[Wynn]

While going through my ammo stock and cleaning it up I noticed this. About 15 years ago I loaded 4 boxes of 44 Mag. 240gr cast SWC with 17gr Blue Dot. At the time my data said 18.5 was max, now Lyman list 15.5 as max. Did they make the powder hotter or the data more conservative or was the 18.5 a typo?
My question is what do I do with it ? I hate to have to pull all 200 rds. Any comment, other than don’t load more than you shoot, would be appreciated.

 

[jwp475]

What revolver are you going to shoot them out off?

 

[kdub]

Yes, it seems the manuals have certainly changed. As an example:

Sierra - 240 jacketed - 16.9 gr BlueDot max @ 1300 fps

Hornady - 240 Jacketed - 15.0 gr Bluedot max @ 1350 fps
Nosler - 240 Jacketed - 15.0 gr Bluedot max @ 1390 fps

Different lengths of bbls and types of primers would play into the equation and these figures are for jacketed bullets vs. cast. You can generally load cast a little higher than jacketed and still stay within pressure limits, but the above does indicate that perhaps 17.0 gr may be a little warm in your handgun. We're assuming these loads are for a handgun?

 

[Griz]

Do you have a strong rifle?

When in doubt, be safe.

Hopefully Nick will weigh in with factual data you can use.

Grizz

 

[TMan]

I think SAAMI dropped the peak operating pressures for the .357/.44Magnum cartridges about that time. I still have a couple boxes of Speer Lawman from that era, and it's got way more "POW" than the current faxctory stuff from Winchester or Remington. I figure if I ever need to stop a train or something, I'll use it up. It's not fun.

 

[mikld]

Shoot 'em. If the load of 17 grains of Bluedot was safe when you put the powder in the cases 15 years ago, it will still be safe today...

 

[Wynn]

Sorry I forgot to say that I plan on shooting them in the S&W mod 29 with a 8 3/8" brl that I loaded them for.

 

[TMan]

Sorry I forgot to say that I plan on shooting them in the S&W mod 29 with a 8 3/8" brl that I loaded them for.

Hmmm,

Mod 29's have gone through some changes over time, as earliest versions didn't hold up so well to a regular diet of hot loads, and many commercial loads. It kinda depends on how many you have loaded up. If you have a box of 50, it's not likely to be a problem (but could be), if you have 500rds, you might want to pull and reduce.

 

[Roarin' 54]

I had very close to the same load years ago, they worked fine in my Ruger Super Redhawk, but in my S&W Model 29 I had to push really hard on the ejector rod to empty the cylinder. This was in 1988, I just finished the last of my Bluedot last summer, it was in the old Hercules cardboard canister. I haven't used any under the Alliant label, I've heard that it is a little hotter.

 

[land&groove]

I quit using use Blue Dot for handgun loads in the late '70,s. It still came in the cardboard foil covered packaging then. I loaded some .357 Magnum rounds that I had been loading for about a year. The only different component in the load was New .357 Mag Winchester Nickel Cases. No problem, right? WRONG. The substitution of that one item caused a pressure spike that split each case open lengthwise, and I had to use a pall peen hammer to gently tap the cases out of the cylinder of my Colt Trooper.
I beleive there are MANY other powers available today more specifically developed for handgun use. There's really no need to use a recipe substitution, (shotgun powder in handgun loads).
As for your .44 Loads, better safe than sorry.

 

[mgrace]

If they were loaded for the gun you have and they were safe at the time they were loaded, I think I would fire them as long as they eject easily.

Michael Grace

 

[GMFWoodchuck]

Ditto on what MGrace says.

 

[broom_jm]

Gunpowder is not like wasabi; it doesn't get hotter the longer it sits around. If you load up some cartridges on Friday and they prove to be perfectly safe at the range on Saturday, don't panic Monday morning when a new manual comes out n' says those loads are too hot.

 

[Hanshi]

I think you will be fine with that load as long as it's not a regular diet in an S&W. In a Ruger I wouldn't give it a second thought. I use Blue Dot in .357 and .41mag. I don't recall the exact load just offhand but I get 1250fps in the .357 and 1380fps in the .41 with 158 grn and 210 grn jacketed bullets respectively. The .41 load is super accurate and deadly on deer and is my favorite handgun load for deer.

 

[JimboLLN]

I would shoot one round and extract it. If it extracts normaly then check the primer. If it isn't flatened more then normal then shoot them. If any of these two things are different then unload them. Better safe then sorry.