BBS .44mag first firing

[Omegaspeedy]

Hello friends,

Here's the report of my experience first time firing the H012R (.44mag Big Boy Steel).

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I wanted to try several different types of .44 so as well as purchasing several boxes of Hornady 225gr LeverEvolution, I have loaded Hornady 180gr XTP with 29.5gr of W296 and some Berry's 240gr hollow point with 8.5gr of AP70N (Unique).

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Starting out with iron sights at 25m I first shot the LeverEvolution. It fed well, had a nice firm but manageable recoil and hit the target slightly to the right (see pic). The sights were nearly spot on for this ammo at 25m with the buckhorn on it's second notch from the bottom. Great start and big smiles all round. Note, I'm not shooting for ultimate accuracy at any point yet, just trying to come to grips with feeding, sighting and general handling.

Top target LeverEvolution

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I then moved to the soft shooting 240gr Berry's to see, if any, what the point of impact change would be? These also feed well and were pussy cats to shoot. Very satisfying and fun. I could shoot these all day long. Without trying hard, they grouped reasonably well but what was incredible was the point of impact change. I thought they would shoot low being slower and heavier, but the shot high and to the right. Guess a factor of how they leave the barrel.

Berry's 240gr Hollow points.

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Next the magnum loads of 180gr Hornady XTP JHP's. These really wake you up with nasty recoil and load kaboom!! I used an H110 starting load data because there was no data for W296. The powder I used was a locally bottled powder called Belmont Magnum pistol powder and the only available load data was for it was 240gr. Belmont powder is just relabelled W296 which some of you might know as a powder you need to respect due to a nasty characteristic of secondary ignition due to incomplete combustion. You must use magnum primers, not use light loads that allow for too much air space in the loaded cartridge and a good positive crimp to keep the projectile in place during the ignition cycle....I loaded and carefully fired one round first due to the risks around this powder and the fact I substituted a load data. On inspection of the primer, this is in fact a fast and hot round even at starting loads.

Out of the three selections of ammo, this was the most unpleasant to shoot and obviously the one with the highest energy. This stuff hits hard and as you can see from the photo shot the highest compared to the LeverEvolution. I think because the tactile feedback of shooting the 180's was so different from the other two, the flinch factor resulted in slightly larger groups which tightened up when I focused harder during the next experiment at 50m.

Hornady XTP 180gr 29.5gr W296 (bottom group)

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Now I roughly knew what I was dealing with, I wanted to see what sort of accuracy I could get at 50m with a red dot sight, so I installed the Henry rail and mounted my Vortex Crossfire which is a budget RD stolen from my AR-15. I quickly sighted it in with LeverEvolution (3rds) a continued with it for more critical assessment. It did really well at producing a nice tight group with one flyer. I was pleasantly surprised at how a chunky pistol slug performs at 50m.

LeverEvolution 50m

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I didn't load many Berry's so didn't include a 50 test on these but will next time as I really liked the way they shoot, but did fire 40rds total of the 180gr XTP's. Here's a critical group at 50m. Overly not too bad but they do hurt if you want to shoot these all day Note again how high they shoot compared to the LeverEvolutions.

Horady XTP 180gr 50m

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Concluding my thoughts of the BBS in .44. I loved shooting it! It was accurate, easy to handle, feed what I threw at it and if you experiment a bit, you'll find an ammo option that will fit every need. I think the LeverEvolution is a very nice to shoot, accurate round, the Berry's will be a great plinking round and very cheap to load, and the Hornady 180gr XTP's would make a good hunting round with plenty of stopping power. I will experiment with some other loads and share those in time. All and all, this carbine is highly versatile and it's an absolute pleasure to shoot.

[JEBar]

nice report .... your rifle seems to offer you an opportunity to go in most any direction you choose

[Omegaspeedy]

nice report .... your rifle seems to offer you an opportunity to go in most any direction you choose

Thanks JEBar, I'm really like this carbine, it's sweet!

[JEBar]

I'm really like this carbine, it's sweet!

understood .... we feel the same way about our Henry 44 Mag

[ESquared]

Great report! You're delving into the mysteries of reloading from where I sit. Trying to isolate the variables and figure out why POIs change from one projectile to another, different powders/powder weights. Fascinating stuff, but mind-boggling at times, as it doesn't take much of a tweak to change things.
Lots of juggling of variables, but fun!

[Omegaspeedy]

Great report! You're delving into the mysteries of reloading from where I sit. Trying to isolate the variables and figure out why POIs change from one projectile to another, different powders/powder weights. Fascinating stuff, but mind-boggling at times, as it doesn't take much of a tweak to change things.
Lots of juggling of variables, but fun!

