homeloads in .44 taurus tumbling

[dprees]

Looking at the Lovex load data for D032, 9.7gr is the starting point, and the max load is 10.3gr. A load of 9gr should be stable, esp. through the 12" barrel, which will increase velocity over a 150mm barrel used for the load data. However, the bullet type is given as "SP", which is almost certainly a jacketed bullet, with a Soft Point. Jacketed rounds normally require one or more grains of powder than lead bullets to achieve the same velocity. So we have a situation where the published load data may not be that useful to you.

However, you know the gun is OK, since you fired the 50 rounds of .44 Special ammunition, and they worked fine.

A couple of things to check:
1. Make sure your .44Mag cartridge length is correct. 40mm (1.6") is where you wish to be; do not have the cartridges longer or shorter; strange things happen to pressure levels if you do.

2. Ensure your 240gr lead bullets are .429 in in diameter, or perhaps a little more (0.430). Shooting bullets sized less than this will not work well, since the bullet won't engage with the rifling properly. I've tried shooting .427 lead bullets in the past, intended for .44-40 calibre, and the results were awful -- tumbling, etc.

3. If the felt recoil of the loads you have tried so far was not uncomfortable, try a load of 10.0gr. Only make up a few (max. 5). See how they shoot.

If none of the above works, I'd recommend a different powder. The Lovex guide suggests that D032 is not really optimum for .44Mag anyway.

Given that your local range has velocity/energy limits you don't want to exceed, you are after a powder which is suitable for light target loads. I'm a big fan of Vihtavuori powders, and I've used N320 quite a bit in the past for such. I'd suggest a starting load around 5gr of N320. There will be many other fast/medium pistol powders which will be suitable, and I'm sure others will offer advice on these.

Finally, I do recommend the use of a chronograph for load development. If you have velocity info, it is so much easier to diagnose what is going on. For example, if the loads you have tried result in velocities below 500fps, tumbling will occur. If, on the other hand, your velocities are 1000fps or more, then you are verging on breaking your range safety limits.