Medium Velocity .44 Magnum Loads Plinking/Hunting Bigger Critters

[insanelupus]

Just curious if anyone does any shooting with a "medium velocity" .44 Magnum load on a regular basis, perhaps even for hunting. I've always enjoyed shooting jacketed rounds at the 1000 fps to 1100 fps level in my .44 Magnum (more like hot .44 Special loads really). I've never been real fond of high velocity .44 Magnum loads as I don't care for the recoil at least on a regular basis and I really like to hunt and plink with the same loads (developing familiarity with the load).

In the past I've used 300 grain bullets and I've recently purchased the Lee 432-310 .44 mould. Been to cold to cast with that mould yet up here. I also have a Lyman 429421 and a 429244 mould. The alloy I plan to use is straight AC WW.

I've been wondering lately if I may be better off with the lighter 250 grain bullets with the SWC profile just because of the slightly smaller meplat at the velocities I'm using as I wonder if they will penetrate a little better on elk and bear than the 310 grain WFN design of the Lee mould. Again, velocities will likely be between 1000 and 1100 fps. I like having exit wounds when I can get them as it is easier tracking in the timber with an exit wound. Also, ranges would be kept under 50 yards and probably closer to 35 yards because of open sights.

Just curious about others with hunting experience on bigger critters (bear, elk, moose) with a medium velocity cast bullet load. I'd be interested in the bullet performance, the bullet design, alloy, velocity and even the load if you are so inclined.

[Hipshot]

Can only give you my experiance with 255 gr. semi wadcutters @ 1050 fps. in a .45 Colt Ruger lBlackhawk.
Running shot at a app. 250 # wild boar at 25 yds. quartering away. Caught him at the beginning of the ribs on the left side----the bullet came out his right ear, was dead when he hit the ground.
Hipshot

P.S. Store bought cast bullet-Carroll Bullets.

[NSP64]

I love those 44 special hot loads. I cast the lee 432-310 acww and load them over 12gr 2400 for 1050fps and 16gr 4227 for 1100fps in magnum cases. I load them for my TC Encore 12 " and A co-workers S&W 629 8":drinks:

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I use the H&G #503 mold which casts 255 grain bullets of the keith design;they resemble the Lyman 429421. There are many possible loadings with various types of powders and any good loading manual will give you many possibilities. I settled on a keith loading of 18 grains of IMR 4227 which was originally a loading for the 44 special. It packs enough whomp (for me) to shoot accurately at usual handgun distances. Since the 44 Mag case is longer than the 44 Special, you can push the 4227 load up to 23 grains and this gets it into the "full house" zone. The velocity is higher, as is the ME and so is the recoil. Have fun & good shooting.LLS

[Larry Gibson]

The classic load you are talking about with a 245-255 gr SWC is 9 gr of Unique for 1050 fps out of 6 - 6 1/2" barreled revolvers. (.5 or 10 gr of Unique for the 4" barrels. With decent cast bullets accuracy is always excellent. Many a critter up through deer (probably a few elk and bears too) have fallen to that load.

Larry Gibson

[cajun shooter]

I have for years used in all large cases 8 gr of unique for a plinking and small game load. Started using in 41 mag. It works in 41,44,45 Colt. Fun and easy to shoot.

[runfiverun]

there has to be at least 5 or more powders that will do what you are looking for.
the heavier boolit should penetrate as well as or better then the lighter one will.
and i agree with the two holes thoery.

[dale2242]

8.5 gr unique and 429421 1000fps out of a 7.5 " SBH is my go to load for plinking. 21 gr 2400and same boolit for hunting.---dale

[GLynn41]

Herco and 800x will also do you well as to what you are wanting--both work very well with cast

[hunter64]

I will second Dale2242 loads. My 629 loves .430 sized 429421 with 8.1 grn of Unique driving it and 21 of 2400 for hunting/protection purposes. My SBH and 2 of my model 29's love 7.5 grn of unique and at 25 yards I can shoot 6 for 6 pop cans off the ground backstop no problem.

