Does anyone have an “all around” or “do it all” load for a 44 mag wheel gun? I have a bunch of ACME 240gr SWC, Nosler 240gr JHP, and some 180gr softpoints.
Does anyone have an “all around” or “do it all” load for a 44 mag wheel gun? I have a bunch of ACME 240gr SWC, Nosler 240gr JHP, and some 180gr softpoints.
What powders do you have?
I used to use the starting load of AA No. 9 with 240gr LSWC for about 1200FPS. I usually use H110 with jacketed bullets. I've also use a lot of Unique and 2400.
http://www.ramshot.com/wp-content/up...ide8.0_WEB.pdf
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
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I don't have a singular load for 44mag, I have two that use the same bullet (250gr SWC that I cast). I have a mag load using 2400 and a plinking load using Trail Boss.
But, once I use all of those up, I'll probably standardize on something like 9gr-10gr of Unique.
Chris
@Lost River
@Malamute
I can't speak to .44 mag but I think the .45 colt is pretty close enough.
I haven't experimented that much. I started hunting with my backhawk/redhawk/m92 with BuffaloBores 255gr swc at 1000fps. I had nuisance permits to hunt at a nursery year round and took advantage of it. I killed a couple dozen deer with that load and saw some of the most impressive bang flops Ive ever seen. Thats including comparison to shotgun and 30-06 class rifles.
For new england use. A 255gr(or 240gr) @ 900-1000fps is my gp load.
9gr of unique should get you where you want to go. Im going to experiment with be-86 next just out of availability sake
This is much my experience. I no longer load or shoot .44 Magnum, but when I did I started out pushing bullets too fast. Hard on the gun and hard on me. One of the reasons I no longer shoot Magnums is that I did a fair amount of damage to my hands and wrists before I got smart(er). I finally learned to keep the velocity around 1000 fps. No issues with penetration except for pig hunts. For pig, I did jump to .454 Casull, heavier bullets, and more velocity. For most applications, 240-grain and up at 1000 fps is nice and easy on pistol and shooter while being quite effective on most targets. I rather increase sectional density than velocity today.Originally Posted by 03RN
I’ve shot IDPA and informal metallic silhouette using the 240gr swc over 10.0gr Unique load. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot deer with it either but I normally hunt with a 270gr WFN bullet that I cast launched by a bunch of 2400.
John Taffin seems to know a bit about the .44 and its care and feeding.
https://americanhandgunner.com/gear/...-magnum-loads/
This is an easy one.
I have been using 10 grains of Unique as my general purpose/medium load for decades. Using a 240/250 grain SWC, it will do 95% of all you need to do with a .44 Magnum. This also applies to the .45 Colt. Mule Deer, Coyotes, whatever. Normally I use a lighter load if I am hunting smaller game such as rabbits, but I have killed hundreds with the 10 grain Unique/240 load.
It also is an "easy button" for pushing heavy for caliber projectiles through older Smith revolvers. In fact about a couple weeks ago a buddy was asking for some load info for 300 grain bullets that would be middle of the road, recoil wise, and I told suggested the 10 grain Unique/300 recipe. Normally I use H110 with the 300s when going for top end loads which comprise only about 5% of my shooting needs with the .44 mag these days.
Unique and H110 are the only two powders I regularly use in the .44, though I have experimented with others.
The 10 grain Unique/240 cast is my "Go-to", do everything load, and I load it in bulk. I figure if I am ever not able to obtain ammo, there are few general purpose handguns and loads that can handle pretty much anything I am likely to encounter from the mountains to town. If the cast bullet is sized properly, the load will work great in a levergun as well.
That load is a lot more useful than most people think and recoil won't beat you or the gun to death.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
18.5 grains of 2400 behind a Lyman 429421.
I didn’t own a chrono back when I shot a lot of .44 mag, but according to the published source, it should give about 1,000 fps.
In my handgun hunting days, I loaded the LBT 280 WFN with a max charge of H110 or 296. It dropped white tails pretty well, but after noting how the bullet sailed through the deer like they were tissue, realized that driving a non-expanding bullet over 1,000 fps was a waste of powder and harder on the gun and myself.
I like to practice with the same load I carry in the field. Cast boolits and less-than-maximum powder charges make it affordable and a lot more fun to practice.
When I was a young deputy I started collecting/acquiring Old Model Flat-top 44 Mag Ruger Blackhawks. I had both the common 6.5" versions and even one 7.5" FT. Probably because of the Colt style and size grip frame (XR-3) I never tried to impress people by how much H110 I could stuff in a Mag case. Instead I took my inspiration from Ol' Elmer. His pet load was 22g 2400 behind his cast 429421 SWC. I tried that and it was pretty good but for some reason my most shot OM Ruger liked 21g so that became what I shot. 429421 cast from wheel-weights and sized to .430", over 21g of 2400 and ignited by standard LP primers. No doubt I shot over a thousand rounds of that before I decided a lighter load would be more fun.
Tried dropping it to 18.5g of 2400, which was Elmer's maximum 44 Special load in Balloon Head cases. Then came to the conclusion that 44 Special would do anything I wanted done and kind of gave up on the Magnums. Tried the Skeeter Skelton load of 7.5g of Unique but for what ever reason preferred 2400 and settled on 16.5g or 17.5g (can't remember which after all these years) of 2400 in the Special case with the same old 250g SWC.
Dave
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