.44 Special handloads?

I've mostly shot 200grn semi-wad cutters thru my 70's model Charter Arms Bulldog, probably slightly over 1000 rounds, and granted probably half of them were pretty hot. The revolver is still pretty tight and pretty accurate out to 15 yards. Naturally the first thing I did was put a pair of Pachmeyer grips on it, and then did a trigger job on that blued firearm. I've shot several boxes of 240grn JHP, but generally stick with the 180-200grn. projectiles.

There is no reason to shoot different loads in those two revolvers. There is belittle difference between revolvers with a 2" and 3" barrel. A good practice load should work well in both.

You need to decide on a powder and bullet weight. I use Unique in all my 44 spl handloads and different bullets and weights.
I like Unique especially in 44 spl. Use your manual and work your load up from starting load one at a time, keep notes and label your ammo boxes.

Monster Zero said:

Assuming that the GP100 becomes available, I just want to shoot different loads in the two and that's that. I thought I spelled out my reasoning pretty well. Frankly I was just inquiring about some load data. If you have something to offer that's great, if you don't have anything to offer that's fine too and I wish you the best.

Either way is fine with me.

Click to expand...

I thought I did offer something, sorry to have bothered you...

Monster Zero said:

Also I'd want the two loads to be distinguishable from each other by the appearance of the bullet in the loaded round so that there will be no confusing the two. The Charter rounds can be used in the GP, but the GP rounds don't go in the Charter.

Click to expand...

Get into casting and powder coating bullets. You can use the same bullet with different color powder coat.

Or, buy 44 caliber bullets from Missouri Bullets. Get some that are coated with the Hi Tech coating and some that are conventionally lubricated. They look different from each other.

If you want the rounds to be distinguishable but you want to hotrod the .44 Special, just get an S&W 69 instead of the GP100. They ought to be about the same size. Magnums and Specials will both fit the 69, only Specials will fit the Charter. They are visually distinguishable. You would also be underloading the .44 mag rather than overloading the .44 Special which is generally a better way to go about things from a safety and durability perspective. You can make the magnums as mild or hot as you please.

eldon519 said:

If you want the rounds to be distinguishable but you want to hotrod the .44 Special, just get an S&W 69 instead of the GP100. They ought to be about the same size. Magnums and Specials will both fit the 69, only Specials will fit the Charter. They are visually distinguishable. You would also be underloading the .44 mag rather than overloading the .44 Special which is generally a better way to go about things from a safety and durability perspective. You can make the magnums as mild or hot as you please.

Click to expand...

Great idea, Eldon.

The 44spl is 1 of those forgotten calibers that bring a lot to the table. There's been tons of reloading data done for that caliber coupled with some excellent bullet designs for that caliber.

When they switched over from balloon head cases to the modern cases we use today there were a lot of kabooms. The old balloon headed cases had tons more volume and people were reloading the modern cases with the old data & bad things were happening. So the NRA did some testing and put this out.
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/NRA - Loads for the 44 Special.pdf
It's interesting because they tried to use/test with the bullets that were commonly used when the tests were done. I think the NRA did an excellent job with their testing. Years later Brian Pearce did an article along with test loads for handloader magazine #236 back in 2005. His results pretty much mirrored the NRA results. A copy of Pearce's reloading artice/data.
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf

As far as using different loads with the same bullet, there's a bunch of different ways to do so. Like others have said color coding the bullets is an excellent option. Some different bullets I use/load/shoot in the 44cal's.
This is a 175gr wc if you look at the lube/crimp grooves you will see that they are offset. The difference in the length of the nose of the bullet to the crimp/lube groove is the same as the difference in the 44spl vs 44mag case. This bullet allows you to use/make the same load for the 44spl & the 44mag. Use the same powder charge and set the bullet in the 44spl with the long nose sticking out or the 44mag with the short nose stinking out and you have the same load for either caliber. The end result is the same load (bullet/powder charge/velocity) for either caliber and the bullet's nose starts in the same place in the 44mag cylinders due to both the 44spl load and the 44mag load having the same oal. Same bullet designed with different seating depth/crimp grooves that match the difference in height of the 44spl vs 44mag.


A hp mold like this 2-cavity h&g mold is always a option. This h&g #142 mold casts a 220gr gc swc bullet and a 200gr gc swc hp bullet.

Same bullet (bigger version of the lyman's Thompson 358126 158gr gc swc), I just load the 220gr gc swc's with mild plinking loads and use full house loads with the 200gr gc swc hp's.
Plinking loads with that h&g #142, pictured is a 25yd 6-shot group with a sideways profile of the bullet along with the swc & hp versions of that bullet.