[MakeMineA10mm]

This is nearly exactly what I shoot 95% of the time. I did quite a bit of research on what a "good" medium-power load for the 44 Mag is. These are the conclusions that I came to:

Someone famous or smart or both (certainly not me) once pointed out that the Keith-style SWC (and probably most other kinds of SWCs or RNFPs for that matter), as long as it is a medium-weight or heavier, lose less velocity and drop over distance/time once they go subsonic. Extending this to it's logical conclusion, I decided that the thing to do was to make sure they started out just under subsonic. That lets us maximize efficiency.

So, since I like W231 for my "cheap" easy-metering-in-the-progressive-press powder, I searched and loaded until I came up with 8.2grs as being .1-.2grs under the super-sonic cut-off. (That way, if I do get a small variation in the powder drop, it will still be subsonic.) Loaded that up, and found it to be a load that pushes, bounces, and cracks a little harder than I prefer.

I switched and found Unique, 800-X, Herco, and a few other powders that would accomplish the same thing, with some kind of reaction a little better than W231, but there was still a touch more bang than what I wanted.

I then dropped the W231 load down in increments of .3grs. I found that almost all of the objectionable bounce, crack, and kick were gone at 7.6grs. I rounded it off to 7.5grs, and that's what I've been shooting ever since. I didn't check velocities under same conditions, so the comparison isn't real valid, but I only lost about 175-200fps, for a 850-900fps load. That's plenty good in my book, and is the load I make up on my progressive press for my 44s. (I load my hotter stuff slower, on a single-stage, with more attention to detail.)

[MtGun44]

10.0 Unique under RCBS, Lyman or H&G versions of Keith plain old
250 SWC. Lyman number is 429421, H&G is 503, RCBS is 44 250 KT or 250 K
depending on vintage.

Gives about 1050 in a 4" Mountain Gun, about 50-75 more in a 6" bbl.

Usually very accurate. Avoid mag primers as they cause fliers in my
experience, and I only figured out why I got fliers by reading Elmer's
book, and following his advice to avoid mag primers for Unique and
2400. More pronounced effect with 2400, but noticable with Unique.

Not much you can't do with this load, actually.

Bill

[Shuz]

8.6g of Green Dot and 429421HP is my favorite mid power load. It chrono's between 975 and 1025 depending on the gun and bbl length. Rem 2-1/2 primers are used. This load is comparable to 9.5g of Unique outta my guns, but is a lot more economical as you can figger. Accuracy is supurb. Less than an inch, bench rest, from a scoped 629 Classic DX 5 incher.

[Snapping Twig]

My load of choice is a magnum case with 7g W231 under a 429421. I figure it to be @ 900fps and accurate...WOW!

Not much can hold up to that in the field if you put it where it needs to be.

[Bret4207]

Original post mentions Elk and Bear. Hmmmm, at the same velocity with similar metplats the heavier boolit should theoretically penetrate further than the lighter one. You're talking big animals that can hurt you. Shot placement is king but without penetration you have nothing.

[vanilla_gorilla]

My "everyday" load is a home-cast 44-250-K bullet from WWs at 1000-1100 fps, and most of the time, I'm using Universal powder to do it, but I'm looking for something better as far as powder goes.

A friend reported that 6.5 or 7 grains of Bullseye does the same trick out of his 4 inch 29, and he was getting single-digit SDs across the board. As soon as I can lay hands on some Bullseye, I'm going to try that.

[AlaskaMike]

I used to shoot a lot of RCBS 44-250-K over 10 grains of Unique (John Taffin recommends it highly in some of his books), but I switched to 10 grains of Alliant Power Pistol and I'm happier. I also shoot the same powder charge with a 300 grain Keith SWC from a Ballisticast mould I have, and that does even better.

Mike

[MtGun44]

i agree.
9.5 of PP under the 429421 is as accurate as 10.0 Unique in my experience, and matches
the velocity with much better metering. I still love Unique, tho.

PP is a good alternative, takes just a hair less.

