.44 SPL. Carry Ammo
- Thread starter stanws6
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It's safe to carry with 5 rounds. My 44's stay loaded with 240 grain Semi -Wadcutters. It's a big bullet and your not likely to get, or need, expansion from a hollow point at the relatively low velocity you can safely achieve with your CA. I have not handled the new CA's, but I have the older Bulldog and Bulldog Pug and I'm very comfortable carrying either.
Lucky Derby
Member
I've been using the 180gr JHP that PMC puts out. I havn't checked the expansion, but it is a very easy to shoot accurate load. I want to try some of the 165gr Corbons. I use .44spl in a Bulldog (Original 70' manufacture) as well as a 696, 624, & 629.
Yes, the Charter is safe to carry with all 5 chambers loaded.
Yes, the Charter is safe to carry with all 5 chambers loaded.
Deanimator
Member
Federal makes a .44 Special LSWC-HP load very similar to their .38 Special "FBI" load. I've got a box of those waiting for when S&W finally fixes what they did to my Model 29. I've got a box of Gold Dots too.
P. Plainsman
Member
I'm a fan of the CCI/Speer 200 gr Gold Dot JHP bullet in .44 caliber. It's a gaping hollowpoint specifically designed to expand at moderate .44 Special velocities. The (relatively informal) ballistic tests I've read pronounce it a success.
http://www.milesfortis.us/mcump/mc15.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/Cassill_Bulldog.htm
You can get this bullet in factory loaded defense ammo in two formats: (1) the Speer Gold Dot .44 Special round (in nice, reloadable nickel-plated cases) or (2) the much cheaper CCI Blazer .44 Special (in non-reloadable aluminum cases, but still high quality ammo). Of the two, I prefer the Blazers -- same nice accuracy as the Speer version, and my subjective impression is that the Blazers are loaded a little hotter. Of course, I am shooting these rounds in an N-frame S&W 629, so recoil is no problem. You might, or might not, find them a bit brisk in the Bulldog.
But both are strong options -- definitely try a box of each.
The PMC 180s are accurate and easy to shoot. However, they are an old-tech SJHP design -- it's questionable whether they'll expand at .44 Special snub velocities. The one test of the PMC round I've read (Cumpston's, linked above) reported failure to expand when launched from a 4" barrel.
There's also the Winchester 200 gr Silvertip JHP in .44 Special. I don't like it for carry because it's loaded rather light (around 720-750 fps) -- but, the Silvertip appears to expand well even at those low velocities. If you find the CCI/Speer rounds recoil excessively in your Bulldog, you might look at the Winchester.
Finally, Cor-Bon has a new 200 gr DPX defense load in .44 Special that is extremely promising. It has been clocked in the 1000 fps range with perfect expansion from the all-copper DPX bullet.
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 44 Special DPX Report.htm
If you can find a source for the Cor-Bon DPX ammo, can handle the recoil in your gun, and can afford it ($34 / 20 rounds!), I think it will prove the one to beat.*
* PS: Cor-Bon has also traditionally offered a 165 gr JHP load in .44 Special with a more standard JHP bullet. Previous versions of it were listed at 1150 fps on the box and produced numbers that were even more dazzling -- as in 1200+ fps from a 4" barrel! I shot a few boxes of it in my 629 and it is/was impressive ammo. Accurate, though loud and flashy. Basically, it turned the .44 Special sixgun into a hot 10mm.
Recoil was easily controlled in my 41.5 oz Smith & Wesson revolver. Your little Bulldog might be another story.
Interestingly, while this traditional JHP 165 gr load is still offered by Cor-Bon, they are now listing its velocity at a mere 1050 fps.
https://dakotaammo.net/shop/index.php?cPath=21_45
OK, only in the context of Cor-Bon does it make sense to talk about a "mere 1050 fps" from factory .44 Special ammo -- but still -- were people having pressure problems with the previous, hotter version of the 165 gr load? Were the bullets flying apart at 1200 fps? (I've read one report to that effect; some people think it's a good thing.)
Cor-Bon strikes me as a stand-up company; surely they wouldn't deliberately download their old .44 Special round just to coax their customers into ponying up for their new ultra-expensive DPX round.
http://www.milesfortis.us/mcump/mc15.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/Cassill_Bulldog.htm
You can get this bullet in factory loaded defense ammo in two formats: (1) the Speer Gold Dot .44 Special round (in nice, reloadable nickel-plated cases) or (2) the much cheaper CCI Blazer .44 Special (in non-reloadable aluminum cases, but still high quality ammo). Of the two, I prefer the Blazers -- same nice accuracy as the Speer version, and my subjective impression is that the Blazers are loaded a little hotter. Of course, I am shooting these rounds in an N-frame S&W 629, so recoil is no problem. You might, or might not, find them a bit brisk in the Bulldog.
