44 Special, need input.

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falnovice

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44 Special vs 45ACP

Need some input here. Here is a little background on the situation.
I’ve recently been given a few hundred once fired .44 mag brass along with some reloading equipment for .44mag. A buddy of mine had wanted to reload at one point but ultimate decided to reduce his collection. Unable to sell the brass or gear he gave it to me. However, I don’t have a .44 magnum. I’ve looked at a couple and now am considering a lever-action rifle in .44 mag. Seems like it would be a handy package. Went to a local gunshop to check one out and the guy tried to sell me on the .357 mag rifle……really couldn’t explain why he felt the .357 was a better lever gun, so I suspect that it is more because he didn’t have a .44 mag gun to sell me. But this does cause some question for me as I do intend to buy a .357 revolver at some point, and a rifle to match might make sense. That still leaves me with a bunch of .44mag brass and stuff…….and I wasn’t really looking to pick up the .357 right now. In the end I bought nothing and am still in the same situation as before.
When it comes right now to it I’m just not that interested in a .44mag. They had a wow factor when I was a kid but now not so much. However I have wanted a .44 Special for some time. That is probably nuts but for some reason it appeals to me….probably all the old gun rag articles I read in the eighties about loading for it.

I had half convinced myself that this would be a good way to go when a friend suggested I skip the .44 Special, get a .45 ACP revolver and load specific rounds for that. He claims it is a much better option. I wasn’t aware you could load that much differently for a .45 ACP revolver other than different bullet shapes (wadcutter, flatnose etc) that would choke an automatic. And I do currently reload for .45ACP so perhaps this is a good choice if the performance is there…..but I know nothing about loading for revolvers. This would still leave me with the .44mag brass but I could always sell that I suppose…..and while the levergun might be fun I just can’t see myself toting it that much over my 30-30.
So my questions:
Can I cut down the .44mag cases for use in a .44 Special?
Can .45ACP really be loaded up significantly in a revolver?
Which direction should I go, .44 Special reloads or .45ACP with reloads?

Any help you can provide would be great.
 
Which do you really want?

I love .44 Spl, so I would say .44 Spl, but buy some brass & sell the .44 Mag brass. It would be a bear to trim all that .44 Mag brass down to .44 & you would need to try one first to make sure the "neck" wasn't too thick after trimming one.

But .45 is pretty sweet in a revolver, if not just for the cool factor and being able to shoot your reloads in an auto and a revolver. I really like to shoot my 25-2 with light to medium loads.

I don't load em up hot for revolver, but some folks shooting the newer model 25's sure do. I am sure one of them will come along and tell you about it.
 
.45 ACP is pretty limited in power, and cannot possibly match the .44 Special in handloads. Remember the .44 Special can be loaded to at or near .44 Magnum levels. IIRC, that's how Elmer came up with the idea for the round in the first place. The only problem with the round is the small number of packable handguns chambered for it. I wish there was a 5 shot bulldog other than the iffy Charter Arms. Ruger should make one. But alas.
 
Remember the .44 Special can be loaded to at or near .44 Magnum levels.
Click to expand...
if you go way over SAMMI max pressures for the caliber. ;)

The .44 Spl is no slouch with standard loads though.

What do you want the gun to do? That is a big part of what the answer is.

Ruger should make one
Click to expand...
Darn tootin'...A 5 shot GP-100 in .44 Spl....drool......I'd buy one.
 
You already have all this 44 Mag brass. Load them down to 44 Spl velocities if that's what you want. I do all the time and shoot them in my 44 Mag revolvers. Who said you had to load full house loads? 44 Mag brass is much more versatile to a reloader. Loading light powder puff loads, to target loads, to exhilerating full tilt hunting loads.

There's no more accurate and versatile caliber to a handgun reloader than 44 Magnum. All the more so if you are looking for a rifle to shoot the same.
 
If you intend to shoot the .45 ACP in a revolver (other then a single action) you have to fool with half-moon (3-shot) or full-moon (6-shots) clips. In some shooting matches this is adventageous, otherwise not so much so. In standard factory loads the two have about the same performance, but when handloaded the .44 Special has the advantage because you can use more of a slower burning powder to get maximum velocities. As a rule of thumb I have found it better to use rimmed cartridges in revolvers, and rimless ones in pistols.

Yes, you can trim your .44 Magnum cases to .44 Special length.
 
I am leaning more towards a revolver at this point. The only lever-action I have is an ol Marlin 30-30 and it has thus far met all of my levergun needs. not to mention dropped more than a few deer.
The purpose of this would be mostly as a fun gun, but also as something I could pack on the belt when going for a walk on the back forty. To clarify I mean in a full holster, open carry.
I am not concerned with concealability as I am totally un-tacti-cool and carry a Browning Hi-Power MkIII when I feel the need/desire. (The same one Walkabout, and still going strong)
Also there is a certain amount of fun in load development. Every gun is a little different and finding that sweet load is a nice way to pass the time.
As far as power, I was thinking more along the lines of Skeeter power rather than Elmer.
 