Bill

[Three44s]

My drop dead favorite upper medium .44 mag load:

RCBS 250K from AC WW plus 1/2 to 1% tin, HS-6 @ 11.8 gr., Federal mag. primer

From a MG ....... 1066 fps @ 7 fps SD

From a RH 7.5" barrel ......... 1176 fps @ 15 fps SD

I used 800X ...... good powder ..... more recoil than the above load and it meters like road gravel.

I also believe in Unique ...... but rather at the Skeeter Skelton levels ....... 7.5 in .44 specials and 8.5 in .44 mags

And here's a test that will show you the recoil differences in loads ....... side by side you will be amazed!

Load two competing loads in cases of different head stamps so you can keep your results straight.

Then load each in a skip chamber arraingement ........ you should have three of one load in every other chamber and then come back with the other load ..... and fill in the open chambers ..... set your cylinder to the load you want to start with.

You'll know "where the bear went" .......... PRONTO!

Three 44s

[beagle]

About all I keep loaded for the SBHs and the Winchester .44 Mag are the 429421HPs over WC820. The loads I use run around 1100 FPS in the handguns and a couple hundred feet more in the rifle.

All I need around here for general use.

Now I have all the heavyweights including a 320 grain Keith H & G which I have loaded too hot with WW296 but I just don't enjoy the recoil or need the power.

Call me a wimp if you want but I like to enjoy shooting cast in my guns and for my use, that velocity dows well for me.

If I want more power, I have a .375 H & H and .458 X 2./beagle

[Bret4207]

I'm interested in the OP question about Elk and Bear. Anyone have any experience there? On our eastern Whitetail and Black Bear I wouldn't hesitate to use a 44 Special and 429421 at 900+ fps. Out west, them critters is bigger...

[AlaskaMike]

My last black bear hunt I took my Rossi 92, but the load I took with me used bullets from one of our custom group buy moulds here over 20 grains of Lil' Gun I think. We didn't see any black bear, but I think it would have done well.

I'm not sure if I'd use my preferred midrange load (mentioned above, 10 gr. PP with 250 or 300 gr. bullet) with the Rossi on one of our blackies. I think I'd rather have the extra oomph of the full power load.

Mike

[TXTad]

10.0 Unique under RCBS, Lyman or H&G versions of Keith plain old
250 SWC. Lyman number is 429421, H&G is 503, RCBS is 44 250 KT or 250 K
depending on vintage.

Gives about 1050 in a 4" Mountain Gun, about 50-75 more in a 6" bbl.

Usually very accurate. Avoid mag primers as they cause fliers in my
experience, and I only figured out why I got fliers by reading Elmer's
book, and following his advice to avoid mag primers for Unique and
2400. More pronounced effect with 2400, but noticable with Unique.

Not much you can't do with this load, actually.

Bill

I tried 10gr Unique under an 240 gr LSWC and found that my velocity spread was almost 100fps. If I tilted the barrel up and then gently lowered it down before each shot, I got it the ES down to about 20 or 25. I can't remember now what primers I was using, though.

Any thoughts on what do do about this?

Tad

[paul edward]

I have two medium loads:

Ten grains of Unique with a 225 gr cast gas check SWC from an RCBS mold.

Eight grains of Unique with a cast plain base 215 SWC from a Lee mold.

Used to load .44 Russian with 4 grains of Bullseye and a 250 gr cast plain base from an old Lyman 429336 mold. Works as light load in Specials and Magnums.

[fredj338]

I have for years used in all large cases 8 gr of unique for a plinking and small game load. Started using in 41 mag. It works in 41,44,45 Colt. Fun and easy to shoot.
I have to agree, 8-9gr under a 250grLSWC just flat works. My current hunting load is a 270grLHP @ 1225fps, not full speed, but a bit more than midrange. That one is 16.5gr of 2400.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I'd kind-of forgotten about this thread. When I saw it, I went back and checked my chrono data for my "medium" load of 7.5grs of W231 with my 267gr Heavy Keith GB boolit:

S&W 629-4 w/ 5" barrel: 891 fps (avg)
S&W 629-1 w/ 6" barrel: 923 fps (avg)
Ruger Flattop 6.5" bbl.: 938 fps (avg)
Win. Trapper 16" barrel: 1070 fps (avg)
Marlin 94 20" Micro bbl.: 1095 fps (avg)

This load is mild-shooting, but obviously plenty-powerful, even in the shortest-barrelled handgun I currently have. (Really wish I hadn't traded my Mountain Gun... :| I bet this load would still be going about 800-825fps from that one.)


