[Ironman482]

Got the tracker last week ,after 3 trips to the range l'm starting to get the hang of this little hand cannon ,with 44spl the gun is very accurate, with full power loads I start to flinch after a couple of cylinders ,but I 'm getting better every trip to the range, ordered a holster from holstercrafters should be here later this week, not alot of options our there for this gun ,I 'm thinking a hard cast semi wadcutter loaded a little below the factory full power loads would be more manageable in this small of a revolver ,280-300 gr. At 950-990 Should be enough to keep a brown bear off of me in a worse case scenario any hand loaders out there have a opinion on this?

 

[Morne]

I have a couple loads (with Lil' Gun and 300-MP) that push a plated 240-gr slug to 1000 fps from the Tracker 4". They are exciting!

Haven't played with any bare lead in the magnum for the Tracker. Having said that, I have a Ramshot Enforcer recipe for a 310-gr LSWC that well clears 1000 fps from a 6.5" barrel. I do NOT know if they'd fit in the Tracker cylinder since the overall length for those is @1.740". If it can fit it would certainly stop any North American animal at short range.

Generally speaking, I prefer coated bullets to bare lead. So if I were starting from ground zero like you I would try these:
https://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=461&category=20&secondary=12

 

[Ironman482]

Thanks for the info Morne, I like to cast my own ,gonna get a mold in the 280-310 gr , thinking that I don't need to push them to hard since the yracker only has 3 inches if barrel to work with any max loadings is probably just wasting powder, will experiment with loads and chrony them to see what works best

 

[BC605]

Actually max loading will be just about as proportionally faster in a 3" barrel as it will in any other barrel length
BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .44 Mag Results

It's been shown repeatedly that the powders (loads) that give the highest velocities in longer barrels will also give the highest velocities in shorter barrels.
But it is true that shorter barrels give less velocity, and they also increase the level of flash and the volume of the report. Possibly to blinding and deafening levels. Not to mention that the shorter barrel reduces weight and therefore increases the felt recoil.

FWIW you can easily and cheaply powdercoat your own case bullets. For about $50 total for a used convection toaster oven, an oven thermometer, a roll of non-stick foil and a pound of powdercoating powder and you can powdercoat a couple of thousand bullets. Not significantly more expensive or more difficult than traditional lube for the same quantity of bullets. And with powdercoating you can push them MUCH harder and faster without experiencing any leading issues.

 

[JStacy]

BC when you powder coat the bullets do you put the nose down to bake on the finish ? I know some medium burning powders will melt the base of the bullets with hot loads. Have you recovered any of your bullets to see what they look like after firing. The powder coating sounds like an interesting alternative to wax based lubes.

 

[Ironman482]

After pricing mold gas ck's and crimper sizing die ,I think I'll try the coated bullets Morne suggested 63.00 for 400 pcs thats hard to beat ,400 bullets will last me a couple of years

 

[Ironman482]

I got some of the 300gr coated bullets ,do they need any lube or is the coating considered lube?, and am I stuck with the size they come in or can they be sized without removing the coating, also the maker claims 18 bn hardness is that hard enough for dangerous game ?