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Thread: I have a question?

  1. #1
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    Nov 2015
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    I have a question?

    I got a GP 100, 3 inch barrel .44 special for Christmas. I worked up a bunch of loads for it and when finally got to shoot it I found out the front sight was too short. I went ahead a shot everything I had worked up using a very low aming point. I rectified that with a new sight from Dawson's. I came in last week I and finally got time to install it and figured it would be a good time to go ahead and tumble the brass from load development. I used the Keith bullet and the 240 gr OWC from Montana Bullet Works and 3 types of powder, HS-7, 2400 and Unique. This is where it gets weird. I noticed the brass using Unique didn't have the crimp ironed out and had a lot of soot up the case, almost like an under power load. None of the other loads were like this. When I tried wiping it off I realized that a lot of the soot was bullet lube. Going back to my data, both bullets were loaded on top of 7.5grns of Unique and was lit of using a standard CCI LP. These were the only loads using Unique. The velocities were as expected with the Keith bullet averaging at 880fps and the OWC at 928fps. Has anyone seen anything like this? I am thinking before I load any thing back up I will get some magnum primers for the Unique. My 5inch doesn't like Unique either so do I drop it all together or do I try same magnum primers? 2400 does good out of both guns but see below.

    I am also sad the HS-7 gave me the best groups and lowest standard deviation of all the loads tested. 13grns gave me 948fps with the Keith and 12grns with the OWC was 942fps, these are my pet loads for the 5 inch. Both 10 shot groups stacked in a inch and a half from 20 yards. HS-7 also shoots very well out of the 5 inch with me being able to keep a 3 inch group at 50 off of a bagged rest. It is sad that this is a discontinued powder. I only have 1 1/2 pounds of this powder left.

    Thanks, FES

  2. #2
    I see at least two issues here.

    The first is that you’re trying to do too much too soon. Pick one powder and one bullet, then work with them until you get the accuracy and/or velocity you want before you add variables. Very few handloads work well in every gun. That said, one of the few that does is 7.5 grains of Unique and a 240-grain Keith bullet. It has been a standard 44 Special load for decades, so it’s probably not that. Did either bullet shoot well with this charge? A 150-fps velocity difference is about right—both bullets weigh the same but the OWC leaves far less powder room inside the case. What kind of crimp were you using?

    Finally, Unique doesn’t necessarily need a magnum primer. Sometimes switching the brand is enough.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
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  3. #3
    Member Crazy Dane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by okie john View Post
    I see at least two issues here.

    The first is that you’re trying to do too much too soon. Pick one powder and one bullet, then work with them until you get the accuracy and/or velocity you want before you add variables. Very few handloads work well in every gun. That said, one of the few that does is 7.5 grains of Unique and a 240-grain Keith bullet. It has been a standard 44 Special load for decades, so it’s probably not that. Did either bullet shoot well with this charge? A 150-fps velocity difference is about right—both bullets weigh the same but the OWC leaves far less powder room inside the case. What kind of crimp were you using?

    Finally, Unique doesn’t necessarily need a magnum primer. Sometimes switching the brand is enough.


    Okie John
    I have had the 5 inch for quite some time and have a lot of the initial kinks and hiccups worked out and I already had loaded rounds waiting when I got the 3 inch. I still have over 300 rounds loaded with the HS-7 and 200 of with 2400. I only had to load the Unique. This first round of testing was to see what is going to shoot good and get the velocities so I would have a starting point. The Keith bullet I'm using weighs in at 255grns https://www.montanabulletworks.com/p...thentic-keith/ and the OWC is 240grns https://www.montanabulletworks.com/p...-240gr-owc-pb/ . Both bullets seated to the crimp groove has the same amount inside the case and the crimp is one full turn on a Lee FCD. Again, my concern is why didn't the Unique loads obturate and seal the chambers like the other loads? I don't remember having this problem on the 5 inch but because it did not preform well, I abandoned it very early and never went back. Maybe this is why it is not doing well in my guns. That is why I was asking if maybe a magnum primer would fix this. The only other time I have ever seen cases do this is when I was loading black powder in nickel .45 colt cases.

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