Tad,
I don't know why you were getting such wide extreme spreads with that load. Unique is much more case-filling than W231, and I don't get that kind of variation. I've noticed with my heavy Keith seated to the crimp groove and with my lighter charge of a tighter-compacting powder, that I have something like 80% of the case capacity utilized.

What kind of 240gr boolit were you using? Was it a pure-lead swaged bullet, such as the Hornady? Theoretically, that load is pretty hot and would work better with a heavier bullet to cause it to combust better, but that wouldn't have anything to do with orienting the powder in the case... I can't imagine it being a primer problem, although I've heard some say that too hot of a primer can cause problems similar to this, but again, not sure that would be addressed through positioning the powder...

[derek45]

6.5" revolver

240swc 7.5 HP-38- 971fps
240swc 10.0unique - 1180 fps
240swc 22.5gr w296 - 1333 fps

310gr LEE 8.0gr w231- 969fps
310gr LEE 9.0gr w231- 1083fps
310gr LEE 8 unique - 1025
310gr LEE 10.unique- 1159
310gr LEE 19.5w296 - 1256fps

[TXTad]

...
Tad,
I don't know why you were getting such wide extreme spreads with that load. Unique is much more case-filling than W231, and I don't get that kind of variation. I've noticed with my heavy Keith seated to the crimp groove and with my lighter charge of a tighter-compacting powder, that I have something like 80% of the case capacity utilized.

What kind of 240gr boolit were you using? Was it a pure-lead swaged bullet, such as the Hornady? Theoretically, that load is pretty hot and would work better with a heavier bullet to cause it to combust better, but that wouldn't have anything to do with orienting the powder in the case... I can't imagine it being a primer problem, although I've heard some say that too hot of a primer can cause problems similar to this, but again, not sure that would be addressed through positioning the powder...

The bullet was a commercial cast 240gr LSWC, so of course it's harder than it needs to be. I'm pretty fastidious about trimming cases all to the same length and crimping firmly, so I don't think it's a inconsistent or loose crimp problem. Your comments make me wonder if a lighter load wouldn't work better. I'm pretty sure the primer would have been either a WLP or standard CCI.

Tad

[MtGun44]

Neck tension is far more important than crimp. Make sure you have really solid boolit
location without any crimp - should not be able to push a boolit in holding the case and
pushing pretty hard against the workbench with the boolit. If not tight enough polish
a bit off of the expander plug.

Bill

[TXTad]

Neck tension is far more important than crimp. Make sure you have really solid boolit location without any crimp - should not be able to push a boolit in holding the case and pushing pretty hard against the workbench with the boolit. If not tight enough polish a bit off of the expander plug.


No problem there. They're very tight.

[MakeMineA10mm]

The bullet was a commercial cast 240gr LSWC, so of course it's harder than it needs to be. I'm pretty fastidious about trimming cases all to the same length and crimping firmly, so I don't think it's a inconsistent or loose crimp problem. Your comments make me wonder if a lighter load wouldn't work better. I'm pretty sure the primer would have been either a WLP or standard CCI.

Tad

Well, 10grs of Unique is not what I'd call a medium load. It's more of a heavy load or at least something between medium and heavy. Still, Unique should be easy to ignite, whether at 10.0grs or 7.5grs. Makes me wonder if there is a primer issue, or maybe some combination of primer, ambient temperature, old (degraded?) powder?? We seem to have covered all the common problems, so I'm looking for less-common ones now...

It couldn't hurt to try a lighter load. However, on the track we're traveling, my guess is that the problem will be aggravated, not improved (due to lower load density).

