June 22, 2009
I am a 17 yr LEO vet in South Florida. I started using Dan Wessons in 1982 and havce owned a 744, a model 15 Gold Series, and currently own a 722 Silhoutte, and a 7445 bought new in approx 1990. I carried my Gold Series as a duty weapon for a short time, but had to give in to the Glock craze, and currently carry a Glock model 35.
I have a Master Captain's License and do flats fishing charters, specializing in Permit, Bonefish and Redfish. I fished the Redfish Tour for several years, but am currently working towards my retirement from LEO and I am not taking charters.
I have a retreat in the mountains of Western Arkansas where I do a lot of shooting, load testing and hunting. I have taken the 445 to the extreme, measuring the cylinders with a micrometer, cutting cases to fit the cylinder, adding new canneluers to slugs, and getting the most out of the 445 Supermag.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
to DWF. Interesting, two LEO New Members within a week. You sound like the kind of experienced 445 SM shooter that a bunch of our guys are really going to like working with.
I love it when I get to be First In with
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 9, 2009
DWF Supporters
Dans Club
Moderators
November 17, 2008
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
FOC- My son is in a Gunners Mate in the USCG, currently in the Persian Gulf, and planning on going to Key West for his next duty station, in a year or so. I guess the Coast Guard is very active there, he says it a "hot" Duty Station.
He's a devoted fisherman, he fished a lot in Galveston, and the fishing is another reason he wants Key West.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
Moderators
January 24, 2009
June 22, 2009
Thank you for a warm welcome. I will put on some pics when i get a chance, as well as some load data. I have a really incredible picture of the 445 going off at night. Unfortuantely it is a print and I don't have a scanner ... I will have to find one.
My 445 SM data willl be given with the caveot that it works well in my gun! I determined that all of my cylinders would accomodate cases 1.675", so I cut mine to 1.67". Then I put in a new canneluer(?) in all but my 300 grn slugs. Alll of my data is up at my place in the mountains, but I can tell you I was getting over 1900 fps with 240 jhps, and over 1900 fps with Wilson hard cast 300 grn slugs out of a 6" bbl. From a rest sub 1" groups were common at 50 yds. Everything under 300 grns I got best results with H110, with the 300 Wilson W680 was supreme and incredibly consistent. Of course W680 does not exist anymore ... but I still have 3 lbs of it. I have not used Lil gun yet, but it certainly looks promising.
Here in the Keys we do not have much opportunity to shoot so i leave all of my fun guns (non-leo) up in a safe at my place in Arkansas. I have a notebook full of data I will bring back to share.
April 25, 2008
Excuse my lack of manners...don't know how I missed this.
to our little world, we are glad to have another vet and LEO here. I have a 722 Silhouette also...how do you like yours? Is that 7445 an IHMSA model also? That sounds like a great shooter!
When you run out of W-680, try some Accurate Arms 1680. It is very close and does well in my SuperMags.
The Savantist
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
That looks like an awful lot of fun, thanks for sharing. Why does load data wait until September, is that when the bullet finally comes to rest ?
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
Moderators
January 24, 2009
June 22, 2009
THe load data is up at my place in the Ouachita Mtns, and I won't be able to get any of it until i go back ... Labor Day. Depending on the brass you use it may be totally useless. I use 30/40 brass and I have a special way to prepare it. A friend made a die into which I insert a 30/40 case, fill it with water, insert a plug, then slam it with a hammer, which blows it out to the proper dimensions witohut fire forming. The case tapped out and then I cut off the neck, then use a trimmer to cut it back to 1.67". That way the case does not change after firing. I also use a canneluer tool to make a new canneluer further down on JHP slugs to give me even more case capacity.
I do not remember the exact numbers, but I get a VERY consistent FPS, approx 1900 FPS with a 300 grn WIlson's hard cast, and about the same fps or slightly more with Sierra 240 JHPs. Most of my load data I developed back in the early 1990's. My house got flooded in 1998 (Hurricane Georges) and I lost most of my reloading equip and A LOT of ammo. In fact it was only during the last year that I have started relaoding again.
The picture I posted was actually taken back in the late 1980's to very early 1990's. We took a lot of pics using different lens & flash settings etc. This was the best one. In the original, large photo you can see my hand where it was just as i pulled the trigger, and then also at recoil.
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