Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

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Morne
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Morne »

Sevens, THANK YOU for that bit of wisdom. :idea:

I knew pieces and parts of what you were saying but you rolled it up into a nice, neat package that was easy for my brain to digest.

What you mention about "filling the case and it still being safe" is one of the reasons I am so fond of Trail Boss. That bulky, donut powder is just about impossible to grenade with. My soft .500 S&W loads use it and it fills most of the case. Heck, even if you filled it all it'd still be gentle (just don't compress it).

Yeah, once upon a time I thought I could get away with maybe 3 powders. One for target pistol loads, one for magnums and certain rifle rounds like .300 BLK and .50 Beo, and then finally a true rifle powder. Heck, nowadays I use different powder for .38 Special whether I'm loading lead cowboy bullets or copper-plated target rounds. Lil' Gun is probably my most flexible powder in that I use it for heavy bullet magnums (.357/.44/.500), .300 BLK and .50 Beo. But after that different rounds seem to behave better with different powder. Just the way it is I guess.

...and yes, because I bought an odd lot of reloading stuff that included a smattering of a dozen different powders I am DEFINITELY experimenting with things that are not ideal. I still haven't found a valid use for that darn IMR PB (seriously thinking about just dumping it in the flower beds come spring).

One last question - awhile back I tried Accurate #7 with some 200-gr coated RNFP .44 Mag bullets and got mediocre velocity. Since 200-gr is "light" for .44 Mag I refuse to use Lil' Gun for this bullet. Thoughts?
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Sevens
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Sevens »

Boy you are asking about combinations that I have not ever tried. I do have a pretty good pile of older Accurate guides but I don't have access to them at the moment. I've never even tried a 200gr slug in .44 Mag although I have done a hamdful of 180's.

One thing is very easy to say with no hesitation...
If there is a published load for a 240gr with AA#7, you could take that max load and start with a bullet that's 15% lighter and have no worries of over pressure.

But yeah, at the moment I can't find AA#7/.44 Mag data for any slug.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Sevens »

Accurate#7 in .44 Magnum, using a 200gr slug

Printed 3.5 suggests that a Jacketed Nosler JHP of 200gr:
start at 15.6gr for 1,245fps
MAX of 17.4gr for 1,415
MAX pressure of 32,625psi

According to these tables, that AA#7 looks like a decent load^

but (as yet another fine example...) the slower burning AA#9 shows data for the same bullet, using a heavier dose of AA#9 and returning more velocity for almost exactly the same pressure:
Accurate#9 in .44 Magnum, using a 200gr slug (also the Nosler 200gr JHP)
start at 20.9gr for 1,357fps
MAX of 23.3gr for 1,542
MAX pressure of 32,866psi

NOTE: in both published data sets, Western used a 8.275" barrel, 1.595 COAL and Winchester WLP primer.
And to re-iterate, these were JACKETED Nosler 200's.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Sevens »

:lol: mea culpa... :P
I saw upon final proofread that you are talking cast lead bullets... and I was under the "assumption" that we were talking plated as you experiment a lot with plated. I saw that before I submitted the post but then figured, MEH, it's still decent information.

In any case, from the same Western 3.5 Edition printed guide, there is some lead bullet data for a 200gr in .44 Mag using AA#7, but there is nothing under 220gr for lead in AA#9.

Accurate#7 in .44 Magnum, using a 200gr lead RN FP slug
start at 15.3gr for 1,229fps
MAX of 17.0gr for 1,397fps
MAX pressure of 34,800psi
COAL of 1.560 with same primer and test barrel

Now, here is some BONUS PUBLISHED DATA, but (as with any load data from any source...) please be careful with this and keep in mind where it comes from...
I have a couple older printed guides and some of the data is at least interesting... or even useful, simply for the knowledge base.
1992 Accurate Loading Guide, Fifth Edition
Lightest lead slug is a 215gr bullet and I would absolutely feel safe using this data with a bullet that is lighter by 15 grains (all other safety rules being followed, of course)
215gr lead, AA#7, in a Ruger Redhawk with 7.5" barrel, CCI-300 non-Mag primer
start at 16.4gr for 1,335fps
MAX of 18.2gr for 1,500fps
MAX pressure NOT LISTED IN THIS GUIDE
COAL also not listed
^DATA IS FOR 215gr LEAD, expect higher velocity and/or lower peak pressure if you substitute a 200 grain lead slug
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Morne »

Sevens wrote:NOTE: in both published data sets, Western used a 8.275" barrel, 1.595 COAL and Winchester WLP primer.
And to re-iterate, these were JACKETED Nosler 200's.
That right there is cheating...

I'm using either a 4" or 6.5" barrel. :evil:
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Re: Magnum load advice - Lil Gun powder 357 & 44

Post by Morne »

Meteorological Data: 52 F, 35% RH, 30.17" Hg

***CHRONY DATA***

.44 Magnum 240-gr CPFP, CCI-350LPP(m), Lil' Gun Powder, 1.569-1.587" COAL
Ruger Super Redhawk 44 with 9.5" barrel five (5) shot strings each
18.1-gr powder - AVERAGE = 1275 fps - ES = 72.0
19.6-gr powder - AVERAGE = 1384 fps - ES = 65.0

Finally got around to shooting these through my SRH. Again, that Lil' Gun powder is still accelerating things at the end of that long 9.5" barrel.

.44 Magnum 240-gr CPFP, WLP, Accurate #7 Powder, @1.575" COAL
Ruger Super Redhawk 44 with 9.5" barrel five (5) shot strings each
15.2-gr powder - AVERAGE = 1146 fps - ES = 61.0

So Accurate #7 doesn't give the screaming velocities that Lil' Gun does. It still makes a perfectly fine practice load, though.
Thus spoke Zarathustra.

Footsoldier in the Conservative Insurrection of the GOP.

Remember, only you can prevent big government!
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