.44 bullet question

[wormbobskey]

I'm trading for a .44 revolver and was wanting to know if it was safe to shoot .44 caliber semi-jacketed hollow points (assuming they will stay in the cylinder and are the right size for the barrel) out of it and if so what size load would anyone consider? Also what are some acceptable filler materials to use for lighter powder charges. Thanks, Worm.

[simonkenton]

I bet you are going to have trouble with that jacket.
Just to load a round ball, you cut a little lead "donut" off of the ball. Not gonna shave a copper "donut."
At any rate, the round balls are either .451, or .454, or .457, so you might try a .451 jacketed slug and see if it would fit. I am dubious about the performance.
You can use any powdery substance for filler, people use cream of wheat.

[mcwoodduck]

NO.
Pure lead ONLY in front stuffers.
They do make a conical bullet for them.  Check Cabella's buffalo bullet in the black powder section.
Other than that look for a round ball that will fit tight.  I like .454 or larger as a round ball.  You will get a lead ring with the larger bullets.
if it is not hard to stuff in and seal all the way you could have a chain fire and all the chambers will fire causing concern as rounds bounce off the frame.

[Flint]

I have successfully loaded and fired Speer 200 gr SWC lead bullets made for the 45ACP in Colts and Remingtons.  The bullet fits in the frame cutout better in the Remington, but they are best loaded on a cylinder loading stand, like DD's Tower of Power in order to keep the bullet straight in the chamber.  Actually, any 45 cal lead bullet, like a RNFP will work, but the Speer or Hornady swaged bullets are pure, or at least, much softer lead than the cast bullets made for cartridge loading.

Heavier conical bullets seem to hit the target with much more authority than the round ball does.  Be sure to reduce the powder charge enough to keep the bullet nose behind the face of the cylinder.

As another suggested, do not load jacketed, semi-jacketed or gas check bullets in a cap & ball revolver..

[wormbobskey]

Thanks for the information. After reading up on the subject it did become clear that the jacketed bullets wouldn't work. I'll just wait until I get the revolver in my hands and mic the cylinder to find out what the true size is and by bullets that will give the tight/snug fit. Where is a reliable place to buy the felt wads or the punch to make my own. Thanks again for the information. Worm

[blhof]

You'll probably the most accurate ammo is the slightly oversized round ball.  The twist rate in all the b/p revolvers seems to work best with the ball.  I've tried various conicals and always go back to the ball.  The ideal ball will shave slightly when seated, insuring a tight fit.  Someone a short while back had info on a stand loader that also would accept a cutter for wads. I'm still using precuts bought in bulk from Midway.

[FourBee]

I agree with bihof.
There are at least three different chamber sizes for 44 Cap & Ball revolvers that I have run into.        Generally revolvers manufactured by Italian Companies like PIETTA and ARMISPORT shoot .451" diameter balls as their cylinder mouths measure about .446" or so in diameter.  Uberti and Euroarms  measure like around .450" so require the .454" diameter balls and the  Ruger old army measures near .454" and need .457" diameter balls.

[wormbobskey]

I shot the pistol yesterday and had a blast, all pun intened. The .454 round balls I used did just like everyone said in that they shaved off a ring of lead when seated. The pistol shoots low at 25 yards so my next shooting session will have me slowly filing down the front sight to bring it up. After the first cylinder I held high to allow for the drop and was able to keep 5 balls into about a 9 or 10 inch group. That was with 25 grains of pyrodex RS. The recoil was very mild and I plan to start increasing the charge before I do any filing of the front sight. Now the fun begins, shooting it until I find the secret formula for accuracy. Worm

[simonkenton]

Good deal!
Now you got your mind right, forget the copper jacket and shoot the lead round ball!

[wormbobskey]

I think deep down I knew it wouldn't work, but I'm always looking to use what I already have. Now I've got some .44 round balls.

[NozzleRag]

Go to you local Harbor Freight or some such store and buy a set of hollow punches for around $6. I like the metric sizes and use the 11mm for my 44 cla 1860 Armys. the 11mm fits nicely in the cylinder with no gap.
Then, go to <http://www.durofelt.com/> and buy sheet felt. She sells a grade that is recommended for wads. I lay the sheet on a sheet of lead and use the lead as a backing for punching. A sharp rap with a hammer and you have a new wad. $15 will buy a lot of felt.

[Gatofeo]

One of my Handloader's Digest books of the 1970s has an article on using jacketed hollowpoint bullets in cap and ball sixguns.
More trouble than it's worth.
First, the author had to chuck the cylinder into a lathe and gently ream the chambers to .450 inch, as I recall. Then, the .451 and .452 inch jacketed bullets were seated using an arbor press.
He used a Ruger Old Army, reproduction Walker and reproduction 1858 Remington, all in .44 caliber.
His conclusion? Interesting experiment but not very practical.
One thing to ponder too: Jacketed bullets create far more friction than lead bullets, thereby raising pressures considerably.
I don't think using jacketed bullets is worth it. The soft, pure-lead balls used in cap and ball pistols tend to flatten upon striking bone and heavy tissue.
Look at the ballistics of the Colt 1851 Navy: an 80 gr. lead ball at about 1,000 feet per second. This makes is ballistically equivalent to the modern .380 ACP load -- but the ghosts of millions in the 19th century testify mutely that the Navy was probably more effective than today's .380 ACP.
Why? Partly because of the lack of medical knowledge, partly because of infection (not everyone died immediately, but lingered for days or weeks) but I also suspect it's because that soft lead ball flattened out like a modern hollowpoint when it hit bone or heavy muscle.
Another factor to consider: bullet shape.
The ball is a sphere before rammed into the chamber, but after ramming resembles a half orange placed  upon a half grapefruit. This is, in effect, the granddaddy of the semi-wadcutter bullet -- a design noted for transferring energy far more efficiently than a roundnose or sphere.
The late gun writer Elmer Keith (1899-1983) knew Civil War veterans when he was growing up in Montana. He said they noted that the conical bullet was a poor man-stopper, but the lead ball with a maximum charge, "took all the fight out of them."

Forgive my rambling ...

Back to your original question: Using jacketed bullets in cap and ball revolvers is more trouble than it's worth. It may be dangerous, by virture of raising pressures. It offers little or no advantage that, frankly, wouldn't be negated by ensuring accurate bullet placement.
Why bother?

[wormbobskey]

I think Ill just use them with my 50 caliber sabots and do some plinking with them. Wonder what they would do to a red fox or coyote at moderate ranges of 50 to 75 yards? Thanks for the information (ramblings) I found it interesting. Worm