so I am casting some 284g (with gas check) wide flat nose bullets from my friends NOE mold. They are intended for 44spl and are too long to seat in a 44mag case. Bullets are powder coated and sized to .430. I am using Power Pistol loads based on quickload data. Today I tested 7.4, 7.5, and 7.6g of powder. 7.4g should be within 44spl pressures, but its a 44mag gun, so even if pressure are a little high its ok.
The lead alloy is unknow, its melted down and re-used brazos bullets (got a batch that did not work well for me) but it should be 13bhn according to brazos.
I started with chrono testing today, and that's where the issues started. I am sighted in at 25yds with 44mags, the 44spl are hitting a couple inches high. I put the chrono out and aimed half way up the berm. The berm is 100yds down range and about 6ft high. while testing I noticed what appeared to be a round bounce off the ground at about 75-80yds. I stopped and ran a ballistics calculator and the bullet should only be dropping about 9in at 100. I aimed higher up on the berm and only had 1 other round strike the ground short of the berm.
results
6round over the chrono each
mixed 44spl brass
284g powder coated gas checked WFN, sized to .430
CCI Large Pistol Primers
Power pistol powder for all loads
7.4g, avg 1032, SD 11.25, ES 33
7.5g, avg 1037, SD 4.46, ES 10
7.6g, avg 1049, SD 7.76, ES 21
Then I went on to accuracy testing and things got more interesting. shooting at 25yds with a red dot, rifle on sand bags. shot my 4 sighters, and they were all over the place, could not cover the group with my hand. Tested some 200g plinkers I have, about a 2in group. I decided to go ahead and test my loads. After reviewing the target it looks like the bullets are not going in straight, and most of the fliers(for lack of a batter word) are the ones going in canted. The rifle has a 1:20 twist, if anything the bullets should be over stabilized.... What am I missing.
7.4g 3.12in (11.91moa)
7.5g 3.8in (14.53moa)
7.6g 2.27in (8.6moa)