Many years ago, in the search of “the perfect handgun hunting bullet”, I sent a 2-cavity RCBS mould for a 44-300-SWC GC off to Erik Ohlen to be converted to drop HP bullets. Not just any HP, but a very specific design, with HP cavities that were .150” diameter at the mouth, .250” deep, with a 7 degree taper, and with rounded tips on the HP pins (NOT flat tips). The idea was to have a shallow HP cavity that would promote expansion/flattening early in the wound channel, but to limit any weight loss due to fragmentation by keeping the HP cavity fairly shallow, and maximizing the amount of bullet metal behind the cavity to ensure deep penetration (and hopefully exit). Erik made exactly what I wanted. I immediately cast some up and loaded them over a stiff charge of Winchester 296 (because that was how my brain was wired at the time), and took them out and tried them in several of my favorite .44 Magnum revolvers. Accuracy was good, and velocities ran 1300-1400 fps (depending on barrel length). I took them out and shot a few feral hogs with them, and when I placed the shots well, was pleased with their performance (I made a couple of bad shots that you can’t hold against the bullet design, just my poor shot placement). When placed in the heart/lung region behind the shoulder of a broadside 175-325 lb feral hog, these 297 grain cast HPs expanded well, punched all the way through, exited, and the hog expired very quickly. I have been very pleased with this bullet design, and in the years since I have hunted with that load in revolvers from S&W, Ruger, and Freedom Arms, as well as my Marlin 1894 levergun.
Picture of .44 HP and loaded round.
Many times over the years John Taffin has reported (both in his writings and in our personal conversations), that one of the most accurate sixgun loads he’s ever shot is .45 Colt, loaded with the Keith SWC over 20.0 grains of 4227. When a wise man like John speaks, I have found that it’s a good idea to listen. When I tried out John’s load, I found that it left a little bit of unburnt powder behind in the barrel, but that accuracy was every bit as good as John had reported. In my own personal handloading experience, I have found that 4227 doesn’t necessarily produce top velocities in revolver cartridges, but that accuracy is excellent, especially with heavy for caliber bullets (e.g. 180s in .357 Magnum).
One evening I was pondering this in front of the fireplace, with the dogs curled up at my feet and a glass of fine old whisky in my hand, and the words “heavy for caliber” kept echoing in my mind. It occurred to me that perhaps the reason I was seeing the unburnt powder in John’s load was simply because the bullet wasn’t heavy enough to put up enough resistance to let the powder burn completely. It also occurred to me that the .45 Colt (when loaded to “Ruger only” pressure for hunting loads) and .44 Magnum are very similar cartridges. By this time in my life, I had also learned that .45 Colt cast HP loads at 1100 fps did a fine job on feral hogs, expanding well and killing quickly. As all of this was simmering in my brain, it suddenly occurred to me that I had never tried to work up any loads for the .44 Magnum 297 grain HP in the 1100 fps range, I had only worked with it at full-throttle at about 1375 fps. What’s more, this was an opportunity to test my “heavy for caliber” hypothesis with 4227. I went back and re-read some of Taffin’s articles, cross-checked some published loading data, and put together a plan. The next day, I assembled some .44 Magnum test loads with the 297 grain cast HP sized .430” (for use in a 7 ½” Ruger SBH) and loaded over 18.5 grains of 4227, sparked with a CCI 350 primer (aiming for about 1100 fps). Accuracy was very good, and the bore was virtually spotless (very little unburnt powder). Velocity was 1151 fps out of a 7 ½” Ruger Super Blackhawk. Pleased with these results, I made a mental note to keep this combination in mind for my next hog hunt.
You know how sometimes a concept has to hit you like a 2x4 right between the eyes before you realize that it might be a good idea? Well, a few weeks later I was digging through the mould box, looking for something or another, and I stumbled across a box containing the RCBS .45-300-SWC-GC mould. I bought this mould 20+ years ago and used it in a loading project for a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull that I had back then, and hadn’t used this mould since. In fact, I had completely forgotten that I owned it. I pulled the mould out of the box, and as I was looking it over it occurred to me that this was the .45 caliber big brother to the HP I had Erik make all those years ago. I simply could not resist the urge to have a matched set! Off it went, with the same instructions as before, and once again Erik made exactly what I wanted. Bullets were cast from recovered range scrap (BHN about 9), were sized .452”, and once again loaded over 18.5 grains of 4227, this time in .45 Colt cases (CCI 350 primers). Once again, accuracy was very good, and the barrel was shiny and virtually spotless (very few grains of unburnt powder). Velocities averaged 1051 fps from my pet 7 ½” .45 Colt SBH. Cast this soft, these HPs should expand down to about 900 fps or so, making this combination look like a real winner.
