My First Batch of 44 Russians

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Well, I went to the local toy store yesterday and grabbed a standard RCBS set of 44 Mag/44 Special carbide dies. Just didn't want to wait around to order something more specific, the store had these in stock. Took quite a while to get the dies set up because I had to grind the dickens out of the seating/crimp die to get it to screw in far enough in my Hornady Lock & Load AP.

I had a box of Black Hills 44 Russian Smokeless ammo laying around that I won as a door prize at a match some time ago. I didn't pay anything for it, and I was too impatient to wait until my brass order from Starline shows up. So I started pulling bullets using my RCBS green plastic hammer. Boy, those suckers are in there tight. I have never had to whack the hammer so hard on the floor before to pull a bullet. I yanked about 30 so I would be able to load up 25 rounds and still have a few for setting up my dies. I labeled the pulled bullets and set them aside for some unknown future use. They were 210 grain RNFP with one skinny lube groove with red lube in it. They came to .430 diameter on my caliper. I dumped the powder in the toilet, I have no idea what it was so I didn't see any point in saving it. If it had been summer maybe I would have lit it off in the backyard.

So I just got through figuring out how much powder to put in. I remember the time I asked AJ how much powder to put in his 45 Cowboy Special cases and he looked at me and said, 'Aren't you Driftwood Johnson, who just tells everybody to put in enough so there is 1/16" - 1/8" of compression? So it looks to me like 1.3 CC is going to do the trick with my Mav-Dutchman bullets. I'm using Schuetzen FFg and that comes to right about 19.5 grains. None of that grains-volume baloney, 19.5 grains of actual weight.

I just did a quick search here at CAS City and that seems to be about what most guys are putting in these cases. I guess I was surprised how much smaller than 45 Schofields the 44 Russian actually is. Narrower and shorter. I usually put 1.9CC in my Schofields. I hope I make the Smoke Standard with 1.3 CC. Just kidding, but it ain't a whole lot more than most guys put in their 38 Specials.

So back downstairs now, I'm gonna dip out the powder and seat 25 bullets. Hope to try them out tomorrow.

[Pettifogger]

You have an automatic bullet puller.  Your REVOLVER.  Why didn't you just shoot them out?

[Fox Creek Kid]

Driftwood, I always use the 1.3 cc dipper for the .44 Russian and I also use FFFg, as opposed to FFg in other pistol ctgs., for a little extra "oomph".  I always twirl the case with powder a few times between my thumb & index finger on the counter to settle the BP a tad in the case. It settles the powder a little and generally just makes me feel better. 

[Driftwood Johnson]

You have an automatic bullet puller.  Your REVOLVER.  Why didn't you just shoot them out?

Because it is a really old revolver and I don't want to put any Smokeless powder through it.

[Shotgun Franklin]

And you can still load .44 Spl or Mag with those dies just don't screw'm in to deep. Just as a guess with a little elbow grease you saved about $25 to $30.

[Pettifogger]

Because it is a really old revolver and I don't want to put any Smokeless powder through it.

A real .44 Russian.  What cha got?

[Pony Racer]

Don't worry about making the smoke rule.

I use 1.0 cc with a 205 bullet  for my 44 Russian loads and it roars and smokes very well.

Never met a knockdown target or star those loads would not take care of unless i don't do my part and miss:)!

PR

[Flint]

Shot 44  Russian today out of my Opentops at the Los Vaqueros match (Tombstone, AZ).   Powder was Cleanshot (Father of APP ).  Made more smoke than I could see through, I would call it legal for FC..

[Driftwood Johnson]

What cha got?

Howdy Again Boys

Here is why I have started asking questions about loading 44 Russian. And why I wanted to quick load some up and not wait to order some dies.

Sorry Shotgun Franklin, but as I posted someplace, maybe not here, I like to keep my dies set for specific calibers. I don't like resetting them. I already had a set of 44 Mag/44 Sp dies set up for loading 44 Special. My new set of dies will be left set up for 44 Russian.

I loaded up 27 rounds last night with 1.3 CC of Schuetzen FFg and Mav-Dutchman .428 bullets lubed with SPG.

