Untested revolver, untested load

[AtlLaw]

Well, here I sit.  After years... okay, decades, of carrying my S&W M-49 "Bodyguard" as my CW, I decided it just wasn't enough gun (regardless of the fact that I have never drawn it from it's holster in all that time!).  Anyway, after a fruitless search for a 44 Spl. Smith M-696, I just went ahead and bought a 2 inch Taurus Tracker medium frame (5 shot) 44 mag.  Joyously I loaded up some 240 gr. Hornady swagged SWC's ahead of 7.2 gr. of Unique sparked by CCI LP primers, figuring it ought to approximate the 44 Spl. factory stuff and I could work up some 240/250 Keith bullets at around 900 fps when I can get some range time.

Then I got to thinking (bad habit of mine); what in the world am I doing carrying a revolver I have never shot, loaded with ammunition I have never tested?!  Not to mention that the primers I used are some I've had laying around for many, many years.  So, my new 44 sits on my nightstand, and the Bodyguard is still in my pocket.

Am I being to cautious?

[Mikey]

Nope!  In fact I think it would be unwise to depend on something so untested. 

I don't undestand why would would doubt your 38 Spl.  The Bodyguard, whether in airweight or steel is an excellent choice for personal defense.  The 38 spl is time tested and more than adequate for personal defense.  You can always go larger but if you doubt the 38 spl, or your ability to use it effectively, why would you think you would be that much more effective (accurate under stress) with a bigger gun?? 

The load you described - a 240 gn slug over 7.2 of Unique, is a max load from my Speer handbook at 800'/sec.  My Hornady handbook lists 6.8 gns of Unique as max, with 800'/sec from a Charter Arms Bulldog.  I'm glad you haven't tried those loads yet.  HTH.  Mikey.

[AtlLaw]

Hey Mikey!
I tend to agree with you on depending on an untested combination of weapon and ammo.  Then I think of years ago when we qualified every year with 38 spl. wadcutters loaded by range personnel then loaded up our S&W M-10's with whatever was the department issue of the day.  Most officers never fired their service revolver with that ammo.  But, at least we knew our revolvers worked.

I'm sure that after years of association you will come to understand that I take very little seriously, least of all myself.      My comment about the Bodyguard was a tongue-in-cheek excuse to scratch an "I want a new pistol" itch.  Oh well, at least my wife bought it and that's the important part.   

I would agree with you concerning the load except for the fact that the revolver is a 44 Mag., not a 44 Spl.     I wanted a Spl. (S&W) but used ones are SCARCE!  And NIB ones are non-existent unless you want to pay the ridiculous price Smith wants for their reintroduced line of 44's.  So I got a Taurus.  Never had one before, in my day they were considered Saturday Nite Specials and no real pistolaro would own one.  I know GreyBeard will disagree, but many folks have good things to say about the current production Taurus weapons so I thought I'd find out for myself.  'sides, if I don't like it I always got my Bodyguard!   

[coyotejoe]

I'd run a couple of hundred of those loads through the revolver before trusting it. All shots should be fired double action, just as they would be in a serious situation. I've owned four Taurus revolvers all of which tended to misfire in DA mode. The two Tracker models, one .45 ACP and one .45 Long Colt were the worst in that respect.  Also be aware that with light weight revolvers the sharp recoil tends to pull bullets of unfired rounds in the cylinder. This is especially troublesome with heavy lead bullets. For light snubbies it is better to run 180 or 200 grain JHPs with a heavy crimp. Fire a few and check the unfired rounds to see if the bullet has crept forward.

[AtlLaw]

I'd run a couple of hundred of those loads through the revolver before trusting it. All shots should be fired double action, just as they would be in a serious situation.

That sounds like a good idea to me.  I think I'll work up a load I like with these Hornadys and do just that!  I've got 200 of them anyway!   

I've owned four Taurus revolvers all of which tended to misfire in DA mode.

WOW!!    That is NOT good!  What caused it?  Did Taurus make it right?  That is unacceptable and I would consider those weapons worthless!

Also be aware that with light weight revolvers the sharp recoil tends to pull bullets of unfired rounds in the cylinder. This is especially troublesome with heavy lead bullets.

I'm a little concerned about that so I made sure the rounds I loaded had a good crimp.  I'll watch for it though.

For light snubbies it is better to run 180 or 200 grain JHPs with a heavy crimp.

