do you need gas check in full load 44 magnum

canuck4570 said:
with WW air cooled do you need gas check in full load 44 magnum ?
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I got leading so bad in my Super Blackhawk that I thought I'd have to scrap the barrel. This was with wheel weights at 1200fps. I gas check everything now, even powdercoated bullets, and I use a harder mix.
 
I've been playing with this in my Colt Anaconda and Dan Wesson 744. In my experience, the short answer is, yes, yes you do need a gas check. In order to run a non gas checked bullet in 44 Mag you'll have to drop the load down to med speed at 1000 - 1100 fps and have a plain base bullet with full dia front driving band sized so it just slips into the face of the revolver cylinder snugly. In my experience, getting the size of the bullet right for the firearm it's intended to be shot with is the most important spec to get right.

Apparently Elmer Keith was able to get full house 44 Mag loads without a gas check and leading but I have yet to get any of the Lee 44 bullets up there without a gas check design.

That said, I had the same issue with 357 Mag using Lee molds for bullets. After reading up on Keiths experiences with 357 Mag I choose to use the same bullet he did (H&G #51) and it worked! Full house 357 Mag loads with no gas check and no leading using my home made 45/45/10 tumble lube. I've shot 1000's of these now and it's become my weekly full house 357 mag load. It's still time consuming to make because I have to size each bullet. But I don't have to pay or make gas checks!
 
Bullet size and barrel condition has a lot to do with it too. A properly sized bullet in a nicely polished barrel will really help. I'm not sure what happened in that Blackhawk but I'm guessing the bullets were probably undersized.
 
In my opinion bullet size has more to do with leading than gas checks
If you gas check an undersize bullet you still are going to have leading problems.
Cheers
 
IMHO gas checks are like hitting the easy button. Painted bullets are also fairly forgiving. Plain base bullets can be a challenge.

Rifles tend to be a bit easier to find a good recipe than for a revolver.
 
Bullet fitment is key to no leading. Like 0.002" over bore size. (.431")

if you shoot volume though you may want one, after the barrel gets pretty hot you will get leading.

I use plain base cast bullets at 1800fps with no lube in my 43 express. I normally shoot 30 rounds per range session and the bore is always shiny as when i got there.

Here is a pic of 20 loaded rounds i fired off yesterday that has no lube at all on them. Just sized after casting (barrel never got to hot to touch)

in my 460 weatherby, i shoot plain based lubed bullets at 2000 fps without issues

49410422873_a3fbc6bb53_k.jpg
 
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you like big bore
I have a Sako brown bair in 450 Rigby and I shoot the Saeco 545 gr. GC in in

when you say 2000 fps in your 460 is this powder coated?
before I had a Wheatherby dangerous game in 460

if I am correct you make your 43 express out of 300 wheatherby brass
 
canuck4570 said:
you like big bore
I have a Sako brown bair in 450 Rigby and I shoot the Saeco 545 gr. GC in in

when you say 2000 fps in your 460 is this powder coated?
before I had a Wheatherby dangerous game in 460

if I am correct you make your 43 express out of 300 wheatherby brass
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Nice i love the Rigby family of cartridges, my next big bore build is going to be a 416 Rigby

as for the 460 weatherby bullets, nope they are just cast, sized and lubed, plain base none powder coated. they are a 400gr round nose for the 45-70

as for the 43 express brass, i use anything that is over 62mm long and has a 375HH parent case, i have some from 300winmag, 300weatherbymag, 458winmag, 7mmSTW and i think some 338winmag

Also sorry for the derail. The main point i was trying to make is bullet fitment is the most important thing when it comes to cast bullets. And really they can be 0.004" big with out issue as long as the loaded round can chamber without any effort.

i added a pic of the bullets im speaking of

the left is the 400gr plain base lubed for my 460 i shoot at 2000 fps
and the right is my plan based non lubed 360gr bullets for the 43 express, id size them and load them as is

49468416697_4a6b3e4755_k.jpg
 
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if correct your 460 as 1/16 twist this helps
I had a 416 Remington Magnum TRGS made by Sako and it had 1/16 twist and I use to push my RCBS 350 gr bullet full load and OK. but it had GC
I have a Saeco 500 gr. PB and I will try to push it to the limit and see
 
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