What do those boolits come sized to, and how does that diameter compare to your throats??

[44man]

About anything that you an poke a hole through a deer with will kill it, no argument there at all. But how long for the deer to die? How much of a blood trail? Can you find it in thick cover?
After a few tons of deer meat with revolvers shot with almost everything I have found the boolit at it's accuracy point where velocity and twist rate match the best, does kill better with more internal damage, larger blood trails, etc and yet little loss of meat.
It seems as if when I take a hard, heavier boolit to around 1300 to 1400 fps, the killing effect goes way up but at lower or higher velocities boolit expansion will correct most problems.
The trouble is that when you use a softer alloy combined with a faster powder to bring velocity up, you ruin boolits and accuracy.
You should use the slowest powder that you can reach your chosen velocity with.
10 gr of Unique is harsh on a softer boolit so HS-6 or 2400 should do better. For full velocity, 296 and H110 would be my choice.
I have a bad habit from a lifetime of archery hunting. I tend to make double lung shots behind the shoulders.
Every caliber from the .44, 475 .500 JRH and any other that can fall into the velocity range seems to work best at a little over 1300 fps.
The .45 Colt at a lower velocity is a little slower killer with a hard boolit and the 45-70 at over 1600 fps is even worse. Make the boolit alloy work and all are super.
Anyway, the big problem I see is the wrong powders used and most of the loads posted are not as accurate as the guns can shoot so your distance is reduced for hunting.
There is no reason to use a 310 gr boolit at 900 fps because it can not be shot with accuracy. If you can't take recoil, buy a .44 special and shoot lighter boolits.
The thing that surprises me is when a .44 mag is bought and then the lightest recoil is looked for. I have never found the .44 with anything unpleasant to shoot unless you use one of those Alloy S&W's that have no gun weight.
The Lee 310 gr boolit works best with 21.5 gr of 296 and a Fed 150 primer. If it scares or hurts you, you should not have bought the mold because the boolit does not shoot good at 900 fps.
You DID buy a .44 magnum, did you not?

[TXTad]

44man: I don't care too much about recoil. One of my first revolvers was the first .44 Mag Mountain Gun from the 80s. I used to shoot hundreds of rounds out of that thing at a time at full power all the time into little bitty groups. 240gr Hornady XTP over 24gr 296, later 23.5 after I discovered that -0.5 gr didn't lose much velocity but saved a fair bit of muzzle blast.

MMa10: The powder was new to only a few years old, stored at room temperature. I was looking for a less than full power .44 Mag load that was simply frugal with powder. Until I started reading the forums here, I hadn't heard about some of the problems with heavier loads of Unique. Perhaps I should just switch to 2400 or Blue Dot.

[white eagle]

I agree with 44man I have taken his advice to heart and came out with a big smile :bigsmyl2:
from searching for 30 yd accuracy to having the ability and confidence to make 50 yd shots regularly is huge in my book

[Thumbcocker]

As far as plinking and fun I see no reason to run a .44 magnum or any other machine at full power all the time. Part of the appeal of the .44 magnum is the wide range of power that the handloader has available to him or her. I have tried everything from .433 round balls to 310 grain boolits in my .44's. I'm a just for the heck of it type of person.

One might argue that having a useful/fun load for a .44 magnum defeats the purpose of having a magnum. I find that there are several reasons that, to me at least, are valid. Some of my .44 magnums are my favorite handgus period. I enjoy taking them out for walks and doing "field shooting" at various targets at unknow ranges when I am not actually hunting. I find that lighter loads use less lead and powder and recoil less. This gives me more trigger time and more time afield with a favorite gun at a cost not a whole lot greater than rimfires. I pesronally believe that the more you shoot a particular gun, regardless of power level, the better you and that gun know each other. Some revolvers are known to wear more with full power loads so running them at less thatn full power is easier on the gun. Also, in my case, I find that recoil has a cumulitive effect during a shooting session. I can shoot full power loads fairly well for a while but then "recoil fatigue" becomes a factor and I have to stop shooting for a while. My best groups with full power loads involve shooting one shot and then waiting up to 3 minutes before shooting the next shot. With plinking loads I do better for longer.

