.44 Mag 240 grain LFN

[cherokee75]

I have a lot of 240 grain LFN bullets my father in law made using 8 grains of Bullseye.  Can anyone tell me what the approximate MV would be for this load.  I am shooting a 7 1/2 Redhawk.  Just seeing if this would be an acceptable whitetail load within my capabilities which with open sights would probably be thirty yards and under much like my bow range.  I know there are better loads but this is what I have on hand and it I am basically going to have it on stand with me if a doe comes close enough otherwise the slug gun gets the nod.

[Mikey]

Cherokee75:  the heaviest Bullseye powder charge I see for the 44 mag, with any bullet, is 7 grains and that is with lighter weight bullets than the 240 gn cast. 

If I were to predict muzzle velocity it would be somewhere around the 900-950'/sec mark but the pressures would be much higher I believe and not worth the effort or risk. 

I am sure your Redhawk would stand to the pressure but I would sure want to ehar from someone else who has loaded and shot that load as to what sort of pressure sighns they have seen with the fired cases and if using cast, what sort of leading you might see in the barrel.

Bullseye powder, as you may know, is about the fastest burning powder there is and heavy charges (above recommendation) may cause noticeable leading in the barrel and may not result in great accuracy. 

My real concern is for the pressures you would get.  My older Lyman manual shows a max charge of 6.0 grains of Bullseye under a 250 gn gas checked bullet - you are using a lighter bullet but with a full additional grain of fast burning powder.

I would hold on for a bit until someone with experience with that load provides some feedback.  jmtcw.

[Tonk]

Cherokee75.......I don't wish to rain on your parade but MIKEY or "moderator" is correct about that pressure build up in your loaded bullets using Bullseye powder. First I would use a bullet puller and re-weigh several of the charges in those cases. Then if it is over 6 grains per case, you will be facing the pulling of a lot of bullets. This is the only SAFE way to go about what you have already loaded up with Bullsyeye powder.

I looked up in my Lyman 45th edition (reloading manual) copy right is 1970 and it gives a 250 grain lead bullet with gas-check at 858fps using Bullseye powder, in a "MAX LOAD" of 6 grains of powder. Page 178.
Now to shoot any of that loaded ammo, is an accident waiting to happen, just so you know ok.

[Default]

A good friend of mine asked if i could help him take his 11 year old daughter out for her first time to shoot a rifle .. He wanted her to learn to use his 8mm mauser ( used to be mine and is in original condition) I told him sure that i would be proud to help her for her first time shooting , But that the mauser wasnt the right gun to use for her first time hunting ( youth hunt this year)
 So I offered to load up some lower level 44 mag loads that be managable out of the H&R Handi rifle and probably a good chance to play with something other then my normal 240 hard cast RNFP over a max charge of 296 .. After some home work ( i keep over 3 resources available for reloading perposes to cross refference data) I ended up playing with HP-38 ,Win 231 and Bullseye ..

 The hp-38 did great and real mild on the recoil , The 231 didnt fare to badly but didnt leave me or my buddies kid impressed on accuracy from the SBH or the handi .. The bullseye max charge did excellent and she was ok with the recoil level ( this load didnt do as well out of the SBH) The max load of bullseye from my Lee second edition was 8.9 grains for a lead 240gr slug .. I didnt observe any high pressure indicaters.
 And as always is my practice I shot everything i loaded up for this trip first for safety and karma and then for accuracy and scope adjustments..

  Not wanting to contrdict anyone but this is something i find alot through out the many resources i have available to me Contradictions .. Not to step on anyones toes by any means .. Just sharing my intel and findings on this wt. bullet with the listed max charge of said powder out of both a rifle and a pistol


     As always be safe and work up towards max levels

       Default

    Update: Jus surfed over to alliants sight and you guys are right they list 6.0 grains .. That is interesting ..

[Sweetwater]

Another point added to Default's posting (which I do concur with) is bullet profile. NONE of the manuals I have available have any data on a LFN. Therefore, the manuals are guides and safe reloading practices demand starting low and working up. IF these were loads that my Dad had made, I would know that he had started low and worked up to a safe load for the gun they were to be used in. With my 41's and 45's, Cast Performance data sheets included with their LFN's are off the charts of my reference materials. Meaning the manuals are an ok place to start, but there is a lot of room to move up should one want to, ever watchful of pressure signs.

IF your Father in law followed the "start low and work up" for this load development in YOUR revolver, than you have reasonable grounds for believing they are ok. Otherwise, as was posted, you probably should do some load development of your own. Better to be safe than sorry, and it's about being safe.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Graybeard]

The hp-38 did great and real mild on the recoil , The 231 didnt fare to badly but didnt leave me or my buddies kid impressed on accuracy from the SBH or the handi ..

 ???That's almost funny seeing as how both are the same powder like W296/H110. The only difference in them is normal lot to lot variances. The next batch of HP38 is likely to be just as different from the one you used as was the lot of W231 you had. 

