300 grain 44 bullets shoot high

[Clifford L. Hughes]

When I shoot 300 grain jackeded bullets through my Smith Model 29, 6 1/2 inch barrel, they shoot twelve or so inches high at fifty yards with the rear sight run all the way down. Has anyone else experienced this?

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired

[spacecoast]

What does it do with other ammo? 300 gr. sounds like a pretty heavy, slow bullet and recoil may be lifting the barrel more than lighter bullets.

[hartlock]

All things being equal, and they almost never are, heavy bullets
will ALWAYS shoot higher than light bullets. The previous post
got it exactly right. Handguns, being lighter than rifles, start to
recoil as soon as the primer ignites the powder. Heavy bullets
take longer to get started and hence, the barrel starts up sooner.
This causes them to shoot higher on the target. This is something
we found out early on in IHMSA silhouette shooting.

[Rifleman1776]

Hartlock got it right. Heavier bullets will always print higher.
I used to use heavier bullets for longer range targets just to take advantage of that phenomonon. 180 gr. for 25 and 50 yards, 245 gr. for 100 or longer. Same sight picture for all ranges. Works but takes some tinkering at the loading bench and practice.

[Webleymkv]

Have you tried different bullets and loadings or just one particular 300gr loading? It could be that your particular gun just doesn't like a particular loading.

[PawPaw]

Yep, barrel time. Heavier bullets tend to go slower, so they're in the barrel as it starts to rise. I've seen the same thing with the .357 magnum sighted with 125 loads. If the shooter wants to shoot 180s, the heavier bullets print higher.

[BigJimP]

I'm just impressed that you can see 50 yards Gunny ...geez man ...

( but yes, I've had the same problem - even on 240 gr bullets ( and not at 50 yds ) .......

Seriously, I'd try some other bullets ...like 200gr ...or even a different mfg's bullets .../... or play with different powders a little - and see if it makes a difference. I prefer Montana Gold bullets ..( but they only bullet they make in .44 mag is a 240gr JSP )...and that's all I shoot in my model 29's and 629's..from 3" to 8 3/8" barrels.../ but I'm just an old pu*** ...and don't shoot much over 30 - 50 Feet ....anymore ....

[aaalaska]

Yes sir the 300 ,310 cast through my Redhawk will shoot 6 to 8 in higher at 50 yds than the 240s

[Alaska444]

Interesting, I will have to get my bear bullets out and do some practice soon. That could make a big difference when you need them.

[olddav]

I've been reloading some 44 mags with IMR 4227 (21.4) topped with Speers 240 soft points. I had a need for a box of Core-Bon 300 grain penetraters, to be used for up coming trip. Before going out into the wild with the Core-Bon's I compared them to my reloads. They impacted the target right next to my reloads, no change in elevation. I was shooting a S&W 629-6 with a 4" barrel, however I was shooting from a prop at short distances (35 feet). :confused:

[stevieboy]

There are a lot of variables that affect point of impact. Bullet weight is one of them. But, it's a quite a bit more complicated than just saying "heavier hits higher." Heavier bullets will hit higher than lighter rounds IF powder charges are equal. But, ultimately, it is the SPEED of the round and not its weight that affects point of impact. A heavy bullet with a big charge behind it may actually travel faster than a lighter bullet with a relatively weaker charge and, consequently, its point of impact may be lower than the lighter round.

Another factor affecting POI is barrel length. The amount of time that the round spends in the gun's barrel will affect the amount of barrel rise before the bullet exits the gun. Thus, identical rounds fired from two guns of different barrel lengths may have different POIs. At least in theory, a bullet fired from a six-inch gun may hit higher than the same bullet fired from a two inch gun. However, there is a complicating factor, that again being the speed of the bullet. The same round will have greater velocity in a six-inch barrel than in a two-inch barrel.

The bottom line is that there really is no way of predicting POI just from the weight of a round. The only way to determine POI is by firing the gun with that round. It is safe to say, however, that different rounds of different weight and powder charge will have different POIs when fired from the same gun.

[WESHOOT2]

Bigger bullets hit higher, so change your front sight blade (need taller).

[8shot357]

What does it do with other ammo?

Details help Gunnery sergeant

[Hook686]

hmmmmm 12" high at 50 yards ... does that mean 6" high at 25 yards and 2-3" high at 10 yards ?

If so sounds pretty high to me. What are the point of impact for 10 yards and 25 yards with the 300 grain bullet, and with 200 grain bullet at 10, 25 and 50 yards ?

[8shot357]

Hook686

hmmmmm 12" high at 50 yards ... does that mean 6" high at 25 yards and 2-3" high at 10 yards ?

If so sounds pretty high to me. What are the point of impact for 10 yards and 25 yards with the 300 grain bullet, and with 200 grain bullet at 10, 25 and 50 yards ?

My S&W 638 1-7/8" Air Weight shot pretty much right on at 7 yards, 6-8" high at 25 yards, 12-18" at 50 yards. These are guessstamit using 135g +P GDs.

Next time I go shooting I'll have to try my Lawman 158g +P TMJ's. Those are about the same at 7 yard's.

The only other bulk ammo I have, is 130g std FMJs. I'll have to try those too.