.44 Special Self Defense Loads

[The_Shootist]

Ok - question for all of us too lazy to handload. Whats a good .44 spl load for SD? I ask that as I may pick up one of Ruger's new 4" bbl Redhawks (.44 Mag) in the near future but figure for SD I'd be carrying .44 spl.

Buffalo Bore? Corbon? Winchestoer or Speer? Any recommendations and why?

 

[P. Plainsman]

A lot of factory .44 Spl. hollowpoint rounds are loaded kind of light. Don't get me wrong, I think some of 'em are still fine choices, but you have to remember that there are still a lot of flimsy Charter Bulldogs out there, and any given .44 Special load is likely to be put in one of them.

My favorite from the big ammo companies is CCI Blazer 200 gr JHP .44 Special. It uses the excellent 200 grain .44 "Special-class" Gold Dot bullet -- a wide mouth hollowpoint for good expansion even at medium speeds. Fairly easy to find in stores.

Now, you can get the identical bullet in the Speer Gold Dot .44 Special factory load, which uses nice reloadable nickel-plated cases instead of the Blazer's disposable aluminum case. But I still think the Blazer version is the better buy (especially since you say you do not reload). It is slightly hotter than the Speer nickel-case version; same bullet; just as reliable and accurate; and it's definitely cheaper. You can get the CCI Blazer for around $21 / 50 ; not peanuts, but the Speer version is darn near $1 per round!

Also from a big maker, there's the Winchester Silvertip 200 gr .44 Special. It's quite lightly loaded -- probably around 750 fps from your gun. More of a Charter Bulldog load. But it reportedly expands well even at those mild speeds. Accurate round. I'd stick with the Blazers - cheaper and more powerful.

Federal makes a lead hollowpoint .44 Special defense round, but I rarely see it and have no experience with it.

Since you are choosing SD loads for a .44 Magnum-rated revolver, you should also think about the Speer 200 gr Gold Dot "Short Barrel" .44 Magnum defense round. It appears to use the same excellent Gold Dot as the two CCI/Speer .44 Special loads listed above, but revved up to around 1050 fps. That's a great power range -- serious thump but much more controllable than full-boat .44 Magnum rounds. I have tried a box of this "Short Barrel" .44 Mag Gold Dot in my 4" S&W 629, a revolver quite similar to the Ruger you're looking at. I truly would not want to go up against a practiced home defender who had a good DA revolver full of those loads. Mean stuff. Expensive but worth it.

Among smaller ammo companies, Buffalo Bore makes a couple of varieties of "hot" .44 Special ammo, not approved for use in Charter guns, that would be great in a Redhawk. One uses a lighter-weight JHP at high speeds. The other is their "Keith-style" load: a 255 gr wide-meplat SWC at about 1000 fps. Great outdoors load. Again, expensive but top quality.

There are probably some other choices from small companies like Double Tap or Georgia Arms with which I'm less familiar. Perhaps others will share info about those.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. If it might be of use, here's a layman's look at the Corbon .44 Special DPX load:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 44 Special DPX Report.htm


Best.

 

[Gordon]

The Hornady 180 grain .44 spl. load also works well, being a little tougher bullet than the Gold dot (not necessarily a good thing at .44spec. velocities) and the lighter weight gets 75 fps more than the Speer 200 grain load in my guns. I too, carry the Speer Blazer 200 grain in my ultralight S&W 296 as those aluminum Blazer cases further cut the weight down!

 

[normal]

I did an informal test (water jugs) on that 180 gr. Hornady load and it had no expansion-0! It is a very hard jacket that did not deform at all. I'm also looking for a different .44 sp. load and am wanting to check out the Blazer round.

 

[Stainz]

My homebrews with the Speer 200gr Gold Dot, #4427, make the same ~805 fps that both the CCI Blazer and Georgia Arms #G44SC load make with that same bullet. I keep the GA Arms round now, as it is the same cost (~$22/50), while you gain a nice piece of 'once fired' brass upon shooting it! Besides, I finally had an Al cased Blazer round split - one of those .44 Specials - in my SS 696, so it wasn't a problem, like it might have been in my 296, which gets brass cases only now.

