Lighter bullet, more powder?

gmeister · July 1, 2001, 10:19 PM

I've only been reloading a few months. (I started in order to produce light target loads for my .45 ACPs, which are working fine.)

My nephew asked me to make some target loads for his Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag. After the first batch, he didn't like the smoke produced by the lube on cast bullets so we switched to 240 gr. JHPs. They seem to shoot fine with 9.8 gr of Unique.

I recently needed to find some more bullets for him on short notice and could only find Speer 200 gr HP (#4425). The only (Unique) load data I could find for this bullet, specifically, was 11.1 gr of Unique. I loaded up 50 and when he tried them they were a real "head-turner" at the indoor range, compared to the earlier 240 gr load. They were much, much louder. (People on both sides of my nephew were scrambling to put on muffs over their foam earplugs.) There was lots of muzzle flash and a lot more recoil compared to the 240 gr load of 9.8 gr of Unique.

I was looking for a comparable (light target) load. Did I do something wrong? Can someone suggest a load using Unique and these same bullets so I can use them up for him?

[email protected]

**Bud Helms** · July 1, 2001, 11:25 PM

I can't explain why the 200/11.1 load seemed so much stronger than the 240/9.8 load. But I don't think I'd call either of those a light target load. The 200/11.1 load is about a third of the way from min to max in Lyman #47. The 240/9.8 is slightly off the low end. But Lyman can run hot. BTW, that's a decrease of nearly 17% in bullet weight and slightly over 13% increase in charge, so there shouldn't be THAT much difference. What I noticed in the Lyman book is that the low end charge of both bullet weights with Unique are only a half grain apart: 10 gr for the 240 and 10.5 for the 200.

If the two bullets have a cannelure and you used it for a roll crimp AND the base to cannelure distance is about the same on them, then the lighter bullet may need more room behind it (seat farther out) or just back off the charge. Was the crimp on the 200 grainer heavier than on the 240? That would definitely do it.

For a lighter load I would try the lighter (200 gr) bullet with the 9.8 gr charge, or even lower. I used to shoot 240 gr JHPs at 9.0 gr. Still plenty of punch. And very accurate. I try to shoot a fuller case these days. And tell your nephew, he's not the only one who thinks Unique is smoky with lubed cast bullets.

I was struck by your comment that you could only find one load for the 200 grainer with Unique. You have just been indicted for not having enough reloading manuals ...

YMMV, of course. Good luck.

JohnK · July 1, 2001, 11:37 PM

First unless you somehow over charged the cases I doubt you did anything wrong. 11.1gr of Unique under a 200gr bullet in the 44 magnum is well within the recommended range. Alliant lists 13.0gr as max for this caliber/bullet weight.

You're burning more powder than you were with the 240s which is generally going to be louder and flash more, more powder = more gas = bigger flash and boom. That load is far from the biggest boomer you can load in the 44 magnum, if that load was making people on the range run away scrambling for more hearing protection they must be extremely sensitive. Try loading up some full power loads with Blue Dot and see the looks on their faces!

Try using 9.0gr of Unique under the 200gr bullets, you'll be back to a similar level of flash and blast that you were getting before. Those should be ~900-1000fps, depending on the barrel length.

You might also try loading up some 44 specials for your nephew if he just wants light target loads.

July 1, 2001, 10:19 PM	#1
gmeister Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Location: Central PA Posts: 154	Lighter bullet, more powder? I've only been reloading a few months. (I started in order to produce light target loads for my .45 ACPs, which are working fine.) My nephew asked me to make some target loads for his Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag. After the first batch, he didn't like the smoke produced by the lube on cast bullets so we switched to 240 gr. JHPs. They seem to shoot fine with 9.8 gr of Unique. I recently needed to find some more bullets for him on short notice and could only find Speer 200 gr HP (#4425). The only (Unique) load data I could find for this bullet, specifically, was 11.1 gr of Unique. I loaded up 50 and when he tried them they were a real "head-turner" at the indoor range, compared to the earlier 240 gr load. They were much, much louder. (People on both sides of my nephew were scrambling to put on muffs over their foam earplugs.) There was lots of muzzle flash and a lot more recoil compared to the 240 gr load of 9.8 gr of Unique. I was looking for a comparable (light target) load. Did I do something wrong? Can someone suggest a load using Unique and these same bullets so I can use them up for him? [email protected]

July 1, 2001, 11:37 PM	#3
JohnK Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2001 Location: Duvall, Wa Posts: 552	First unless you somehow over charged the cases I doubt you did anything wrong. 11.1gr of Unique under a 200gr bullet in the 44 magnum is well within the recommended range. Alliant lists 13.0gr as max for this caliber/bullet weight. You're burning more powder than you were with the 240s which is generally going to be louder and flash more, more powder = more gas = bigger flash and boom. That load is far from the biggest boomer you can load in the 44 magnum, if that load was making people on the range run away scrambling for more hearing protection they must be extremely sensitive. Try loading up some full power loads with Blue Dot and see the looks on their faces! Try using 9.0gr of Unique under the 200gr bullets, you'll be back to a similar level of flash and blast that you were getting before. Those should be ~900-1000fps, depending on the barrel length. You might also try loading up some 44 specials for your nephew if he just wants light target loads. __________________ John http://www.handloads.com Molan Labe!

July 1, 2001, 11:25 PM	#2
Bud Helms Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia, USA Posts: 13,198	I can't explain why the 200/11.1 load seemed so much stronger than the 240/9.8 load. But I don't think I'd call either of those a light target load. The 200/11.1 load is about a third of the way from min to max in Lyman #47. The 240/9.8 is slightly off the low end. But Lyman can run hot. BTW, that's a decrease of nearly 17% in bullet weight and slightly over 13% increase in charge, so there shouldn't be THAT much difference. What I noticed in the Lyman book is that the low end charge of both bullet weights with Unique are only a half grain apart: 10 gr for the 240 and 10.5 for the 200. If the two bullets have a cannelure and you used it for a roll crimp AND the base to cannelure distance is about the same on them, then the lighter bullet may need more room behind it (seat farther out) or just back off the charge. Was the crimp on the 200 grainer heavier than on the 240? That would definitely do it. For a lighter load I would try the lighter (200 gr) bullet with the 9.8 gr charge, or even lower. I used to shoot 240 gr JHPs at 9.0 gr. Still plenty of punch. And very accurate. I try to shoot a fuller case these days. And tell your nephew, he's not the only one who thinks Unique is smoky with lubed cast bullets. I was struck by your comment that you could only find one load for the 200 grainer with Unique. You have just been indicted for not having enough reloading manuals ... YMMV, of course. Good luck.