In my younger days I was a fan of lite bullets and high velocity but now I have come around to the heavy and slow way of thinking.  Hence the ideal load in my mind was a 240/250 gr. Keith at somewhere around 900fps.  But I have heard/seen/read/imagined some good things about Speer Gold Dots that made me want to give them a try.  Maybe the next 200...

[coyotejoe]

Sounds like you got it covered, good luck with it and have fun!!

[AtlLaw]

I try to have fun every day!  And also learn something new.
But I'm real interested in your experience with those Taurus'.  Was the cause of the FTF problem ever discovered?   

[Savage]

The only Taurus revolver I have ever owned is a mdl 94. I have had no problems with it, but have only a couple hundred rounds thru it in the past 10 yrs. Speaking from experience with DA revolvers in general, misfires in the DA mode are caused by the shorter hammer fall compared to SA mode. This can frequently be fixed by smooting things up a bit in the lockwork, and/or new springs.
As for the original topic, I wouldn't carry any untested weapon, not even a Glock or revolver.
Savage

[SHOOTALL]

Crying out loud man !
the glass is half full !
don't doubt yourself , you have just displayed good horse sense ! you did a positive thing to insure a longer life for yourself in the event someone else has other plans .
Your first mistake was thinking you may have made a mistake in the first place !

friendly advice - i have the mod. 38 air weight , tried ( read wasted $$$$$$$$$$$ ) many others and always came back to it !

[AtlLaw]

misfires in the DA mode are caused by the shorter hammer fall compared to SA mode. This can frequently be fixed by smooting things up a bit in the lockwork, and/or new springs.
Savage

Ah yes... that sounds reasonable.  And the only way you could find that out is by shootin' the gun a bunch.  Looks like I'm going to have to go to an indoor pistol range.  I hate to do that since I pay so much to belong to my gun club, which is a 45 minute drive away, but at least I could get some trigger time in when I have a few minutes.  I'll bet those new fangled transfer bars cause problems also.  Somehow a hammer with no fireing pin attached to it just doesn't look right...

Crying out loud man !
Your first mistake was thinking you may have made a mistake in the first place !

I know, I know...  You'd think that after all these years I'd just accept the fact I don't make mistakes... well, there was that time in the 60's in California, but she ... uh... never mind... off topic. 

i have the mod. 38 air weight , tried ( read wasted $$$$$$$$$$$ ) many others and always came back to it !

My Bodyguard is a steel model I had Armorloy'ed - anybody remember that stuff? - years ago, and I agree with you.  It's well made, easily concealable, accurate and the .38 Spl. is a fine round; especially with the current choices in ammunition.  Heck, S&W M-36's were good enough for our detectives for years!

[coyotejoe]

Well the issue with the Taurus revolvers goes back quit a few years. First I had was an M-66, IIRC, six shot .357 mag with 2 1/2 barrel and adjustable sights. It was quite accurate, impressive for a snubby and never failed to fire in single action but would just now and then fail in double action.  I then became enamoured of the tracker five shot .45 ACP. It nearly always failed to fire double action and occasionally even when thumb cocked. I disassembled it and smoothed and polished and even replace the mainspring with a heavier spring with no improvement. I theorized that their flimsy little moon clips were springy enough to cushion the pin blow. Taurus ACP revolvers cannot use auto rim brass because their moon clip is thinner than those for Colt or S&W revolvers, thus the headspace is too tight for Auto Rim brass so I  got another Tracker in .45 Colt. Same problem, two or three misfires out of five in double action mode. I never returned then to Taurus because I had already heard about their poor customer service. By then I was pretty much off Taurus but I was persuaded to try one of the CIA .357 snubbies. It only rarely misfired but still I didn't trust it and the accuracy of that one was poor as well so I just said "four strikes and Taurus is out". It is a shame because they do offer some guns no one else makes but I just don't trust them. If you do all your shooting from a cocked hammer it may be OK but for a defensive revolver double action is what counts and I don't feel I can depend on them. I hope you have better luck, it stands to reason they can't all suck.

[Mohawk]

  I think the .38 does just fine as a self defense cartridge. I have carried one for duty and for personal protection when not on duty. When NYPD were taught tactics, even their issue 158gr lead round nose load became extemely effective. I personlly know  one that was involved in 6 successful shootings, in five separate incidents, with 8 shots fired with his issue model 10 with the above load. Doesn't sound too bad to me.