[kiddekop]

I have a lot of 240 grain LFN bullets my father in law made using 8 grains of Bullseye.  Can anyone tell me what the approximate MV would be for this load.  I am shooting a 7 1/2 Redhawk.  Just seeing if this would be an acceptable whitetail load within my capabilities which with open sights would probably be thirty yards and under much like my bow range.  I know there are better loads but this is what I have on hand and it I am basically going to have it on stand with me if a doe comes close enough otherwise the slug gun gets the nod.

I just checked on line for the Alliant Pistol & Revolver Loads : lead 240gr GC bullet Bullseye 9.8gr=1175fps with 34,400psi.same info as in my 1990 Reloaders' Guide for Hercules Smokeless Powders!

[Sweetwater]

"I just checked the on line alliant reloaders guide for a 240gr lead bullet recommended is 6gr of bullseye 894fps"

There is a world of difference between that bullet and a LFN. That listed load might make a good starting place for the LFN. The difference is available space inside the case with the bullet loaded. LFN's leave more case capacity than most other bullet profiles in the handgun realm.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[kiddekop]

"I just checked the on line alliant reloaders guide for a 240gr lead bullet recommended is 6gr of bullseye 894fps"

There is a world of difference between that bullet and a LFN. That listed load might make a good starting place for the LFN. The difference is available space inside the case with the bullet loaded. LFN's leave more case capacity than most other bullet profiles in the handgun realm.

Regards,
Sweetwater

Depends which site one goes to with Alliant Bullseye Powder Data I just learned one has 894fps lite loads & the other has 1175fps 34,400psi data with the 240gr lead GC bullet

[Sweetwater]

"Depends which site one goes to with Alliant Bullseye Powder Data I just learned one has 894fps lite loads & the other has 1175fps 34,400psi data with the 240gr lead GC bullet"

It is still not an LFN and that's where the rubber meets the road. You will not find data for an LFN in any of your standard manuals or websites. It's about space availability inside the case and an LFN provides more space available for powder than the other bullet profiles. You need to get away from basic reloading and get into advanced handloading to get the benefit of the LFN. IF you are going to use the manuals as a law instead of a guide, then you have to stay with the bullets described in the manual. The LFN is not in the manual. With the LFN, you have to get outside the box. The manual is a good place to start your journey. Your weapon will determine where your journey ends.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[kiddekop]

"Depends which site one goes to with Alliant Bullseye Powder Data I just learned one has 894fps lite loads & the other has 1175fps 34,400psi data with the 240gr lead GC bullet"

It is still not an LFN and that's where the rubber meets the road. You will not find data for an LFN in any of your standard manuals or websites. It's about space availability inside the case and an LFN provides more space available for powder than the other bullet profiles. You need to get away from basic reloading and get into advanced handloading to get the benefit of the LFN. IF you are going to use the manuals as a law instead of a guide, then you have to stay with the bullets described in the manual. The LFN is not in the manual. With the LFN, you have to get outside the box. The manual is a good place to start your journey. Your weapon will determine where your journey ends.

Regards,
Sweetwater

I've loaded several cast performance bullets for my  15 inch barreled TC Encore 454 casull handgun  but never got time to use them for pigs,now lead ammo is banned in the CALIF condor zone where the majority of pigs are located.

[kiddekop]

"Depends which site one goes to with Alliant Bullseye Powder Data I just learned one has 894fps lite loads & the other has 1175fps 34,400psi data with the 240gr lead GC bullet"

It is still not an LFN and that's where the rubber meets the road. You will not find data for an LFN in any of your standard manuals or websites. It's about space availability inside the case and an LFN provides more space available for powder than the other bullet profiles. You need to get away from basic reloading and get into advanced handloading to get the benefit of the LFN. IF you are going to use the manuals as a law instead of a guide, then you have to stay with the bullets described in the manual. The LFN is not in the manual. With the LFN, you have to get outside the box. The manual is a good place to start your journey. Your weapon will determine where your journey ends.

Regards,
Sweetwater

I have LFN bullet load data from the original owners of cast performance bullets covering my TC encore 15" pistol in 454 casull and  my Ruger BH 45 colt.

[Hook686]

The Alliant online data currently shows a MAX of 6 grains of Bullseye with a 240 grain LSWC, and does not show Bullseye for 240 grain GDHP, nor 300 grain UCSP.

I have printouts I did from the Alliant website a few years ago and those show MAX load of 8.9 grains of Bullseye for a 240 grain JSP bullet, and a MAX of 7.5 grains of Bullseye with a 300 grain HP/XTP.

I find it interesting that the current Alliant web page shows for the 300 grain Speer UCSP a MAX load of 19 grains of 2400, while the older data from the web site listed a MAX of 15.9 grains of 2400 for the 300 grain HP/XTP.

Has the Alliant site gotten more conservative, or correcting of previous erroneous data ? I do not know. I looked at a few other current web page loads for the 240 grain Gold Dot GDHP:

MAX load 10.3 grains of Unique
MAX load 13.7 grains Blue Dot
Max load 21   grains of 2400

and compared those numbers to the older Alliant web site data for a 240 grain JSP bullet:

MAX load 10.3 grains of Unique
MAX load of 14.4 grains of Blue Dot
MAX load of 18.7 grains of 2400

It seems to me that some numbers were increased, some decreased and some remained the same. I do not use Bullseye in .44 magnum any longer and would be really cautious using it at all.