Trying a heavier bullet

I loaded another fifty 44 magnum rounds yesterday which exhausted my bullet supply, so after work I had to pick up another 100. I was hoping to find 240 grain Hornady, but could only locate 265 gr. That's OK because the load is similar. Using 1 Lee scoop of Accurate #9 (equal to 17.5 gr), I'll be very close to the center velocity in the chart which is 17.7 gr = 1400 FPS. That's 200 FPS slower than the 200 gr bullet I was shooting... or maybe not. Don't forget that I was loading those cartridges light, so the velocity might not be all that much different. I'll be using the same amount of powder since the 200 gr bullet required a minimum of 19.7 gr and I loaded them light at 17.5 gr. That could have brought the velocity down to around 1400 FPS, which would match the 265 gr bullet. This cartridge is going to kick butt when it meets a coyote.

Since it's heavier than what I shot at the range Monday, it should have a slow enough velocity to hit the target low, similar to the 200 gr bullets I loaded light, yet I shouldn't get the gas leaks because they are not below standard pressure. As I said in a previous post, it appears that the sights on this Henry are set for 100 yards and beyond. With the rear sight set as low as it will go, the store bought Remington cartridge hit about 6 inches high at 50 yards. The slower velocity cartridge I hand loaded brought the bullet right on target. Remember Newton's Law that says that an object falls at a specific rate of speed no matter how fast it is moving. That means that a slow bullet takes longer to reach the target than a fast bullet, and because of this it has more time to fall. So a slow bullet will hit the target lower than a fast bullet. For this reason a slower, heavier bullet is better suited for shooting at 50 yards because it will hit the target where a faster, lighter bullet will hit high, reaching the target faster. I think the 265's should be perfect!

Today I started loading, and because I already loaded the 100 new cases I bought, I had to start hammering out the primers from the spent cases. I used the Lee tool that comes in the kit for doing that job and after the 3rd primer, the pin on the tool broke! Thankfully Dirk gave me the Lee Loader Kit for the 38 Special and it should also have that tool. I'll use it to continue loading tomorrow since small game season is officially over.