Stupid GP100 Question - 44spl

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So I have one of those 5-shot GP100's in 44 special... very nice gun / 5 inch barrel (love it).

Changed the grips, tried a couple Altamont offerings, changed some springs... it's just the way I like it now.

Strength? Can it take hot 44 special loads? So far its only eaten cowboy fodder. I would assume so because it's Ruger and you hear about "Ruger only" loads.

Also, and this is probably the stupidest question, have you seen 44 magnum loads with a full wadcutter before? Like the flat bullet is barely above the case 1mm. I am sure these would fit in the cylinder, and assuming they are loaded no hotter than hot 44 special? Would they be more accurate because there is less gap to jump?

https://www.underwoodammo.com/produ...in-hard-cast-wadcutter?variant=18786989965369

This is the load in question. I was just thinking even though this revolver is 44 special only it seems like there is substantial space there for a longer bullet or case (not both). There is no way its gonna chamber normal 44 mag... but I bet it will these shorties.

I am probably going to buy this same load in 44 special because I am mostly a chicken. This thread is just about my curiosity. Dont worry about me blowing myself up-
 
I would not try a pressure beyond what Is recommended by the maker.

I have never seen wadcutters in 44 Magnum. Not to say it doesn’t exist. I reload FMJ and JHP.

c1f553eb2e715e88fb196d7e4af433f8.jpg

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I have the same gun except mine is the three inch version, I also love mine
Ive used a variety of regular pressure loads loads with no problem.
Plenty of articles on the web of people running buffalo bore ammo through them which is hot with no problem.
If you want want a 44 mag load then I'd probably get a 44 mag revolver.
 
Thanks! I think I agree... its been awhile since I bought this gun but i distinctly remember thinking how much I dont like shooting magnum loads.

Mostly I was curious, especially if I start reloading, if long brass and short bullets would be okay.
 
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if long brass and short bullets would be okay.

the long brass is there for safety aka it wont chamber 44 magnum brass unless you cut it down.
Literally the reason why it's longer. Same with .357 in a .38

Can you load .44spl hot? Sure? But that's not what it's built for. It (44spl) is for chunking heavy loads at moderately faster speeds than a .45 acp
 
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Yeah, I like 44cal bullets better too. Seem to shoot like a laser for me compared to 45acp. I cant hit squat with a 1911-
 
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=89

I ran these pretty regular in my 3" GP100. 255 grain at 1000 fps. Liked that load and that gun a lot.

I had to trade it off for something I needed for the homestead but couldn't afford. I sorely miss it.

I've got a 629-1 four inch .44 Magnum that I keep loaded with these same rounds. I'm glad the Magnum capability is there if I want/need it. But most days I'm happy to keep the warm 44 Specials in it.
 
Ruger does not offer the GP100 in 44 Magnum. There has to be a reason for that. Could be marketing, or it could be engineering, but I would lean toward engineering for "don't sell this".

As to your second question, if you can chamber an empty 44 magnum case without any resistance or any brass sticking past the end of the cylinder, then it will probably work. BUT I don't see any benefit to doing this - and I like to try stuff *just because*. I do see a potential downside to making a habit of chambering MAG headstamps in a SPL gun.
 
When I was a young guy shooting on the pistol line, an old fellow noticed my sideways glance at the way he was holding his revolver, shooting it with his second finger as the first one was missing. He said to me: this is what happens when you over load a cartridge in a revolver. Always stuck with me. Don't try to turn a round into something it isn't.
 
As for stupid questions...

...I didn't know there was a "44 special." Certainly didn't know that a common gun like the Gp100 would be made in such an odd caliber (odd to me).
 
As for stupid questions...

...I didn't know there was a "44 special." Certainly didn't know that a common gun like the Gp100 would be made in such an odd caliber (odd to me).
It's been around since the early 1900's,
Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith where big fans of the cartridge. And Keith's load development of the 44 special round lead to the 44 magnum.
 
I've shot a bath tub full of Full Wadcutters. I like the plated ones. If you load them out to the OAL of the 246 gr 44 special and put 18.5 grains of 2400 in it you will have a wonderful walk anywhere sidearm. Those big full wads hit with Authority. Just DO NOT load them like normal wads loaded to the rim of the case. OAL is important.
 
Don’t know about the Rugers but some of the 5 shot Smith’s are too thin in the forcing cone for mag pressures. I’d look hard for a Model 69 Smith if I needed the extra power in a small frame revolver.
 
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You're comparing the wrong cartridges....

Ruger only .45 Colt loads came from a study of the structure of the Blackhawk platform they were born from and how the .45 Colt compared to the .44 Mag in the same platform. Naturally the .45 Colt is a wider cartridge than .44 Mag and with a six shot cylinder of each you can measure the relative wall thickness between cylinders and calculate a rough estimate of pressure that the .45 Colt can take based off of a the pressure the comparable .44 Mag could take. Thus the .45 Ruger Only loads were born. Naturally that was over quite a bit of time

If I were an adventurous man wanting to know how hot was too hot with a .44Spl GP100 I'd do a similar comparison of cylinder wall thickness between .44SPL and .357 Mag versions to pressures of each cartridge.

Naturally as others have said the GP100 isn't offered in 44 Mag...
 
44 special is ~140 CUPs or 15,500 psi.
44 magnum is ~400 CUPS or 36,000 psi

So you'd be running 2-2.5x the pressure depending on the load, I wouldn't try it, it probably wont turn out well.
Say it with me folks. Metal fatigue is a thing

If you want a gun that size in 44mag get a Smith 69
 
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As for stupid questions...

...I didn't know there was a "44 special." Certainly didn't know that a common gun like the Gp100 would be made in such an odd caliber (odd to me).

5 rounds of 200gr lead moving at 900fps is a great choice in a GP100 sized revolver. Certainly alot more portable than a Redhawk Alaskan
 
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Don’t know about the Rugers but some of the 5 shot Smith’s are too thin in the forcing cone for mag pressures...

I've heard of that with the Rivers & potential for cracking. I think I've heard they rectified that issue, but not positive.

No need to hotrod it IMO, as a 240-250gr bullet at 900-1000fps hits like a sledgehammer & won't beat up the shooter or the gun.
 
Thanks guys... I am going to play it safe for an additional reason. Cant afford a mag lever gun to go with it now anyway cause I just lost 3 trees to wind, ha.

Learned a lot anyway!
 
Cast Frame GP100s in .357 are some of the strongest out there. If they wanted to make it a Magnum I'm sure they could.

Yeah, It will work until it doesn't, and unless you had an xray machine you would never know until the gun blew up.

Constantly pushing the pressure over 3x what the gun was designed for isn't the best practice.

Like pushing a car at 100 all the time.
 
I would not try a pressure beyond what Is recommended by the maker.

I have never seen wadcutters in 44 Magnum. Not to say it doesn’t exist. I reload FMJ and JHP.

c1f553eb2e715e88fb196d7e4af433f8.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
There is a difference between the case length on 44 specials and 44 magnum just like the difference between 38 special and 357 magnum case lengths. In order to shoot 44 magnum ammo in the GP100 you would have to have the cylinder reamed out so that the magnum case would fit . In my opinion I doubt the chamber would take magnum pressures. The cylinder is the weakest link in the equation. The frame might take the pounding but the cylinder won't.
 
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