Cheap or Too Old???

[silentcrow]

I was recently test firing my dads old .44. The gun itself was fine, but some of the brass was splitting when it was fired. The ammo is old (from the 80's?) PMC .44 Rem Mag 180 grain Jacketed hollow point. I don't know if it's due to cheap materials, age or ? I refuse to use any more of it for fear of damaging the revolver. Any ideas on the cause? Also, how do I safely dispose of this faulty ammo? Thanks!

[Xringshooter]

If it's from the 1880's it's old ammo. From the 1980's that's not old at all if it was loaded and stored correctly. What type of 44 is the gun? If an older model the cylinders may be slightly oversized. Also, if you look at the brass does it show any signs of overpressure (extremely flattened primers, etc)? What was the recoild like? If it didn't seem to be excessive it may just be the brass, especially if it was reloaded many times. Where did the split happen, at the neck or somewhere else? If at the neack, that would lead me to believe the brass was weak.

If you reload you could use an inertial puller to get the bullets out for reuse or to sell. Toss the brass in thescrap bin to sell as scrap. Take the powder outside and make a trail and burn it (don't make a big pile though).

[gf45acp]

Are you sure that your dad's old .44 is a .44 Mag? If it's old remember that 44 mags have only been around for a short time compared to other .44 calibers. If you are using magnums in an old revolver in that may be in another chambering STOP, while you still have a hand. More specs on the revolver please.

[silentcrow]

Specs on revolver... It's a Ruger Super Blackhawk single action. I'm guessing it was purchased in the late '70's or early 80's.

Of 7 rounds fired, 3 show damage. One split from the (I assume) neck, to about a third of the way down.Another split about 2/3 of the way and shows the most separation half way through. The third went 3/4 of the way and also shows the most separation half way along the crack. I'd try to take pictures, but my camera is down. These are factory loads, never reloaded to my knowledge.

My dad passed away in 2004, so I don't know a whole lot about the way the ammo was stored. It was purchased in California and made the trip to PA in 1986, when we moved here.

The person who test fired (I'm female and have never fired such a long barreled hand gun) said the recoil was harsher than he expected. He had also tested a .357 Colt Python, both factory and reloads with no problems or unusual recoil.

After seeing those 3 split shells, I stopped the use of it and have been searching for an answer ever since. If you need more info, just let me know. How would I check the gun for damage that may have caused or been caused by the split rounds? Thank you.

[gf45acp]

As you do not know the history of the ammo, I am going to step out on a limb and guess that it may just be in the PMC box and is a box of HOT reloads. The .44 mag is the correct ammo for the Super Blackhawk. Deep six the remaining ammo.
I have shot many thousands of rounds of PMC ammo without a hitch.
As to the gun, the Super Blackhawk is a strong revolver. As there is some question as to if the problem is the gun or the ammo, I would take the gun to a gunsmith have have it checked just to be sure. A .44 mag going kablooie is not something I want in my hand. If you don't have the proper tools you are not going to be able to check for things like oversized chambers that xring mentioned.
There is also the possiblily that your dad may have had custom work done to the revolver, and it is not in it's original caliber. Perhaps a Ruger expert on this site can correct me if I am wrong, but in that time frame I don't believe that the Super Blackhawk was made in anything but .44 mag. The cavat is that the Super Blackhawks have been the basis for many custom conversions.
A friend recently showed me a Dan Wesson .357 mag that his father had that had a S&W barrel installed in it! No known history, so who knows if the gun is safe without an in person inspection by a gunsmith.
It will cost you a few dollars, but have it checked in person by a smith.

[deafsmithco]

I had the same thing happen back in the 1980's. Stainless New Model Super Blackhawk and PMC ammo. It was one case out of the box that split. A few years later I had a Hornady factory .44 mag. split, but I don't remember what gun that it was in. I think I remember reading that PMC had a few issues back then, then again maybe I didn't read it. The Hornady split surprised me more then the PMC split, but being open minded I have not bought either brand since. It is possible that the Ruger had an over size chamber but again it was only that one case. I doubt any damage was done to youre gun. Clean the chambers and the bore and have it checked by a smith. Have him mike the chambers also. That will give you peace of mind if needed. Get a different brand or brands of ammo and blast away.

[Xringshooter]

With the additional info provided it could be hot reloads that were put into the PMC box. That said, splits as you describe can come from weak cases (reloaded many times), very hot loads, loads that have chemically changed over time (this is rare), or oversized chambers. The person who fired them did say they didn't feel right. The Super Black Hawk is an extremely sturdy gun and can typically handle some pretty hot loads.

Take the gun to a gunsmith (a gunsmith, not necessarily a gun dealer) and have them check the cylinder diameters to insure they a not oversized for some reason. If all is correct then get rid of the remaining rounds and have fun shooting it. You might want to get some 44 Special rounds or have someone load you light 44 mag rounds. The SBH is a fun gun to shoot.

[WVBob]

It reads like bad ammo. I have had a split from a box of brand new ammo so having one split is not that odd. Having more than one split is. The BlackHawk is a fine firearm that will take a hot load with no trouble. Have it checked to make sure it has not been reamedout to something larger than a 44.

[silentcrow]

I will get it checked and, hopefully, find a round light enough that I can shoot it without getting knocked on my ass I guess the longer barrel has some effect there? I fired a military .45 with no trouble or recoil problem. I'd hate to wind up on a youtube video getting smacked in the forehead or nose

[phill]

My wife shoots a .44 Mag. and gets by fine. Take a good grip and lean on it a little. The other answer is to shoot .44 special loads. Most of our loads duplicate a .45 auto with a 245 gr. bullet. My wife likes to tell men how nice of a grandma gun the .44 is.