Put the hurt on the berm today with the 44

[randyrat]

I got tired of being inside the house today, couldn't stand it anymore. The urge to stay on the couch with a blanket over me didn't last. So I put the Red Wings on and went to the range. I just had the 44 with me today and some good thumping loads.
19 grains 2400- pleasant
20 grains 2400- less pleasant
22 grains of 2400 under 245 gr cast- OH I can feel it on cold hands
22 1/2 grains of 2400 - Can feel it even more.
21 grains of H110 under 245 gr cast- not too bad
I put the hurt on the berm and blew the snow off it the easy way, shot at it.

I like the accuracy from the heavy 2400 loads.

[GP100man]

+1 for the 20gr loads , that`s enuff on my ole wrench wrists .

[geargnasher]

Wrench wrists indeed!! Off of bags, 20 grains of 2400 is PLENTY. 19.5 is more like it. Ain't it fun to have impacted wrist bones?

Gear

[Grandpas50AE]

Had to tone mine down a few years ago after the neck surgery. I used to load the full 22.0 gr. 2400 up until two vertebrae went out in my neck (not related to the .44 loads), and lost use of left hand. The neck suregery got most of it back, about 95%, but definitely had to drop to the 20.0 grs. 2400 or 19.5 gr. H110.

[ghh3rd]

When I got my .44 Ruger SBH I immediately started loading 310 gr boolits under 21.5 gr W296. Holy cow! It didn't take long to find out how good a shooting glove felt. After a while the glove fell apart though.

Funny thing is that before I got my .44, I had one round each of factory Special, and Magnum. I don't remember when I got them, but had them a while.

The gun came before all of the reloading components, so I took it and those two rounds to the range with some other guns to shoot. My 12 yr old son was with me, and I gave him the honor of being the first to fire it. The Special round gave him a broad smile. The Magnum round made his eyes open as wide as saucers :shock:

[kbstenberg]

Randy I don't know how you guys do it! Mihec's 503 + 18.5 / 2400 is very uncomfortable for me.
Kevin

[canyon-ghost]

I like 2400 but, just using it in 41 magnum. Got a plate in the left wrist, 3" scar to prove it.

I like my 44 Special, y'all can have those mean magnums.

PS: If the wind wasn't roaring, I'd get me to the range too. Guess I'll have to settle for the reloading room.

[Mal Paso]

Magic happens at 22g (2400 under the 250g Keith). I've had repeatable ESs of 4.8 fps. But it's not for every gun and it's not a plinking load. 19g is my everyday load.

+1 for Miha's 503

+1 for Randy's Bee's Wax.

I too drug my tail to the range. It was 7 am and the tail end of that Pacific Storm. I put on my only suit ( Cabela's Gortex Guidewear ) and rode the Quad down to where the 4x4 was parked. Just as I got in the cab it started to pour and I wondered if I was nuts. Question answered. I shot the Silhouette Match then target and socialized for a few hours. The sun was out much of the time, only a couple showers. I'd also like to recommend Cabela's Polar Base layers as a way to improve cold weather shooting. That may have given me the edge in Silhouettes, I was shaking less.

[44man]

C'mon fellas, I am 74 and love the .475 and .500 JRH.
Been shooting the .44 since 1956 with heavy loads. Now after the big ones, the .44 with 330 gr boolits is so tame I have to wonder if the boolit left. :bigsmyl2:
I need a glove for the .500 S&W BFR (knuckle) but not the big Smith.
I stay away from the Bisley, it will ruin my knuckle and hurts my palm.
I refuse to shoot the .50 Alaskan with a shiny Bisley.
I have no hand or wrist troubles at all. Is it because I hold guns tight with no roll?

[justingrosche]

I like the Elmer load. 22 gr of 2400 and the 429244.My RBH shoots it very well. But you have to cast them pretty hard to keep any weight retention. 50/50 alloy left me with 80 gr of lead and a GC when shot into a wet sand berm.