Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting 44 Magnum 240 SWC

I was shooting a ladder with my scoped Ruger SBH Bisley Hunter, ten rounds each using Unique under 240 Lee mold SWC TL. I started at 7.6 grains and had 7.8, 7.9 and 8.0 grains sets.

The group for 7.6 was so so, 7.8 closed it some and 7.9 closed it some more, still nothing to write home about, and 8 grains charge opened the group back up. Hmmm.
I decided to work further with the 7.9 charge but than I had 3 more rounds with 8.1 grains of Unique, I made those to use the rest of my cases.

So I put a new target up, and shot the three and bloody 'ell that sumbich cuts a clover leaf 15mm spread.

What surprised me was the group closing some, than opening again and closing tight.

I am not saying I have the best hand out there, but from sand bags and sitting position I can hold my own.

How would you proceed? I think I will go to 8.3 grains in .5 incerements, weight and sort my bullets and see what happens.

The revolver shoots consistent 3" groups using Hornady 300 grain XTPs @ 75 yards, i.e. I know the accuracy is there.

I've not used any 240 gr. cast, but with a 250 gr. Keith bullet, I settled on 8.5 gr. of Unique. I tried going with 9.0 gr. but accuracy suffered. In reality, 8.0 to 8.5 is as high as I go with Unique. I get 950 to 1000 fps. with the 8.5 load depending on which Redhawk I'm shooting. If I want anything more powerful, I use H110 at full power (seldom needed though). I have however started using less Unique and more Universal in my forty-fours. Accuracy is just as good and it seems to burn a little cleaner.

In your case, you probably can increase the charge, if more velocity is desired, without losing accuracy. Your SBH is gonna tell you what it likes.

Thank you, very helpful.

H110 is what I use with Hornady XTPs, no complaints there, those are my hunting rounds.

I'd load up the ones you liked and shoot them again just to see.

I think the change from 8 to 8.1 was a fluke. I'd load up for the velocity range you're wanting to reach and shoot a couple cylinders to see what it groups.

I like 9-9.5gr's of Unique and the 240's. But a lot of that is going to depend on how hard you are casting them.



Travis

Taking notes, I felt I am pushing it with 8 grains, lol. Yours 9-9.5 are from Blackhawk too?

I have 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 loads ready and we shall see how they fly.

I want a cheap practice round, got jacketed bullets for hunting already developed.

I shoot a model 29.

I don't mess with 1/10 grain differences usually. I'd load two cylinders worth of 8 and two cylinders worth of 8.5. Let the paper tell you which you're going to use.



Travis

I used to use 9gr under the 245gr Lyman Keith swc in my Bisley but have since upped it to 10gr. Both will work, 9gr did 1050fps and 10gr is 1175fps in my gun with a 5" barrel. I shot the slower one lengthways through a 300ish lb hog and the faster one diagonally through a 6ft blackbear, both of them died.

Went to the range and the 8.1 did not perform as expexted, yes, deflave, it was a fluke.

I tried 8.2 and 8.3 but the 8.3 was flying all over the place - leading - so I quit for the day.

I worked the RCBS boolit with Unique and 231 with shot patterns, never found a load, 1/10 gr, what are you?
Then I worked alloy and as I got harder, groups got better until I was shooting 50 yard groups better then at 25. I was at 28 to 30 BHN. 1/10 gr of Unique, what planet are you from?

Czech Made,

You went from 10-shot groups to a 3-shot group. Your result was not necessarily a fluke, it was just not an apt comparison.

Rather than farting around with 1/10 gr charge variations, which are a PITA to measure anyway, pick the speed you want to shoot them, and vary your charges around the estimated charge for that speed by half a grain, like Travis said, or by 3/10 of a grain, if you want to get anal about things. If you want a cheap practice round, trying to be all exact is going to make it very expensive time-wise.

Far more important for accuracy is to make sure your bullets are sized to fit your gun, and that the bullet hardness fits the pressure/speed of your desired result. Varying charges looking for greater precision has little relevance in revolvers, particularly with powders like Unique. Unique has a fairly wide range of pressure within which it burns efficiently, because it was designed for use in handguns, shotguns, and rifles. Thus the name.

Varying charges, as far as I understand it, is about finding the pressure that produces the most efficient burn in the cartridge, given a particular bullet, case size, bore size, etc, and finding the range that matches a node in barrel harmonic vibrations. These factors are of far more consequence in rifles at significant pressures with faster projectiles, if they even have measurable consequence at all in revolvers with fast powders and lower pressures.

As you've already experienced, leading will have a far greater impact on the accuracy of your cast bullet loads than anything else. Make sure the bullets fit the gun, and that the alloy fits the pressure/velocity.

9 grains of Unique is pretty much my standard load for the 240gr Keith bullet. And it's very Accuarte in all my .44 mags. Also, 9 grains of Herco works well with that same bullet, if I'm out of Unique.

I know it is pistol that is being talked about but have been shooting some 240 gr swc in my marlin with 10 gr of unique and I get wild groups and even some key hole shots ? I went too 23 gr's of 296 and what a deference I was shooting the 10 gr's of unique in my ruger black hawk and they shot fine

Microgroove or Ballard rifling?

Micro so I am thinking that's my problem

You might try a slightly larger diameter bullet.

.430 is pretty much a standard size for the 44 mag is it not or can you buy cast that is over sized

Your Marlin likely has larger bore than your handgun, nhFrank. Marlins are infamous for oversize bores. I've never measured mine, but it is ballard rifled. It does fine with cast bullets sized .430" but I have to use a faster powder than Unique with PB, and more pressure with GC versions to get them to shoot well. Interestingly, the Lee 310 cast from COWW + 2% tin and quenched is the most accurate bullet for that gun, including various jacketed ones. With at least 21 gr of 110/296. 22 gr shoots the same. I should try 23gr, as I now have it set up to feed cartridges as long as 1.78" from the mag.

OK thanks for that info my rifle shoots xtp bullets 200 and 240 grain very well I loaded some 200 grain with 296 yesterday 27 grains and at 50 yards was shooting am inch average group The 240 seem to like 24 grains .some one have me a older mould for it but have been getting .429 casts I have not shot any of them yet .I have to lube some up this week and see how they fly

nhFrank, yeah, .430 is "standard" but you can find bullets that are larger for sale on the 'net. Beartooth and Penn offer them up to .432, probably a lot of others too.

When you cast some with that mould, you might try tumble lubing with Lee Alox and shooting them unsized.