44 bird shot

[hoggunner]

has anyone ever tried shooting clays with your 44 revolver. also would the bird shot be a good home defense round. also is there any way to reload these rounds. I am very interested  because my only revolver is a raging bull with ported barrel and I know you cant shoot them out of a ported , so theres my reason for a super black hawk or redhawk.

[teddy12b]

I have shot clay pigeons using the CCI snakshot out of a para ordnance P-14 45ACP.  It's a lot of fun, but also a challege.  You can't let them get very far away from you or you'll be out of luck.

[Flash]

I had a box of the Speer capsules loaded and gave them away. The spun due to the rifling and as soon as they exited the barrel, opened like an umbarella. Thompson Center produced Hot Shot barrels with those screw in chokes than have straight splines to stop the spinning and did it for a reason. Don't waste your money on the shot cartirdges but do buy a Super Blackhawk because you'll love it.

[SHOOTALL]

For self defense on snakes its good , or rambo rat you might have a chance . As far as anything larger , might not be good . Bullets are what they are for a reason .

[bulletstuffer]

Good for snakes or small critters at very close range.  No way for self defense.  Speer makes a capsule that you can load in the 44 with bird shot.  Good luck.

Bulletstuffer

[bluecow]

some years ago when i was more into handgun than longgun i thought that i would like to hunt grouse with my dan wesson.  got some shot cartridges put up a shoe box steped off agout 7 yrds.  SIX SHOTS AND NOT ONE TINY HOLE. nope if ya want a shotgun get one, although the judge look interesting

[coyotejoe]

I enjoy playing around with odd-ball handloads in my revolvers and have found some of limited usefulness but birdshot from a rifled barrel is an extremely short range proposition, feet not yards. The only way you could ever break a clay is to stand in front of the trap and shoot before you call "pull". I also would never consider bird shot from a revolver for self defense unless it is a muzzle contact shot. That goes for the Taurus "Judge" as well.
 I have however shot clays with my Super Comanche single shot .410 pistol. The choke tube stops the rotation of the shot load and delivers a really useful pattern. I find mine to be a good small game gun, as effective as a .410 long gun out to 25 yards.  With the 3" shell, Winchester loads five pellets of triple ought buck and that would indeed be an effective short range defensive load.

[SHOOTALL]

in a 38/357 now ya can put 2 buck shot in a capsule and the hang togather for 15 or more yards

[45-70.gov]

i  like 2 000 in  38/357
or  2 round balls [125grains each] .433inch   9 grains unigue

speer shot capsules with  #9 shot
15 ft  max  range   10 is better
great  for  things at your  feet or  in   a room

for self defence  at 10 ft  a face shot should  help [can  you say law suit]
but  most  reports are negative about their effectiveness

[sbhg]

has anyone ever tried shooting clays with your 44 revolver. also would the bird shot be a good home defense round. also is there any way to reload these rounds. I am very interested  because my only revolver is a raging bull with ported barrel and I know you cant shoot them out of a ported , so theres my reason for a super black hawk or redhawk.

i dont know about the porting, but this is how ive loaded shot . w/ these i could throw an empty alum. pop can as high in the air as i can, and hit it 3 times before it was too far away to hit, (each shot would push it higher in the air and farther away from me)
.44 mag. case
standard pistol primer
4.0 gr. of red dot- too much powder seems to open any pattern it has.
177 grains by weight of 71/2 shot, thats all i had.
1- powder
2-1 wad ,cut wads out of paper milk cartons, w/ a sharpened .44 mag. case
3-grease wad, i used a denim wad soaked w/ crisco (dont know if its necessary)
4-shot
5-2 milkcartin wads, crimped in place and sealed w/ some fingernail polish, to help hold them together during recoil
Lee, makes a complete set of powder dippers, i used the .5cc for powder= 4.0gr. of reddot.
1.9cc= the 177gr. weight of 71/2 shot.
they are fun, trying to shoot yer single action as fast as you can to keep the can in the air.

[Hank08]

Lots of ways to load them but just a gas check UP over the powder and a gas check DOWN over the shot works about as well as any and the 2 gas checks shoot pretty close to point of aim.
H08

[Autorim]

Make damn sure you have eye protection. Small shot can rebound from objects at close range.

[LONGTOM]

I have loaded hundreds of rounds in 44, 44-40 & 45 colt.
I never used the 38/357s although I have loaded them for some friends.
The rifling will open the pattern but they are still effective on snakes and rats out to about 20' to 30'.
I have never seen a problem with ported barrels.
I like to use #8 shot and keep loads on the low side which helps keep the pattern together somewhat.
For self defence I can tell you that a shot to the face will stop anyone.
I wouldn't rely on it but if that is what I had at the time I sure wouldn't hesitate to use it.
As far as the gas checks, I was using these in 45 colt long before Speer started offering the capsules.
Just don't use them in a building.
I don't care much for flying gas checks and they are a little hard on the walls of a metal shed.
A friend has an old 3 screw Blackhawk in 44 that has virtually no rifling left in it he uses and it does a very good job out to around 30'.
I have never tried to shoot clays but I have taken a few squirrel at close range with a Blackhawk in 45colt and my old 10" TC HOT SHOT barrel does a good job.


LONGTOM

[superdown]

I tried the 45colt cci shot shells for grouse in my bisley and they are completely useless both occasions were i had shot opportunity the distance was way less than 30ft it didn't seem to phase them other than from the noise of the shot.

[LONGTOM]

Never tried any shotshell on birds.



LONGTOM

[leather5to1]

I just pattern tested 44 cci shotshells at 15 feet.  The pattern with 7 shot opened up big enough for a clay to pass through.  My judge with 2.5 chamber has about the same pattern but bigger due to the 1/2 ounce of shot in it. I would never use either for a self defense round against any mammal, I do however keep my judge stocked with 000 and on the bedstand.  I could have any caliber laying there and feel best about that round. 
You are right about not shooting shot in a ported barrel, you could get shrapnel back at you.

[SHOOTALL]

I don't have a Judge , never shot one but did have a Bond derringer 3 in. bbl in 45/410 and the winchester 5 or 3 buck shot loads wouldn't go Thru. 1/2 inch plywood at 10 yards . Has anyone tried a penetration test with a judge ? They have more bbl. I got rid of the derringer because of that .

[leather5to1]

I played around with the 000 enough to feel comfortable with it.  I don't remember penetration, but I'll take it out tomorrow and get some info, I think I have at least 50 rounds.  I know the penetration isn't on par with a lot, but that's what I like about it.  I don't have to worry about it going through the walls of my house in a defense situation.

[Hank08]

Anyone else have one of these, I know they ain't pretty but with #6 shot it does great on grouse
and the .22 barrel does too.  I've had this one for close to 20 yrs.  Was about $75 then.  Haven't seen any with the .22 barrel for awhile.  Great little packing pistol.
H08