My new .44 Special Blackhawk

[Yosemite Sam]

Just got it yesterday, shot it today for the first time (that's the first five shots right there, offhand from 25 feet), and am compulsively showing it off. I love this gun!

-- Sam

 

[Kevin]

nice, are you going to get some wood grips for it?

 

[Yosemite Sam]

nice, are you going to get some wood grips for it?

Already ordered 'em.

Honduran Rosewood extended panels with brass hardware, from our own Dr. 41 Magnum. Can't wait to see 'em. I was going to wait until I got them to post a photo, but I, um, er, "jumped the gun" a bit... (Sorry.)

-- Sam

 

[Buckeye!]

I have the 50th. in 357 mag. just got it ..no chance to shoot it though great balance a feel.

 

[Colonel Daddy]

Sam, no reason not to "jumo the gun". Shoot that thang!

Buckeye, welcome to THE Ruger Forum! If other 50th Anniversary .357's are an indication, you will be a happy camper!

 

[Sonnytoo]

It seems to shoot to poa. What kind of ammo (grains and velocity) are you using?
Nice, nice gun and good shooting.
Sonnytoo

 

[contender]

You have joined the ranks of many others who are smiling about their 44 spls.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

It seems to shoot to poa. What kind of ammo (grains and velocity) are you using?
Nice, nice gun and good shooting.
Sonnytoo

Since it was a new gun and I had no idea what to expect, I started with a light charge of 5.8gr of Unique under a 240gr copper washed LSWC. I won't complain about the results!

When I took it back to 25 yards it was still all in the black, evenly distributed. I can probably get that to tighten up a bit as I get used to the gun, and dial in the load a bit. I need to play with COL and crimp, if nothing else. I use a Lee Auto Disk measure, so the amount I can incrementally adjust a powder charge is limited. Eg, from here I can drop to 5.2gr or go up to 6.3, but not much in between.

I don't have a chrony so I can't tell you the exact speed. It's a Speer #13 recipe: 5.7gr is the minimum, and that's supposed to give 746fps out of a 3" Taurus (who uses a 3" gun for velocity testing?). Max is 6.3gr for 820fps.

Though some of the recipes in this book look flat out wrong. It has a .45 Colt load, not even in the "Ruger Only" section, with a max of 9.5gr of Unique with a 250gr lead slug for 941fps. That's a heavy load! It lists a .44 magnum 240gr LSWC load with a max of 7.0gr Unique, but lists both 225gr and 250gr Keith-type bullets with 11gr of Unique. I'm not the most experienced reloader in the world, but those numbers don't seem to make a lot of sense to me. Much higher velocities in the Keith bullets, so maybe they're harder, but 7 vs 11gr?

-- Sam

 

[BIgMuddy]

Sam

Looks like you are another one of "us" that got a really great gun for the money. I cannot say enough good about my Lipsey's guns.

Yeah, the difference in loads is the hard cast bullet vs. the swaged lead. That swaged bullet was maxed at 7.0 grains when I loaded my first bullet, in 1982. I know because that is what I used. Did not know why at the time, but since it was such an easy shooting load in my 44, I could actually shoot and hit with it. If you go hotter with that bullet, you will get severe leading.

A lot of folks I know shoot that Keith bullet and 10.0 grains of Unique in 44 mags as one to "take it easy" on older guns. My old Speer manual shows 12.6 grains for a 240 gr JHP and 7.0 for the soft lead of the same weight. Hornady shows 10.7 for a 240 XTP

As always with loading manuals though, look at several and work up to max loads.

 

[rkrcpa]

That looks like what can be expected from these Rugers.

This is what mine did right out of the box. I don't know the exact load off the top of my head, Unique and a Hornady XTP.

I think it's a keeper!

 

[JesterGrin_1]

Oh no but now you are starting to get the dreaded turn ring lol.

Nice Pistol. Sure wish they had them in Stainless.

 

[tulsamal]

I use a Lee Auto Disk measure, so the amount I can incrementally adjust a powder charge is limited. Eg, from here I can drop to 5.2gr or go up to 6.3, but not much in between.

Actually, you can get any amount you want. Get the Double Disk kit. And the micrometer adjustable disk. The DD kit makes it higher so you can stack two disks. That alone opens up a lot of combinations. For when you want to try "7.2 instead of 7.0," you replace one disk with the micrometer one. Then you turn the little screw to adjust the size of the cavity. Works especially well when you are trying to fine tune a low capacity rifle round like .222 or .17 Mach IV.

Gregg

 

[JesterGrin_1]

I use a Lee Auto Disk measure, so the amount I can incrementally adjust a powder charge is limited. Eg, from here I can drop to 5.2gr or go up to 6.3, but not much in between.

Actually, you can get any amount you want. Get the Double Disk kit. And the micrometer adjustable disk. The DD kit makes it higher so you can stack two disks. That alone opens up a lot of combinations. For when you want to try "7.2 instead of 7.0," you replace one disk with the micrometer one. Then you turn the little screw to adjust the size of the cavity. Works especially well when you are trying to fine tune a low capacity rifle round like .222 or .17 Mach IV.

Gregg

I would like to add a note to this. If you are going to use H-110 or W-296 it will NOT throw consistant powder amounts plus since the powder is so fine that you will have leakage. I gave up with these powder mesure's for this type of powder.