44 mag bullet test

[Rick]

I don't get any powder residue but I clean and re-lube the cylinder after about 100 rounds due to bullet lube build up. Once that lube cools & stiffens it will build up and can interfere with chambering, will also make the cylinder rotation stiffer. But . . . I do not touch the bore. If a revolver is shooting great don't fix it, leave the bore alone. It needs no brush, no oil, no patch. It needs left alone.

 

[Brad]

Lube build up can be a real bear. Some lubes are worse than others. Sticky residue is a pet peeve of mine.

The cylinder will get cleaned often, bore won't. That won't be an issue, I hate cleaning guns. Cylinders are the worst to clean but if I must.....

 

[Rick]

Only takes a few minutes to clean the cylinder. I use a nylon brush a little over size for the chamber, soak in bore cleaner and put brush in a battery drill motor, less than a minute in each hole. Nylon tooth brush on bearing surface and ratchet, Q tips in the center. Tight paper towel run through all holes. Lube and install.

 

[Brad]

I thought I was the only one who used a cordless drill to spin brushes in the chambers.
I still hate the task. Not as bad as trimming brass but close.

 

[Brad]

 

[Brad]

Tom says the gang won't be happy, nose is too long.
I will do some drawing tonight ifbtine allows and see if a different angle helps with that.
I'm thinking 30-40 degrees instead of the current 20 will be better.

Any comments on how the change in angle will alter dowrange accuracy and at what point I can expect to see a drop in accuracy? At some point it becomes essentially a wad cutter.

The lower nose will also let me increase the band in front of the crimp groove to fill the throats.

Rick sure is a task master. A knowledgeable one but strict none the less. I'm learning lots.

 

[Brad]

For consideration a compairison between a .3 in and .25 in meplat on a 20° truncated cone nose.
I had Ben measure his SSK 44 mag bullet. It has a slightly shallower angle, around 18 degrees and a .28 meplat.
The truncated cone nose is .182 long with a .3 meplat and .25 on a .25 meplat.
I think a .25 meplat would work well. I could have .23 in drive band above the crimp for bearing surface and still get decent downrange accuracy.
Comments?

And thanks to Michael, my daughters boyfriend for some helpful design work. The 30 degree angle designs just look too flat in the nose to be good downrange.

 

[Ian]

I'm no expert on the TCs but I can tell you that the Lee 45-230-TC bullet is stable and groups well out to 200 yards (as far as I've shot it), although it is subsonic the whole way so I don't know how it would handle transonic buffeting, and also all my testing was with 16"-twist barrels. I think it is a good nose angle to copy as well as meplat vs diameter proportions.

I would spec some draft in the nose (just a little) and a tiny bit of radius in the edge of the meplat.

 

[Brad]

Radius on meplat is easy to have Tom add. Define draft in the nose. You mean a slight radius instead of a straight line?

Josh has agreed to help with some drawings to let Tom make moulds instead of dealing with me! I will send Tom a final drawing for him to look over. He has been a good sport with all this.

 

[Ian]

Instead of a 90° flat point, have Tom bring it back from the minimum .180" flat point on a very shallow angle so the meplat is slightly convex, or more technically a VERY short truncated cone. Not essential by any means but it worked well on one bullet I had him design (which is no longer cataloged because it was an experiment that proved one of my cylinder-throat-rider ideas to be not nearly as good as I'd hoped). Draft will help bullets shuck from the mould a little easier and won't affect much else.

 

[Brad]

Ok. So the nose isn't flat but rather has a 1-2° taper to either edge. Makes perfect sense.
Like his beveled lube grooves it should help bullets drop easier and I do like that.

 

[gman]

Compare to this one.

 

[Brad]

Very close to what I'm after. Make the drive bands on body a bit smaller to move crimp groove down. Make meplat a bit larger so taper starts closer to nose. Both of these makes for more full diameter nose in front of crimp. Why? To get more full diameter bullet into the throat to start and keep bullet supported.
Weight is gonna be higher than I wanted but it is what it is.

 

[Ian]

Had similar weight problems with the 188G. In order to get the nose the length and shape it needed to be and still fill the neck of a .308, it had to be over the 175 grain goal.

 

[Rick]

Both of these makes for more full diameter nose in front of crimp. Why? To get more full diameter bullet into the throat to start and keep bullet supported.

Interesting, he does listen.
,

 

[Brad]

Interesting, he does listen.
,

I do listen. I also ask lots of questions to make sure I understand exactly what is meant.
We are close Rick, very close. Just a matter of final details.

 

[freebullet]

Umm, went from -gunna test a bunch of bullets to designing a custom mold. Guess I should've seen that coming.

 

[Brad]

Umm, went from -gunna test a bunch of bullets to designing a custom mold. Guess I should've seen that coming.

Blame Rick, I do.
He said those bullets weren't the solution and I listened.

 

[Ian]

You didn't listen to him about the Magma....

This is all about saving money, right?

 

[Rick]

Money? it's about long range groups.