44 special and swaged lead boolits

[brotherdarrell]

Having recently become the proud owner of a Smith 24-3 4" I was digging around looking for some cast boolits I thought I had. While I didn't find the boolits I was looking for I did come across 200 Speer 240 gr swc lead bullets I forgot I had. I have never shot any lead other than those I have cast myself and using conventional loobs and am unsure as to what the limits are to these as far as power/pressure are concerned.

I have most of the usual suspects as far as powders go (BE, Unique, RD, Titegroup, 2400 and Herco) and have no real desire to go beyond 850 - 900 fps. I just want some nice easy on the hands shooting loads.

I would appreciate any and all advise regarding this new to me caliber. And, yes, the throats are a little on the large size and in regards to my own cast boolits molds and sizer dies will max out around .431" which I will have to just deal with for now.

Thanks to all

Darrell

[Lefty SRH]

I have fallen in love with my 44spl again here recently. But its been with a load that maybe a little hotter than you are looking for. I haven't checked it across a chrono yet. Its a 265gr 50/50 mix alloy with some H110 under it. The boolit is a MiHec clone of the H&G 503 keith mold.

[50target]

Try that bullet with 6.5 grains of Unique and any primer that is standard. Mild and accurate in most guns I've used it in. Be prepared for some leading.
Bob

[Lefty SRH]

Try that bullet with 6.5 grains of Unique and any primer that is standard. Mild and accurate in most guns I've used it in. Be prepared for some leading.
Bob

Why be prepared for some leading? Which load are you refering to leading?

[Larry Gibson]

Load them over 5 gr of BE for very close to factory duplication loads.

Larry Gibson

[OldManMontgomery]

Speer #14 Manual shows 7.2 to 8.0 grains of Power Pistol for 250 grain lead SWC. I use somewhere in there (lower end) for my .44 Special 2nd Model Hand Ejector without issue.

Unique has worked well for what you suggest as well. I don't have any Unique at the moment.

[brotherdarrell]

Thanks for the comments. I also realize I was lax on the obligatory photo so here it is (from the phone)

84409

I checked available powder and decided on Reddot mostly due to having just bought a new jug. After searching I decided on 5.0 grains. (I have a little bit of BE and just a little more Unique) I cast some rcbs 245swc & 250k and let air cool yesterday, hardness should have been around 11. I shot two cylinders each and three of the Speer swaged swc. Both rcbs boolits were just under .431" and the speer were .430". The best I can tell the throats are in the area of .432" - .433".

Off the bench accuracy was the best with the Speer, around 3-4" @ 50 yds. Both rcbs boolits were scatter guns, due I believe to being too hard. I had lead in the first half of the barrel and none after. For now I am pointing the finger at the two rcbs being responsible for the leading.

The following is one of the 250k I was able to dig out of the dirt. I was expecting much more deformation.

84417

I don't claim to being and expert at diagnosing handgun issues so appreciate all comments and critiques.

Thanks to all

Darrell

[Mal Paso]

5.5 of Titegroup gets me 850 fps from a 4 inch barrel.

[Lefty SRH]

I think the recovered boolit looks great!

[Lefty SRH]

If there's no leading in the barrels then I think you have a winner.

[brotherdarrell]

If there's no leading in the barrels then I think you have a winner.

There was leading in the first half. Took a kroil treatment to get it all out. I just checked an extra boolit I had and the Lee tester shows it to be right at 9, which is what I was hoping for.

My concern is having a boolit under .431" wobbling out a throat that is almost .433". I am assuming that is where the lead came from. The Speer boolits are .430" but softer @ 7. The assumption is that they bumped up in the throat for a better seal and better accuracy. But that is an assumption of course.

Darrell

[50target]

Why be prepared for some leading? Which load are you refering to leading?
I shot that load a lot in a 1950 Target S&W 6" barrel and I always had leading. Don't know if it was the lube Speer used or what, but in the first 1/2 of the barrel I had some scrubbing to do if I did not brush after every 6 rounds. Gave up and went to cast. End of problem.

Bob