New to reloading, and im loading .44 mag with Unique about 8 grains. Supposedly around 800 ft/s. What affects do the velocities have on shooting? Is it right that anything under 1000 has less chance of leading my barrel? Is higher velocity better for hunting? Ill be doing only target shooting 10-25 yards.
Explain Velocities?
- Thread starter StylinMike
- Start date
rifle or handgun?
I've been using that load with some commercial cast bullets with great success. When I pushed those same commercial bullets with a 22gr of IMR 4227 I got leading from them.
So yes I've found going slower does reduce leading in my .44mag with the particular cast I am currently using. I can tell you though that something about the unique load creates a lot of recoil, I can barely tell the difference between the 8 gr of unique and 22gr of IMR 4227, which should be more like 1400fps if memory serves.
So yes I've found going slower does reduce leading in my .44mag with the particular cast I am currently using. I can tell you though that something about the unique load creates a lot of recoil, I can barely tell the difference between the 8 gr of unique and 22gr of IMR 4227, which should be more like 1400fps if memory serves.
A properly fitted cast bullet of sound design and good lube grooves with lots of proper lube should be able to be used to maximum velocities in your .44 mag.
For paper punching lighter loads are preferred to reduce cost, and esp. recoil as most folks don't shoot as well after being beat up by their gun. For hunting or any longer range shooting, like silhouette, you need heavier loads to flatten the trajectory a bit and knock over steel targets.
For hunting you need heavier loads as well and a bullet designed to do alot of damage even if it doesn't expand, preferably heavier and a very flat point.....IMHO....Ben
For paper punching lighter loads are preferred to reduce cost, and esp. recoil as most folks don't shoot as well after being beat up by their gun. For hunting or any longer range shooting, like silhouette, you need heavier loads to flatten the trajectory a bit and knock over steel targets.
For hunting you need heavier loads as well and a bullet designed to do alot of damage even if it doesn't expand, preferably heavier and a very flat point.....IMHO....Ben
Perfectly explained. Greater velocity, flatter trajectory arc, more punching power. Neither of which is really needed for the target shooting I'm doing. Especially if it's going to cause increased leading. That's not to say I won't make a "special box" of near max loads for special occasions
Don't forget about a swaged bullet, such as the the Hornady frontier type.
For the 650-800 FPS range shooting paper at 25 yds leave hardly any lead in
my bores.
Being of a softer nature than cast, lower pressure is needed to seal them (bump up) against the bore. A lot of cast bullets are cast too hard for target shooting. The softer bullet will swage up easier into the rifling to better seal, therefore leading is kept to a minumum.
A softer made cast bullet is better for target speeds. The heat & explossive force behind a too-hard of a cast bullet with fast powders creates a situation of smearing lead onto the bore. Nothing wrong with cast bullets, I use lots too, but like powders, using the right type is key!
Don't forget there are other reasons for leading as well, such as a rough bore,
or tight chamber mouths in revolvers or bad forcing cones or a combination of all of these.....
For the 650-800 FPS range shooting paper at 25 yds leave hardly any lead in
my bores.
Being of a softer nature than cast, lower pressure is needed to seal them (bump up) against the bore. A lot of cast bullets are cast too hard for target shooting. The softer bullet will swage up easier into the rifling to better seal, therefore leading is kept to a minumum.
A softer made cast bullet is better for target speeds. The heat & explossive force behind a too-hard of a cast bullet with fast powders creates a situation of smearing lead onto the bore. Nothing wrong with cast bullets, I use lots too, but like powders, using the right type is key!
Don't forget there are other reasons for leading as well, such as a rough bore,
or tight chamber mouths in revolvers or bad forcing cones or a combination of all of these.....
justsomeguy
Regular
- Location
- Calgary-ish
As soon as a bullet leaves your barrel it starts to fall to the ground due to gravity pulling it. No matter how fast it is traveling over the ground it will fall at the same rate, so if you're bullet is going faster it will travel further before hitting the ground. So a bullet shot at 2000 fps will travel twice as far as one shot at 1000 fps before both bullets drop the same distance.
As an example, say your 1000 fps bullet drops 6" at 100 yds. As a rough rule a 2000 fps bullet will only drop 3" as it travels the 100 yds in half the time and thus has only half the flight time to lose elevation. It's not really half because there is a whole bunch of physics and velocities, and accelerations of gravity, etc but it's too early for that stuff.
As an example, say your 1000 fps bullet drops 6" at 100 yds. As a rough rule a 2000 fps bullet will only drop 3" as it travels the 100 yds in half the time and thus has only half the flight time to lose elevation. It's not really half because there is a whole bunch of physics and velocities, and accelerations of gravity, etc but it's too early for that stuff.
Good ol' 9.81 m/s2. I did a few years in engineering so the concept is not overly foreign to me an I could see how it would be a big deal for longer ranges. I was just curious how velocities came in to play at short target shooting distances. I think I got my question answered thanks to you all. Subsonic velocities for target shooting produce less leading, are cheaper, and less recoil. I'll still have to load up a few 'hand wringers' for the girlfriend and unsuspecting buddies.....hehe
What bullet are you using? 8 grains of Unique is a full grain over max for a cast 240. Under minimum for a cast 255.
"...only target shooting 10-25 yards..." You may want to think about loading your magnum brass to .44 Special velocities. It'll give you a target load with no leading issues.
"...only target shooting 10-25 yards..." You may want to think about loading your magnum brass to .44 Special velocities. It'll give you a target load with no leading issues.
SM, please for the sake of gun owners everywhere, don't give your GF a hot .44 mag load as a joke. IF, and it seems a big IF, you can get your gf to shoot, please make it as pleasnt an experience as you can, and save the practical jokes at someone else's expense at some venue other than shooting. I mean really.
Don't forget that spinning projectiles tend to do some rather wacky things in the first few meters of their flightpaths. Rifling has an influence, gas leakage, the shape and weight distribution of the projectile, the list is endless.
