Unusual Day at the Range...........A Follow Up...

[Bob Wright]

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine at church gave me a box of 240 gr. Speer swaged SWCs. I've used these before back in the "old days." Today I took my Ruger .44 Special Three Screw to the range for an outing. I had two batches of handloads. One was my 240 gr. coated SWC (Missouri Bullet Co.) loaded with 8.0 grs. Hodgdon HS-6 and Remington 2 1/2 primers. The Speer bullets were loaded with 7.0 grs. Winchester 231 and WLP primers. I had those Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-See targets, about 2" in diameter and my target at 10 yards. I fired five round of the HS-6 load and all were a very nice group and centered in the target. Then switched to the Speer load, same distance, same target. My first shot blew a huge hole in the stick-on target. My bullet was keyholing. After firing ten rounds, the target was nearly obliterated. And the target paper was shredded around bullet holes. It was evident my bullets were keyholing.

A couple of weeks ago I shot the same bullet, Speer, in the same gun, but loaded with 8.0 grs. HS-6 powder and got good results. I'm puzzled by the keyholing. I moved my target to 7.5 yards and fired and noted that some of the shots showed keyholing at that distance. The only difference is in the powder, HS-6 vs. Winchester 231.

I've used 231 with excellent results over the years, and it was my standard moderate load powder until the shortage of it happened a few years ago.

I'm pondering why the powder should make that much difference. May back off this load to see if that makes any difference. Seems I used 5.5 grs. some time ago.

Bob Wright

 

[grobin]

Keyhole is a failure to stabilize the bullet. It can be due to a mismatch between the bullet velocity, bullet shape and the barrel twist. Generally with the same bullet a higher velocity requires more twist to stabilize. You need to get a good chronograph to tell what's going on.

Many ranges will not allow sky act chronographs due to set up problems. The MagnetoSpeed works very well but not with pistols. This leaves the LabRadar which is very good but pricy. Some clubs allow members to use or rent them as a part of membership.

Check with your range before spending money. BTW the accurate sky screen models are expensive and all sky screen models require clear overhead sunlight for accuracy (local noon with position depending on latitude).

 

[gramps]

At those ranges it might be an awesome self defense round? Talk about shock and awe! Good luck.
gramps

 

[greenmtnguy]

For some reason my response from yesterday didn't seem to "stick" -
Anyhow, a 240 gn 44 SPL bullet should be fairly standard configuration - without a chronograph it can be hard to tell if the issue is either:
1. Load is too light and the bullet is not exiting the muzzle with enough velocity to be well stabilized in flight
2. The bullet is too soft for the velocity it is being pushed at and is causing leading in the barrel, which in turn messes with the stabilization
3. The lead bullet is undersized for the bore, possibly in combination with being hard cast and/or too light of a load to cause the bullet to obturate enough to get good engagement with the rifling.

Without chrony numbers, we can only assume that you would notice if the loads were especially soft in recoil or low in report as to the muzzle velocity to report it. Did you notice significant leading in the barrel when you cleaned the revolver?

 

[kmoore]

Interesting but, with the above post the Speer bullets were soft swaged lead never hard cast. The bullets could have left to much lead in the bore. One reason I never purchased any and made my own.

 

[grobin]

Just for fun checked the Speer site https://www.speer-ammo.com/downloads/speer/reloading-pdfs/Handgun/44_caliber_429-430_dia/44_SW_Special_240_LSWC.pdf and the recommendation is for

Winchester 231
Remington case
CCI 300
5.2 min
701
5.7 max
796fps

Don't know if this data for the lead semi-wadcutter is relevant.

 

[Bob Wright]

To respond to some of the posts so far:

No leading was observed during firing. Firing alternately the two loads, the cast bullet performed well each time, even after firing a string of the swaged bullets. Upon returning home and cleaning my gun, no leading was observed.

My load data was taken from the website Handloads.com whic gave 5.7 grs to 7.0 grs of 231.

Blast and recoil were about equal for the two loads. The HS-6 load is 925 f.p.s. nominal, while the 231 load was published as 920 f.p.s.

I am leaning toward the fact that my powder charge may have been a mite too heavy for Winchester 231 powder.

As a matter of interest, Winchester no longer gives any load fata using 231 in the .44 Special. New Winchester 244 seems to have replaced it.

Another point of interest is that a couple of weeks ago, I used the same Speer bullets, from the same box, but loaded with 8.0 grs. of HS-6, and these equaled my cast bullet loads in accuracy.

Bob Wright

 

[Bob Wright]

Today, Saturday, August 4th, I went to the range with my .44 Specials and my .44 Special Flat Top. (Last shooting was done with an ex-.357 Magnum to .44 Special Three Screw.) And had my loads of 7.0 grs. of Winchester 231 and 8.0 grs. of HS-6 with the 240 grs. Speer swaged SWC. The HS-6 performed well previously, while the 231 load keyholed, both using the same bullet.

I had concluded that the 231 load was the culprit, as the same bullet behaved very well with HS-6.

Today, both loads shot well at fifteen yards, and the 231 load printed a tad lower, only 1/2" or so. So I'm sort of left with the conclusion that the old Three Screw just didn't like the 240 gr. Speer SWC loaded with Winchester 231.

Go figure.


Bob Wright