need a 44mag load for Handi rifle?

First, handgun and carbine loads are pretty much the same loads.

Powder?
I only use one.
And it is 2400.

No need for mag primers like H-110 / W-296 (same powder) require.
And 2400 can be safely loaded down for less recoil if thats what you want to do.

H-110 can't, although it will give maybe 100 FPS higher velocity with MAX loads then 2400.

I have never used H-4227 so can't comment on that.

rc

Pretty much the loads are what the loads are. The rifle is built to shoot .44 Magnum ammo, so that's what you make for it. The fact that many guns chambered in that round are handguns doesn't really matter.

You'll get a bit better velocity out of the carbine than from a handgun -- with the same loads.

What do you want from the gun? The highest velocity/energy you can produce? Casual plinking ammo? Middle of the road? Powder-puff practice ammo for the kids?

There are probably a dozen powders that will work fine for .44 Mag. If you want the most "rip-snortin'" loads, H110 is probably the king of the hill. rcmodel is exactly right that 2400 is just about nearly as good at the top end, but a lot more flexible.

If you're really trying to save a few bux on powder, what else do you have on your shelf? Chances are you've got one that will make good loads. Unique? Blue Dot? Herco? Universal? 800-X? 231? 296? (etc., etc.)

.44 Mag is such a versatile round it's hard to say what you should use.

The Handi-rifles can be a little problematic in the accuracy department, I know. I'd probably at least try some heavy loads and see if that seems to shrink groups much. (H110, 4227, 2400, whatever.) At least with 2400 you've got a range of power levels you can try. H110 doesn't like to go anything but full-throttle.

If you think there's any chance the rifle is over-bored, slug the barrel before you go much farther. You'll save a lot of effort with one simple step.

The other thing to try is to move away from the 240 gr. bullets. Those should work well in most barrels, but fast-twist rates like heavier (longer, actually) bullets and slow-twist barrels like ligher (shorter) ones, generally. I'd not be betting that's your problem, though.

As disappointing as it may be, I've seen some of the break-action single-shots that just did about 3" at 50...

Good luck!

My 77/.44 carbine likes IMR4227 under the 240gr XTP. It seems to be less temperature sensitive than H110/W296.

My Winchester 16" Trapper rifle likes CCI 350 magnum primers and 23.0 grains of Win 296 powder shooting Hornady 240 XTP's. Not a maximum load but close. Don't reduce Win 296 to less than 22.0 grains with the 240 grain Hornady XTP's. Maximum is 24 grains or close to it. The 23 grain charge shoots well in my pistol and rifle.

IMR 4227 is a tad slower burning than the rest of the powders you listed and I have a hunch may be more accurate out of your Handi-Rifle. Although if it's any better than 2400 in either accuracy or velocity, it won't be by much.

Accurate 4100 may out perform them all if you can find it. It will have room in the case to go a bit over max and the other powders won't. In the Handi-Rifle I would not have a problem doing this if one chose to.

I only use one powder for all magnum handgun cartridges, H110/296 being the one. It gives you what a jacketed magnum is designed to deliver, and with a big bang too!

parisite said:

IMR 4227 is a tad slower burning than the rest of the powders you listed and I have a hunch may be more accurate out of your Handi-Rifle. Although if it's any better than 2400 in either accuracy or velocity, it won't be by much.

Accurate 4100 may out perform them all if you can find it. It will have room in the case to go a bit over max and the other powders won't. In the Handi-Rifle I would not have a problem doing this if one chose to.

Click to expand...

IMR 4227 a most excellent powder for 357 and 44 mag, and damn accurate too

2400