Puma blow back

[ndcowboy]

I just bought a Puma M92 44 carbine on gunbroker. I love the little rifle and how it handles, but I've noticed that if I shoot it without glasses, it is spitting something (pressure, lead, powder, ????) back into my eyes. Is this normal, or do I have to have the little rifle checked out?
Thanks in advance

[Hobie]

Are you using full-power .44 Mag loads or something less? I guess I ASSUMED it was a .44 Mag and not a .44 WCF (.44-40). The same question begs though. The cowboy loads are extremely low pressure. When I used them in my Rossi .45 Colt 92 it appeared that the rifle had a fair sized fire in the action! There was a LOT of smoke issuing from every crevice but not so much from the barrel. The cases just won't obturate at low pressures. Run that gun with higher pressure levels and the smoking goes away.

[piller]

Having heard about some of the Puma rifles having slightly oversized bores, it soulds like Hobie hit the nail on the head. I have never run anything less than factory pressure in my .480 Puma (kinda a glutton for punishment thing going on here) and it has never spit anything backwards. I would suggest that if you can't fix the problem with a little hotter loads, then slug the bore to find out it's true diameter and get the bullets to fit.

[J Miller]

What Hobie said ^^^^.

There is a point to which you can reduce the loads and still have the cases expand to seal the chamber. Past that you'll get blow back. I've had the same trouble with my .45 Colt lever guns. Normal pressures, say over 12K PSI will seal really good. Any loads below that and it gets real distracting.

Joe

[ndcowboy]

That probably explains things. I am running fairly light loads. I'm handloading 200 grain lead bullets over 6.4 grains of Unique (Per Lee Reloading Manual). I guess I might have to spice them up a bit. Thanks guys.

[J Miller]

Another factor is your brass. I've found that Remington brass is the thinnest and takes less pressure to expand. Federal and Starline require the most pressure with Winchester in the middle.
So I tend to use R-P brass when I load lighter loads, seems to help a bit.

Joe

[Nath]

That probably explains things. I am running fairly light loads. I'm handloading 200 grain lead bullets over 6.4 grains of Unique (Per Lee Reloading Manual). I guess I might have to spice them up a bit. Thanks guys.

It may only take say a 1/5grn more to seal it!

Nath.

[JustaJeepGuy]

WEAR GLASSES!!! You only get one set of eyes and they're not bulletproof (so to speak). If something happens, you get no do-overs. Wear glasses!

[Borregos]

+1

[Griff]

WEAR GLASSES!!! You only get one set of eyes and they're not bulletproof (so to speak). If something happens, you get no do-overs. Wear glasses!

+2

[AJMD429]

WEAR GLASSES!!! You only get one set of eyes and they're not bulletproof (so to speak). If something happens, you get no do-overs. Wear glasses!

1. if you have soot on the case sides, that's a really good sign the underpressure phenomenon is what's happening.

2. since 'safety glasses' are often kind of cheap, ill-fitting junk, if I didn't have to wear 'real' glasses all the time anyway, I'd have some decent frames and 'blank' non-corrective lenses (polycarbonate or whatever the 'safety' stuff is) put in them. You might even find that some options like UV-shielding, yellow anti-haze tinting, or whatever would make it easier to see and shoot anyway. That way you'd not feel like you're putting on cheap junk that makes it harder to see, but actually something beneficial (aside from protecting your eyes, that is).

[AmBraCol]

WEAR GLASSES!!! You only get one set of eyes and they're not bulletproof (so to speak). If something happens, you get no do-overs. Wear glasses!

+2

+3

[mikld]

When I shoot .44 Specials in my Puma (handloads of 255 gr., .430" with a med light load of Unique) I get the sooty cases and an occational whisp of smoke from the receiver. I slugged the bbl. of my Puma and got .431" to .432", and when I load "normal" mag rounds with .4325" boolits she shoots just fine. Now if I could only see that rear sight!

[Chuck 100 yd]

SAVE THOSE PEEPERS!!! Hard to see without them!!

[Lefty Dude]

You will get more blow-back with the Special cases than the mag cases.
Try using a .431" lead bullet. My Puma/44 groups and shoots the best with a Laser-cast 240 gr. SWC.

When I really get serious, I load up the 240 gr. jacketed soft points with a near-max load of H110 or 296.
I shoot the same loads in my Ruger/44 SBH three screw.

Makes for a nice Combo.

[claybob86]

That probably explains things. I am running fairly light loads. I'm handloading 200 grain lead bullets over 6.4 grains of Unique (Per Lee Reloading Manual). I guess I might have to spice them up a bit. Thanks guys.

Please report on the results of that!

[ndcowboy]

Yup, I do wear glasses when I target shoot, but that isn't very often. But when it is in the pickup and I stop to take a shot at a rabbit, skunk, etc., I'd like to be able to shoot without. I know a lot of people take a gun to a range and can go completely prepared for shooting, but out here, I can carry a gun for a week and never use it, and then need it three times in an hour.
Anyway, I'm going to load the next batch heavier and see what happens.

[JustaJeepGuy]

I would like to respectfully suggest that you keep a pair of glasses handy in the pickup, for just those times when opportunity presents itself.