But both are strong options -- definitely try a box of each.
The PMC 180s are accurate and easy to shoot. However, they are an old-tech SJHP design -- it's questionable whether they'll expand at .44 Special snub velocities. The one test of the PMC round I've read (Cumpston's, linked above) reported failure to expand when launched from a 4" barrel.
There's also the Winchester 200 gr Silvertip JHP in .44 Special. I don't like it for carry because it's loaded rather light (around 720-750 fps) -- but, the Silvertip appears to expand well even at those low velocities. If you find the CCI/Speer rounds recoil excessively in your Bulldog, you might look at the Winchester.
Finally, Cor-Bon has a new 200 gr DPX defense load in .44 Special that is extremely promising. It has been clocked in the 1000 fps range with perfect expansion from the all-copper DPX bullet.
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 44 Special DPX Report.htm
If you can find a source for the Cor-Bon DPX ammo, can handle the recoil in your gun, and can afford it ($34 / 20 rounds!), I think it will prove the one to beat.*
* PS: Cor-Bon has also traditionally offered a 165 gr JHP load in .44 Special with a more standard JHP bullet. Previous versions of it were listed at 1150 fps on the box and produced numbers that were even more dazzling -- as in 1200+ fps from a 4" barrel! I shot a few boxes of it in my 629 and it is/was impressive ammo. Accurate, though loud and flashy. Basically, it turned the .44 Special sixgun into a hot 10mm.
Recoil was easily controlled in my 41.5 oz Smith & Wesson revolver. Your little Bulldog might be another story. Interestingly, while this traditional JHP 165 gr load is still offered by Cor-Bon, they are now listing its velocity at a mere 1050 fps.
https://dakotaammo.net/shop/index.php?cPath=21_45
OK, only in the context of Cor-Bon does it make sense to talk about a "mere 1050 fps" from factory .44 Special ammo -- but still -- were people having pressure problems with the previous, hotter version of the 165 gr load? Were the bullets flying apart at 1200 fps? (I've read one report to that effect; some people think it's a good thing.)
Cor-Bon strikes me as a stand-up company; surely they wouldn't deliberately download their old .44 Special round just to coax their customers into ponying up for their new ultra-expensive DPX round.
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Lucky Derby
Member
I was unaware that Corbon had loaded a 200 grainer. That sounds interesting. I also didn't know that the GD's were available in a format other than Blazer. I wil have to try that as well.
bpisler
Member
I carry 240gr LSWC's in my 3" charter arms
bulldog because they hit POA at 10-15
yards.I tried the 200gr GD's,silvertips and
the Fed LSWCHP,all hit 3-5" low at 10 yards.
I know it's not a collectors piece bit i still
didn't feel like grinding down the front
sight.
bulldog because they hit POA at 10-15
yards.I tried the 200gr GD's,silvertips and
the Fed LSWCHP,all hit 3-5" low at 10 yards.
I know it's not a collectors piece bit i still
didn't feel like grinding down the front
sight.
P. Plainsman
Member
GaryP -- good tip. I forgot about Georgia Arms's .44 Special JHP load. So that makes three different options for the 200 gr Gold Dot bullet.
http://www.georgia-arms.com/shear.htm
$20 / 50 rounds -- that's less than I pay for the Blazers. Not a bad price for new, brass-cased ammo.
Caveat: I recall reading somewhere that CCI/Speer was going to stop supplying the Gold Dot bullets to smaller ammo makers like Black Hills and Georgia Arms. (Apparently they're sick of people like me passing up, e.g., Speer's 124 gr 9mm+P Gold Dot offering for the counterpart Black Hills load, which delivers superb quality and the same bullet for less money.)
http://www.georgia-arms.com/shear.htm
$20 / 50 rounds -- that's less than I pay for the Blazers. Not a bad price for new, brass-cased ammo.
Caveat: I recall reading somewhere that CCI/Speer was going to stop supplying the Gold Dot bullets to smaller ammo makers like Black Hills and Georgia Arms. (Apparently they're sick of people like me passing up, e.g., Speer's 124 gr 9mm+P Gold Dot offering for the counterpart Black Hills load, which delivers superb quality and the same bullet for less money.)
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Terry Newton
Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2005
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- 2
I just shot quite a few of these same loads through a scoped Tauras, Anaconda 6", Smith 629 6", and a three screw 29 4".
The load was extremely pleasant and accurate in every single one of them.
This was the load that confirmed my interest in the 44 Special.
They had a cowboy load with a LFP that smoked a lot. This was also a very pleasant load to shoot.
The load was extremely pleasant and accurate in every single one of them.
This was the load that confirmed my interest in the 44 Special.
They had a cowboy load with a LFP that smoked a lot. This was also a very pleasant load to shoot.
Terry Newton
Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2005
- Messages
- 2
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