.22-10-45
09-13-2012, 10:23 PM
Hello, everyone. Yesterday was so nice, I just had to get out to range..a bit breezy though..so I thought it a perfect day to shoot short-range. Brought out the first model Richards conversion on a 1980's era Colt 1860 army for first time.
Now when I got the gun back from Jay Strite at Ravens Roost..I was kind of worried..the cyl. throats slugged .433", while the groove dia. remained the original .44 percussion nominal .451". Everything I have read said no way! I callled Jay, and he assured me by using a hollow-based bullet, everything would be fine. I still wasn't so sure. I had purchased a Rapine 430211 hollow-based mould & cast up some soft-lead slugs. lube is my soft BPCR. .433" dia.
Now I just cannot see thru those fine sights without using a Merit attatchment on glasses..and considering what I was shooting, I decided for first outing to shoot at 15yds. Shooting was done standing with two hand hold.
After blackining sights with Birchwood Casey..I loaded my start loads of 5.0gr. Tightgroup. Taking my time, & resting briefly after each shot..I got a ragged hole group..that could be covered with a quarter! Windage perfect, P.O.I. about 6" high!
I couldn't believe it..had to be a fluke..I tried my next test load..5.2gr. Tightgroup. This printed a bit higher yet..and opened up to about 1 1/2".
My usual luck had kicked in...when loading up these ctgs., I had thought the light start loads would proove inaccurate..so had concentrated on loading heaver charge test loads...These will be pulled & next time out I will try to see if a lighter load might shoot closer to sights.
Next up were loads using Bulleseye. There being no load-data for .44 Colt using this powder, I used .44 Russian data..the Russian has a case capacity of
1.4cc...the .44 Colt is 2.0.
Starting with 3.0grs. Bullseye...this had all bullets cutting into each other..not as close as the Tightgroup..but not far behind.
3.2gr. Bullseye did about the same..but going up from there opened things up & printed higher.
Looks like this one likes light loads..which is fine for me, considering it's open top design.
But those undersized throats? That bullet must be doing more bumping and squeezing than a boom town cat house on a Saterday night!
I did manage to pick up a couple of fired slugs from soft backstop sand. There are rifling groove impressions all aound slug on bearing surfaces.
One thing that surprised me was the lack of any streak leading inside cyl. throats..usually with a soft alloy like I was using you will get some. On barrel breech face..there was a buildup however, & I did find a round lead "wire" on first patch thru..that bullet base must be opening up like a champagne cork, when it clears cylinder face..expanding into forcing cone & then being squeezed down to bore/groove dia.
Which has given me an idea..I have a Colt .44 Special 7 1/2" S.A.A. 3rd. Gen., which I have not been able to get to group with any bullet/powder combination..it has oversized throats. I wonder what this hollw-base might do for it?
Now when I got the gun back from Jay Strite at Ravens Roost..I was kind of worried..the cyl. throats slugged .433", while the groove dia. remained the original .44 percussion nominal .451". Everything I have read said no way! I callled Jay, and he assured me by using a hollow-based bullet, everything would be fine. I still wasn't so sure. I had purchased a Rapine 430211 hollow-based mould & cast up some soft-lead slugs. lube is my soft BPCR. .433" dia.
Now I just cannot see thru those fine sights without using a Merit attatchment on glasses..and considering what I was shooting, I decided for first outing to shoot at 15yds. Shooting was done standing with two hand hold.
After blackining sights with Birchwood Casey..I loaded my start loads of 5.0gr. Tightgroup. Taking my time, & resting briefly after each shot..I got a ragged hole group..that could be covered with a quarter! Windage perfect, P.O.I. about 6" high!
I couldn't believe it..had to be a fluke..I tried my next test load..5.2gr. Tightgroup. This printed a bit higher yet..and opened up to about 1 1/2".
My usual luck had kicked in...when loading up these ctgs., I had thought the light start loads would proove inaccurate..so had concentrated on loading heaver charge test loads...These will be pulled & next time out I will try to see if a lighter load might shoot closer to sights.
Next up were loads using Bulleseye. There being no load-data for .44 Colt using this powder, I used .44 Russian data..the Russian has a case capacity of
1.4cc...the .44 Colt is 2.0.
Starting with 3.0grs. Bullseye...this had all bullets cutting into each other..not as close as the Tightgroup..but not far behind.
3.2gr. Bullseye did about the same..but going up from there opened things up & printed higher.
Looks like this one likes light loads..which is fine for me, considering it's open top design.
But those undersized throats? That bullet must be doing more bumping and squeezing than a boom town cat house on a Saterday night!
I did manage to pick up a couple of fired slugs from soft backstop sand. There are rifling groove impressions all aound slug on bearing surfaces.
One thing that surprised me was the lack of any streak leading inside cyl. throats..usually with a soft alloy like I was using you will get some. On barrel breech face..there was a buildup however, & I did find a round lead "wire" on first patch thru..that bullet base must be opening up like a champagne cork, when it clears cylinder face..expanding into forcing cone & then being squeezed down to bore/groove dia.
Which has given me an idea..I have a Colt .44 Special 7 1/2" S.A.A. 3rd. Gen., which I have not been able to get to group with any bullet/powder combination..it has oversized throats. I wonder what this hollw-base might do for it?