I can certainly see the logic of shooting nothing but hunting level loads in a hunting revolver but, in my case, trying loads with a wide range of power levels appeals to my experimenter side as well as letting me refine my shooting technique and focus on basics with a favored hunting gun. I fire many more mid level loads from my .44's than I do hunting loads. Maybe I am a recoil weenie but it makes me happy and doesn't hurt anyone.

Hunting is an whole different area I am just talking about getting year round enjoyment out of a praticular gun.

FWIW

[Shuz]

Thumbcocker--Well said, my sentiments, exactly!

[NHlever]

I'm a little surprised that folks are getting good accuracy, and stability with the 300+ grain boolits at modest velocities in the .44 Mag. I've never tried that combination so I'm in no position to speak, but I had evidence of boolit tipping, and poor accuracy as close as 75 yards when using the Lee 452-300 RNFP at anything less than maximum velocities out of my 45 Colt Ruger. Even then I was getting keyholing at 100 yards so I went back to lighter boolits in the 250- 270 grain range. Maybe the SWC versions of the heavy boolits are more stable at lower velocities? Those max loads worked wonderfully in my 24" barreled Marlin CB rifle though, and were darned close to factory 45-70 loads in power.

[targetshootr]

I've been using 8 gr Universal in 44s and 45s for paper 'n such for years. Sometimes 9 or 10 gr for grins. I'd feel comfy with any of those if I need to put a hurt on something.

[Bass Ackward]

The thing that surprises me is when a .44 mag is bought and then the lightest recoil is looked for.


I don't know why, I got a V-8 but I don't drive it wide open around town or any place else for that matter.


Penetration means different things to different people. Meplats do nothing without a certain velocity. Velocity is what makes a meplat cut. So penetration to a "Hard and Wide" guy means that he needs enough bullet weight at a certain strike velocity to poke the hole size that he wants all the way through.

Bore diameter increases his usable window to do that. So bigger is ALWAYS better to him. That is, right up until he is doing too much on a smaller animal. If a hard fella wants to keep increasing velocity, he can then cut his meplat size to bring things back into balance. (but they never do :grin:)

Another view of penetration comes from a "Lighter Softie" type of guy. Soft may (may not too) take you off the line at a benchrest shoot, but that soft bullet expands some as it slows in the animal so you don't need the weight or necessarily the velocity to poke an effective (bleeding) hole, especially in smaller / softer critters.

So my soft, lighter mid-range loads (260 - 280 gr / 900 - 1100 fps) for deer are as effective as my big, HV hardies were. (don't use'em much any more for that reason) Maybe even more so when used on a stationary or calm animal. I've had far more plop and drop the softer way than with the hard / high velocity way that tend to envoke some kind of adrenalin response more often than not.

My 45 ACP / 260 LBT went no more than 20 yards or so this year and cut about an inch hole doing it. Boy howdy the RAW power with that one. :bigsmyl2:

Coarse, man learns to use what he's got .... or forever chase the bigger, harder, wider theories.

[crabo]

I like 12 grains of HS6 with the H&G 503. It will give 1.5 inches at 50 yards from my S&W PC 629. I was not happy with the 10 grains of Unique in that gun.

[MtGun44]

Try 9 gr Power Pistol, it essentially matches 10 gr of Unique for me under a 250 Keith
or LBT cast. Accurate and about 1000 fps from a 4". Also, Unique does not work well
with mag primers, it causes fliers - may be the velocity variation you are seeing. I use
CCI 300s and get good results, but I have not done a velocity check recently, just when
I first was working up the loads, many years ago.

Given that most folks have never recovered a 250gr .44 boolit from a deer at about
1000 fps, I'm not sure I see the point of a 300 gr. More recoil and more power expended
on the scenery, but a thru and thru .430 hole is created with either one.

Bill

[chaos]

10.0 Unique under RCBS, Lyman or H&G versions of Keith plain old
250 SWC. Lyman number is 429421, H&G is 503, RCBS is 44 250 KT or 250 K
depending on vintage.