Picture of .45 HP and loaded round.
There are several conclusions that I can draw from this little project:
1. Erik Ohlen does excellent work.
2. These two bullet designs are good accurate hunting bullets.
3. 4227 is quickly becoming one of my all-round favorite powders (especially for heavy bullet revolver loads).
4. 1100 fps is a very good velocity for cast HP hunting loads.
And 5. Now I have a tough decision as to which one to use for my next hog hunt!
Picture of .44 HP and loaded round.
Many times over the years John Taffin has reported (both in his writings and in our personal conversations), that one of the most accurate sixgun loads he’s ever shot is .45 Colt, loaded with the Keith SWC over 20.0 grains of 4227. When a wise man like John speaks, I have found that it’s a good idea to listen. When I tried out John’s load, I found that it left a little bit of unburnt powder behind in the barrel, but that accuracy was every bit as good as John had reported. In my own personal handloading experience, I have found that 4227 doesn’t necessarily produce top velocities in revolver cartridges, but that accuracy is excellent, especially with heavy for caliber bullets (e.g. 180s in .357 Magnum).
One evening I was pondering this in front of the fireplace, with the dogs curled up at my feet and a glass of fine old whisky in my hand, and the words “heavy for caliber” kept echoing in my mind. It occurred to me that perhaps the reason I was seeing the unburnt powder in John’s load was simply because the bullet wasn’t heavy enough to put up enough resistance to let the powder burn completely. It also occurred to me that the .45 Colt (when loaded to “Ruger only” pressure for hunting loads) and .44 Magnum are very similar cartridges. By this time in my life, I had also learned that .45 Colt cast HP loads at 1100 fps did a fine job on feral hogs, expanding well and killing quickly. As all of this was simmering in my brain, it suddenly occurred to me that I had never tried to work up any loads for the .44 Magnum 297 grain HP in the 1100 fps range, I had only worked with it at full-throttle at about 1375 fps. What’s more, this was an opportunity to test my “heavy for caliber” hypothesis with 4227. I went back and re-read some of Taffin’s articles, cross-checked some published loading data, and put together a plan. The next day, I assembled some .44 Magnum test loads with the 297 grain cast HP sized .430” (for use in a 7 ½” Ruger SBH) and loaded over 18.5 grains of 4227, sparked with a CCI 350 primer (aiming for about 1100 fps). Accuracy was very good, and the bore was virtually spotless (very little unburnt powder). Velocity was 1151 fps out of a 7 ½” Ruger Super Blackhawk. Pleased with these results, I made a mental note to keep this combination in mind for my next hog hunt.
You know how sometimes a concept has to hit you like a 2x4 right between the eyes before you realize that it might be a good idea? Well, a few weeks later I was digging through the mould box, looking for something or another, and I stumbled across a box containing the RCBS .45-300-SWC-GC mould. I bought this mould 20+ years ago and used it in a loading project for a Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull that I had back then, and hadn’t used this mould since. In fact, I had completely forgotten that I owned it. I pulled the mould out of the box, and as I was looking it over it occurred to me that this was the .45 caliber big brother to the HP I had Erik make all those years ago. I simply could not resist the urge to have a matched set! Off it went, with the same instructions as before, and once again Erik made exactly what I wanted. Bullets were cast from recovered range scrap (BHN about 9), were sized .452”, and once again loaded over 18.5 grains of 4227, this time in .45 Colt cases (CCI 350 primers). Once again, accuracy was very good, and the barrel was shiny and virtually spotless (very few grains of unburnt powder). Velocities averaged 1051 fps from my pet 7 ½” .45 Colt SBH. Cast this soft, these HPs should expand down to about 900 fps or so, making this combination look like a real winner.
Picture of .45 HP and loaded round.
There are several conclusions that I can draw from this little project:
1. Erik Ohlen does excellent work.
2. These two bullet designs are good accurate hunting bullets.
3. 4227 is quickly becoming one of my all-round favorite powders (especially for heavy bullet revolver loads).
4. 1100 fps is a very good velocity for cast HP hunting loads.
And 5. Now I have a tough decision as to which one to use for my next hog hunt!
