Getting ready to load .44 magnum

I haven't loaded many "Plinking" rounds for the 44Mag, but my first powder choice of those you listed would be Unique. But, it all depends on how hard you want to push. If you want powderpuff super light loads up to almost midrange, Red Dot or Bullseye or W231 or AA#2 would fit the bill... closer to 1/2 throttle, go with Unique. I don't have any experience with Shooters World Clean Shot D032.

With these powders, which are fairly easy to ignite, you won't need a very tight crimp at all, just enough to hold the bullet in place, which, in the SBH, which is a fairly heavy revolver, you might probably even get away with no crimp at all, which will extend the life of your brass. To determine if you need to crimp or not, load up 6 of your planned recipe and load them into the cylinder of your SBH. Fire 5 of them, then remove the last one, and measure it with your calipers... if the bullet hasn't moved, or has moved less than .005, you should be good to go with no crimp. If the bullet has moved more than this, a light crimp is called for.

When you get into full throttle loads using powders like H110/W296, and to a lesser degree, Alliant 2400, these powders require a very heavy crimp to help the powder ignite properly and consistently.

Have fun with your SBH... enjoy the ride!!

I know nothing about the D032 powder, but Unique should do just fine. I personally wouldn't mess with those others in .44. That said, they are good powders, and it you have load data for those fart loads you want, why not test them anyway? Only you can find loads that YOU like.

Unique is perfectly fine for your 44mag loadings. Works well in my Win 94 for mild to somwehat wild reloads.

Unique. I've loaded with most of the other powders at one time or nuther.

Not familiar with D032. The others are all fine for light plinkers. Unique can take you all the way into magnum land.

Right now I'm using AA # 9. I found AA # 2 too fast and got some leading when shooting cast LRNFP. I also use it in .41 mag and .30 carbine.

Since Unique is the slowest powder you have that's what I would use. As the others have said, for full power loads the slower "magnum" class powders will be necessary. Just a note, although many have forgotten about this powder I think it's still the best in the .44 Magnum. That powder is 4227. It's also probably easier to find than W296, AA#9, 2400 and the like.

I have shot that Skeeter Skeleton load. It is VERY mild. My GF can shoot my 8.0gr loads with no trouble in my 7.5" SRH and she is tiny and a beginner shooter.

I am partial to Red Dot, but that is because I have a bit of it...

My first recommendation for beginning .44 loading, is to seat and crimp in two steps...

I think you'll find it less frustrating than trying to do it all in one step when you first start out on cartridges that require a roll crimp...

Back the die out to where the case is not touching the 'crimper'...Screw the seating stem in until you get the OverAll Length where it needs to be, then seat all the bullets...

Then back the seating stem out...Screw the die in and test the crimp on one of your newly loaded rounds...Screw the die in further till you get a good roll crimp, but not so much as you shorten the round or buckle the case...Lock the die in position and proceed to crimp the rest of the rounds...

I've loaded over 1000 .44 mag Unique loads in the last month. I use 240gr Bayou Bullets coated cast SWCs. 6.5gr is a nice light load. If I recall correctly, it is a max .44 Special load. I did not pick that weight specially though, it is just as low as my Dillon powder measure goes without changing to the smaller powder bar. It is about like a .45 ACP, very pleasant.

10.5gr is my go-to (always work up) for a load that lets you know you've got some power without triggering my adrenal response. Out of my 6" 29-6, it is also probably the most accurate load I've ever shot from any gun. 11.0 gets a little sticky in my Smiths depending on which primer I use or how dirty the chambers are. You tend to notice sticky ejection in a DA before you would in an SA since you are ejecting all 6 at once rather than one at a time.

Depending on how accurate you want to try and get or how detailed you want to get while doing case prep I will add the following.

Your crimp matters in a revolver no matter how little. I know some of the bst groups are shot with little to no crimp at all and this is fine when your loading with fast powder like Bullseye, but when you get into a bit slower powder selection the crimp also aids in consistent ignition.

If you want the best overall accuracy you need to trim your cases. When I start off with a new batch I pull out around 20 or so, check them with my calipers, and pick the shortest of the batch and set my trimmer to that length. Some might only get squared some might only get touched on one side and some might get actually trimmed. The key thing is they are all within a few thousands of being the same lenght rather than .005" or more different. This will give you a consistent crimp on each bullet, rather than a slight one on some and a lot on others.

Once you have this I would also start off light with little to no crimp, with the loads your looking at. Then I would set a mark on your die body using a black sharpie or white out depending on what stands out the best. Then mark off 8 marks on your locking ring, or the top of your press, so you can turn the die in 1/8 turns as you increase the crimp. It doesn't have to be perfect as it is only being used so you know how much additional pressure your adding.

