The Truth About .44 Special Snub Velocity

[Tony_the_tiger]

I've had a few chances since my last round of tests to collect data on several factory-level .44 special rounds. The purpose of the following test was to determine how certain rounds were behaving out of a 2.5" S&W 296. For comparison purposes, data was also collected on the same rounds shot out of a 4 5/8" Ruger Flattop Bisley Blackhawk chambered in .44 special.

These data are limited to 200 grain bullets, which is the maximum recommended bullet by S&W in the centennial style aluminum-framed 296 5-shot revolver.

Furthermore, the tests are limited to what I perceive to be the optimal carry choices for a snub .44 special. If your favorite round was excluded, it is not a comment on the appropriateness of that bullet, but rather a reflection on what I have available.

These numbers were collected from a Competition Electronics Prochrono Digital.

Descriptive Statistics:



Entries with no standard deviation are explained by the presence of a single data point for that category.

Categories with N greater than 1 and less than 10 were fired 10 times, but had individual points excluded by the chronograph due to duplicate readings.

You may compare these results to the factory published velocities:

Buffalo Bore/Buffalo-Barnes 200 Grain Tac-XP: 1070 ft/s out of a 4" barrel and 1017 ft/s out of a 2.5" barrel

Corbon DPX 200 Grain Tac-XP: 950 ft/s out of a 4" barrel

Doubletap DT-Tactical 200 Grain Tac-XP: 1000 ft/s out of a 5.5" barrel and 900 ft/s out of a 2.5" barrel

Underwood "Bull Dog" 200 Grain Gold Dot: 975 ft/s out of an unspecified barrel (we might assume 2.5" as from the eponymous CA Bulldog)

Buffalo Bore Anti-Personnel 200 Grain Hard Cast Wadcutter: 971 ft/s out of a 4" barrel and 913 ft/s out of a 2.5" barrel

We can visualize the spread of the distribution via a box-plot with whiskers:



Each boxplot is inclusive of the entire range of the data. The shaded and tan area of each box is the interquartile range, and includes 50% of all of the data for each round. The dark lines in the boxes represent the median.

Any circles to the right or left of the plots are potential outliers. In categories with a single data point, that point is represented by a dark line independent of any box.

Please excuse the redundancy, however given the amount of information in the figure above, I thought it best to include a simpler boxplot using data from the snub barrel only:



These bullets are all the same weight (200 Grains... with the exception of that big 255 Keith bullet to the far left) but have very different designs:



Above, from left to right: Buffalo Bore's 255 Grain Keith bullet (not featured in these tests); Buffalo Bore's 200 Grain Anti-Personnel Hard Cast Wadcutter; Corbon DPX 200 Grain TAC-XP; and Underwood's short barrel load for the 200 Grain Gold Dot

Discussion:

Only one shot was fired out of the Blackhawk for the Hard Cast Wadcutter because it is not a round I am using in that firearm. Similarly, the Buffalo-Barnes TAC-XP load is too hot in the 296 in terms of recoil so I only fired one round for comparison purposes.

You might have noticed my pre-occupation with the TAC-XP bullet. They are all the same all-copper hollow-point made by Barnes, but loaded differently by brand.

Barnes has given me permission to re-print their own tests on the performance of the bullet:



It is an impressive design. Corbon designed their DPX load to reach similar velocities and succeeded at that in the 4 5/8" Blackhawk. In the snub, the DPX TAC-XP achieved a mean of 817 ft/s. Previous tests of mine showed that at this decreased velocity, the round penetrated through 3 water jugs one time (recovered in the 4th), and through 2 the second time (recovered in the 3rd) with full expansion and weight retention.

Evan at stoppingpower.net fired the .44 special DPX bullet out of a 2" Taurus snub and achieved 12.5" penetration through ballistic gelatin, but we don't know the velocity. Stephen Camp (may he rest in peace) published a wonderful review of this round available on the web at his hi-powers - - handguns site that is still up and running.

I was extremely disappointed with Doubletap's version of the TAC-XP. The round exhibited the largest range and the lowest velocity - despite optimistic published velocities - and in my opinion it is a sub-optimal loading for this bullet. That is all I am going to say about Doubletap.

Buffalo Bore's TAC-XP is very hot, and reaches the published velocity out of the Blackhawk. I am sure it would be a devastating round in a long barrel. Out of the snub it reaches comparable velocities to what the DPX achieves out of a longer barrel - but the recoil is too much for me to handle in the lightweight 296. In a short barreled steel gun such as the 696 or a S&W short barreled magnum, this might be an excellent choice! In fact if I had a heavy snub, I would probably carry the Buffalo-Barnes version so that the bullet was performing as advertised by barnes in that 900 - 1000 ft/s range.

Out of all the TAC-XP loads, I have to give credit to Corbon for creating a product that is true to Barnes' vision for this bullet out of the Blackhawk's 4 5/8" barrel. Additionally, it reliably exceeded 800 ft/s out of the snub and was easy to control. Nice job, Team Corbon!

