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First Loads
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 8:24 pm
by Iunnrais
Finally found some powder today (up at 10Ring.com) and was able to sit down and make up a batch of .44 Magnum (light) rounds. 240gr RNFP from Friendswood Bullet Co over Hodgdon Clays. Now just have to get to the range next weekend and test them out.
Re: First Loads
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:26 pm
by Jumping Frog
Iunnrais wrote:...over Hodgdon Clays. ...
Wow, Clays is a really fast powder for a .44 Mag. Why did you select Clays?
Sure are purdy, though!
Re: First Loads
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:37 pm
by Iunnrais
Wasn't really so much a selection of Clays as much of finding a bottle of something available that had load data for .44. Would have preferred Unique for this type load.
Re: First Loads
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:43 pm
by mr surveyor
don't overlook Trail Boss as a good starter powder, if you can find it
Re: First Loads
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:32 pm
by Iunnrais
Well, I'm not displeased at all with the Clays. Bit smokey but that might be the lube. The 629 seems to really like the book max for them under that 240gr bullet which should have it in the mid 900fps range :) Worked up from 10% under. Then 100 tonight at the spot that it seems to like. All but the lower right at 7yds, lower rt at 15. Two flyers on lower left were me trying double action.... The rest were single action. (also the first rounds that I've put through the new pistol and I think I'm hooked on revolvers)
Time to send the brass back through the cycle now.
Re: First Loads
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 3:29 pm
by Abraham
More works of inspirational art...the color contrasts with the lustrous brass...
Yeah, I know that sounds kinda goofy, but the reality is I mean it.
Re: First Loads
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 2:19 pm
by Justinbhutto
Hard to tell in the pic, but it looks like you have a pretty aggressive crimp on there. Do these run in an auto loader?
Re: First Loads
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 2:40 pm
by Iunnrais
That first batch's crimp was probably a bit too aggressive. I've backed off the crimp die about 1/3 turn since those but it's still a solid crimp. Just for shooting in my S&W 629, no auto-loader. Planning on picking up a lever gun sometime in the same caliber in the future. I've loaded up about 400 in the mean time and they all seem to work well. No complaints at all. I've picked up some Trail Boss since (still looking for some 2400...) and loaded some with it too. They were a bit lighter than the ones using the Clays (didn't expand the brass much so it's covered in soot) even though I ran up to the IMR book max.
