November 15, 2009
In the light of the Reloading Roundtable (interesting read) and because I can't find my Sierra 220 FPJ bullets in stock, because I want to reduce wear and tear on myself and my pistol, and finally because I'm shooting in FP not Big Bore, I want to develop a new .44 magnum load for my 8" .44 magnum DW.
On a whim I purchased 500 180gr Meister cast flat top bullets. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=136105
So, here are my assumptions (I've never developed a load from scratch before) on what the ideal load would do:
-Obviously loads within maximum limits
-Would impart enough energy on impact to reliable topple the target. Since I can do this with a .22 HV round lets set this at the minimum energy. Mass of bullet x impact velocity defines energy.
-Has a reasonably flat trajectory from muzzle to target. My pet load falls 5.58" over 100 yards, lets set 6" at my maximum, though would prefer less.
-Does not become transonic over its travel to target (lol)
-Consistently produce a nice tight group
I'm not really sure where to go from here. My next step was to look for reloading data on those Meister bulllets, or failing that something similar.
First, any feedback on my assumptions? Second, any helpful hints?
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