Why by a 44 Special over a 45 ACP revolver. In standard loads, you are looking at very similar power factors with the 45 edging the 44 Special in that respect.

44 Mag can be loaded to do lots of things - all nicely. If you want to avoid the heavier revolvers but keep 44 Mag potential with factory class ammo, get a S&W Mountain revolver in 44 Mag and download the 44 Mag brass or use 44 Special brass. But I wouldn't shoot alot of 44 Magnum full bore loads in the Mountain revolver.

Using a 6" barreled 44 Mag revolver for 44 Special loads makes for a very soft shooter because of the extra ounces on the gun.

Also, you can sell 44 Mag guns easier than the 44 Special guns.
 
Sell the 44 brass

I have owned M-29's but for range use and walk about use a N frame in 45 ACP is hard to beat.
I found that for 99% of my needs, Bullseye, USPS and steel challange the moon clipped 45 ACP N frame is a better gun.
Yes the 44 Rem Mag is a couple notches above in power, but its not best for many uses. Sure you can reload it to 45 ACP power, but you will not be able to play the games the moon clipped 45 ACP can do better.
And if your stand to the right of a 45 ACP pistol, brass will appear as if magic. Try that with a 44.
Sell the brass and buy moon clips.
 
I have both in Colt Single Actions. I have a custom built Colt Bisley in 44 Special and also a 3rd Generation SAA in 45LC. I sent the 45 LC back to the Colt Custom Shop in 2000 and had it fitted with a 45ACP cylinder.

Both guns are super accurate and fun to shoot. I don't reload and never push the limits on cartridges through my guns. So, I am not debating which can be loaded hotter... For my purposes the 45LC and 44 Special both do the job. The 45 ACP is cheaper to shoot on the range.
 
Yes, you can trim .44 Magnum cases to use in a .44 Special.

Yes, you can load .45 ACP hotter (or lighter) for use in a revolver than for an auto pistol.

But I would get what I wanted and not let my choice be decided by having those .44 Magnum cases. (If you found a key, would you decide to buy a house that fits it?)

Jim
 
A new .44 Magnum 4" 629, SKU #163603, weighs 41.5 oz, while a .45 ACP 4" 625JM, SKU #160936, weighs 43.0 oz (The current catalog differs from earlier editions and states 40.3 oz!). The extra weight in the 625, if there, is in the full lug. They feel equivalent with similar grips, so no real weight advantage with either one. The Mountain Gun variants, very scarce and pricey in .45 ACP, weigh in at just under 40 oz. The 629MG is every bit as capable as a regular 4" 629 - especially if you employ the recoil-absorbing Hogue made-for-S&W X-frame monogrips. I've had both - and prefer the regular 4" 629 - it has a larger hammer & trigger as well as red ramp front and white outline rear sights vs black/black on the MGs.

I reload, so .44 Specials - and Russians - are no more expensive for me than my wimpy Magnums (Elmer Keith would be ashamed!) to make. I've never made a 'real' Magnum, .357 or .44, having found nearly full boxes of both abandoned at the range. I have two 'real' .44 Special revolvers - a 296 & a 696 - and two 629 .44 Special 'posers' - a 4" & 6". Just always get the longer cased Magnums downrange first at a range trip, following up with the short cased rounds - or bring a chamber brush to 'brush between meals'. There is nothing wrong with shooting .44 Russians and/or Specials in a .44 Magnum chamber - just clean before going .44 Magnum.

A case for the .45 ACP revolver. First - moonclips are cheap - Ranch Products makes them - the blued steel ones are $35/100 delivered. Starline brass loads easily & securely by hand - the Brownell's nut-driver style demooner is handy and efficient. When they are 'in-stock', the UMC 250-packs of 230gr FMJs are $82 at WallyWorld - so ammo is available on a Sunday most places. Try to find .44 Specials anywhere. Of course, if you load .45 ACP already, that's a plus. My 4" 625-8 works best with Starline brass, so I kept my brass separate - Starline for the moonclips and range-sweepings for my last bottom feeder - a Marlin Camp .45.

If you reload .45 ACP, a .45 Auto Rim shell holder will convert your press to their production. As the rounds have a 21+ kpsi rating, vs the .45 Colt's 14 kpsi, you can load them up 'hotter' than standard .45 Colts - with the same bullets - the .45 AR cases - and toss them in your pocket, if need be. The thick rim makes them headspace appropriately and not need moonclips. They are cute rounds, a la the .44 Russians... if you make both, like I do, wear your readers when you separate the two! A 255gr LSWC or Speer #4484 250gr Gold Dot pushing 900 fps is no slouch, either.

