Some of these comments of people complaining about talking vs shooting are very shallow and obviously are made by people who do not shoot revolvers a lot. people who actually shoot alot like us absolutely love the deep dive discussion and we can always learn more or at the very least it is good to hear a different perspective. You are very well spoken and these videos are very easy to watch or even just listen to thankyou.
Lack of dramatic expansion is no deal breaker to me. 900+ fps from a 3" .44SPL is way more than the usual 700-800fps you get from the most available 180-200gr loads. Also, if that slug goes 16" through a torso it will most likely strike bone along the way and that will better facilitate more expansion.
A decent .44 special self-defense round is hard to find but this one looks promising! Nice! As a fellow denizen of the Deep South, I, too, like to see tests with minimal clothing too. 16" in Clear Ballistics Gel would likely be a wee bit less in organic gel (and likely even less in a human target). So I agree that 14-16" is about ideal for civilian self-defense.
Sometimes I think we all get too caught up in the hp mentality. There are thousands of men in the grave yard that wish a round nose lead bullet didn’t kill. I’ve also wondered if a lead flat nose bullet had a decent amount of energy dump some what comparable to a hp, as they make a pretty decent hunting bullet. The best .44mag bullet I’ve used for deer is the Speer deep curl that actually has a shallow hp.
Very interesting results. I like both of those Ruger revolvers. Maybe something like the Buffalo Bore heavy flat faced SWC “Keith” type load (or a handload equivalent) is the way to go in .44 Spl. Especially in predominantly rural environments.
I like the Buffalo Bore 200grain “Anti- personnel” hard cast wad cutter rounds going bout 1,000fps for my 44spl bulldog. A bit snappy but you don’t have to worry about expansion, I might carry those underwood in my 4” Tracker 44mag as “hotel room nightstand rounds” switching from bear loads after hiking. 👍🏻
I’ve read, on a forum, that the problem with .44 Special defensive loads is that nearly all manufacturers just use the HP bullet that they use in .44 Magnum. The bullets are designed to open up at greater velocities than a .44 Special loading can produce. The poster then mentioned a bullet that was specifically designed for the .44 Special. He claimed that this solved the problem. Unfortunately I can’t remember the bullet he was talking about. Short of that, most of the guys on the forum suggest “Keith” wadcutters.
Cor-Bon, Hornady, Buffalo Bore, and Speer all have HP bullets that are designed specifically to work for the velocities of .44 SPL. From what I understand, the Hornady FTX .44 SPL is one of the best. It's a 165 grain JHP bullet with the FTX (polymer) insert, and expands very well at the proper velocities, even coming out of the snubbies, eg. Charter Arms Bulldog Pug with a 2.5 inch barrel.
@@LibertysetsquareJack Thank you! I was looking for that post but was unable to find it. You jogged my memory, it was the FTX. I was unaware of the other makers doing that. Many thanks.
I've reloaded and tested 44special for 30 + years with loads 180gr up to 300gr. my self defense loads are 180gr xtp cronygraphed 1050 to1100 fps right there with buffalo bore ammunition. this bullet wonderful expansion on deer sized game and outher creatures. I've reloaded the 180gr xtp from 850 to 1500fps getting wonderful expansion and devastating vital area damage. with a three inch barrel 44special i would reloaded 255gr hard cast flat face or lswc at 900fps for possibly encounters with wild hogs and black bear . papa wishing you well 😊
I like your theory on penetration and defense use, also my concerns. I also tested the same round with the same revolver and then some of Underwood's full wadcutter loads. Talk about tissue disruption, massive. At least twice what I saw with the lead SWC and it actually had between 2"-3" LESS penetration, perfect for what I wanted adverging 13"-14" over 10 shots.
If you calibrate that gel, you will find its less dense than fbi gel. Lots of people have said and demonstrated it. The fbi also says they shoot at 70deg. Outside you will find its almost always hotter in the direct sunlight, this makes it less dense too. Get you a crossman 760 to calibrate your gel.
