44mag download to 44 special load

[sandwhichman73]

I'm looking for a recipe using a 200 gr lead rnft bullet, using 2400,unique, bullseye, or powerpistol powders. I like to download my rounds when shooting indoors. I checked my manuals and they don"t give any for 200gr lead rnft.

 

[Sam1911]

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/recipedetail.aspx?gtypeid=1&weight=225&shellid=33&bulletid=45

Here's some data with 2400 and Unique for a 225 gr. cast bullet. If I were you, I'd probably make some assumptions about those charges' appropriateness to a 25 gr. lighter bullet.

But, do so at your own risk, of course.

 

[flipajig]

I dont have any 200grn but ive been useing 240grn WC and W-231 around 800 fps great little load my son loves them.

 

[kelbro]

'Down-loaded' 240-250gr cast bullets are a lot of fun to shoot. Probably wouldn't shoot my 44 Mag 1/4 of the time that I do if it weren't for the lighter loads.

 

[zxcvbob]

You can use .45 Colt load data in .44 Magnum -- just make sure it's not ".45 Colt (Ruger Only)". Also can use data for a .44-40 Winchester.

Red Dot is a great powder for cast bullet loads in big ol' brass.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Hodgdon lists six powders for the 200 gr. RNFP bullet in .44 Magnum at .44 Special velocities. They're all listed under "Cowboy Loads".

The list the following powders as giving velocities in the 795 to 897 FPS range for starting loads:

Universal
International
HP38
Titegroup
Clays
Trail Boss

At the top end of the loads listed for that bullet, the velocities are from 988 to 1,061 pfs.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[MovedWest]

Unique would probably be a good powder for it. I use that for my 44spl loads. If you're going to load in 44mag brass you could load 8~9gr of unique with good results (that's about what I would use with a 200gr JHP). YMMV.

Save the 2400 for the big rounds though. It doesn't really burn that well unless you turn up the pressure to the upper end of the magnum range.

-MW

 

[geo57]

sandwhichman, since you asked specifically for it, I load a 200 gr. RNFP cast on top of 7.5 grs. of Unique in .44 mag cases for my " Cowboy " load. It runs 900 + FPS from a 5 1/2 " bbl. , which was about original 44-40 ballistics. This load is very mild if wanting to shoot one handed, as it's not even a max .44 Spl load. It's a little sooty, but very accurate from my .44's, and achieves what I want this one to do.

 

[Funshooter45]

Yep, it can be a little bit of a guessing game sometimes if a guy wants to shoot reduced loads but still use the .44 magnum case rather than the .44 special case. That is my situation as well. I don't have any of the special cases, I just prefer to keep everything in the longer cases, even for the light loads. Hodgdon recognizes that and most of their loads cover that situation.

You can't simply use the same charge called for in the special case. You need more powder to get the same pressure and velocity in the longer magnum case. I have encountered the same dilemma with a couple of Vihta Vuori powders. They worked real well in my .45 Colt loads. Very mild, clean burning. But VV assumes that anyone wanting to shoot .44 special loads will do it with a .44 special case. Like someone else mentioned, you can get a pretty good idea of the right amount of powder to use by taking the .45 Colt loading for the same bullet weight and use the same amount of powder in the .44 mag case. Compare that to the max for the .44 special load. It is probably 10-15% more than the .44 special load. Probably pretty safe for a revolver designed to shoot full power .44 mag loads. But you have to be real careful when venturing out into unpublished territory. I wouldn't try it with fast powders like Bullseye. They can act strangely when you get into higher volumes. Unique is probably the best of those you stated. Start with 7 gr or so and slowly adjust up until you get reasonably clean burns and acceptable recoil.

 

[derek45]

6.5" blackhawk

240gr hardcast SWC

7.5gr w231 / HP-38

971 fps


240 SWC 10.UNIQUE
1180 fps

 

[Dr. A]

You are safe to use 44 special data straight from Alliant (200gr. bullet) Who says you want the same velocity and pressure as the special case? Inside always meant get the bullet 50 feet down the course. That doesn't take 900 or even 800fps. 600's and 700's are just fine!

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/recipedetail.aspx?gtypeid=5&weight=200&shellid=12&bulletid=14

Looks like 6.4max for Bullseye and 8.7gr. of Unique. No doubt those will be slower in the mag cases, but again, with a cast bullet, they are safe. Strangely enough, when downloading, you'll notice less velocity loss and problem than you might think.

I've been doing this for years. With a cast bullet, the velocity variations are very great from gun to gun anyway. Shouldn't have problem unless it goes under 500fps. Cowboy shoots usually see some of these Bullseye doses down around 4gr. Assumptions do need to be made, but it isn't that big of a deal. I will also use Titegroup about the same way as I do Bullseye, and if I have Trail Boss on hand, that gets a nod as well.

 

[Asherdan]

What Dr. A said.

For myself, I've been loading a 200g RNFP w/ 10g Unique, 1.565" OAL, W-W brass, WLP primers. That may well be a bit snappier than the OP needs, but it shoots well for me.

 

[joed]

I own a few 44 mags and have never shot anything out of them that approaches mag velocity. I use a 250 gr LSWC and 17 gr of 2400.

My Lyman manual shows 13.3 to 15.2 gr of 2400 with a 205 gr bullet. Unique is 7.0 to 8.2 gr with the same bullet. These loads are in Spl cases but will also work in mag brass although velocity will be a little lower.

 

[Nevmavrick]

I would sure not think of PP, 2400, or even Unique as being "indoor" powders.
They'll sure make noise! BE, OTOH, can be a lot of fun. You needn't vary the charge very much, as you're loading it for close practice.
With the RNFT, it won't mean much, but if you used a Keith-type SWC, you could seat the bullet deeper, say 'til the front of the shoulder is even with the front of the case. It would then be about the same OAL as the Special, and have the same internal dimensions. Doing that, you wouldn't have the problem of a ring of lead at the end of the chamber, as you would using a Special case.
You needn't worry about BE giving dangerous pressures as you're working with Spl loads. You might drop it back a little, if you like. I've shot a bunch with 5.0gr, so you might start at 4.5 and go back up.
If you can get near a chronograph, you might run a few through, to see exactly where you are.
Have fun,
Gene

 

[Bula]

I shoot a Lee 200g RNFP lubed with 50/50 over 8.5-9g of Unique. Fun shooter, but indoors, they are smokey. Different lube is probably in order, but I do not ever shoot indoors.