Not much you can't do with this load, actually.

Bill

I prefer a little "Beefier" load of 296, but I have used the EXACT load you state on numerous feral hogs and it kills them just as dead as my favored "Hotter" load. Always complete pass thru with no boolit recovery. I wouldn't feel handicapped a bit if I was limited to only one load........ would surely be it.

[Char-Gar]

Under 429421 or a similar bullet I like:

5/Bullseye - Good target and plinking load
10/Unique - Good for any game up and including big deer
21/2400 - For anything 10/Unique won't handle, which is nothing in my part of the world.

[44 flattop]

10.0 Unique under RCBS, Lyman or H&G versions of Keith plain old
250 SWC. Lyman number is 429421, H&G is 503, RCBS is 44 250 KT or 250 K
depending on vintage.

Gives about 1050 in a 4" Mountain Gun, about 50-75 more in a 6" bbl.

Usually very accurate. Avoid mag primers as they cause fliers in my
experience, and I only figured out why I got fliers by reading Elmer's
book, and following his advice to avoid mag primers for Unique and
2400. More pronounced effect with 2400, but noticable with Unique.

Not much you can't do with this load, actually.
I couldn't agree more. I've used 9grs of unique with all the bullets listed above and a few more. The only thing is, the load is a bit light for elk, though I've taken quite a few bear with it. For elk I always liked the 429244 and 20grs of 2400. Killed quite a few bulls with that load from mostly revolvers, but a few rifles. Always a one shot kill.

44

[buck1]

240-250gr acww swc over 15-20 gr 2400. Find the power you want and it will shoot/ kill fine.

[krag35]

I have been happy with 7.0 GR of Unique under a Lyman 429667 for everyday loads (700 - 800 fps or so guestimate ) Current hunting load is 18.5 gr of Blue Dot under a 265 gr RD of WDWW. I don't know the velocity or it's effectivness, because I have not shot anything with it other than paper and rocks. I do know that 24+ grains of H-110 under a 310 Lee would make my elbows hurt when I shot it, so I quit shooting it.

[aaalaska]

I load the 240 SWC GC bullet over 9 gr of 700 X, but for the 300 ,310 gr bullets[I have some 300 gr I bought years ago}The 310's are from the lee mold.Those are always loaded a little heavy 20 - 21.2 gr of H110.The moose and bears shot with this load always have holes on both sides, one black bear had holes in both ends.In the chest out the back.Hope I never have to use this on one of the big boys, but feel it gives me as good a chance as I can get with a handgun.And the accuracy is great.
Alex

[44man]

Most of you are going the right way. Use a lighter boolit for milder loads. It is just too hard to stabilize the large boolits.
I use the RCBS 245 gr for plinking with just 7 gr of Unique or 6.5 gr of 231 and they are very accurate to 50 yards. I just use a harder boolit to take the slam of the faster powders.
No, you don't have to shoot full throttle, it is just that when you get to 300 gr and up, you need to be just under max loads with a slow powder. The 1 in 20" twist of .44's is just too slow to make these boolits loaf along. Reserve the heavies for hunting. They really do work wonders on game.
The Lee 310 and the LBT 320 are at home with 21.5 gr of 296 and a Fed 150 primer. I made a mold to copy the 320 but made the nose angle the same as my forcing cone. It came out 330 gr, working it I found 21 gr of 296 was best. The boolit does not like less or more.
I was out of all boolits and had 5 left for my .44 so I shot my last 3 deer with it, the last at 98 yards. I had 2 left until I could cast.
I made a drop test after I made the mold, 75 yard setting to see drop at 200 yards. I shot 3 shots and found a 1-5/16" group at 200. This shows proper stability. You will not shoot this boolit at 900 fps.
You just can't take any one boolit and throw all kinds of powders and loads at it. It will work best with one powder and load.
A lighter boolit can use more powders but I am willing to bet the chronograph readings will be close and the powders with a slower pressure spike will shoot better.
Love the .44 but don't ask it to do what it can't.