A hbwc mold/bullet is another option. I shoot a lot of these 220gr hbwc's in the 44spl''s and 44mags. They can be loaded like any hbwc, flush in the case or crimped in the 1st lube groove. Or turned around to make 1 heck of a hp bullet.


Those 220gr hbwc's turned backwards are a fearsome load in a 44spl.


Test loads from that 2 1/2" bll'd 44spl pictured above.


A lot of people truly don't actually give the 44spl much thought. A 800fps load with a 200gr/220gr bullet in a snub nosed 44spl is actually a pretty tame load. Take that same load and put it in a 6" bbl'd revolver and you end up with a real thumper with nothing more than a light plinking load. You start heating these 44spl loads up and you are in the:
1000fps 200gr/220gr bullet 2/12" bbl
1100fps 200gr/220gr bullet 4"/5" bbl
1200fps 200gr 250gr bullet 6"bbl

When you actually start loading/testing/shooting different 44spl loads in different firearms you'll come to the conclusion real quickly that the heavy loads in the snub noses are a lot better to control than full house loads in a snub nosed 357. And that plinking loads in the longer bbl'd 44spl's are extremely easy to shoot/control and hit extremely hard. Heck for years I used a target load in a 61/2" bbl'd 624 using nothing more than 5.0gr of bullseye and that 220gr hbwc shooting 1 handed 25yd nra targets. Finely got around to testing that load with a chronograph, never really cared how fast or slow it was going. The idea was to put holes in the center of the target. surprised me that that darn target load was doing 850fps+. Ya, a target load that could be shot 1 handed that made major.

Easy answer - nickel brass.

Sounds like you're looking for 3 loads, if not 4:

Practice ammo = any brass, practice bullet

Charter SD load = Nickel brass, SD bullet

Ruger SD load = yellow brass, SD bullet

If you want revolver specific practice ammo, split the practice ammo by brass color too - Charter gets nickel and Ruger gets yellow.

While it's less immediately distinctive, you can use headstamp as an identifier as well. I have a gaggle of individual loads for .44mag, even more loads for .223rem, all of them are visually identifiable by brass headstamp, brass color, bullet, and COAL. In example, the case of my 300grn XTP loads for my Blackhawk vs. the same bullet for my rifle and for my Redhawk's. Both the Blackhawk and Marlin loads are in PMC yellow brass, but one is seated to the front cannelure over 20.0grn W296/H110, the other is seated to the rear cannelure over 22.0grn W296/H110. My Redhawk/Super Redhawk load is also seated long in the rear cannelure for a 1.760" COAL, but it's in Nickel Starline brass instead of yellow PMC. I still have a boatload of nickel Starline brass for my CAS/SASS loads, which are easily identified by the lead pill, which looks visually different than my 330grn cast hunting load.

Brass color is the easiest way. If you end up holding ONE ROUND, discerning by bullet isn't always easy (not having one of the other type to compare against - thinking specifically to my cache of 158 and 180grn XTP's in .357/44, these are hard to identify without comparing them side by side).

ArchAngelCD said:

There is no reason to shoot different loads in those two revolvers. There is belittle difference between revolvers with a 2" and 3" barrel. A good practice load should work well in both.

Click to expand...

I would look at the comparative weights (mass) to speculate on recoil differences but would agree that a "practice" round could be acceptable in either.

"I'd expect the GP load to be maybe a bit hotter. Nothing approaching .44 magnum loads or anything unrealistic like that, but... let's say comparable to .38 +p's in my wife's SP101 in terms of recoil." - OP

I stumbled on this. First, I think this is a strong argument in favor of 200 gr over 240 gr bullets. I would probably load XTPs for the Charter and some form of lead for the GP. I also admired the suggestion to use coated on one and bare lead on the other, same bullet underneath. I wondered about the availability of plated cases when 44 Spl is tricky to supply anyway.

Secondly, I think it would be difficult without trial and error to achieve the comparison of perceived recoil between the two guns/cartridges. I regard my SP101s as too small for full power ammo, while the GP can handle heavy, if not full power loads gracefully.

After handloading and shooting .44 Spl. snubs for quite a few years now I have decided that a 200gr. bullet @ 850 to 900 fps. is probably the best compromise for rapid shooting and is very close to .45 ACP ballistics. Heavier bullets and higher velocities will just slow you down on follow up shots. But the bottom line is always - try very hard to make that first one count.

