big bore snubby

[Scott Moore]

FLYANDSCUBA
The term “set back” I used goes back to almost 20 years when I was in firearms retail and we were a warranty station for most of the Industry. It was used to describe an occurrence as ROCK 44 stated . . . the whole cartridge sets back upon firing causing the bullet to move forward in the case. At that time bullet pull was usually described in the relationship of the loading or reloading of a cartridge and the crimp and/or the contact of the case to the bullet and the force in which it takes to move the bullet in the case.
This subject brings up a good topic of discussion concerning cartridge selection. With modern technology, it’s not as critical as it was just a few years ago. Most ammo today can withstand much greater factors than ammo of old.
DUDE357

[flyandscuba]

Hmmm...thanks, I think I now understand.  Though my thinking was the entire pistol recoiled to the rear (cartridges are captive in the cylider and have only a fraction of an inch to move rearward) and the heavy bullets in the unfired cartridges tended to remain in their position of rest...you know Newton's Law and all...thus resulting in an increased OAL of the cartridge, due to the weak crimp on the lead bullet, until they protruded through the chamber and the cylinder would bind.

I think we're talking about the same failure, just in a little different way...

[Scott Moore]

flyandscuba,
We are indeed speaking of the same thing, our Industry tends to use a lot of terms / actions that are almost prosperity to one manufacturer, such as one company will call the part that rotates the cylinder a paw, while another will call it a hand. One company has its cylinder rotating clockwise while another rotates counter-clockwise, etc . . .
Thanks for the replies; it has made me think of situations that I saw during my years in retail. Not only have I seen many cases of the bullet moving forward as we discussed but I have also seen the bullet retreat in the case again due to improper crimp and usually in big bore rounds. I also saw this happen when the first aluminum cases were introduced, but of course that problem was cured years ago.
DUDE357

[norfdet]

anyone care to comment on why 44 special ammo is so hard to find or at least it is here locally?

[ponyexpress]

44 Special ammo is just not that popular of a cartridge. While I find it much more pleasant to shoot through 44 revolvers than the magnum, is seems that most guys feel they have something to prove and insist on shooting full house 44 mag loads.

Hey, I love torque and recoil as much as the next person but I don't see much point in putting unnecessary wear and tear on my guns if I don't have to.

[Sponsor]

[m25operator]

Big bore means we start with 4, the charm of the CA

[Rock44]

anyone care to comment on why 44 special ammo is so hard to find or at least it is here locally?

I roll my own and use a LEE factory die for a tight crimp.I do have some cor-bon 200 gr. DPX that I bought through midway.

[Michael Bane]

So hey, Norfdet, why don't you open a big ole can of worms???

A lot of us "carry the torch" for the .44 Special, which is a magnificent cartridge, especially in mid-frame guns like S&W 296/396/696 5-shots or a converted OM of 50th Anniversary Ruger Blackhawk. The Taurus 441 series is also excellent.

I believe the Winchester 200-grain .44 Special SilverTip is one of the greatest self-defense rounds ever made.

However, the ugly truth is that .44 Specials simply don't sell. I mean, I buy 'em; John Taffin at AMERICAN HANDGUNNER buys 'em; a few of our firiends buy 'em...but that's about it. S&W, Taurus and a bunch of other people have gotten stung in the .44 Special market...thems of us who wax poetic about the cartridge are an insufficient mmarket base!

In a large frame revolver, I'm gonna go with the .44 Magnum simply because of its versatility. As I mentined, I have a .44 Magnum snubbie in the works with Alpha Precision, and I anticipate putting a lot of .44 Special rounds through it. Still, I wanna be able to lob hand grenades if necessary, such as a stampeding garbage truck.

Michael B

[norfdet]

So hey, Norfdet, why don't you open a big ole can of worms???

Michael B

Well call me an oddball! I love the 44 special, 10mm and the 41 magnum all of which are become increasingly more difficult to find. I am hoping that somehow, someday that S&W will re-release all of these calibers in guns with modern machining. I would love to have a 1006 or 1076 of current production (although I will never part with my 1076).

Regards.

[m25operator]

Hey does anyone remember the charter arms backpacker. 2 inch barrel, magnaported ( waste but looks cool) standard wood grips that only cover the grip frame, tyler t-grip adapter, .......44 special to be sure. Smallest, hard hitting belly gun, but from personal experience, a true beasty to shoot. I just picked up a 3 inch model 625 S&W, it too requires attitude when shooting major power loads, not unmanageable, but respectful. Although we are talking big bore, the model 65 S&W in 3 inch is one of the best fighting revolvers of all time. I built an Andy Cannon replica for myself, dehorned, no hammer spur, round butt, dovetailed front sight, checkered backstrap, action slicked, sweeet.  Fastest into action pistol I have ever owned.