ratgunner

Yep. Thats why I'm gonna back down on the charge.

rclark

We are talking Unique/Universal here ... I don't think so.... The chronograph would tell it. The Skeeter load isn't a 'hot' load anyway.... it's a moderate light kicking load... The Keith load, on the other hand, 'is' a hot load.... Every one will load what is most comfortable for them to shoot.

Mine too.... That is why I have a .44Mag and .45 Colt BH if I need to go there . If I need the Keith load mentioned above, I'll pull the .44Mag.... The Skeeter load though is just a nice accurate moderate load for the .44Spec that will do most everything needs doin'.

Seneca

Here's a Taffin article on Skeeter loads...

Skeeter

Judge for yourself...are they hot loads or not...

rclark

That article doesn't even mention the Skeeter Load ( .44 Spec 7.5g Unique under 240-250g SWC) ... Just an FYI .

Seneca

The next to the last paragraph of article mentions 2400 and the authors (Taffin) suggestion that the 2400 of today may be a tad hotter than the 2400 of the day. I have a hunch he is correct.

Unique has also undergone a change in recent years. All Unique now produced is of the new "cleaner burning" type...

While powder producers make every effort to maintain the lot to lot consistency of their powders...I would be very circumspect about using, and approach with caution any of the older load data.

My Lyman Cast Bullet handbook (1980/11th reprint) lists list the 44sp, load for a 245gr. LSWC at 6.0gr. to 6.6gr. of Unique

My old Speer manual (1987) lists the 44sp, load for a 240gr. LSWC at 5.7gr. to 6.3gr of unique

My most recent Lyman (49th ed. 2008) manual list the 44 sp. for a 240 gr. LSWC at 5.8gr to 6.5gr. of Unique

My most recent Alliant Reloaders guide, which only lists the maximum loadings (do not excede), for the 240gr. LSWC in 44sp at 6.3 gr. of Unique.

So it appears one of two thing have happened...either powders have become a tad hotter or skeeter was exceding the maximum loading.

Ale-8(1)

Skeeter was MY MAN. I read everything he wrote, and believed every one, as well.

I treasure his books and their collected wisdom . . . and his "Me and Joe" tales . . . and his experiences (real and fictional) in the Southwest.

But when it came to "the only gun you can keep" tales I have wondered about his thoughts on packing along minimal reloading tools, lead ingots and bullet molds, powder and primers as "survival" supplies. Limited to the volume those supplies would represent, I believe I'd just pack an equal volume of ammo. I'll bet you could carry more ammo than you could components and the necessary tools to "roll your own" in the backwoods. Unless there would be opportunity to replenish the components, I'd sooner have the ammo. And if replenishment were possible, I'd believe it would be easier to obtain ammo than components, particularly primers.

But I understand his desire to utilize the super-flexible .357 revolver and be able to feed it as desired under unfavorable conditions.

Miss ya, Skeet.

Iowegan

Seneca, SAAMI standards for a 44 Special haven't changed since the cartridge was invented because there are still a good many "Saturday Night Specials" floating around. The original 44 Special cartridge was based on a BHN 10, 246 gr lead bullet at 755 fps from a 6 1/2" barrel. SAAMI's max chamber pressure for a 44 Special is 15,500 psi. Using QuickLOAD, I plotted a 44 Special with Unique powder (modern formula), and a Speer .430" 240 gr LSWC. C.O.L.=1.615"
Here's the results:
Max powder charge is 7.3 gr of Unique (900 fps), however that can vary with different 240 gr bullets due to different seating depths. It appears the "Skeeter load" is just a tad over max ... not enough to hurt a modern Blackhawk but I sure wouldn't shoot it in a lesser gun.

The load that matches factory ammo the closest with the above 240 gr LSWC is 6.0 gr of Unique (765 fps) with a 240 gr LSWC.

Important note .... reloading manuals rarely list loads for lead bullets that are at SAAMI max pressures, rather they list loads that are less likely to foul bores. With a BHN 10 bullet, the optimum chamber pressure would be 14,000 psi, which is very close to the original factory load.

rclark

Agree. that is why I shoot 6.3g of Unique under 240g SWC in my CC SA Bulldog for example. In this gun, the 6.3g load recoil feels 'much' heavier due to the guns lightness . Know your gun.... Simple as that.

Of course it is exceeding the maximum (SAAMI) loading. Always has, ... as Iowegan states above. So much more than the 2400 .44Spec load that Keith load in his guns. We all know that. But there is nothing 'magical' about going beyond SAAMI guidelines when you know you can. That's why we have Ruger Only Loads for .45 Colt (which double the SAAMI pressures) .... Know your guns .... Simple as that.

Reloading is not about loading 'willy nilly' or just by the 'book' and hope for the best. You educate yourself on the powders, bullets, primers, cases, and guns that you'll be shooting the loads in. Then you can have confidence that your load will work just fine. What is nice is there is quite a few people that have 'went before' and paved the way for us to benefit from their experiences. Keith, Taffin, Skeeter, Linebaugh, Pearce, Seyfried, etc.... Gives you confidence that it should work for me and you too!!!

Seneca

I agree and I really do appreciate the efforts of those few notables that pushed the envelope...they have brought out new ideas and different ways of looking at reloading...

What I question is whether or not it is practical to duplicate some of their loads. Yet if one wishes to...I'd suggest they be worked up to and approached with due caution along with a health respect for what can happen.

And...Yes I have pushed the load envelope a few time and I've also seen what happens when one pushes it a bit too much...I remember seeing what a tad too much Unique can do to S&W Model 29.

No one was hurt yet the report from the round that did it didn't sound any different than the one before it, or the one before that, odd he didn't know it had happened until he discovered the cylinder wouldn't turn.


Skeeter, Taffin, Kieth and others like them are the pioneers, god bless em!...they paved the way and we follow in their foot steps...myself?...a few grains back...