Deep, Cheap And Accurate!

The shooting world was introduced to the first cartridge-firing weapon with the .22 Smith & Wesson Model #1 in 1857. This little pocket pistol used the same style .22 rimfire ammunition still in use today with a heeled bullet. The diameter of the bottom part of the bullet was smaller than the rest of the bullet so it would fit inside the case. Twelve years later S&W went big bore with the Model #3 .44 S&W American using the same style bullet. These didn’t have a crimping groove as we know it.

Apparently, the Russians didn’t like the way the .44 American cartridge was put together so they ordered a large number of Smith & Wessons chambered in a new cartridge. To come up with the .44 Russian the diameter of the case was increased while giving the bullet uniform diameter, and seating and crimping into the ogive of the bullet. This became the standard method and was used, and in some cases still used today in cartridges such as the .45 Colt, .44-40 and .38-40.

Today many of the mold makers of bullets for use in the old-style cartridges have improved them by adding a crimping groove. In the 1920s, Elmer Keith designed the standard semi-wadcutter bullet still in widespread use today. This bullet featured a large grease groove and a wide deep crimping groove. The crimping groove serves several purposes, not the least of which is keeping the bullet from being pushed down into the case or going the opposite direction and jumping forward under recoil. I’m also convinced a good crimp is necessary to get many pistol powders burning properly.

Deep Thinking

Most folks believe gunwriters spend all their time shooting having lots of fun. Well, they are right as far as it goes. I do spend a lot of time shooting, and I do have a great deal of fun, however most of the shooting falls into the almost work category requiring chronographing, data gathering, picture taking, in fact that is work! I really have to force myself to just shoot for the pure enjoyment of shooting so to that end during the past summer I tried to set aside every Wednesday just for fun shooting with friends and family.

It was on one of these particular days my friend Tony brought out his old 45/8″ Three-Screw .45 Ruger Blackhawk with some loads he wanted me to try. He was looking for some pleasant shooting loads for his grandson and he gave me his sixgun and some rounds of .45 Colt he had crimped over the front band of the front of the Oregon Trail Laser Cast 255-gr. bullet. My first cylinder full went into one hole, the light came on, and I knew I had to do some testing of deeply seated bullets.

Using the Oregon Trail 255-gr. SWC sized to .452″ for use in the .45 Colt and their 240-gr. .431″ SWC for the .44 Special and .44 Magnum I used five different powders and eight different guns to see what the results would be if all loads were seated over the front band. Be warned seating a bullet deeply cuts down on the powder space so it’s necessary to lower the normal powder charge. So actually one receives the same results with less powder. With the .45 Colt seating deep with 7.0 grains of Unique or Universal gives 1,000 rounds from one pound of powder while the standard loading of 8.0 grains crimped in the crimping groove yields the same muzzle velocity but results in 125 less rounds. Seat ‘em deep and shoot ’em cheap.

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