pistol powders in australia

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pistol powders in australia

Post by 44isgood » 09 Apr 2023, 11:01 pm

First timer on this forum guys so i thought I would add something for 44 magnum shooters here.
Like all Ausies who can't get pistol powders for there 44 Mag leverguns, I have worked up a load of 11.2 gns of W572 powder for a velocity of 1555 fps in my 20 inch barrelled Henry BigBoy.
I gutted 25 Winchester Magnum X BB shotgun cartridges and got enough powder to load 65 44 Mag cartridges.
There was no powder residue left in the case or barrel after firing and no excess pressure signs on primer or case head.
While working up to that load I found that less than 10 gns left the outside of cases black from leak by, but 11.2 gns was the sweet spot.
Used Tigershark 240 gn copper coated projectiles.
I'm fitting a red dot sight when it arrives so I will fill you in on accuracy after some testing.
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by JohnV » 04 Jan 2024, 8:37 am

That's a clever idea as long as you work the load up . However it should not be necessary if ADI and Winchester was doing the right thing by us. Selling our powder manufacturing to Thales has been a big mistake .
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by Jackaroo » 04 Jan 2024, 9:15 am

JohnV wrote:That's a clever idea as long as you work the load up . However it should not be necessary if ADI and Winchester was doing the right thing by us. Selling our powder manufacturing to Thales has been a big mistake .


Ring Winchester Australia (03) 5245 2400......they will tell you over the phone that they are NEVER going to import any powders into Australia again.
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by bladeracer » 04 Jan 2024, 5:54 pm

JohnV wrote:That's a clever idea as long as you work the load up . However it should not be necessary if ADI and Winchester was doing the right thing by us. Selling our powder manufacturing to Thales has been a big mistake .


I'm not sure ADI can be blamed for this screw-up entirely. My understanding is that the government wanted them to switch their powders away from nitrocellulose so whomever happened to be operating the place at the time would've been in the same position, forced to implement a new production line. The failure appears to have been in the specifications for the plant itself. Early reports were that the powders were not drying properly or something, so perhaps the line works just fine for other manufacturers, in a different environment. It's certainly possible that having somebody else in charge that this environmental factor may have been realised during the specification process, but it may easily not have been.

As for Winchester, I couldn't care less about them at all, I think they bailed on Australia long, long ago and it's good riddance that they're finally gone as far I'm concerned. They invented an excellent bolt-action rifle design ninety years ago and they're still producing the same thing today. I thought the design side of the company had died decades ago so I was very surprised when I saw an advert a few months ago for an all new design of .22 rifle they came up with. The Xpert uses Ruger rotary mags and has iron sights, it may even be something worth owning.
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by Wapiti » 04 Jan 2024, 10:04 pm

bladeracer wrote:They invented an excellent bolt-action rifle design ninety years ago and they're still producing the same thing today. I thought the design side of the company had died decades ago so I was very surprised when I saw an advert a few months ago for an all new design of .22 rifle they came up with. The Xpert uses Ruger rotary mags and has iron sights, it may even be something worth owning.


Compare that Winchester rimfire that takes Ruger BX mags, to the Ruger American rimfires, and I think you'll change your mind.
Ruger have a way of making a cheap rimfire feel as solid as a rock, in a way nobody else does.
But hey, it's a consumers world out there with different opinions.
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by bladeracer » 05 Jan 2024, 12:40 am

Wapiti wrote:
bladeracer wrote:They invented an excellent bolt-action rifle design ninety years ago and they're still producing the same thing today. I thought the design side of the company had died decades ago so I was very surprised when I saw an advert a few months ago for an all new design of .22 rifle they came up with. The Xpert uses Ruger rotary mags and has iron sights, it may even be something worth owning.


Compare that Winchester rimfire that takes Ruger BX mags, to the Ruger American rimfires, and I think you'll change your mind.
Ruger have a way of making a cheap rimfire feel as solid as a rock, in a way nobody else does.
But hey, it's a consumers world out there with different opinions.


Agreed, I have three of the Rugers, two Americans and the RPR. But there aren't too many new rimfire bolt-actions that come with iron sights anymore.
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by JohnV » 05 Jan 2024, 6:12 am

bladeracer wrote:
JohnV wrote:That's a clever idea as long as you work the load up . However it should not be necessary if ADI and Winchester was doing the right thing by us. Selling our powder manufacturing to Thales has been a big mistake .


I'm not sure ADI can be blamed for this screw-up entirely. My understanding is that the government wanted them to switch their powders away from nitrocellulose so whomever happened to be operating the place at the time would've been in the same position, forced to implement a new production line. The failure appears to have been in the specifications for the plant itself. Early reports were that the powders were not drying properly or something, so perhaps the line works just fine for other manufacturers, in a different environment. It's certainly possible that having somebody else in charge that this environmental factor may have been realised during the specification process, but it may easily not have been.

As for Winchester, I couldn't care less about them at all, I think they bailed on Australia long, long ago and it's good riddance that they're finally gone as far I'm concerned. They invented an excellent bolt-action rifle design ninety years ago and they're still producing the same thing today. I thought the design side of the company had died decades ago so I was very surprised when I saw an advert a few months ago for an all new design of .22 rifle they came up with. The Xpert uses Ruger rotary mags and has iron sights, it may even be something worth owning.

I was blaming the Government because originally it was a Government factory , Mulwex I think . What ever happened or is happening now is because we lost control of our asset . We should never want to reduce our consumer options , Winchester was another choice and made very good 12 gauge reloading supplies and Winchester ball powders are very long keeping . When choice gets less prices go up . Winchester had made quite a few good rifles but as you say none lately .
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Re: pistol powders in australia

Post by mickb » 06 Feb 2024, 9:16 pm

Be interesting to ask the OP how he knows it is W572 in those shells he is gutting. Not doubting, its good news if its definitive since that powder is a little faster than Blue dot, capable of sub magnum but still powerful loads. Maybe Winchester advertises this fact somewhere or he wrote to them? According to burn rate charts it could be capable of even heavier loading, not that I would suggest people try. One thing iscost, Those magnum shotshells aint cheap,. I think the cheaper 44 mag factory ammo would work out more economical than harvesting those shotshells, and also be more powerful...
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