FA Model 83 44 Mag Loading

[rimfire]

Does anyone here have direct experience with 300 Gr XTP from a Model 83?  I have heard numerous comments about running out of case long before you stress this gun in a 44 mag, but I am curious what that really means to me.

I checked and the cylinder will accommodate the bullet seated to the bottom cannelure.  Assuming I apply a very good crimp [I have both the RCBS crimp die and the Lee Factory Crimp Die to experiment with] so no bullets creeps during recoil from prior rounds I would assume I will be okay seating this far out.

Now...the only loads I have in my manuals are considered acceptable with S&W Model 29...which I should be able to exceed with no issue on a FA.

I want to get all I can from a 300Gr XTP with either H110/W296 or VVN110 and work up a load for Moose, Elk and big hogs.   I am going to mark these loads with red fingernail polish on the bullet tip and store them in a sealed and appropriately marked container so they never make it into one of my buddies Smiths or other similar guns.

Note I use 240XTP over 24 grains of H110 and a CCI350 primer to get just over 1560 fps out of my 7.5" for Whitetails.  I love this gun.

[Graybeard]

I do NOT agree with the use of loads heavier than those listed in reputable manuals for the .44 mag no matter what gun it's used in. I also DO NOT allow the posting of loads over book on this site.

[MePlat]

Loading over max can be done by anyone.  The question is will you gain enough over a normal max for anything to tell the difference.
When you seat a bullet out longer than normal it takes more powder to get you back up to speed since you lower pressure by seating out.  The freedom arms model 83 will take it in stride since this is the same gun that uses 65000 psi 454 loads and the steel is thinner in the chamber walls than the 44 Mag version.
Lets say that you gain 100 fps by hot loading how much difference will it make anyway in the grand scheme of things?
If you want more power trade it for a 454 and download it to the hot side level that you want to push a 44 mag to.
If you must load up go slow and if the cases start to stick in clean cylinder of a FA gun you are running pretty high pressures and I would stop right there because as the cylinder gets dirty it will stick even more.
I wouldn't be afraid to do in a FA gun in 44 Mag.

[myronman3]

If you want more power trade it for a 454 and download it to the hot side level that you want to push a 44 mag to.

that says it all right there.   i dont care how strong a gun is.   stick to the intended levels when loading.  

alot of people think the big advantage to reloading is that you can hotrod your gun.   NOT.  the big advantage is being able to reach the power level you desire,  and in my case with my f.a. 44 mag, that is LESS than factory ammo.  

the 44 is quite capable of killing whitetails without being loaded to the gills.  so i load mine about mid range power level.  i am shooting a 245 grain swc, so 1100 fps is all i need.  anymore powder than that and all i am doing is punishing myself.   i shoot this load accurately, and a well placed bullet is most of what counts.  

if you need more than book velocities, get a different caliber.

[SteelEye]

Before I bought my 83 I was hot rodding a 625 getting 1500 fps with 185 gr Noslers.  It dawned on me that I was loading into the 44 mag range with a 45 ACP.  While I never had any pressure indicators I felt I was treading on dangerous ground.  At that point I popped for the FA over a 629 because I knew I wanted to shoot max loads.

If you want to go over the top, use a suitable gun.  After all, there is the 500 S&W and now the 460 S&W.  If that's not enough get a Contender in 45-70 or an Encore in your choice of rifle caliber.