Another thought, if you haven't committed on that 4" Redhawk. I know folks love it, and they do seem to come with a better-than-usual Redhawk trigger, but that backstrap isn't padded at all - and it will always be a Redhawk, with that funky long single spring trigger pull. I finally tired of my 5.5" .45 SS RH - especially since I have two .45 Colt 625MG's. The S&W trigger starts out better - and can be easily improved. Sub a Hogue X-frame .500 Magnum monogrip, and that backstrap gets covered - what a difference in launching 'hot' rounds. It does lengthen the trigger pull ~ 3/16 ths of an inch - try a new .460/.500 Magnum S&W - that is their OEM grip. And... no matter what anyone else tells you re the 'ultimate strength' of RH's - the N-frame S&W is designed/forged/heat treated to handle any normal boxed .44 Magnum ammo. I wanted a 4" Ruger - but a SRH in .454 or .480 - oops!

Stainz

PS I nearly forgot... those #4427 200gr Speer GDHP loaded rounds make 834 fps from my 3" 696; 851-878 fps from my 4" 629; and 947 fps from my short-lived 20" Henry Big Boy. According to Speer, they open up by 800 fps (Which they eclipse even from my 2.5" 296.) - and shouldn't be used over 1,000 fps (Fragile sidewalls.).

 

[vanilla_gorilla]

I'll second the motion for the Gold Dot Short Barrel 200 grain load, in either .44 Special or Magnum. I keep my 629 loaded with the Magnum version.

 

[Deanimator]

I use the 200gr. Blazers and the 200gr. Federal LSWC-HPs in my 4" Model 29-2.

I shot quite a few of the Blazers and found them quite accurate. I didn't have enough of the Federals to really test the accuracy. It seemed adequate at 50'.

I'm a big fan of the Federal .38 Special 158gr. LSWC-HP +P load. The Federal .44 Special looks like an enlarged version of that round.

 

[def4pos8]

Good suggestions above!

It's too bad you don't reload!! Elmer Keith taught us some truly NEAT loads for the .44 Spcl -- and what he missed, "Skeeter" Skelton filled in.

I've used 7.5 grains of Unique under a variety of good, Keith-style, 240-grain SWCs over the years in an 8in Redhawk and a 6in Model 24.

Until you decide to handload (It's cheaper!) the Speer Gold Dot or Hornady TAP in any weight would be my choice.

 

[Snapping Twig]

I like to use a magnum case and I use 7g W231 under a 240g SWC for a very pleasant and accurate load. I find it good enough to hunt with, but to be honest, I haven't done so...yet.

 

[JNewell]

Stephen Camp's article on the DPX is extremely persuasive. I will say, though, that the real world performance of the 200 gr Gold Dot is very, very good, and I've pumped a lot of the Blazer/Gold Dot load downrange with highly satisfactory results insofar as accuracy and reliability go.

 

[P5 Guy]

Corbon makes a 165gr that is pretty hot in my 696.

 

[GaryP]

I load my 27 year old Charter Arms BullDog 3" with Georgia Arms .44 SPL 200GR Gold Dot Jacketed Hollow Point rated at 850 FPS. My "Flimsy" CA Bulldog has digested in excess of 2500 rounds over the years with 1000 or so being the Georgia Arms Gold Dot load above. This round opens up around 750 to 800 FPS which works for me in CCW mode and does not beat the Bulldog up. If I felt the need to exceed 900 FPS I would carry my S&W Model 24, but being an N frame it is a tad heavy for all day carry. I purchased my last batch of the Georgia Arms .44 SPL 200GR Gold Dot JHP several years ago at $16.50 / 50. I heard Speer was going to discontinue marketing the "Gold Dot" bullets as components and market their own line of loaded ammo but I have not been able to verify this.

 

[coelacanth]

just a thought. . . . .

Remington used to make a slightly downloaded .44 Mag load with 240 grain flatpoint lead bullet at around 900 fps. I found those to be entirely pleasant to shoot in my Redhawk and they would make a pretty effective SD load without giving you those grungy rings to clean out of your cylinder after a shooting session. The designation for those was R44MG4 but I don't know if Remington still has them in their lineup or not.