.44 Mag. "honeymoon "load

[judgedelta]

I've got a Smith 629 on the way and I would like to load some .44 special type loads for paper-punching and familiarity practice. I haven't loaded .44 before and would have to buy everything I need. I've been loading 10 mm and have 800X and WSF, but haven't seen any loads for .44 using these powders.

Anyone have a good light load for .44 they can share? Thanks, JD

 

[horsemen61]

Nope but if your a 10mm fan come join the 10mm club your knowdlge is much appreciated over there

 

[TfflHndn]

Hodgdon shows 240 grain cast SWC at 6.3 to 7.0 of 800-x, at 1.450" COAL. Also has data for 185 and 200 grain bullets. Check Hodgdon.com.

 

[rcmodel]

According to Lyman #49, 11.0 grains 800X and a 240 LSWC should be a nice pleasant plinking load.

It will give you somewhere in the vicinity of 800 FPS depending on barrel length, and very little recoil.

Hodgdon shows 240 grain cast SWC at 6.3 to 7.0 of 800-x, at 1.450" COAL

Not in .44 Magnum cases that I can see.

rc

 

[TfflHndn]

RC, I read the OP as saying he wanted .44 special loads. The data I gave was for .44 special, not magnum.

 

[judgedelta]

What I wanted was some ".44 special-type loads". Can I load 44 special loads in 44 magnum cases? OR can I take a trimmer and cut magnum cases down to 44 special length. I understand somewhat about having too much empty space in the case. I didn't want to buy a bunch of .44 special cases to just practice with if I can use magnum cases for the same purpose. ( I guess I could just use Trailboss, but it's kind of expensive.) Thanks all for the help...

 

[rcmodel]

Just try the .44 Mag load I suggested in .44 Mag cases.

Cut-off .44 Mag cases are not the same thing as .44 Spl cases.

They are of much heavier construction and will have less internal volume then a .44 Spl case.

An added benefit of using the Mag cases is you won't have to deal with .44 Spl 'ring around the chambers' after shooting them.

rc

 

[Arkansas Paul]

A good .45 Colt load is a 255 grain bullet and 8.5 grains of Unique.
I bet that would be a good soft shooting load in a .44 mag as well with a 240 grain lead SWC. It would be much lighter shooting than a full throttle load.

Is there any reason he shouldn't try that? The cases are similar in size.

 

[buck460XVR]

10.5 gr of Unique under either a 240gr cast or jacketed bullet is hard to beat for an accurate, yet pleasant load outta a .44 mag case.

 

[rcmodel]

I'm a big Unique fan myself.

But he said all he had was 800X and WSF.

rc

 

[mavracer]

Using 240 cast and magnum cases 8gr of unique will give a little under 1000 fps bumping it to 10 or 10.5 will get you around 1200. It's a very forgiving powder up to that point and anywhere along that range will be pretty accurate

 

[Kurastduuks]

You can make some really easy shooting loads using regular clays and a 240gr cast I dont have my log book handy but the data should be easy to find

 

[243winxb]

44 Magnum

In 44 Mag. 10.2 gr of Unique with 250gr cast work ok. WLP primer.

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[judgedelta]

Do most of you use plated, lube-cast or coated bullets? Thanks.

 

[mavracer]

specifically I use these link

 

[243winxb]

Home cast for me

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[judgedelta]

If it has "Keith" in the name, it can't be all bad. Does anyone have a THR discount code for Missouri Bullets?

 

[cfullgraf]

Do most of you use plated, lube-cast or coated bullets? Thanks.

I use primarily use cast bullets in my 44 Magnum, but I drive just a little bit faster than 44 Special.

While you can load top 44 Magnum loads with cast and gas check bullets, I, myself, would use jacketed. Just my preference.

 

[edfardos]

The 629 is a big heavy gun, just go with h110 and, say oregon trail laser casts. 44spcl's will feel like 22lr. I also never understood how 44spcl in a 44mag chamber could be accurate, as thats a long leap into the cyl forcing cones.

above all, be safe, have fun and report back,

edfardos

 

[Buck13]

Not every semi-wadcutter is a Keith. A real Keith bullet does NOT have a bevel base. Just sayin'

 

[judgedelta]

Well, I've got some dies, 800X, Unique, primers and AA 9, and some 240 gr. Missouri bullets on order. As soon as Starline gets some brass to sell, I'll be ready to go. I may go ahead and shoot some factory loads so I'll have some brass. I've got some cartridges that may be 40 years old. I've had a Ruger carbine since they came out in '61. Thanks all for the help and encouragement and wish me luck...

 

[johnny.44]

I just started reloading .44 specials for my 629 classic.Magnum cases,5.5 gr Red Dot,1.645 oal. SNS casting 240 gr rnfp. Shoot real nice,barrel stays clean.

 

[joed]

You have all the makings of my favorite plinking load which is a 250 gr LSWC and 7.5 gr of Unique. Doesn't matter if mag or spl case. You should get 850 fps to 950 fps. It's one of the old favorites.