Kentucky Armory Club

I loaded 110 rounds of 44 Special today for my Target Bulldog. I loaded 5 rounds then shot them into a box of magazines at a distance of 15 feet. I was impressed with the bullets' expansion when I dug them out. Loaded another 105 rounds same as 1st 5. These are 240 grain semi-wadcutters that I cast earlier this week. I will try to chronograph the ammo this week. Should be around 750 fps. Cost to load was : bullet 3 cents, primer 3 cents, powder 2 cents and brass 2 cents (cost 20 cents each/10 reloads estimated) for a grand total of 10 cents/ round.

I've been curious about the 44 special since the 1980's when Skeeter Skelton championed the cartridge. Only recently have I considered owning a dedicated 44 special revolver. When I was younger 44 magnum was the only way to go for what I wanted. Now I download the 44 magnum to special ballistics and really enjoy the revolvers much more. Ruger announced their GP100 in 44 special and figured I'd begin to look at them. The weight seems to be near the magnum weights. I don't really need or want a 2 inch Bulldog. I will be reading your future posts about the 4 inch model that you have. Best of wishes for you and your efforts. Geno

Nice! I've always loved .44 Spl ever since I got my 3" Charter Bulldog. That bitch was a handful, even with Spl loads. I shoot the Spls in my SBH & Redhawk and they are like eating popcorn, you just can't stop!

Crush, kill, mangle, maim, destroy.

I have read 2 reviews of the Ruger 44 Special so far. Both people were sending them back to Ruger. Seems accuracy is a problem.

Had some more fun in the reloading room. Powder coated my semi-wadcutters and loaded up 200+ rounds. This is 2 coats of Kawasaki green. Much easier than pan lubing bullets. Fired 5 rounds into a box of magazines and recovered the bullets.

Did you notice any leading? I have read that powder coating is near gas checking cast bullets. I like the Zombie green color!

At ~750 fps, leading should be a non-issue as long as you aren't using a very soft, pure lead bullet.

Crush, kill, mangle, maim, destroy.

No leading at all. I slugged my barrel at .431 and cylinder throats are .433. I put 2 coats on the bullets to bring diameter up to .432-.433. These are gas check bullets but they are not needed under 1000-1200 fps. I have Red Baron powder to try next.

I chronographed 5 shots each pan lubed and powder coated. The lubed ones averaged 680 fps and the powder coated ones 705 fps.
I got a tumble lube mold today in the mail and was casting bullets 90 minutes later. I will powdercoat some and tumble lube some to compare.

By recovering my bullets to melt down & recast, my cost is under 7 cents/round. Cheaper than shooting 22 lr.

Cast & powdercoated some 45 cal. semi-wadcutters for my bro-n-laws 45 Colt. Loaded 3 different powder charges to see which one he likes best.

kyswede wrote:Cast & powdercoated some 45 cal. semi-wadcutters for my bro-n-laws 45 Colt. Loaded 3 different powder charges to see which one he likes best.

20170130_223630~2~2-1.jpg

What's the purpose of powder coating the projectile?

Powdercoating acts like a jacket, so you don't need lube. Also you can use it to increase bullet diameter for better fit to barrel. The coating on the base protects it from the burning powder. Plus it looks neat.

That's pretty slick...

how hard is it to powdercoat something like that

I had a step-by-step reply typed out on my phone and lost it. Go to castboolits.gunboards.com and read the threads in the "Coatings & alternatives" section. I use the shake n bake method. Only expense is a toaster oven and an oven thermometer. A pound of powder costs $12 and will coat about 10,000 bullets. I made some trays out of hardware cloth and can do 4 batches at a time.

cool thanks!

I like the idea of being able to color code the loads by wieght or velocity, that's a very cool idea!

Crush, kill, mangle, maim, destroy.

My BIL brought his new Uberti el Patron 45 Colt revolver over today. We shot 30 of the powder coated bullets with no leading at all. He loved the rounds, especially the red. 10 cents/round is a lot better than $1.00/round.
I plan to get a 45 Colt revolver soon.