Super 14 in a 44 mag

[Half Dog]

I have a wonderful Super 14 with a 44 mag barrel. I have been shooting 240 gr. JHP with 22 gr of 296 powder (1350 fps) and decided to make an economical change. I bought 240 gr SWC HP and used 6.5 gr of Bullseye powder.

I went to the range and finished shooting my original rounds. When I shot the new rounds they were hitting approximately 4 inches high at 30 yards.

Question: Could the raising of the barrel during recoil affect the new rounds, which are traveling at a slower speed (950 fps) ?

[Wolfgang]

If I had to guess that is exactly what is happening. I have a Super 14 in .44 magnum as well and it's a tack driver.

[Half Dog]

Which reload combination and OAL works good in your gun?

[Joni Lynn]

It's called bullet dwell, the amount of time the bullet is in the barrel while the gun is in the process of experiencing recoil. Slower or heavier bullets should print higher while faster or lighter bullets will print lower.

[tigweldit]

What Joni said +1.

[Joni Lynn]

Thanks. I'll add that to some extent longer barrels will exhibit more of this than a shorter barrel. In my case a 4" versus a 8 & 3/8" 44 both S&W N frames.

[Wolfgang]

Which reload combination and OAL works good in your gun?


It has shot everything I have ever tried in it well. The load that comes to mind that I had normally shot for fun was 9 grains of Unique under a cast 429421 that when sized and lubed weighed right at 250 grains. Nice midrange 44 mag load.

[Blammer]

try this to test "bullet dwell"

put pistol on sand bags, put a 'weight' of some sort on the barrel, so it doesn't interfere with the sights or the bullet leaving the barrel.

shoot a group.

Remove "weight", shoot another group same loads same target, then compare.

the weight doesn't have to be much, get an old sock put two 2 lb lead ingots in it, tie off end of sock, drape over barrel, one ingot on each side, sock holding down barrel and out of the way.

[Shooter6br]

Mine is a 44 also. Bought it cheap Pistol and barrel $149.00 "Bubba "tried to re blue the barrel .I mounted a Ultradot on it I use a 250 Keith (accurate mold) 8 g Unique or 7.5 Universal 138459

[Joni Lynn]

I don't know if this will interest any of you and it's slightly off topic. For those of you with the TC Contender barrels with the factory brake, they are not threaded on, nothing but solder holding them on. I was told that at some point this changed but no clue when. The brake on my 375 broke loose and went on a short unapproved flight. Nothing hit it, the solder just cracked. TC fixed it for me, threaded now and cemented in place. We found the brake about 75 yards down range, I still have it.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

138475 i never liked TC brake had a custom one put on threaded and it works better then the ones on the hunter barrels

[firefly1957]

I have a Super 14 in 44 mag as well it shoots great i have set it up to shoot a NEI bullet that casts at 330 grains it is a handful but when hogs get into this area it will be used on them. (Hogs as in wild pigs are a county west of me now )