.44 Special Skeeter Rifle load

[Scott Tschirhart]

I've always been a fan of the cast Keith bullets and it has bothered me that I cannot get my favored bullet to run in my 1873 Uberti. However, while loading up a batch of ammo for shooting this morning on the ranch, I reflected on my experience with a more traditional style bullet and I'm not exactly sure why I was so bothered.

My favorite bullet for the .45-70 is a 500gr round nose "Government" style bullet. I never had any complaint about performance on any game animal I ever used it on. My .50-70 shoots an even more pointed bullet and it kills like a hammer.

The traditional .45 Colt bullet is not a flat point, but the west was won with cast flat point bullets in .44-40 and .38-40 rifles. I've killed a lot of animals with a .38 and .357 revolvers with cast loads.

So, I was shooting some 250 gr RNFP and 250 gr Keith bullets out to 100 yards in a .44 Special SAA and noticed that at 100 yards, I was much more effective with the RNFP. Both loads were charged with 7.5 gr of Unique and a Russian primer.

Then I came home and read an article Mike Venturino wrote for Handloader Magazine:

http://docshare01.docshare.tips/files/2 ... 991591.pdf

[Starting on Page 42]. I may need to re-think my ideas about effective bullets.

[Scott Tschirhart]

My 1873 feeds the two on the left perfectly. The two on the right are not compatible.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Meplats are similar.

Top left is the MBW 250 gr LFN

Top right is a RNFP

Bottom is the MBW Keith.

[4t5]

Thanks for posting that, Scott.

[OldWin]

I've always used the RNFP in 45 Colt, 44-40, and 38-40 with good results.
I like the Keith bullets too, but for whatever reason, I don't use them in the above 3 chamberings.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I'm kind of thinking that I may not be giving up anything by going to the LFN bullet over the Keith.

[piller]

That was some good information. Thanks for posting it.

I used a round nose flat point with a very small flat area out of my .45-70 on an Oryx one time. I was very disappointed with the results. I have not used those bullets on anything other than paper since that time. That article helps me to understand why a medium-large deer sized animal seemed to show little reaction to a hit from a 325 grain lead bulled out of a .45-70.
I do have plenty of lead .40 caliber bullets. As most of them are round nose, I should not use them for hunting.

[TomF]

I shoot the Lee 255rnfp in my 45 Colt Marlin Cowboy. Performance is excellent. Clays at 110 yards are monotony. I've taken a truckload of whitetails and axis with it, all one shot kills. I tried the Keith boolits in my 357 Cowboy to no avail, settling on the 125rnfp. My search is over for both. I'll bet your 44 Special will do the same.

[Grizz]

my lever guns feed truncated cone bullets better than a curved ogive, so that's all i load from cast. the browning 86 loves shooting the 460 cast performance, I think, but doesn't like to feed them. put marshall's truncated cone cast in there and they slide right in. i think miroko have a reputation to being a little crotchety.

as far as round nose, like 45 ACP Ball, I don't hunt with them because of an article I read somewhere that that bullet shape is more likely to deflect than the flat meplat. i can't source that so it's an unsubstantiated rumor, but it's how i roll.

†

[Scott Tschirhart]

Some deer is liable to be in trouble if it stands still at 100 yards or so this year.

[Bill in Oregon]

Scott, that is some handsome shooting with a handsome rifle. Hope you score this season!

[3leggedturtle]

Did you ever try crimping over the shoulder of the Keith SWC to see if it feeds better?

[Scott Tschirhart]

Did you ever try crimping over the shoulder of the Keith SWC to see if it feeds better?

I did, but the problem seems to be that the bullet nose goes over to the left side of the reciever when the elevator raises, that is where the shoulder gets caught on the left side of the chamber. I've been wondering if this could not be solved by the addition of some materal to the left side of the elevator to move the bullet slightly to the right.

[Ray Newman]

Scott: I finally got around to reading the article by Venturino that you linked. Interesting read. Thanks.

[mickbr]

enjoying these 44 special threads!

[Scott Tschirhart]

So I was doing some testing on the ranch this weekend. It turns out that the LFNGC that shoots so well in the carbine is nowhere near as accurate as the Keith bullet in my SAA.

But here is something odd. That Keith bullet carries a lot of lube. Apparently it still has a gob of lube on it when it hits a target at 25 yards!

[Rusty]

Jr. and I were talking just a few hours ago about the Keith style bullets. I like the LBT style bullets so much more there's no comparison. I have a mould that throws a a 270 grain .44 cal LBT bullet that I love. It stacks them one on top of the other at all ranges. I just wish I had one in .357.