Barrel twist, .44 Mag.?

[mikld]

I'll try this again. Offhand, does anyone know the rifling twist for a Rossi Puma .44 mag.? LSI import, purchased in '07. I know how, just lazy and it's still raining here I read reciently about heavy bullets not stabilizing in slow twist .44 mag bbls. and I've got some 325 gr lead I want to load for my Puma.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I'll try this again. Offhand, does anyone know the rifling twist for a Rossi Puma .44 mag.? LSI import, purchased in '07. I know how, just lazy and it's still raining here I read reciently about heavy bullets not stabilizing in slow twist .44 man bbls. and I've got some 325 gr lead I want to load for my Puma.

It should be 1 in 30". As for not stabilizing 325's if it will cycle them through the action the 1 in 30" will do better than some of the Marlins and Wins that have 1 in 38" twist.
More important is the bore dia. Some of the early 2000's 44mag had oversize bores. Many folks mistook the keyholing these gun were known for as slow twist.

BTW, 1-in 30 seems slow and it is for handguns but when you increase the velocity as you do from handgun length barrels to rifle length barrels the twist can be slower.

[mikld]

Thanks Steve. I already slugged the bore and it's about .432". I've been using Ranchdog's 265 gr RNFP as cast and they seem to work. Just wanna play with a new load...

[Hanzerik]

I have some bullets from that mold (RD 432-265), both GC'd and not, on the way up here to try out. Asked on another forum if someone had that mold and if they would send me some for the price of shipping/components. A gentlemen down in AZ is shipping me a few to play with.

My two .44 Rossi/Pumas were bought last year, but I have finally got around to slugging it and it seems to be right at .430. Hopefully these bullets shoot well, then I'll buy that mold and start casting my own bullets instead of buying the local flavors of 240gr Keith style bullets. The only concern I have is that when slugging the bore (from the front) is that the bore is tight at the rear dovetail, and really tight in front of the chamber. So I may be getting a false slugging? I may try pulling the bolt and going from the rear, to see if I get a different measurement.

Jacketed bullets (Hornady XTPs) are very accurate out of both guns, but I like cast better.

ETA: can someone explain why the rifling on these guns is so shallow?

[AJMD429]

BTW, 1-in 30 seems slow and it is for handguns but when you increase the velocity as you do from handgun length barrels to rifle length barrels the twist can be slower.

NKJ's point is important - many times I'll see people say a given twist will be 'ok' or 'not ok', without taking that into account; 1500 fps in a 1:30 twist gives the same spin rate as 1000 fps out of a 1:20 twist, etc...

The only concern I have is that when slugging the bore (from the front) is that the bore is tight at the rear dovetail, and really tight in front of the chamber. So I may be getting a false slugging? I may try pulling the bolt and going from the rear, to see if I get a different measurement.

Jacketed bullets (Hornady XTPs) are very accurate out of both guns, but I like cast better.

Hmmm... 'according to the book', those tight spots mean that the gun will be totally inaccurate and you should scrap it out for parts... ...it will be interesting to see how cast bullets do - if they are more forgiving and 'bump up' after the constriction, or not (or if it even matters).


Of course if you want a 1:20 twist in a .44 Magnum, you can always get a Ruger:

Available in normal lever-action model...

(shown above a Marlin and Rossi)

...or stainless side-lever model.

(shown below a Ruger 77/22)