Lee 310gr FPGC + Ruger SBH + W296 = ?

[Rick R]

I've cast up a couple dozen of these to try out in my .44 Mag 4 5/8" Ruger SBH. Water dropped 50% COWW / 50% PB, sized to .431" lubed with BAC. I'm thinking of using W296.

Any good advice?

[44man]

Too soft, use WD straight WW's.
21.5 gr of 296 with a Fed 150 primer.

[Rick R]

44Man
Thanks! I was casting some hollowpoints and decided to try a couple dozen of the 310's. I'll use a harder mix next time. Any idea what 21.5gr will do from a 4 5/8" barrel?

[44man]

Not sure. My barrel is 10 or 10-1/2" and I get around 1316 fps with the LBT 320 so the Lee might be a tad more.
You will not lose a lot with the shorter barrel with the .44. It should still shoot good. Try 22 gr and compare to 21.5. The primer is important, the gun does NOT need a mag primer. Just case tension.
The 310 Lee is a wonderful boolit. It puts a hurt on deer you will not believe.

[44MAG#1]

It will get around 1200 fps with a 45/8's barrel depending on lot of powder and primers. Years ago I ran some CCI 300 and 350's over the chrono and both were almost the same velocity with W296.
1200 give or take maybe 20 to 30 fps either way.

[Rick R]

Made it to the shed and now I've got a few loaded in half grain increments up to 21.5.

Hopefully I'll get to the range to give them a try soon. 1,200ish fps should suffice here East of the Mississippi.

Thanks guys.

[44man]

Only thing you get with too soft are a few fliers and with mag primers, groups open more. Neither will affect you much for deer hunting.
I just shoot farther and I start at 100 yards for most of my target shooting and hunt to 100 if I get a shot there. I much prefer close shots but with the Ultra Dot's, longer shots are no problem.
Distance is where you see the little changes.

[Rick R]

Made it to the range today and got @2" groups at 25 yards with one or two flyers per group. All the shots would have dropped a deer but I'll try a harder boolit next time. The odd thing was about half of the empty brass came out of the chamber after firing with a lace collar of lube:

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i343/RickRose1/photo_zpsae772ee4.jpg (http://s1089.photobucket.com/user/RickRose1/media/photo_zpsae772ee4.jpg.html)

I've never seen that before.

FWIW I got smaller groups with a Lyman 429421 with 20.5gr of Alliant 2400 but recoil was less with the Lee 310gr load. Looks like an excuse for more range time. :)

[44man]

Might be the crimp is not opening fully and is scraping the soft boolit. The crimp will bump it's way through grease grooves. Boolits must be hard enough to unfold the crimp.
Some think a case opens fully before the boolit moves but that does not happen. A high pressure primer can push the boolit out before the powder pressure is developed.

[TCLouis]

18.5 grains of a H110 copy in Milsurp clothing was/is the most accurate loading I have shot out of my SRH.
Moseying along at 1100 and change out of the 9.5 SRH barrel.

I loaded 18.5 - 21.5 and found 18.5 the most accurate.