Devastating load

[leftiye]

Hi, I just got through assembling some .44 mag loads with the 260 grain(?) Devastator hollow point. (handmade boolit sizing dies .432", 50/50 lead/ WWs, did use gas checks - due to softer lead and velocity = 1300 fps) This is for my new 10.5" barreled SBH. I used 21.0 grains of IMR 4227. Anybody made similar loads with similar weight boolits? I went with 1300 fps so as to not overpower the hollow point design (shear off the mush-a-roomy room) and hopefully get good expansion at maybe as far as 100 yds still. Sounds like a possible all around load for the .44 maybe.:Fire:

[dubber123]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh83/dubber123/IMG_3149.jpg This is 50/50 at 850 fps. 1,300 should be mighty interesting..

[Shuz]

Two years ago I shot a Lyman 429640 Devastator into a Whitetail doe at about 30 yds with 17.0g of WC820(lot 47320). This was the first cast boolit I have ever recovered from a game animal shot with a .44 mag. It mushroomed nicely and still weighed over 200g. The muzzle velocity has been chrono'd at 1130 to 1150fps. Hardness was Bhn 11. I have not seen the need to go any higher in velocity.

[yondering]

leftiye, that will certainly be a "devastating" load, although may not penetrate very far. 50/50 alloy (unless they are water dropped?) at 1300 fps should pretty much turn inside out and probably not penetrate real far. Good load for blowing up prairie dogs I bet.

Try shooting a couple into water filled gallon milk jugs. (I save all my milk jugs for this purpose.) I'd expect those boolits will stop in the second or third jug, with a small piece entering the 4th. The first jug should go up in spectacular fashion though.

If you want to hunt with it, I would suggest heat treating or water dropping those boolits, keeping everything else the same. Should still get decent expansion without blowing up.

[Hickory]

I've killed two deer with that boolit (429640 devestator) and they worked good.
It is best to hit the deer in the shoulder, as it breaks down their abaility to run.
The heart shot will kill them, but you will have it run for a ways.:cbpour:

[leftiye]

I went out and shot some of these today (had to shoot that new .44 you know). I don't see any leading, and though I only shot clay pigeons, cans, etc; once I got the sights as far down as they will go, it seemed to hit everything I aimed at = put them all in a chest pocket at 75 yds accuracy.

Thanks for all of the input here. I suspect that the velocity is a little fast for the alloy as has been said by several here. Once I get it fine tuned, I may go to a 10% tin, 1% copper 89% pb alloy. That might hold together at full house velocities. Also, if you want a lube that really works, add 1/6th by weight of Bull plate lube to your C-Red. I think that is why I didn't get leading.

I also shot my Dan Wesson .445, finally found out where it was shooting, decided to use the scope on a scout rifle (not enough eye relief), and had some fun. I guess the .445 will not be capable of full house loads with lead boolits as it develops too much speed. The .44 mag. will do about all that a cast boolit can handle it seems.

[yondering]

Once I get it fine tuned, I may go to a 10% tin, 1% copper 89% pb alloy. That might hold together at full house velocities. Also, if you want a lube that really works, add 1/6th by weight of Bull plate lube to your C-Red. I think that is why I didn't get leading.


Why would you change to that alloy? Your 50/50 alloy is excellent for hollow points, the low amount of tin and antimony allow it to be very ductile, which is important for hollow points. You just need it to be harder to hold up to high velocity impact; water dropping or heat treating this alloy will do this, without losing ductility.

[leftiye]

Both tin and copper add toughness to the metal, this would tend to enable it to still expand while staying together (and this while being driven even faster) without shearing and losing weight. It's also just something I've been developing, and that I want to experiment with.

I may also try heat treating them (I've heard that 50/50 will perform well to over 2000 fps impact velocity when heat treated) followed by annealing the noses (just the hollow point).