The following groups were fired from a 41 magnum at a distance of 40yds standing with a two hand hold. The group on the left was one that my good friend was complaining about not shooting like mine do. He had done the trimming and such but did not adjust the crimp. He felt his should do as well as what mine did. When I arrived, I took five of his rounds and shot the first group on the left. Then I marked the seating die as mentioned above before adjusting anything. I then backed the die out 1/4 turn. I then seated and crimped the five rounds which I shot the groups on the right with. As you can easily see the difference in only a little bit of crimp does make a difference in group size. Nothing at all was changed other than the amount of crimp which was set into the bullets.


The two shots high and low should have been in the group. It was pretty windy and I was holding into the gust as best as I could. Even still with a revolver I hadn't shot before I don't think I did too bad.

Now if your simply looking to have something to blast with then I would still play with your crimp some to determine what might work the best or how much you really need. As mentioned start with only a little and load 6 rounds, then measure the last round after each shot. This will quickly let you know if you need to increase the crimp to simply hold the bullet in place. If your getting a lot of soot on your case this might indicate you need a bit more crimp as well.

Myself, I load my revolver rounds as I would any round for my rifles. I hunt with them and I carry them around with me while working on our little farm just in case I run across some hogs. I want to know in my mind that I have done everything I can to make my ammo as accurate as I can and it doesn't take a lot more work to achieve that. The best thing is that you shouldn't have to do it again unless your loading on the high side of the load data. Even then you will find your usually only squaring them up rather than a full blown trim.

Good luck and have a good time working with things.

The second round I reloaded was .44 Magnum. I have used Bullseye, W231, and Unique (of the ones you listed), and Unique seems to be best all around from light to mighty. I have 5. .44 magnums and they have digested Unique loads of 8.0-10.5 grains of Unique under 240-250 gr cast SWC and RNFP. For a new to caliber reloader, I'd suggest starting loads to begin as even starting loads can be pretty loud and jumpy (my Ruger SBH will smack my finger with the back of the trigger guard and split the skin and 'll bleed all over the place, even with starting loads of Unique! ).

I've used unique and Red Dot i got better accuracy with Unique going above mid range. But still i advise to start low.

Red Dot was accurate for loads between 44 special up to low-mid 44 mag loads and i could not see a difference in accuracy until i hit mid- high loads.

A late comer to the party.

As I look at your list of powders: Unique is always good, Bullseye is a bit fast for all but very light loads (yes it can be adjusted and used but not commonly), I jump to 231 or HP-38, one in the same now.

For my light loads, I use 231/HP-38 and have ever scene they quit making Olin 230. My wimp load is 5.6 grains of 231 or HP-38 with 240 grain lead for a very enjoyable 642 FPS. I would like to say that I load this for my kids and grand kids, but I have been loading it from before my kids were born (yes my daughter did start with this load at the age of 2 - under very close supervision).

With the light end covered, I have also loaded up with 231. A very respectable and warm loading at 1175 FPS has been tested but pressure signs were sneaking in (No, I will not give the charge of 231. It was well above the norm.)

The point is that 231 can be used for a full spectrum with the .44.
However, other propellants do work better. For a starting and on-going powder, I can't see many being much better than 231/HP-38.

Do follow respected loading data and start at the suggested 'starting loads'.

Load with care, always.

P.S.
As for crimping.
Two reasons to crimp.
First is to hold the bullet in place in the case. High recoil will walk bullets out of the case.
Second, some powders need a hard pull to build pressures. One being 2400 powder. My tests show that with the same load of 2400 powder, with no crimp, the velocities are less than the same loading with a firm crimp. Numbers obtained are: 1256-no crimp, 1291-with crimp. and the standard deviations also drop with the crimp. Note, this is far from being an end all test. It is only what I have found in this one test series.

mdi said:

The second round I reloaded was .44 Magnum. I have used Bullseye, W231, and Unique (of the ones you listed), and Unique seems to be best all around from light to mighty. I have 5. .44 magnums and they have digested Unique loads of 8.0-10.5 grains of Unique under 240-250 gr cast SWC and RNFP. For a new to caliber reloader, I'd suggest starting loads to begin as even starting loads can be pretty loud and jumpy (my Ruger SBH will smack my finger with the back of the trigger guard and split the skin and 'll bleed all over the place, even with starting loads of Unique! ).

Click to expand...

mdi, I am sure you are very experienced, and I do not wish to insult you in any way, but whenever someone complains about a single action gun barking their fingers, I wonder about proper grip and expectations. I post this here as much for any SAA newbie who might stumble upon it instead of just a suggestion for you.

Of course I do not know what grips you have on the gun, what size hands you have, or how you shoot it, but in my experience any SAA type gun with stock SAA type grips is the absolutely easiest gun to control with even the most powerful loads. The key that some folks just do not understand is that those grips are designed to allow the gun to slip slightly in the hand and rotate upward with the recoil.

