Been Cogitating

[Bigscot]

While perusing the different topics here of late, I got to thinking about a problem I have been having with the RD 285 gr .434 boolit.

I have been shooting it with a Win 94 in .44 mag with a Williams peep site. I have been shooting WC820 and 2400 with boolits sized .431 and .432 lubed w/LLA and cast out staight acww and acww with some 95/5 added. The problem is that I cannot get a 50yd group of less 5-7 inches. I have shot ragged hole groups a 25yds with various boolits but don't recall them specifically. I have been shooting at an 8.5x11 target with a 4 in black circle.

My question is should I try a harder boolit. I have also wondered if I need a larger target or better target. I shoot 30.30 with straight acww using a Williams peep and get tighter groups with some fliers, 3-4 inches.
I noticed the last time at the range with the 30.30 I shot better groups when I got on target and shot quickly (less than 5 secs) rather than taking longer.

Thanks for any thoughs or suggestions.

Bigscot

[Scrounger]

On the .44, how many grains of powder? When I hear of tight groups that open up quickly at a longer distance, the first thing that comes to my mind is velocity. Possibly your bullet is stable at 25 yards but goes unstable before 50 yards. If that is the case, increasing the powder charge may help. I don't know your load so I don't know if you can increase it safely or not. A lot of the more inexperienced reloaders here want to shoot WC820 or something because it is cheap, or because all the other kids are talking about it, but they don't load it to the near maximum level which powders like these require for good accuracy and consistency.

[Bass Ackward]

While perusing the different topics here of late, I got to thinking about a problem I have been having with the RD 285 gr .434 boolit.

I have been shooting it with a Win 94 in .44 mag with a Williams peep site. I have been shooting WC820 and 2400 with boolits sized .431 and .432 lubed w/LLA and cast out staight acww and acww with some 95/5 added. The problem is that I cannot get a 50yd group of less 5-7 inches. I have shot ragged hole groups a 25yds with various boolits but don't recall them specifically. I have been shooting at an 8.5x11 target with a 4 in black circle.

My question is should I try a harder boolit. I have also wondered if I need a larger target or better target. I shoot 30.30 with straight acww using a Williams peep and get tighter groups with some fliers, 3-4 inches.
I noticed the last time at the range with the 30.30 I shot better groups when I got on target and shot quickly (less than 5 secs) rather than taking longer.

Thanks for any thoughs or suggestions.

Bigscot

BS,

Your idea of a harder bullet may have merit. LLA is not noted as a top line lube so a harder bullet will improve it's efficiency if obturation force is severe. But I can't imagine any load going 5"-7" ay 50 yards without producing bad leading which you do not mention or GCs coming off.

So my suggestion it to check for lose sight(s). Especially the front ramp. Don't take much wiggle there to enlarge the situation.

[fourarmed]

Bigscot, are you shooting from bags on a bench, or from a less steady position? For aperture sights with a bead front, it is hard to beat a white circle on a black background. I like cheap paper plates stapled to a dark background at 75 to 100 yards. You have the black circle of the aperture, the white circle of the plate, and the black circle of the front dot. Easy to keep them coaxial.

Revolver bullet groups do have a tendency to enlarge disproportionately with distance, but I never noticed it get really bad until past 100 yards.

[montana_charlie]

I have been shooting it with a Win 94 in .44 mag with a Williams peep site.
I have been shooting at an 8.5x11 target with a 4 in black circle.
I have also wondered if I need a larger target or better target.
The targets I use with my Sharps (and a 'peep' sight) at a hundred yards are typing paper with a 4.4 inch black bull...printed from my computer.

Yours should be adequate for fifty...
CM

[Bigscot]

The loads I shot recently were 17grs WC820 and 17.5 grns 2400.
I am not getting any leading really. I clean up with Ed's Red and may get a few flecks of lead. Sights are tight. I have to watch that cause the peep will get loose from time to time.

I shoot from a rest or sandbags.


BS

[VTDW]

Scot,

You will find that Ranch Dog's boolits work very well with 50/50 lino/WW and push em real hard. I believe RD shoots his boolit at 2400fps out of his fo-foty-fo. I don't know what mine chrony but I use a healthy dose of Re7, H-322, H-335, VV N-120 and H-4895 and shoot the same boolits from both of my .444s and the RH .44Mag. gets 17-18 gr of VV N-110. If your rifle has been firelapped you should be getting under 2" at 100 yd or even better Scot. Or at least a Marlin would. :)

Dave

[felix]

Those loads might be about 10 percent too light, so add in half grain increments until 2 more grains. Use 50 yards until you have the load down to be best it can be. ... felix

[VTDW]

Also check your buttstock for tight.

[OBXPilgrim]

Bigscot,

If you took a measurement (feeler gauges) of the gap between the barrel and the mag tube at the end of the barrel, what do you get?

Then if you loosen the screw that holds the end cap in the mag tube to the point you could almost take it out, and then take the same measurement, what do you get?

I got a used winny 94 44 mag that had a screw that was way too long. Sprayed boolits everywhere. Haven't ironed out a cast load yet, but j-words improved a bunch - I think I found out why I got it so cheap.

Were you single loading them or fillin' the tube?

[fourarmed]

Another thing you might try is cleaning with Kroil. I have cleaned a lot of barrels with Ed's Red, and thought they were clean. One day I ran a patch wet with Kroil into one of them, and peeled out a huge amount of lead.