heavy 44 special loads for Lipsey's model?

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kpp80202

Bearcat
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I don't know all the ins and outs of the blackhawks and super blackhawks, but wonder if the Lipsey's special 44 special is stout enough to handle the classic Elmer Keith heavy .44 special loads (which are still below 44 mag level). According to several sources, like http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt44spec.htm, a good heavy load was a 250g hardcast bullet at around 1200fps. I know that is hotter than the typical current factory loads, and a bit hotter than the standard 250 @ 1000 load most of us like, so I'd like to know if the Ruger can handle it. (Also, I don't need to be told that I can get a .44 mag for this, as I don't plan on ever shooting anything hotter than 250 at 1200 in a fairly light single action.) Thoughts?
 

contender

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Well, I have been testing my 44 Spl and I have found that the best, most accurate load is the old standby; 7.5 grns Unique UNDER the 250 grn Keith bullet. While it's not the barnburner, wrist bending load, It IS an accurate load. I prefer to hit what I'm aiming at too. And that load is a PROVEN game stopper,,, so I haven't tried to push the limits.
 

Lee Martin

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It's not as heavy as the old Keith load, but 16.0 of 2400 under a 250 grain has been a favorite of mine for years. Right around 1,050 from a 4 5/8" barrel.
 

Yosemite Sam

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contender":26f81n5l said:
Well, I have been testing my 44 Spl and I have found that the best, most accurate load is the old standby; 7.5 grns Unique over the 250 grn Keith bullet. While it's not the barnburner, wrist bending load, It IS an accurate load. I prefer to hit what I'm aiming at too. And that load is a PROVEN game stopper,,, so I haven't tried to push the limits.
Wow, you put the powder OVER the bullet? I never would have thought of doing it that way, but if it works for you... ;) :D

-- Sam
 

HardBall

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Yosemite Sam":1y1k3xck said:
contender":1y1k3xck said:
Well, I have been testing my 44 Spl and I have found that the best, most accurate load is the old standby; 7.5 grns Unique over the 250 grn Keith bullet. While it's not the barnburner, wrist bending load, It IS an accurate load. I prefer to hit what I'm aiming at too. And that load is a PROVEN game stopper,,, so I haven't tried to push the limits.
Wow, you put the powder OVER the bullet? I never would have thought of doing it that way, but if it works for you... ;) :D

-- Sam

I think I did that on a progressive loader once...
 

HardBall

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contender":6kyvncw5 said:
Well, I have been testing my 44 Spl and I have found that the best, most accurate load is the old standby; 7.5 grns Unique over the 250 grn Keith bullet.


This will be the first load I try once I get my Lipsey Flattop .44special.


Sean,
 

kpp80202

Bearcat
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Given the leading I had loading some hardcast loads too light in my earlier reloading days, I think putting the powder over the bullet would have been an improvement!

Seriously though, Lee's load listed above and the Buffalo Bore load are pretty similar at around 250g@1050fps. That is plenty stout for most applications, though the old Keith load is a little hotter at 1200fps for the same bullet, though that was out of a 7.5" barrel. I'd bet the Keith load would probably clock at 1100fps or so out of a 2" shorter barrel, so I guess we are in the ballpark already.
 

HardBall

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kpp80202":d3g4h38a said:
Seriously though, Lee's load listed above and the Buffalo Bore load are pretty similar at around 250g@1050fps. That is plenty stout for most applications, though the old Keith load is a little hotter at 1200fps for the same bullet, though that was out of a 7.5" barrel. I'd bet the Keith load would probably clock at 1100fps or so out of a 2" shorter barrel, so I guess we are in the ballpark already.

Actually; Brian Pearce, in Handloader #260, shows Lyman's 250gr Keith bullet over 17.0gr of 2400 achieving 1211fps out of the 5.5" Ruger Flattop and, I think, in the article he states that the loads he used went up to 25,000psi.
 

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