another 44 spec question

[the fatman]

Was just curious if a velocity of 800-825 with a 240 cast bullet was possible out of a four inch barrel with out straining the gun or exceeding 44 spec pressures? Most of all the data I find is for longer barrels.

 

[Rclark]

From another site

"245g bullet.... the 7.5 grain load (Unique) is a great trail/general purpose load and according to published data is very efficient, only 5 fps extreme spread out of a Freedom Arms 1997 4 1/2" at 951 fps. LOL Bill" ...

"I calculated Skeeter's load using QuickLoad. Depending on whose lead 240-248 grain SWC you use, the pressure is right at max or just a little bit over.
I'm assuming you are using the SAAMI .44 Spl. max of 15,500?"

7.5g of Unique is the Skeeter load for .44 Special. Looks like it 'easily' gets you there.... Even if you back off a bit....

And Taffin has Universal 7.7g 255g KT for 979 fps... Power Pistol 8.0g 260g KT moving 978.

Lane Pearce has 7.7g Unique pushing 250g Cast SWC for 941 fps.

For around 800-850 for 240g bullets (From Lane's table ).
AA Plus 5.1g 805
Titegroup 4.8g 815
w231 5.8g 843

All above out of a 4 5/8 barrels.

Got the info from articles written by Taffin (Victory at last - Guns Magazine) and Pearce (Shooting Times).

Should give you a starting place anyway .

Oh yeah, Don't plan on shooting above loads in a snubby. I have a CA Bulldog and 6.0g of Unique pushing 240g bullet is all the recoil I want from the little gun .

 

[the fatman]

Thank you Rclark.

 

[Landric]

With 13.0 grains of 2400 and a Wolf LP, I get an average of 842 fps from my 4" S&W 21-4 using Lyman 429421 250 grain cast bullets. I can't remember where 13 grains of 2400 falls in the min-max-over max spectrum of the .44 Special load data, but it works well for me.

 

[BB Rvlr]

I'm new to the .44sp also and I discovered there is an excellent article in Handloader No 236 (August 05) by Brian Pearce. He breaks the .44sp into 3 categories. The loads you are looking for will be in category 1.

This is still available from Wolfe Publishing and I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

[MADISON]

Barrel length and velocity...
I have been shooting for 50 years and, all the information I have is:
If the information you have was dun on a UNIVERSAL RECIEVER then deduct 75 feet per inch, off an 8 3/8 inch barrel.
If the information was gathered from a real gun then deduct 30 feet per second off an 8 3/8 inch barrel.