Instead of all the recoil energy slamming back into the hand and forcing the arm or wrist to fly up, much of the recoil is totally absorbed by the inertia of the gun just rotating in the hand, and that motion also allows the trigger guard to roll up and over the top finger instead of slamming into it. A side benefit of the rotation is that the gun is perfectly positioned for the thumb to quickly cock the hammer for the next shot. This rotation is not much, but it is still important to the proper handling of these guns.

I will admit that the squared off rear of the trigger guard on the SBH is NOT my favorite, and that can contribute to some pain, depending on how the gun is held. But the biggest problem for some people is that they do not expect nor like the slight rotation in their hands, and they are not comfortable with the natural motion of letting the gun reset as they cock it for the next shot. So they try to increase their grip to stop it. That never leads to anything good.

With only minor experience, these guns are some of the easiest handguns to shoot comfortably and accurately. I bought my first SBH used, and someone had replaced the standard grips with the big ugly black rubber Pachmyer grips that have an extension that comes forward and fills the gap behind the trigger guard. These nasty grips were specifically designed for the individuals who have the problem that you describe. While they are fairly comfortable, and the gun shoots fine with them, I totally detest them and would LOVE to find someone with stock SBH grips who wants to trade!

With a natural grip of moderate tightness for good control, the gun will rotate up just enough for the base of the hammer to touch the web of your thumb. If it rotates so far that the hammer is slamming into the web, you need to increase your grip some.

Allowing the gun to reset after cocking is so natural that you do not even need to think about it. Just try it with your empty gun - use your hand to rotate it back, then reach up with your thumb to cock it. The open hand required to reach the hammer even facilitates the normal rocking motion, and when you lower your thumb to re-grip it, you will find it is perfectly positioned.

It is a bit hard to describe how your grip changes from fart loads to full-house magnums, but with only moderate experience it seems to become a natural muscle reaction. I do not change my shooting grip or strength at all, but when switching to powerful loads, my hand just naturally controls the rotation to the same point.

Nobody mentioned the Lee Factory Crimp die...so I will. If you haven't tried one, you're missing out on a very good piece of kit! Being a collet type crimper, it isn't nearly so fussy about case length like a conventional roll crimp die will be. Unless you really like prepping cases, and can get them all within a few thousandths in length, you'll do better crimps easier with the Factory Crimp die. They're not expensive and once you use one...you'll want them for all your other calibers.

I've loaded some maximum 231 44 Mag loads just because it was all I had on hand and needed some ammo. They shot OK, and were loud enough to get your attention, but at the same pressure level something with 2400 or 296/H110 will give a LOT more velocity and is more suited to the case.

One thing to really watch with the faster powders is the potential for double (or even triple) charging exists as the case volume is huge compared to the charge you'll use even with maximum 231 for example. The Unique is 'fluffier' and a max charge will take up over half of the case volume which makes a double-charge very obvious...not so with 231. Going to 2400 or 296 will have a full charge pretty much filling the case to the base of the bullet, which is more consistent and safer. And more fun!

Edit: Super Blackhawk story: Back in the mid '70's I was at an indoor pistol range just outside of Camp LeJeune and putting some rounds through a Gold Cup. In walks a fellow with a brand new Ruger SBH and he wants to buy some ammo. Guy behind the counter was a good dude and hearing about this fellow just buying the SBH as his first gun and first pistol to be shot...reached for a box of 44 Specials and handed them to him. The guy got all snotty that they weren't 44 MAGNUM's! Guy tried to explain that they'd work better for him to get used to the gun..but he would have none of it! He was a MAN! He wanted the hottest ammo they had! So the guy actually had a box of 44 Mags with purple case marking...which he explained were proof loads and the hottest you'd ever find. SOLD!

So the guy goes in and ends up in the stall next to me, and I'm not trying to be a dick but the pose he struck with the gun in one hand...wrist limp...held up about 2 feet in front of his face had me butting in. 'Excuse me...but you really need to reconsider your positioning or that gun is going to hurt you'...or something to that effect. He, not so politely, told me to F-OFF and he KNEW what he was doing! OK! My concious satisfied I sat back to witness the spectacle that I knew was coming. Sure enough, he lined up as before and touched off the shot. That gun recoiled faster than my eye could follow straight back into his face and buried the front site deep into his forehead. I couldn't help but laugh at the pitiful sight and sounds he made as he wimpered on the floor. Other guys had seen this happen too...but nobody moved an inch to help the guy...he didn't deserve it. Eventually he got up and quickly left...bleeding profusely from the egg sized purple split swelling in the middle of his forehead. We all had a good laugh at him after he left. People at the range are normally very nice and helpful and nobody likes to see someone hurt...but in this case I made an exception. Hold onto that gun tightly at least at first. Once you get the feel for how it recoils, it's a good thing to loosen up and let it roll a bit as this lessens the recoil...but don't let loose so much that you eat it!