July/August 1978 - American Handgunner

Charter544 Bi^gShot LoadsBy GEORGE C. MONTEany shooters have asked me to rec-M ommend good shot loads for theirrevolvers. Usually they are .38 Specials3r .357 Magnums. It isn't only sportsmenwho ask; many law officers have askedspecifically for an effective load to beused in their short-barreled, hideoutguns. The trouble is that there simplyaren't any truly effective loads for smallguns. There are both factory and handloadsin .38/.357 size that will kill rats andrattlers at short range, but that's about it.There simply aren't any loads effectiveenough for defense use that can be firedin small-size handguns. Not until now,anyway.The advent of the Charter Arms .44Special "Bulldog" revolver changes allthis. No bigger or heavier than manysnub-nose .38s, the Bulldog combines .44caliber with a cylinder long enough tohandle a sizeable quantity of shot withgood effect. So, with a Bulldog in hand, Iwent back over shot load development of20-25 years ago to come out with somethingthat really does the job from thethree-inch-barrel, pocket-size Bulldog.Standard .44 Special cases (especiallythe old balloon-head type) can be loadedwith about %-ounce of shot, but more isneeded. Plastic shot capsules appear tooffer an improvement in the form of alarger shot charge. Unfortunately, itdoesn't work out that way because thecapsules can't be held in the case tightlyenough to withstand recoil. In the lightBulldog, the capsules move forward outof the case to tie up the cylinder, no matterhow heavily they are crimped in place.Four shots, at most, usually less, movecapsules from unfired rounds forwardenough to block cylinder rotation. Thatcertainly isn't acceptable.The only alternative, then, is to use alonger case which will hold more shot.The .44 Magnum case comes to mind, butit isn't enough longer to help much. EvenAppearance can be deceiving. Plasticshot capsules, although easily available,will not hold up under recoil even underan extreme crimp. Result-cylinder locks.the untrimmed cases I once filched froman ammo plant don't hold enough moreshot to be worthwhile.The .30-40 rim is easily reduced to .44Special dimensions in a lathe, especiallythe fine miniature Sherline unit I use isquick, easy, and accurate. At the otherend of the scale. vou can file them down, .by hand-no problem if you need onlyfive or 10, but a horrendous chore for 50or 100.A belt or disc sander, even a benchgrinder, with a sanding disc in place, offersthe simplest and quickest method.My sander is a small belt unit sold byBrownells for only a bit over $50. It savedme more than that in sweat and frustrationthe first week I owned it.Anyway, take the full-length, .30-40case (easier to hang onto than after trimmingto length) and lay the edge of the rimup next to the speeding, abrasive belt.Use the other hand to steadv vour wrist. , ,Now smoothly roll the case betweenthumb and fingers while touching the rimlightly against the belt. With just a littlepractice, you'll be able to roll it one turnand take off just the right amount withoutmaking the rim egg-shape. Try it. It's notnearly as difficult as you might think.To reduce rim thickness, hold the casehead parallel to the sander, then press itin gently while rotating it smoothly. Hangon tight and don't let the case tip. Two orthree light passes will remove theheadstamp and probably get the rimdown to the correct thickness. Check bytrying it in a .44 Special shell holder.When it slips in smoothly, it's probablythin enough to work in the gun-unlessyour shell holder is oversize. For thetechnically-minded, the final thicknessshould be .055" or a wee bit under. Youcan stop there, but I always bevel the rimedge lightly, rotating the angled caseagainst the sander with a feather-lighttouch. A 45' bevel, half the rim thickness,looks nice. Afterwards, if thefrosted appearance of the sanded rim andhead surface offends you, hit it lightlywith a soft-cloth, buffing wheel and finerouge. The altered head will then sparkle,completely devoid of any headstamp.Now you're' telling me I ruined theprimer pocket; that it's too shallow by theamount sanded off the head. For rifleprimers, yes-but I've yet to encounter a.30-40 case, whose pocket was not stilldeep enough for flush-seating of largeAMERICAN HANDGUNNER JULYIAUGUST 1978 23