44 mag and Unique?

[Steve H]

I just found some reloads I made several years ago for my 44 mag. I do not recall shooting any of this batch. I usually made up 50 rounds at a time and that's the amount of reloads I have found. The recipe I used was a 240gr. LSWC over 12.0 gr of Unique with a CCI LP mag primer. Everything I have read in more modern data shows that this may be too hot of a load. This load was for a 6" Anaconda. I want to think that this load may have come out of an older Speer manual (maybe #10). All of my books are in my shop and not here with me. Can anyone give me an opinion if this my be too hot?

 

[rcmodel]

It's certainly pushing it.

2002 Alliant data says 240 Lead Gas Check = 11.8 Max = 1,255 @ 35,000.

I see nothing like 12.0 in old Speer & Lyman manuals either.

rc

 

[Steve H]

Thanks RC.......................I'm going to pull the bullets. I think I may have used jacketed loading info by mistake.

 

[mcofboise]

How old are they?

I've got a lot of old data that pushes jacketed bullets with that load. Lyman #47 (c) 1993 lists 429244 in Lino w/gas check at max with 12.1 of Unique or 429421 in Linotype at *13.0* grains max (1147/36,800). My old RCBS Cast Manual (c) 1986 lists their 240 gr. GCed bullet from 12.1-13.1 grains of Unique, and their plain-based 245 gr bullet from 10.8-11.8 gr. This would be in the Hercules era of Unique, rather than Alliant. Like RC said, I would think these are ragged edge loads. I *might* be tempted to shoot them out of my Redhawk, but the last time I shot upper end loads through an Anaconda, my hands hurt for days.
I'd be sorely tempted to pull them and start over.

*And of course, while I was looking this up and typing, you already made that conclusion.

mike

 

[Elkins45]

Which takes the most effort: pulling the bullets or scrubbing all that lead out of your barrel?

 

[Steve H]

How old are they?

Off the top of my head I'd say they are from the early to mid 90's. I'm going to pull 'em for sure. I don't want to risk gettin hurt or damage to the gun. That Anaconda is one of the first made and it only has about 100 rounds down the tube.

 

[Searcher4851]

If the rounds were loaded pre takeover by Alliant (if it was Hercules Unique),
although Allaint claimed to have not made any changes to the recipes, the Alliant load data seems to always be below the Hercules load data for the same powder name. So those rounds may very well be loaded to Hercules Unique specs, which would be fine. As I recall, the takeover or buyout took place around 1995.

 

[zxcvbob]

I have an Alliant/Hercules load book from that period at home. I can look it up. 12 grains of Unique sounds pretty hot to me, but not ridiculous. 12 grains of Herco is about right.

 

[rcmodel]

Alliant load data seems to always be below the Hercules load data for the same powder name.

Actually, I am looking at a Hercules powder guide right now.

1976 Hercules data says 10.6 is MAX with a 240 lead bullet.

2002 Alliant data says is 11.8 Max with a 240 lead bullet.

rc

 

[Slamfire]

Older manuals relied on physical indications of pressure to determine maximum loads. These physical indications were case head expansion, sticky extraction, and leaking primers.

These are about all you can rely on if you don’t have pressure gages, but physical measurements are a crude and inexact way to estimate pressures.
Anyway I got 1000 fps with 8.5 grains Unique, which is plenty powerful.

If you want maximum velocity try 2400 or H110/W296.

[SIZE="3"][B]S&W M629-4, 5" Barrel[/B]	

				
240 LSWC 8.5 grs Unique  thrown, Midway Brass WLP			
25-Nov-04	T = 58 °F				
					
Ave Vel =	1023				 
Std Dev =	25				 
ES =	99				 
Low =	958				 
High =	1057				
N = 	30				
 					
240JHP R-P 24.0 grs H110 Midway cases WLP		
9-Oct-05 	T = 66 °F	
				
Ave Vel =1228					
Std Dev =21.47					
ES =70.16					
Low =1268				
High =1197				
N=22					
		[/SIZE]