ihmsa forums

Hello all,
I am new to IHMSA but I have been shooting a reloading for a while. I have an old 3 screw super Blackhawk that I would like to shoot big bore standing with. I shot this gun with a 240 grain Hornady XTP over 23.5gr of 296. It grouped well off the bench at 100 yards but I thought it was going to fly out of my hand a few times. The load is fine out of DW's and anaconda. Something about the plow handle I guess.

Back to my questions. I would like to shoot lead out of this but I haven't loaded much lead. At what point do you need gas checked bullets? Can you get a stout enough load for rams without gas checks? I will be buying the bullets. I don't cast.

You can get good accuracy with plain base bullets. Some guns will shoot plain base bullets just fine and other better with gas check designs. Just have to try different loads and see what your gun likes. I have always had good luck with H4227 and cast bullets out of my revolvers but use what you have first before you go out and buy powder. Don't need full power loads in the 44 for rams now so just find an accurate load first. Need to make sure you can hit the rams before you worry about knocking them over. Also find a load that is pleasant to shoot for 40 rounds so you aren't all worn out by the time you get to the rams.

Glad to have you on board with IHMSA, HossPower. I'm just starting to play around with cast bullets myself--hope you catch onto it quicker than I have!

Thanks guys. I have IMR4227. There was a guy at my local range saying that IMR and H powers are the same now. Also said 296 and H110 were the same. I still follow the books. If it calls for IMR I use IMR.

I hope Charlie Braud will comment on this. Until he does I'll offer a few suggestions. First, clean the bore until it has no jacket fouling in it. Get out your measuring tools or find someone who can measure for you. I gather from my reading that you would like all your cyl throats to be concentric and the same diameter--and about .001 larger than your barrel throat.
So you need to know those. Also you need to know if your cyl is in proper alignment with the barrel (that the timing is correct). Then you can begin to assess its capabilities.
On your next load session choose something that will give you about 1100fps and try that. Revolver bullets are usually so poorly shaped they shed velocity quickly so pushing them faster results in less terminal effect. A 240gr bullet only needs to contact a ram target at about 800fps. That's about the equivalent of walking up within 10ft and letting a 230 .45acp round go at it. I'm not suggesting you actually perform this. Bullets: check to see that your bullets do not drop freely through the cyl throats. They should be about .001 larger than the throats.
Revolvers can be fun-----and they can also aggravate you. I hope yours is fun. RP

Hosspower wrote:Thanks guys. I have IMR4227. There was a guy at my local range saying that IMR and H powers are the same now. Also said 296 and H110 were the same. I still follow the books. If it calls for IMR I use IMR.

Both of those are close, But they are not the same. you will find though that the loads will be about .5 grs of them for same velocity

4227 is an excellent powder for cast bullets in the 44 Mag.

and yes, that load is Way to hot for a standing load! Make a good load for creedmore though.

Updates and issues.

I measured each chamber. 2 are about 0.0005" tighter than the others. 0.4325" & 0.4330". Random pull of bullets are at 0.4295". I am using the 44 - 240gr. SWC. from here.

http://www.mastercast.net/ftp.mastercas ... llets.html

I get a measurement of 0.433" at the muzzle. I don't have anything to get in to measure the barrel at the cylinder end.

I didn't send the gun out to get 'accurized'

I started loaded to test for group. Using these bullets and a Remington large pistol primer I seated the above mentioned bullets in uniformly trimmed cases with IMR4227.

I shot 5 shots each at charges of 20gr, 21gr, 22gr 23gr & 24gr at 25 yards on paper. The 23 grain charge grouped the best. I loaded more rounds at 23gr. I went a out Friday to get sight settings or at least as close as I could. The range I went to has back stops at 50, 100 & 200 yards. My targets were full size silhouettes spray painted on white paper through steel stencils I made. I was able to get elevation setting that I thought would have me at least close.

I loaded more rounds for the maiden voyage into big bore today. The score was a 3x40. 1 chicken and 2 pigs or the other way I don't remember. Most of it is on me. I didn't write down my hold locations.

By the time I got to my last bank of rams the guy beside had finished up and items put away so he was watching my hits. Rams were facing left. I was holding center of body. 1st shot just off the nose. second shot I held on the ass and was just off the front of the horn. 3rd shot I hold a little further back, thought about it too much and just sent 1 high. I knew when the trigger broke it would be. 4th shot was like the 2nd but hit further left. 5th shot was held just off the ass and hit directly above target #4.?????

This was all shot standing. Sights are tight. It was probably just me freaking out by that last bank. It looks like I have lead starting to build up in the grooves.

Time to go back to the drawing board. I need to try another approach to these cast bullets. I'm not going to be able to afford jacketed.

I will also be working up an 8" bullberry 45 colt barrel for the contender now that I have a front sight that is tall enough.

My old Ruger 10" Flattop .44 likes the RCBS 225 GC or 250K PB equally well when loaded to around 1250 fps. Powered with W-296 or (the once again discontinued ) SR-4759...Plenty of power, very accurate, easy on my old arthritic wrist...

Two centavos...

It seems like the issue I'm running into is gas checks. I don't cast. I was buying local. He doesn't sell GC bullets. His hardness is listed between 18- 20.

Until you settle you accuracy and sight setting issues, why don't you shoot it from a more stable (Creedmoor) position. Also, instead of hunting for center of a target, learn (and probably re-sight) for the '''Belly'' hold. Your eyes are working hard enough trying to focus without making them define a smaller target area. If you shot without a spotter----find a pal and team up. You need the feedback on ''where was that one''. Concentrate on sights and trigger; let your buddy watch the hits.
Aluminum gas checks are available. I haven't used the .44s but have used the .30s from a fellow in PA. RP