“All Around” 44 mag load?

[03RN]

I'm noticing a trend here...

I've often thought that for 90% of use cases, what we really need is .44 Extra Special, not the full snort .44 Magnum rhino-rollers.

For those of you that use a .44/45 bullet that weighs 240-250 at 1000ish FPS, I'm curious if any of you also use them in a long gun and have choreographed that.

I recently trudged the mile out to my shooting spot through knee deep snow to chrono my loads in my 4 5/8" bh and 16" m92. I got out there and my battery was dead. Woops.

Ill get some results soon

[03RN]

A full weight (240 - 260) .44 or .45 bullet of good design (SWC with nice big meplat) at 1000 fps will handle any creature in North America and most elsewhere. It's easy to shoot, easy on the revolver and simply works. Trying to run bullets at high velocities only flattens trajectory a bit at extended ranges that few of us can use to any advantage. Running a .429 SWC weighing 250 grains through Schwartz's model shows it will "only" penetrate 36". I submit that will get the job done.

Years ago, I read an article by John Linebaugh about the concept of a 250ish grain Keith at 900 from .45 Colt on game. He noted that it killed game very well and that they rarely were more than 25 yards where they were hit. I started trying that in my S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 ACP. I used Starline Auto Rim brass, 250 grain Keith SWCs and 6.5 Unique for barely 900 fps. It kills deer very well and like Linebaugh said, they don't go far. The lack of a sonic crack seems to be significant, because I noted that upon being hit, the deer will run a few steps, then stop and walk a few more and tip over dead. You can do the same thing with .44 Special and Magnum. Give it a try and see what you think.

I was out hiking today after a pretty sparce hunting season. I watched 4 does cross about 40 yards ahead and I was kinda bummed Ill have to wait untill nect year to test out my 255 in my Loaded. I really dont expect much difference with my .45 colt though. The colt is only +/- 50fps faster

[spyderco monkey]

The 240gr XTP looks promising, in that is has a very wide velocity envelope (from 900-1800fps.)



Here's the 240gr @ 1532fps; still holds up well despite the ludicrous speed.



And here's how it performs at 1265fps via Brassfetcher:


The velocity range is useful in that it also allows you to use the round from both a .44 revolver and carbine. It also means that at range (50-100yd) the bullet is still within its expansion velocity range. A 240gr @ 1200fps load from a 4.5" barrel would likely be ~1600fps from a carbine.

[Rick R]

For those of you that use a .44/45 bullet that weighs 240-250 at 1000ish FPS, I'm curious if any of you also use them in a long gun and have choreographed that.

I had to go find the spreadsheet. Using a 270gr WFN from an NOE mold, Starline brass, CCI large pistol primers

4 5/8” SBH 9.7gr Unique 1,121fps
20” Marlin 9.7gr Unique. 1,315fps

4 5/8” SBH 18.2gr A2400 1,278fps
20” Marlin 18.2gr A2400 1,590fps

Of course the usual proviso that my load data isn’t safe in my gun or yours, if you use it and blow yourself up we’ll come to your funeral and laugh at you before we split your gear amongst us.

[LtDave]

240gr SNS polymer coated, 10gr 800x: ~1000 fps

If only 800-X didn't meter like corn flakes. Otherwise, great powder.

[LtDave]

I've tested these in several S&W .44 mags and an OM Super Blackhawk. All have shot sub 2" out of one or more of my guns at 20 yards.
All loads used the SNS Casting 240 gr polymer coated bullets and Winchester LP primers. All were pleasant to shoot out of 4" guns.

Red Dot 6.4 grains
Power Pistol 8.7 and 9.5 grains
Bullseye 4.9 grains
HP38 7.5, 8.5 and 9.2 grains
Universal 7.8 and 8.4 grains
Clays 5.7 grains
WSF 8.0 and 9.1 grains

The most consistently accurate load for me was 6.4 grains of Red Dot, followed by Power Pistol, either 8.7 or 9.5 grains dependent on the gun.
The Red Dot load should run around 900 fps. Power Pistol loads should run 950 to 1050.

[Clusterfrack]

If only 800-X didn't meter like corn flakes. Otherwise, great powder.

LOL! I use a ChargeMaster for that powder for sure.

[Sal Picante]

If I can get clear of work today, I'm going to load some 44 "Extra Special" and see what it does out of an Alaskan and a 7.5 Redhawk chrono-wise...

[Bruce Cartwright]

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.

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.

A full weight (240 - 260) .44 or .45 bullet of good design (SWC with nice big meplat) at 1000 fps will handle any creature in North America and most elsewhere. It's easy to shoot, easy on the revolver and simply works. Trying to run bullets at high velocities only flattens trajectory a bit at extended ranges that few of us can use to any advantage. Running a .429 SWC weighing 250 grains through Schwartz's model shows it will "only" penetrate 36". I submit that will get the job done.

Years ago, I read an article by John Linebaugh about the concept of a 250ish grain Keith at 900 from .45 Colt on game. He noted that it killed game very well and that they rarely were more than 25 yards where they were hit. I started trying that in my S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 ACP. I used Starline Auto Rim brass, 250 grain Keith SWCs and 6.5 Unique for barely 900 fps. It kills deer very well and like Linebaugh said, they don't go far. The lack of a sonic crack seems to be significant, because I noted that upon being hit, the deer will run a few steps, then stop and walk a few more and tip over dead. You can do the same thing with .44 Special and Magnum. Give it a try and see what you think.

BKS:

I echo what Lost River and Wayne Dobbs say. My bullet of choice for the 44 magnum is the Lyman 429421 cast Keith semi-wadcutter. I typically use two power levels: 1,000+/- feet per second ("fps") or 1,250 fps. 9 grains of Unique gets me to an honest 1,000 fps out of a 4 inch revolver and 21 grains of 2400 gets me to 1,250+/- in the same length barrel. I don't get wrapped around the axle about specific powders. Anything that gets me to either of those two powers levels can work. I tend to look for deals on powder. In my experience, there isn't much difference between powders for me to worry about it. What I do worry about is extremes in pressure. If my cases don't easily eject, I change my loads. If I need to shoot something that can't be stopped with either of those two power levels, I get a rifle. I'd rather have a safe, reliable load that won't harm my gun than try to squeeze a few extra feet per second out of a load/powder.

As to those two power levels, I can tell you that the 1,000 fps level gets used by far the most. The 1,250 fps load is great if you are hunting, but it is difficult to control in rapid fire. Being able to deliver multiple accurate shots quickly is important to me. As I mentioned above, if I need more than either of these two power levels, I reach for a shotgun or rifle. Food for thought.

Bruce

[Velo Dog]

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.

The Sierra 240gr JHC and Hornady 240gr XTP are good general purpose bullets.

"The Nosler handgun projectiles lack skives to help promote expansion at low impact velocities."
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Kno...on+Magnum.html

The factory Hornady Custom 240gr XTP load does well in both revolvers and carbines.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-Purpose-Loads

Remington R44MG4 was a 240gr lead medium loading that had a rated velocity of 1000fps from a 6.5" vented barrel.
This .44 Special offering from Buffalo Bore is actually more powerful than that old factory .44 Magnum load.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...ct_detail&p=88

I really like the idea of a 240 to 255 grain Keith-type bullet at 1000fps. Enough penetration on larger animals without excessive damage to smaller game. Good trajectory with manageable recoil. Possible to cast one's own bullets to save money or future-proof supply. Such a load should check a lot of boxes when it comes to legal or ethical medium to big game hunting. However, if a lead free alternative were needed, this copper 240 grain HG Solid could work.
https://cuttingedgebullets.com/44-240gr-handgun-solid