Author Topic: How About a 44 Special That Weights 7.5 oz (Read 1682 times)

powhs · « **on:** July 05, 2009, 12:44:31 PM »

I have a nice American 44spl Derringer lightweight. Nice short range pocket gun but really kicks. Been carring WW Silvertips. I want to load some 220gr waddcutters I have on hand. How much speed do you think they need to be effective ?

http://www.amderringer.com/m7.html

spruce · « **Reply #1 on:** July 05, 2009, 01:31:12 PM »

At which end???!!

Savage · « **Reply #2 on:** July 05, 2009, 02:17:44 PM »

Quote from: spruce on July 05, 2009, 01:31:12 PM

At which end???!!

Savage

44 Man · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2009, 08:20:18 AM »

I have one of the older Charter's and they are a little lighter than the newer ones. (slim barrel) It barks pretty good with CCI Blazer 200 gr hp's that I carry. I load some Hornady 200 gr hp's to a similar velocity for practice. Your gun will take some more velocity, but I don't think you are going to want too. I tried some modest 300 gr cast loads in the Charter once. Only loaded five and that was a good thing because I could only stand to shoot two! I'm sure that your gun will do the job just fine with the silvertips. 44 Man

Old Griz · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2009, 11:43:15 AM »

I have always wondered about getting the Model 1 in either .45 ACP or .40. A shorter cartridge, a tad more contact with the rifling . . .

williamlayton · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2009, 12:06:28 PM »

You know, this could get outta hand and the one on the recieving end could be better off---he could just die and the shooter suffer forever

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Blessings

Crimson Mister · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2009, 04:32:46 AM »

I don't see any reason to load them over standard .45 ACP velocities. The .45 seems to have a fairly good history in stopping fights quickly so I wouldn't think that a similar weight bullet traveling at the same velocity would be any less effective. Even if it is 22/1000ths smaller in diameter.

powhs · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2009, 11:12:14 AM »

I have shot the factory 246gr as well as 200gr silvertips. The recoil is not for sissys but it's not that bad. If you can handle a Charter bulldog you could handle it.

Old Griz · « **Reply #8 on:** July 07, 2009, 11:42:49 AM »

Quote from: powhs on July 05, 2009, 12:44:31 PM

How much speed do you think they need to be effective ?

I think a standard load of about 900 fps would be fine even though you are gonna lose a bunch of that through a derringer with about 1/4" barrel travel. The wadcutters a great idea. Instead of pushing tissue around the bullet it will cut through it producing more bleeding.

Let us know how your experiment works out.

44 Man · « **Reply #9 on:** July 07, 2009, 03:13:15 PM »

Speaking of wadcutters, I have some 44 spl's loaded with 250 gr LFN bullets (almost a wadcutter) at only 750 fps. (3" bbl) Seems slow to me but I will attest that they just flat hammer what ever you point them at! Don't ever knock a slow, heavy, flat nosed bullet. They will do the job. 44 Man

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #10 on:** July 07, 2009, 04:14:29 PM »

Just shooting blanks would probably be effective!!!

Man, just looking down the bores of a .44 derringer must look like a pair of 16" batleship guns was pointing at you! If you shot at night, you'd have to close your eyes or wear sunglasses to avoid night blindness!

powhs · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2009, 05:21:22 PM »

Today I fired a 220gr WC (725fps) through a 12" bucket of water. It completely passed through and kept going. I then fired a 145gr 357 silvertip (1125fps) from a 2 inch S&W mod60. It was stuck in the far side of the bucket. I chronographed both loads this morning. Funny the 725fps lead wadcutter had better penatration.

Savage · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2009, 01:31:48 AM »

Funny the 725fps lead wadcutter had better penatration.
Mass/Momentum.
Savage

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2009, 03:11:05 AM »

I had one in 44 mag. even shot it some 50 times maybe . At best its a contact gun , push it up close and pull the trigger . For that it is great and i carried it for back up . the j frame s&w with 5 shots works better and the weight is about the same .
Most any round is ok in it no bbl/cyl gap to lose power is great . I had 2 in 357 mag one each in 44 mag and 45 colt . The colt was a bond snake charmer . with 410 shot shells it was still a close range gun on snakes .
I always figured it like i noted a contact gun good in a crowd and looked for a round that would expand and not go thru a target to easy as it might be used in a crowd . win. silver tip ammo seemed good for this in 44 mag.

Robert357 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 11, 2009, 09:26:39 AM »

I have a 44 Mag snub nose revolver. Sometimes I shoot 44 Special in it, when my wrist gets sore.

As to a 44 Special Derringer, I hope you do wrist exercises. My suggestion is that just about any standard loading will be "effective" if you can get your shots on target. I would think that hanging onto a derringers grip at the same place/angle would be the real challenge

If it were me, I would try low end or starting loadings of a variety of powders and bullet combinations until I had a load that I could shoot reliably and accurately at a close target (i.e. under 15 feet). The 44 Special has been around for about a century, so it is an effective round at just about any velocity.

Redtail1949 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 03, 2009, 07:44:00 PM »

44 special is a great round very effective and very deadly

Old Griz · « **Reply #16 on:** September 06, 2009, 11:03:20 PM »

Don't they make a derringer in .45-70? Talk about scary!

Merle · « **Reply #17 on:** October 11, 2009, 03:32:25 PM »

Quote from: powhs on July 05, 2009, 12:44:31 PM

I have a nice American 44spl Derringer lightweight. Nice short range pocket gun but really kicks. Been carring WW Silvertips. I want to load some 220gr waddcutters I have on hand. How much speed do you think they need to be effective ?

http://www.amderringer.com/m7.html

Perhaps you should look at the Federal lead semi-wadcutters. I'm not convinced you will get reliable expansion fron a derringer, and the Federal is a semi-wadcutter, so still has something to offer even if it doesn't expand.

mtmarfield · « **Reply #18 on:** November 05, 2009, 04:52:57 PM »

Greetings!

I picked up an ADC M-4 "Slab Side" in .44 Spl., about eight years ago, or so. I've really enjoyed it! At times, I've had Federal 200 Gr. SWCHP's in it, but generally, I just put my handloads into it: Speer Shot Capsules filled with #12 Shot { Great to 8' or 10'}; Ideal #429348, and a midrange charge of Unique { Also good in the older Charter BullDog}; and occasionally a RB load, although they're more for fun.
Recoil? Well, I believe that the weight and barrel length keep it from getting 'carried away' with itself. It has more rearward thrust than muzzle flip; probably a LOT less muzzle flip/angular momentum than a 2" barrel. Although I haven't yet chrono'ed any loads, I would guess that they would perform about as well as my 3" BullDog, perhaps better.
I think that Deringers are a kick, and look forward to the day when I can find a decent, affordable Remington O/U in .41SRF... And, a few "affordable" boxes of South American made cartridges!!!

Be Well!

M.T.Marfield