CA Bulldog Club

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Funny I know, but the Critical Defense which are only 165grn print point of aim point of impact, the 180 grain were shooting a bit low, not to the point of doing surgery on the front sight blade, however the 250grn Matt's bullets were printing right where I was aiming POA- POI. Note the ones in the center of the target were deliberately shot there, as I was my camera's batteries were dead, and likewise the ones to the right were again deliberately put there as well. Believe me I'm not that bad of a shot, the fliers made the target look a bit in a disarray, please note the 200grn. JSWC's in the center of the head at 7 yards, BTW they printed exactly where I was aiming. Hopefully I redeemed myself. Incidentally I had a full size silhouette I was shooting at, perhaps I should move up a bit closer to say 10 yards.
 
BTW Legionnaire, I just ordered some Starline .44SPL brass, and some other bullet casting supply's from Brownell's incidentally my order surpassed the $100.00 so I did get free shipping, what a bargain.
 
I believe the factory still regulates the sights on the Bulldogs for a 240 gr. load. I know mine is dead on with a 240 gr. But even with a 200 gr. JHP or wadcutter it's close enough for Govt. work.........
 
As a general rule of thumb, factory sights on a gun for a particular cartridge are regulated for the original chambering of that cartridge. For the .44 Special, that would be 246 grain lead bullet at 755 fps, with a chamber pressure of 15,500 psi. Hence, it is no surprise that 240-246 grain bullets POI generally coincides with POA.

From this mean, lighter bullets tend to print low, heavier bullets tend to print high. 'Tis that ole Sir Isaac Newton thang....

I use this in determining what weight bullets & speeds I use in guns with fixed sights. So, my Bulldog tends to shoot dead on with traditional 240 grain loads and a bit lower for the 165-180 grain loads. The slow 210 grain cowboy loads also print low. The 200 grain Buffalo Bore "Man stopper" wadcutters step out faster and are nearly spot on. This is what I noted with my 3" Classic Bulldog. Your results might differ due to other circumstances such as grip method, sight picture, etc.
 
Crowman, I've noticed that in both my 3" Classic version as well as my 2.5" SS newer version, especially when shooting the 240grn bullets first and the lighter ones last, they always print considerably lower, but usually in line with the heavier bullets.
 
My Bulldog went spurless today. Replaced the spurred one with a Double Action Only hammer from Charter Arms. I like the looks of the gun better with the original hammer.

Seems to work fine so far though. I shot several cylinders today of mixed ammo and no misfires. Hand loads, Federal SWC HP's, Ultra Max Cowboy Loads, and PMC JHP's.

413239754.jpg
 
I was at the local Friends of the NRA Banquet tonight when I replied with the post right above this one.

To add just a little more detail, I did the same hammer swap with my CA Undercover .38 a few years ago. All one needs is a screw driver and a paper clip. Once everything is ready it seriously takes about 5 minutes to do the switch.
 
I have not had it long . Bought it used at a Gun show . But so far its held up good . Its a 38 special , I bought the Santa Fe one also and it has held up well also .
 
i have carried and used 44 spl for SD and hunting for years. I have decided to start to reload and will probably limit it to 44 and 45. I have read with great interest the loading information given here. I will start with 1 powder and would like suggestions on which one to start with. I expect to start with 200 gr Rim Rock bullets so all input is greatly appreciated. I am getting a CA Bull Dog classic and have S&W and Rugers already. They are all 44 mag but I seldom use full house 44 mag ammo and the CA will be easier to carry.
 
You will enjoy reloading. One observation and one question. Observation: the 200 grain Rim Rock DEWCs sit deep in the case, limiting the powder capacity more than other types of bullets, even those weighing up to 240 grains. This is something to consider. Question: how fast do you want to drive the bullets? I highly recommend Trail Boss powder, especially for new reloaders. It meters well through powder measures and is light-colored and bulky, which helps prevent accidentally double-charging a case. Given how deeply the Rim Rock bullet seats, however, you won't get much more than 5.4 grains of powder in the case, limiting muzzle velocity to under 800 fps.

Unique is a classic powder in .44 special. It will drive your RR DEWCs to higher velocity. It generally meters well, and has some bulk. It's only real drawback is that it burns kind of dirty.

I have not decided what I think about Titegroup yet. It burns fast, which gets velocity up quickly in short-barreled revolvers. However, it takes up very little volume making it very easy to accidentally double-charge a case--which will likely have disastrous results. I also found that driving the Rim Rock bullets over 800 fps tended to lead my Bulldog. Titegroup has potential if you want to drive your DEWCs up to 900 fps, but I can't recommend it as a beginner's powder.