Today I took my 'new' 1882 vintage S&W New Model #3 to the range for the first time. I have no intention of shooting it with Smokeless powder, even though my favorite gunsmith said I could. I fired all 27 rounds through it today. These guns were supposed to be the favorite of late 19th Century target shooters. Unfortunately for me, that little thin front sight was really difficult for me to focus on with my miserable eyesight. That's part of the reason for the flyer. The other reason is I'm not the greatest marksman in the world. I would not have made it as a 19th Century target shooter.

The interesting thing is, at 30 feet it shoots really high. After I got home I did some more reading and found out that Mike Venturino claims they all shot high. Interesting. Sure not gonna add any metal to that front sight.

Mike also said that the original balloon head load for 44 Russian was 23 grains of powder under a 246 grain bullet, but with modern solid head cases he only gets 19 grains in. So my 1.3CC (about 19.5 grain) Schuetzen loads are now less of a surprise. I may try putting in a little bit less powder to bring the point of impact down, or I may leave it alone and just try to remember to aim low.

I'll post another photo of the gun when I get a chance to do a little bit better photography. Yes, that is ice in the photo, the temperature today was 25 degrees and we had 18" of snow on Wednesday. But you know how it is when you have a new gun, and they don't allow Black Powder at our indoor range.




P.S. Unlike the modern Uberti replicas, this gun was designed to shoot Black Powder. I fired 27 rounds with no binding at all. Next outing I'll try to shoot a whole box, just to see how well it does.

[Pettifogger]

Just looking at the photo it looks like a nice one.  Sharp cylinder notches and none of the screws look buggered.  I've got a real beater in the closet that I've got to restore to shooting condition some day.  Wouldn't mess with it, but it's a .44-40 and they are very scarce.

[Driftwood Johnson]

It's REALLY nice. It was sent back to the factory and refinished in 1965. Mechanically, it is just about perfect. I am tickled pink with it. Really a once in a lifetime gun. I'll post some better photos once I take them.

[litl rooster]

SWEET!

[Dick Dastardly]

Now Driftwood, you are going to like that gun so much that you'll want another one to make a brace of 'em for match shooting.  Somehow, I think they might make you some fantastic style points.  Could be that they would draw even more attention shot GF.

DD-DLoS

[Driftwood Johnson]

Hi DD

Nah, I have no problem shooting mismatched guns, been doing it for years. And I sure won't try shooting this baby or one like it left handed. It is really different cocking it than my Colts, and I don't trust myself to do that left handed. I sure don't want to shoot this baby left handed.

I think I'll be happy with just the one.

Unless I should happen to find another one just like it. 

[Pony Racer]

Shot my 44 Russian OT's yesterday - much smoke  and boom from the 1.0cc loads!

That is a sweet find of a gun Driftwood - would be awesome to find another like it!

PR

[pony express]

How heavy is that bullet you're using, Driftwood? Maybe someone has a real light weight big lube type bullet, that would lower the point of impact?

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

How heavy is that bullet you're using, Driftwood? Maybe someone has a real light weight big lube type bullet, that would lower the point of impact?

My old M83 Reichsrevolver shot VERY high.  I sized a .440 roundball to .429 and seated it just proud of the case over FFFg.  Right on POA @ 7 yards!

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

I am using the Mav-Dutchman bullet. It weighs about 200 grains. I suppose there may be a smaller 44 cal bullet in the Big Lube catalog, but I have cast all the bullets I plan on casting until spring.

Now a round ball, that is an interesting idea. I have a bunch of soft lead .451 and .454 balls. I'll bet it would be easy to shove them through my .428 die. But there would be no lube groove and I ain't crazy about smearing Crisco all over my chamber throats. I rinsed and tumbled my first batch of brass, maybe I will load up some more with the next smaller dipper this time, to see if it brings down the point of impact any.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Just seat the roundball slightly into the neck.  It will leave a groove that you can rub some lube into.  I used some hard bore-butter.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Pretty Pictures. Sorry for all the glare, shiny things are tough for me to photograph in the basement.