Confused? Yeah, me too. Redundant? How about adding a .45 Colt 625MG, or two, to the mix? Yeah, I have all three sizes now... revolver gluttony. No more basement ammo factory and restricted to one caliber, and I'd keep the .45 ACP 625JM. YMMV.

Stainz
 
I used to have a 625 in 45 ACP... but never shot it much and ended up getting a 44 magnum 629 Mountain Gun.

There is no more versatile cartridge to the reloader than 44 mag.
 
If you really want a .44 special, I would recommend getting a .44 mag revolver to shoot them. You've already said you're not trying to conceal it so why not have the option to shoot either the special or the magnum (which you can already reload for).

I don't really like the idea of trimming down the .44 mag cases. It just seems like you're asking for complications.

Since you're already used to reloading .45 ACP I have to think this puts something like a 625 (or another .45 ACP revolver) at the top of your consideration. While you're set up to start loading .44 mag, it seems like that's your only reason for considering a .44 mag revolver. I think you should sell the .44 mag brass (and maybe the reloading equipment) in order to help start the funding for a 625. That way you can just make a whole bunch of the same round that feeds two of your guns.
 
The .44 Special is always going to be a more versatile round for an experienced handloader. It can be loaded from powder puff to near magnum velocities (going over max, of course, that is why one needs to be an experienced handloader). Its also very accurate and easy to handload for.

However, .44 Special factory ammunition is much harder to find, and at least twice as expensive as .45 ACP ammunition. Brass is also not nearly as easy to come by. It doesn't cost any more to handload .44 Special than it does to handload .45 ACP (not accounting for brass cost), but unless you plan to shoot only handloads (like I do), you are much better off with a .45 ACP/AR revolver.
 
i have a 6" bareled S&W 25-2 that headspaces on the case mouth so can be used with or without clips, and have loaded 255 SWC to upwards of 1100 fps with blue dot for about 700 foot pounds of energy, against 350 in a factory load. pressure is higher than saami standards, but the primer pockets stay tight and the gun can handle it. this is "45 super" territory, and you can get special "super" cases if you like. it will knock down anything on 2 or 4 legs faster than any 44 mag load you can get. it's much more comfortable to shoot than a 44 mag, with much less blast.
 
255 @ 1100 vs. 240 @ 1440

Greater sectional density, energy and momentum. I'd say the 44 wins hands down. Sorry, had to root for the home team!

But I do like that 45 load...
 
Ha! I'm in the EXACT OPPOSITE situation.

I have a new .44 mag revolver, and want to get into reloading, but have no equipment, and no brass.
 
Magnumite,

Your loads are hot - the typical .45 Colt 255gr LSWC load leaves the SAAMI spec of 14 kpsi near 900 fps, while a 240gr LSWC hitting 1,440 fps is definitely at the upper end of the .44 Magnum range. Compare normal spec-ed .45 Colt with .44 Special loads and you'll see they are much closer. In fact, .45 ACP actually very slightly edges them both - but the three really can be loaded to equivalent levels - in a revolver. These comparisons are true for 'normal' levels.

Mr. Peter,

I bought Starline brass when I started reloading .44 Special - I just never found such in range sweepings. Their prices are still good - and include shipping. Great brass, too. As for equipment, you can get a single stage loader - like a Rock Crusher - or a progressive, like my Dillon 550B. Seven years ago, I elected to start making my own, as I had saved >2,700 empty .45 Colt cases. I bought, sight unseen and never having touched a reloader of any kind before, my 550B. Learning was fast - problems zero. It cost me the moola I had put back for another S&W, but it started a new 'hobby'. And - when I bought that new caliber for me - .38/.357M - I had ammo ready for it. Reloading is addictive.

Stainz
 
I know those loads are a little warm, but not that much. They don't show any signs of excessive pressure. They drop free from the cylinder, no primer flow, no rings around the primers, and no excessive case stretch. And I know those signs. LOL. I was a velocity dog at one time.

Using my chrono and guns and Blue Dot, 2400 and H110 powders, I get these loads going about 1375 fps out of a Ruger 5.5" Redhawk. Same loads, components and powder lots, I get 1425 - 1450 fps out of my NM Super Blackhawk.

Standard factory 240 grain loads go 1270 - 1300 fps in the Redhawk and then those same loads go 1380 - 1400 in the SBHK. I have a hand load that duplicates these specs and those are what I normally use now as full bore loads. Even these loads are giving 1000 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle.
 
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