Underwood also has a winner with their "bull-dog" version of the Speer Gold Dot. At an average of 1003 out of the Blackhawk and 916 out of the snub, it is an improvement on Speer's own loading of the bullet which is published at 832 ft/s out of a 6" barrel. CCI Blazer loads the Gold Dot at 920 ft/s out of an unspecified barrel length. However, blazer rounds are or were packed in aluminum cases, and Stainz of the High Road had an aluminum blazer case in .44 special rip open. As a result, I believe he uses Georgia Arm's version of the Gold Dot in his 296 when it pleases him to do so.

So I called Speer, and they verified that the bullet is designed to perform between 800 - 1100 ft/s. Others have reported loss of petals and bullet degradation at the 1100 mark. My personal tests showed that when fired from a short barrel, this round penetrated through 3 jugs and was recovered in the 4th. Despite my appreciation of this load from Underwood, based on recoil and accuracy it is not my carry choice in the .44 special 296.

The Buffalo Bore 200 Grain Hard Cast Wadcutter showed remarkable consistency by virtue of its short spread and small standard deviation.

It had less recoil than the Underwood load - but more than the DPX. I would say this round is on the threshold of acceptable recoil for the 296, and I was able to make accurate follow-up shots with it. In my previous jug tests, this HC round penetrated through 4 jugs before the misalignment of the jugs caused it to veer off into the great unknown, and the bullet was not recovered. Penetration is this round's selling point.




The 200 Grain Hard Cast Wadcutter "Anti-Personnel" load by Buffalo Bore is my current carry round for the 296, with Corbon's DPX load as a close second. I am keeping the DPX in the speed-loaders for this gun since I do not like the idea of lead bouncing around too much in my pockets.

However, with the exception of Doubletap's TAC-XP load, I think every round featured in this thread would be an excellent choice for the purpose of self defense in a general context, provided that the load is controllable and accurate in your specific firearm.



The cosmetically challenged 296, featured with a Hogue K, L-Frame Monogrip for Round Butt Revolvers.

Velocity isn't everything - but it is an important part of the picture at these sub-supersonic speeds and with bullets engineered to perform within distinct parameters.

If you want to know what bullet I like best in the Blackhawk, you'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for hearing me out.

-Triple T

 

[Gordon]

Beautiful write up! I would like to get a couple hundred of those hard cast wadcutters for my .44specials. Looks like a good all around people/animal defense load for a 296 or 4".

 

[Hondo 60]

Wow, that is quite the post.

It's far longer than any post I've made.
But the info is VERY interesting, especially for those of us who have (or are looking to get) a 44.

Thanks for the very informative post.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

Gordon, I agree that the bullet design for the .44 special "anti-personnel" load by Buffalo Bore is almost ideal for the short barrel revolver. In my opinion, the issue with low velocity hollow-points is consistency of penetration, especially through barriers. We know that the TAC-XP load performs well above 900 ft/s, however in a lightweight firearm achieving that velocity comes at the cost of accuracy and recoil. I have a suspicion that the DPX will achieve the fbi minimum of 12" penetration through ballistic gelatin at above 800 ft/s, but we have to ask ourselves if the minimum is the appropriate standard.

For my part, I feel that accuracy is most important, followed by penetration and bullet design. I would not choose a .44 special snub as my first choice for woods carry or hunting, but the 296 has a tendency to be available more often than not due to its size and weight. I am reasonably confident that the HC 200 grain round has the capacity to penetrate at these velocities. As mentioned, this happens to be a round that is not contraindicated by excessive recoil and it is not difficult to control, even in the lightweight revolver.

One point i'd like to make is that a successful design in one caliber may not always translate well across calibers. For example, in .38 Special, I prefer the 135 Grain Gold Dot to Buffalo Bore's 150 Grain HC WC round. But in .44 Special, the large meplat of the HC WC round gives it characteristics that make it superior, in my mind, to the 200 Grain Gold Dot. I try to evaluate each caliber that I use independently and to identify the most appropriate round for my own purposes. Your mileage may vary.

The BB HCWC and DPX loads are my choices for the 296. For a heavier revolver, I like the looks of that 255 Keith round, and that is the subject of my review in a separate thread.

 

[goon]

Good info. I kick myself for not getting a 696 back when they were available. I always liked the look of them and it looks like it would have been a really effective defensive round and not too bad in the woods either.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

The 696 has alot going for it, like a 3" barrel and a steel frame, but you also have to appreciate that the only centennial .44 special ever made was the 296, despite the strangeness of the design. I'd love to grab a 696 and have a spur-less hammer put on it.

 

[Gordon]

I usually carry an old model 37 with 158grain Remington +p for the 12oz load and true pocket size. But in the Country I use to take my 296 clip gripped in a pocket or on shorts for larger animals with 200 grain Silvertips. The last couple years an old early (70s) Charter Bulldog with the same Silvertips. The Bulldog has much greater practical accuracy than the 296 for me. I think I could take a close in deer with it easily as it shoots 4" 25 yard groups to the sights. I'd sure like to try those flat points!
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[Tony_the_tiger]

Nice 242 there - matching set! The BB wadcutters will definately be a surprise to your hand as compared to the silvertips in the 296. In the Charter they should be just fine.

