Info on load for a new Henery 44mag lever action

jeeptim · Mar 16, 2012

Well set the reloading hook with my friend and he's sick with it as a lot of us. keep needing to slow him down.
I have been reloading for a while and have a good system for what I shoot
.223 7.62x39 .308 303brit 7.62x54r and just got into 12ga. He is looking to me for information and yes i can load just about anything but I pride myself on getting all the info and then making good choices on what I want to load for. My friend we will call him gary cause thats his name. gary wants to standardize his loads and wants to use his shinny pretty Henery for pig hunting 50 to 100 yards looking for a bullet weight and type I have some sierra 180gr hollow point but as i look through reloading data that is the lightest bullet listed. What about lead is a gas check needed? or is lead a bad Idea in a lever action? If not lead for the range and jacketts for hunting.
I have loaded lots of pistol rounds in the past but never a lever action I am aware of not using anything that will set off a primer in the tube but other then following the manuals for pistol rounds I am at a bit of a loss.
can or should you load heaver bullets at or near max since it is in a rifle?
And he also just got a Rossi 357 lever action looking for the same info on that.
And Gary is deathly afraid on snakes and wants snake shot for both I know whats wrong with stepping around them I have some capsuls but being square feeding is an issue any advise on that.
Am I over thinking this? should I just help him find some quality bullets and follow pistol data?

ArchAngelCD · Mar 17, 2012

A levergun feeds best with a RNFP bullet which is also safe in the tube.

A good .44 Magnum load is a good .44 Magnum load no matter if it's fired from a revolver or levergun. Even though it's a rifle it's not necessarily a lot stronger than a revolver. The pressure limits for any caliber are the pressure limits no matter which gun you use. Just because it's a rifle doesn't mean you can push the pressures up to 62,000 PSI like some centerfire bolt action rifle actions. Follow the SAAMI limits and you will be just fine...

Edarnold · Mar 17, 2012

.44 Magnum Henry

I'd suggest working up your loads in the Henry just as you would in a new revolver. Guns vary, a tighter bore can boost pressures a lot compared to what you are used to. Also, since you have a lot more barrel to accelerate the bullet in, go for the slower powders like 4227 rather than the quicker burning numbers that would be better in a pistol.

Don't know about the owners manual for the Henry or Rossi, but I'd be willing to bet that the warranty specifically excludes any damage from firing handloaded ammunition. So, if you don't want to buy your friend a new gun, go easy...

jeeptim · Mar 18, 2012

Thank you both for the heads up Kinda what I thought Always start at the low end and work up.
And all info is at his discrection to use

wanderinwalker · Mar 18, 2012

ArchAngelCD said:
A levergun feeds best with a RNFP bullet which is also safe in the tube.

A good .44 Magnum load is a good .44 Magnum load no matter if it's fired from a revolver or levergun. Even though it's a rifle it's not necessarily a lot stronger than a revolver. The pressure limits for any caliber are the pressure limits no matter which gun you use. Just because it's a rifle doesn't mean you can push the pressures up to 62,000 PSI like some centerfire bolt action rifle actions. Follow the SAAMI limits and you will be just fine...

+1 to what he said!

I cringe whenever I hear somebody say "I loaded 'em up a bit because it's a rifle" for any of the pistol caliber guns. Not at all a good idea, and please let me know you're doing that so I can go stand somewhere else (home...) while you shoot those.

As to the .44 Magnum, I've always like the 240gr Hornady XTP. This feeds well in my Marlin and is safe in the tube. Plus, they're accurate. No idea how well they work on game, but they have a good reputation. If you're going to throw lead, make sure it's a round nose-flat point profile. The SWC profile is safe in a tubular magazine but they're so-so at best for feeding. Anything without a sharp shoulder seems to feed well IME.

And depending on barrel length, you will probably see a pickup of 400-500 fps between a 6" revolver and a 20" carbine using a slow powder like W296/H110. I recall my reloads would run about 1200-fps from my 629 and about 1700-fps from my Marlin. Faster powders like 231 and Unique will see much smaller gains, unfortunately I don't have notes on the exact numbers anymore.

Info on load for a new Henery 44mag lever action

jeeptim

Member

ArchAngelCD

Member.

Edarnold

Member

jeeptim

Member

wanderinwalker

Member

Similar threads