Yosemite Sam
Hunter
I had an epiphany today: I shot some commercial .44 special loads from my SBHH and really enjoyed them. Thing is, I've got a ton more .44 mag cases than .44 special.
Using a 240gr LSWC and Unique, my Speer manual lists a minimum load of 6.5gr for the .44 mag, but a max load of 6.3gr for the .44 special.
My question is, can I safely load the .44 mag cases with, say, 5.8-6.3gr (to account for metering variations), or am I risking detonation? This is amounts to just over a half grain (.7gr) under the minimum.
Or should I just go out and buy .44 special cases if I want to shoot .44 special loads?
On the same tack: If it's OK in .44 mag, would it be OK in .45 Colt, too? Speer currently lists a 250gr LSWC with Unique @ 8.6-9.5gr. Can this safely be taken down to, say, 7.8-8.0gr?
These loads should still provide more than enough energy to avoid squibs, I'm just worried about going below some expected pressure threshold.
-- Sam
Using a 240gr LSWC and Unique, my Speer manual lists a minimum load of 6.5gr for the .44 mag, but a max load of 6.3gr for the .44 special.
My question is, can I safely load the .44 mag cases with, say, 5.8-6.3gr (to account for metering variations), or am I risking detonation? This is amounts to just over a half grain (.7gr) under the minimum.
Or should I just go out and buy .44 special cases if I want to shoot .44 special loads?
On the same tack: If it's OK in .44 mag, would it be OK in .45 Colt, too? Speer currently lists a 250gr LSWC with Unique @ 8.6-9.5gr. Can this safely be taken down to, say, 7.8-8.0gr?
These loads should still provide more than enough energy to avoid squibs, I'm just worried about going below some expected pressure threshold.
-- Sam