Graybeard, question about your FA M83 in .44 Magnum

[fetishfrog]

First off, great site. I stumbled on this after reading your M83 454 review from a few years back.

My question is, did you ever do the same level of load/accuracy testing with your .44 that you  did for the 454 you reviewed? If so, would you be able to publish it?

Thx, and again, great forum.

[Graybeard]

No not to nearly that extent. I did shoot a fair number of both factory and hand loads thru it tho. Whether I could actually put my hands on that I'm not sure. I do think I did a review of it and posted it but I can't recall for certain.

In .44 Magnum my loads have mostly been standardized a long time ago. They seem to shoot very accurately in every .44 Magnum I've owned. My most common load is 24.0 grains of W296/H110 and any 240 grain bullet I happen to have on hand. That most often is either my own cast bullets from a Lyman 429244 mould or a JHP most often the Hornady 240 XTP HP or the Nolser 240 JHP. I do also shoot the Sierra 240 JHC.

I rarely these days use bullets lighter and not all that many heavier. I'll try to see if I can round up some info for the M83 .44 Magnum. It's been around quite a long time and I dunno if I can really put together all the stuff I've tried in it or not. I am reasonably sure that somewhere here there is a review of it posted if I can just locate it. What detail I went into on it tho I can't recall.

I can state categorically that the above load with both Hornady and Nosler 240s shoot better than I am able to these days in that M83. I am rather shaky these days and honestly can't shoot from a rest as well as I used to do off hand. My health has just deteriorated too far and as a result I just don't shoot like I used to and don't see as well either.

[fetishfrog]

Thx for the reply.

When I searched the forum, the most recent thing I found on it was from years back when did some test shooting and the scope failed. Anyhow, if you manage to dig up anything that would be great.

Take care.

[Ken ONeill]

I doubt that one can do better than my old favorite silhouette and hunting loads of 23-24 gr. (depending upon the gun and velocity desired) of 296, CCI 350's and a 240 gr. Sierra JHC. I use 24 in my 2 83's.

[fetishfrog]

Thx for the reply Ken

Did you ever do any testing with factory offerings from Buffalo Bore, Grizzly, CorBon, etc? If so, how did they fare?

[Graybeard]

Grizzly will not chamber in my M83 tho it does chamber fine in S&W guns.

[Ken ONeill]

Fetishfrog,
No, I haven't. I haven't bought a round of factory ammo for a .44 Mag. since 1978.

[myronman3]

i did very well with a lyman 421429  and 17.5 grains of 2400.  man that thing would shoot with that load.   i ended up trading the gun to a guy.    i never told him my pet load.    we talked about a month after the trade to make sure everything was kosher and he was impressed with a load that he settled on, and anyone want to take a guess as to what that load was?  yup, a lyman 421429 over 17.5 grains of 2400.   that was beyond a doubt the most accurate handgun i ever fired. 

[Ken ONeill]

I also found 17.5/2400, CCI 300's and a 429421 to be excellent in a couple of 29's and SBH's years ago.
Just a bit slower and a bit less accurate at longer (150-200 yds) ranges than the loads I mention above.

[Axehandle]

Had my newest FA 83 44 on the range late Monday...  Had intended to pull out the chrono and even hang paper at 100 yards but it was to late in the day and I was tired when I got there... Had some 180, 265, and 300 grain jacketed bullets loaded with H110..  The 265s with 23 grains of H110 seemed to do the best at 25 yards...  I have a plan to shoot it at 100 yards soon and will bring pictures when I do... 

[fetishfrog]

Good shootin' Axe. Do I count 7 shots in that group at just over an inch?

[Axehandle]

The magic of a ragged hole is that you can claim that a whole bunch of rounds went through it..  
Truth is there are only 5 rounds in this group...