I like to load/carry/shoot 200 grain solid base wadcutters...Unique powder




If I feel the need for a heavier hammer then I go with 250 grain solid base wadcutters...Unique powder

Load them with different bullets. Given that S&W has built the model 69 on the L-frame and that custom five-shot .44Spl GP's are safe for the Keith load, a factory .44 GP should be safe for a little hot rodding. If I had a Charter and a GP and was concerned about putting the wrong loads in the Charter, I'd use the 250gr Keith bullet over 7.5gr Unique in the Ruger.

Even if Ruger does come out with a .44Spl GP, I'll probably still have mine converted because I prefer blued over stainless. Might become a .44, might become a .41.

I use Specials in this a lot and just use Magnums if I want, also!
These 240 grain Core-Loct hollow points at 850 FPS do very well.

For cartridge identification, use plain brass for one load, nickel for the other. An alternate, Winchester primers are brass colored, Remington are nickel plated.

I use nickel plated cases for my carry ammunition since I use a leather belt slide with six loops. Brass corrodes in the leather loops.

Bob Wright

RealGun said:

I wondered about the availability of plated cases when 44 Spl is tricky to supply anyway.

Click to expand...

Nickel and yellow 44mag brass is readily available even when 44spcl is not. In developing a 3 load program, only a moderate volume of nickel 44spcl brass would be needed, since it would be your defensive load for the Charter - which is one of multiple reasons I recommended the color coding in that fashion - low volume and lower pressure = small batch of nickel brass which would last a very, very long time.

I've not had difficulty finding 44mag or special nickel or yellow brass to keep my revolvers wel fed, even in incredibly high volume CAS/SASS shooting.

RealGun said:

I wondered about the availability of plated cases when 44 Spl is tricky to supply anyway.

Click to expand...

Nickel and yellow 44mag brass is readily available even when 44spcl is not. In developing a 3 load program, only a moderate volume of nickel 44spcl brass would be needed, since it would be your defensive load for the Charter - which is one of multiple reasons I recommended the color coding in that fashion - low volume and lower pressure = small batch of nickel brass which would last a very, very long time.

I've not had difficulty finding 44mag or special nickel or yellow brass to keep my revolvers wel fed, even in incredibly high volume CAS/SASS shooting.

If this will help, I use SWC or fully flat meplat WC type bullets for serious use and the same weight bullet in round nose in most of the handguns for which I load (38/357, .44 Special and .45 ACP/.45AR).

I have moved from Unique to Power Pistol in .44 Special. It seems to have a bit more push at same pressure levels.

Shooting the .45 Auto Rim in bowling pin matches I found using a heavy bullet at low velocities seemed to fling the pins off the table with vigor AND didn't recoil as much as higher velocity loads. .44 Special would probably work similarly.

I use lead for all my revolver rounds. (Just habit I guess.) Check on line for bullet casters if you don't or don't want to get into casting. There are some great bullet shapes and one can get 'matching' bullet shapes.

One issue with nickel plated brass is that the plating will wear off before the case wears out.

RealGun said:

I wondered about the availability of plated cases when 44 Spl is tricky to supply anyway.

Click to expand...

I've read this several times on this and other forums and it baffles me every time. Every time I read it, there is .44Spl in stock at the various retailers. Either people aren't doing their due dilligence, never seriously shopped for it or had a use for it or are basing it on local availability. I've been handloading the .44Spl for 20yrs and have never had trouble getting brass for it.

https://www.midwayusa.com/44-special/br?cid=7479

Varminterror said:

Nickel and yellow 44mag brass is readily available even when 44spcl is not. In developing a 3 load program, only a moderate volume of nickel 44spcl brass would be needed, since it would be your defensive load for the Charter - which is one of multiple reasons I recommended the color coding in that fashion - low volume and lower pressure = small batch of nickel brass which would last a very, very long time.

I've not had difficulty finding 44mag or special nickel or yellow brass to keep my revolvers wel fed, even in incredibly high volume CAS/SASS shooting.

Click to expand...

I don't think you solve the 44 Spl case color question by buying 44 Mag, unless you want to trim them to Special length and ignore the head stamp.

You DO solve that "color question" by trimming down 44mag brass and ignoring headstamp. It's not that complicated.

One and done. Trim them down, they're trimmed forever.

I solved that "color question" for about 5,000 brass I used for CAS/SASS - trim them one time on an RCBS motorized trimmer, done forever. If you have never actually done it, I can see why you might assume it's a problem or a lot of work, but it's kinda like complaining about buying a car because you have to fill it with gas - it's really not a big issue. I used 44mag cases because at the time - I had oogads of them, and wanted to get as much life out of the nickel as I could - and I did.