Trail Boss is one of the most versatile powders out there. Unique is a classic that can also be used for a variety of applications. I use both of these powders in .44 Magnum as well--Trail Boss for light target loads, and Unique for mid-range loads that are more powerful than .44 Special but less than full-power magnums. Those are the two I'd look at first.
 
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My 3" Bulldog has a definite sharp hard recoil, with standard factory rounds. More than 158gr 38+Ps out of an Airweight S&W (642).

I plan on loading midrange wadcutters for the Bulldog. They should still work on paper or rabbits.

FWIW
 
Legionnaire, I was going to use RR DEWC because that is what Buffalo Bore uses. I am open to all suggestions. It has been a very long time since I have reloaded. At this point I plan on loading for enough range work to know the ammo and revolver. I will use for local deer hunting and varmints. I will carry for SD something like he Buffalo Bore so I would like to work with something that will have same POA. I would like the velocity to be in the 900fps range. That will be on the high side but I am not recoil sensitive and it will work on the game in this area. I realize limiting my uses for the 44 will make reloading hard to justify 'cost wise' but everyone needs to expand their interest or they will rust.
 
farm23 said:
Legionnaire, I was going to use RR DEWC because that is what Buffalo Bore uses ...
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Exactly my thinking. I'm quite happy with Trail Boss for low power target loads, but am still working on a load that drives the DEWCs to 900 fps without leading the barrel. I'm at a particular busy time at work, so don't know when I'll get to the range next to chronograph the loads I've done up with Unique. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'll probably work the Titegroup loads up a bit higher, too, just to see how they perform.
 
Legionnaire let us know your range results. I am anal retentive and will measure each load on a balance beam scale for some time. I have an old RCBS RS [I did say it had been a long time didn't I] press I will start with. I will probably get RCBS dies unless someone has a better suggestion. I think I know slower powders will give better results but from what you have said there may not be enough room with the RR DEWC. I appreciate you doing all the ground work.
 
I measure every charge when working up loads, too. Will certainly post results when I next get to the range.

On another front, I found a used Pitbull in .40 S&W and jumped on it. Needed a good cleaning, so I detail stripped it. Not happy to discover some pretty bad tool chatter in the barrel once I cleaned the fouling out. It probably doesn't shoot well, which may be why I got it cheap. I'll call the company and ask about service options; the barrel really ought to be replaced.

Edit. Emailed Charter Arms about the Pitbull last night. Just received the invitation to return the gun for warranty service. Pleased about that; they know it's a used gun.
 
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Legionnaire, I recently bobbed a hammer for a customer on a Pitbull in .40 caliber, let me tell you with the factory rubber grips it was not a fun gun to shoot, recoil was horrendous.
 
Dang I wish that wind would stop blowing, I've concocted some 240grn. cast .430 SWC rounds that happened to come out to 230grn, must have made 'em too hard (too much tin) using Blue Angel hard lube. Am anxious to try them out in my two CA Bulldogs, used 5.5grns of Bullseye, and a WW standard large pistol primer. Believe me I'll give a range report as soon as that blasted wind stops blowing so hard. OAL is right at 1.487"
 
loose noose said:
Dang I wish that wind would stop blowing, I've concocted some 240grn. cast .430 SWC rounds that happened to come out to 230grn, must have made 'em too hard (too much tin) using Blue Angel hard lube. Am anxious to try them out in my two CA Bulldogs, used 5.5grns of Bullseye, and a WW standard large pistol primer. Believe me I'll give a range report as soon as that blasted wind stops blowing so hard. OAL is right at 1.487"
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sounds good but you know that is a little over max
 
Oh man you got that right Gordon, my manual shows a maximum of 4.8grns of Bullseye, Looks like I'll be pulling some bullets tonight. Thank God for that wind, should have started at 4.3 with a max of 4.8grns., I sure do thank you there Gordon for the heads up.
 
loose noose said:
Oh man you got that right Gordon, my manual shows a maximum of 4.8grns of Bullseye, Looks like I'll be pulling some bullets tonight. Thank God for that wind, should have started at 4.3 with a max of 4.8grns., I sure do thank you there Gordon for the heads up.
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use 4.5 grains Max under 5. Bullseye is a double base powder and goes up quick pressure wise.
 
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