 

[Arizonagunrunner]

My main carry is my Rossi 720. I back that up with a Taurus 431. Both are great shooters, and throw the lead. I shoot Blazer 200 GD for defense. I am looking into getting the Bull Dog load.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

The Gold Dot should be a winner traveling at a mean of 916 ft/s out of my 296. That projectile is designed to expand above 800 ft/s and at the speeds I measured in the short barrel penetrated 3 water jugs and was recovered in the fourth. I have no reliable or scientific direct translation to gelatin but my guess would be an equivalent of 13 - 15" penetration. The bulldog round from Underwood also has the advantage of brass cases vs aluminum found in the blazer load (if they are still doing that).

 

[Arizonagunrunner]

Tony T:

Are you talking about the Gold Dot that is loaded from Bull Dog? Or the Blazers? I have had excellent results with the Blazers. I have contacted Underwood about there loads. They are out of stock, but I am on their list to get a couple of boxes.

I love the 44 Special. That is why it is called "Special"

I roll my own when practicing. I stick with the 200 rnfp for practice.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

I am specifically talking about the Bull-Dog load as produced by Underwood. I don't have any data on the velocity of the blazer product.

 

[Arizonagunrunner]

Thanks. With a 3in tube, I should see a little more velocity out of my 44's with the Underwood load. That is plenty of velocity for these dudes to open up. Plenty of ft lbs to get the job done as well.

Thanks.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

It's a very aggressive hollowpoint and should perform very well in the 900 - 1000 ft/s range.

 

[Tony_the_tiger]

Just an update: I switched over from the Buffalo Bore 200 Grain Hardcast Wadcutter round back to the Corbon 200 Grain DPX round using the TAC-XP bullet. The philosophy of my change to the DPX is that with a mean of 817 ft/s velocity out of the 2.5" snub this round has the most manageable recoil, with the exception to the Doubletap TAC-XP rounds which are over 70 ft/s slower on average and which I do not perceive to be loaded to the same standard as Corbon and not optimum for my purposes.

However, I did call Barnes and they reported that in their own testing the TAC-XP in .44 Special is designed to open up at 700 ft/s.

At the speed I was getting for the Corbon rounds the bullets turned out like this when shot through water:



We know that water can slow down a bullet pretty quick. The Speer 135 Grain Short Barrel Gold Dot in .38 special penetrates 11 - 12" in ballistic gelatin and in my own testing penetrates through 2 jugs of water and is recovered in the third. The Corbon DPX in .44 special penetrates through 3 jugs of water and in one instance was recovered in the 4th and in one instance bounced off the 4th jug. As such it would appear that the penetration of this round at these speeds is equal to or greater than that short barrel gold dot in .38 special that has a pretty good street reputation. The Gold Dot in .44 special at 920 ft/s also was recovered in the 4th jug of water. Hence, the DPX may be considered comparable there as well.

At the end of the day accuracy is king and I feel pretty good about the DPX rounds for this particular firearm.

In a longer heavier .44 special, I prefer the Buffalo Bore 255 Grain Keith SWC, and I also like my GP100 with BB Hardcast 180's in .357 for woods carry... but this S&W 296 was never meant to be that gun and you have to consider the context of use. For the purpose of a light-weight concealable revolver in urban settings, I feel confident that the DPX will do its part if we can do ours in most situations. I still have a softspot for the BB 200 Grain HC WC but I am digging this round as well.

And... FYI, a reasonable post on the same bullet from: http://www.warriortalk.com/archive/index.php/t-43356.html

I don't mean to take the place of Mike (TeamCorbon) who is an expert on Corbon ammo, but since we at Barnes Bullets supply our XPB bullet for their DPX rifle and handgun lines, I hope he doesn't mind if I jump in here. Mike is usually on the road and his time for or access to the 'net may be limited.

A major shooting guru pushed for us to make a .44 S&W SPL bullet that would expand at low speed. The Corbon DPX 200 grain offering is that bullet. It has a wide range of function. The petals will stay on it even up to 1200 fps mv, peeling all the way back to the shank. Corbon tested their loading out of a 4" barrel at 950 fps mv:

and it is reasonable to infer up to a 100 fps velocity loss out of a 2" barrel. That would put mv @ 850 fps.

This bullet is tested for expansion in water @ 750 fps. throughout the production run. It opens to an average of .70" with the petals just about straight out from the body (45 degrees). It will still open at even lower velocities but not quite so much.

Tested in ballistic gel @ ~800 fps through four layers of denim, expansion is at maximum .77" (average) with penetration @ ~12" with 100% weight retention.

As with our other all-copper bullets, with no jacket and core to separate, these will do well as barrier penetrators despite their relatively low velocity because the mass is high.

CB3