Cheers ESquared, I do love tweaking and reloading is such a fun hobby. I enjoy it as much as shooting. There is something about it that is very satisfying and results in a strong sense of achievement. It give you a great feeling as you crack open a beer and look at the bullet you just made. I'd encourage everybody to give it a go at some point. Even though I reload for .223 on the Dillon XL650. All my other reloading is carried out on a cheap little single press Lee which does a great job. You don't have to spend a lot on it. Here in NZ a standard Hornady bullet cost just under $2. I can reload that same bullet for .69c. If you shoot a lot, that $300 on gear pays itself off pretty quickly and it's FUN.

[ESquared]

Yes, that sense of achievement has moved me to post "still life" photos of my finished cartridges, which I've vowed to stop doing because, well, a cartridge is a cartridge...
I'm relatively low volume, so the single stage Hornady suits me just fine, but I'm cranking and shooting on a pretty consistent basis, so my payback will be pretty good, especially now that I've moved on to 45 Colt, which is a bargain to reload vs. paying retail.
Lots for me to learn, but that's the fun of it, too.

[PT7]

You two exude enthusiasm for reloading, which is interesting and compelling. I've noticed others on the Forum say and think similarly.

Posting "still life" photos of "a cartridge is a cartridge" is always a can do, ESquared. My son-in-law reloads extensively. He calls the finished product "gold." I can just envision reloaders surrounded by their trays of new bullets in shiny brass...a little like the pot of gold, which leprechauns count.

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Cost of manufactured ammo in NZ is a strong reason to reload for you, Omegaspeedy. Almost $2 for a single standard Hornady bullet....wow! I've purchased quite a lot of Hornady ammo over the years; but at your cost, I probably would have had a lot less.

Glad you both are thoroughly enjoying this component of firearms ownership. Always interesting to read your challenges, and often good results of your work. Onward!
PT7

Great report! You're delving into the mysteries of reloading from where I sit. Trying to isolate the variables and figure out why POIs change from one projectile to another, different powders/powder weights. Fascinating stuff, but mind-boggling at times, as it doesn't take much of a tweak to change things.
Lots of juggling of variables, but fun!

Cheers ESquared, I do love tweaking and reloading is such a fun hobby. I enjoy it as much as shooting. There is something about it that is very satisfying and results in a strong sense of achievement. It give you a great feeling as you crack open a beer and look at the bullet you just made. I'd encourage everybody to give it a go at some point. Even though I reload for .223 on the Dillon XL650. All my other reloading is carried out on a cheap little single press Lee which does a great job. You don't have to spend a lot on it. Here in NZ a standard Hornady bullet cost just under $2. I can reload that same bullet for .69c. If you shoot a lot, that $300 on gear pays itself off pretty quickly and it's FUN.

Yes, that sense of achievement has moved me to post "still life" photos of my finished cartridges, which I've vowed to stop doing because, well, a cartridge is a cartridge...
I'm relatively low volume, so the single stage Hornady suits me just fine, but I'm cranking and shooting on a pretty consistent basis, so my payback will be pretty good, especially now that I've moved on to 45 Colt, which is a bargain to reload vs. paying retail.
Lots for me to learn, but that's the fun of it, too.

[North Country Gal]

Excellent range report and great shooting, too. Very timely, as well, with the red dot on your Henry, given the recent post on red dots. Shows what a red dot equipped rifle can do at 50 yards in the hands of a good shooter.

[DRFROG]

I'm curious about the Red Dots. I would like to get one for my H001m

[Mags]

.
Some posts here about them:
http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=6129
http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=6016

I'm curious about the Red Dots. I would like to get one for my H001m

[DRFROG]

Thank you

[fortyshooter]

Wow some nice big ragged holes there!! Looks like you are on the way to finding some great loads!!
Do you have a companion.44 Mag revolver to match that Henry??

Keep enjoying the good work!

[Omegaspeedy]

Wow some nice big ragged holes there!! Looks like you are on the way to finding some great loads!!
Do you have a companion.44 Mag revolver to match that Henry??

Keep enjoying the good work!

Hi fortyshooter, no I wish I did have a pistol to go with the carbine, it would be a S&W Mod 29 but here in NZ it's a bit restrictive but not out of reach. My problem is I do shift work so wouldn't be able to get to complete the required amount of shoots at a club to keep legally current. I shoot mostly on week days.

[Slugnut]

Good shooting, my friend. The 44 and 41 mags. are fun to shoot, especially in a Henry BBS. Thanx for sharing.