebooli

Here's mine.

Randy