People dont like to hear it but the 44spl and is my favorite round but its 150-200fps more than a 45acp. With a smaller bullet Most 44spl loads are further handicapped because they load old hardcast solids that dont take advantage of modern bullet construction. Skeeter and guys like that swore by those bullets because they were all they had. The solid copper Extreme expander or penetrator would blow their minds, they hadnt even thought about fluted bullets or multipart bonded bullets.
A bit of friendly advice. Edit for brevity and focus. Too often people set up a camera in one position and then post the real time video. There were a lot of nothing happening on screen when you was presumably getting into position and aiming. And we didnt need to spend seconds watching you try to dig out the bullets in real time. Advice to take on board......or not.
1) The FBI never used 4 layers of denim as clothing in ballistic testing. The idea of 4 layers of denim was the fanciful and unrealistic creation of the International Wound Ballistic Association - a eclectic group of individuals interested in the topic, with no official affiliation. The FBI "heavy clothing" consisted of a t-shirt, a flannel shirt, an insulated vest, and a single-layer denim jacket - with the actual fabric thread count and construction specified. Which is a more realistic and repeatable standard. 2) The bullet used in this video's test load is obviously pretty hard, not soft lead. I have loaded other cast 190 SWCHP bullets to 870 fps which expanded as well as the second bullet shown in the test (1066 fps). The .44 Special revolver that the overwhelming majority of people carry is the lightweight Charter Bulldog. That has a 2.5" barrel, and velocity would probably be even lower than the Ruger shown. Recoil would be quite high, with nothing special in the way of bullet performance to show for effort. Hard pass.
In the 1986 shootout a couple of things went wrong. - They did not carry any Speed Loaders. - Lack of marksmanship training. One guy emptied two 12rd magazines and still didn't hit much. Sometimes things such as tactics , training and culture were more important here. They should have carried Speed Loaders. Speed Loaders would have helped a great deal. A better ammunition would not have helped them that much. As their hit to ammunition ratio was not very good to begin with. Technology is easier to solve. Training, tactics and culture a bit harder to do. And you do have to use the technology as it is available. Speed loaders existed since 1879 at the earliest. 1917 was when half moon clips were invented. John M Hunt had his Speed Loader in 1959. Ole N. Nelson had his design in 1965. Donald Matich in 1965 had his Quick Load too.
Great info. Steinel Ammunition makes a 180 XTP 44 SPL load I would like to see tested. Dont pay attention to complaints from the peanut gallery. You videos are fine.
I have watched a lot of ballistic gel testing from quite a few different RU-vidrs and what I've noticed the rounds like 38 special 44 special 45 Colt when they're traveling under 1,000 fps The round doesn't expand very well on majority of the hollow points
It says on the box that it's a gas check bullet, but I'm not seeing any reduced band on the base of the bullet where the gas check was attached. None of the bullets have a gas check that have been dug out of the gel and I don't see any that became detached and remain in the gel. How do they claim it's a gas check bullet? Or is it an aluminium gas check that is colored the same as the bullet and shows the same shiny rifling marks as the shiny lead of the bullet? Just curious as a consumer because I know that as a handloader, gas checked bullets cost more and manufacturers charge more for gas checked bullets, so I'm wondering if it's a case of mislabeling the package or just a lack of organisation on the part of the manufacturer. Just something odd I noticed.
I think it is Buffalo bore that sells a hard cast 44wadcutter.I heard good reports on it.Think it is 200 grain.Federal use to sell a 200 grain Semi wadcutter lead.900 FPS advertised. I got 875 fps Out of my 6 1/2" Mod 24 S&W. They made 45 Colt 225 grain. Lead semi wad.Don't know if round is available.Since shortage. I shot ground hogs,foxes with them instant kills. G.L
Why? What makes you think someone whats to hear a dog bark all the time? Whats the difference between a dog and a raido being loud and disturbing the peace?
@@tbjtbj4786 also music being played is music, loud or not. I would say music being played sounds just a wee bit better than some loud noise coming out of the vocals of a dog. There's a reason why when you go to a restaurant or riding an elevator or you're in a nice place there's music playing in the background, not a recording of dogs barking. COMMON SENSE.