[44man]

I load the 240 SWC GC bullet over 9 gr of 700 X, but for the 300 ,310 gr bullets[I have some 300 gr I bought years ago}The 310's are from the lee mold.Those are always loaded a little heavy 20 - 21.2 gr of H110.The moose and bears shot with this load always have holes on both sides, one black bear had holes in both ends.In the chest out the back.Hope I never have to use this on one of the big boys, but feel it gives me as good a chance as I can get with a handgun.And the accuracy is great.
Alex
That is good but you do not have to go by tenths with H110 or 296. I only use .5 gr changes. You will see nothing of value by changing such a small amount of slow powders. Just take that Lee and use 21.5 gr.
It seems to be a magic amount and works the same in the .45 Colt with a 335 LBT and the Lyman 452651.

[wmitty]

44man

That is an fine bit of shooting! Was this with a scope?

[Blammer]

off hand iron sight I think.

[44man]

off hand iron sight I think.
:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2: I wish!
Red dot and sandbags.

[archmaker]

I used to use a moderate load of AA#9, an old Lee 255SWC GC bullet (only mould I had at the time) and shoot Silhoutte. The load was doing just under 1100fps and the accuracy all the way out to 200m was pretty good. My scores where not all that great but that was a reflection of my shooting not the load or gun.

My 30-30 14" TC load was also mild 16grs of 2400 IF I remember correctly, a 165 RCBS bullet and and about 1600fps, did the job everytime. I have to agree about the comment I will take accuracy over power any time.

[r6487]

i am interested in medium/moderate 44 loads, but for different reasons than most here. I am shooting a suppressed tom denal silent destroyer 77/44. as such I want loads 1100 ft/sec or under so as to not go supersonic and create flight crack. I am using the same "heavy keith" 265 grain as makeminea10mm (group buy from here) 8.8 grains of old herco unique will put that one right at 1100 ft/sec----the 310 lee is running around 975 ft/sec with 7.4 grain of old unique--also running a 240 grain cast made by roze dist (zero)at 7.2 grain unique thats right at 1100 ft/sec also. picked up an rcbs 300 grain mold but have not chronoed anything yet--and i will omitt all those j word loads I have used and chronoed.

[44man]

i am interested in medium/moderate 44 loads, but for different reasons than most here. I am shooting a suppressed tom denal silent destroyer 77/44. as such I want loads 1100 ft/sec or under so as to not go supersonic and create flight crack. I am using the same "heavy keith" 265 grain as makeminea10mm (group buy from here) 8.8 grains of old herco unique will put that one right at 1100 ft/sec----the 310 lee is running around 975 ft/sec with 7.4 grain of old unique--also running a 240 grain cast made by roze dist (zero)at 7.2 grain unique thats right at 1100 ft/sec also. picked up an rcbs 300 grain mold but have not chronoed anything yet--and i will omitt all those j word loads I have used and chronoed.
OH, OH, what is the twist rate? I bet it is 1 in 38". You are screwed for slow loads. Heavier boolits just need more velocity then you can attain.

[MakeMineA10mm]

i am interested in medium/moderate 44 loads, but for different reasons than most here. I am shooting a suppressed tom denal silent destroyer 77/44. as such I want loads 1100 ft/sec or under so as to not go supersonic and create flight crack. I am using the same "heavy keith" 265 grain as makeminea10mm (group buy from here) 8.8 grains of old herco unique will put that one right at 1100 ft/sec----the 310 lee is running around 975 ft/sec with 7.4 grain of old unique--also running a 240 grain cast made by roze dist (zero)at 7.2 grain unique thats right at 1100 ft/sec also. picked up an rcbs 300 grain mold but have not chronoed anything yet--and i will omitt all those j word loads I have used and chronoed.

Hey R,
Glad you're liking that mould! Here's my chrono data for that exact boolit, in case you didn't see it on page two:

Load is 7.5grs of W231 with my 267gr Heavy Keith GB boolit, WLPs and Star-Line cases, crimped in the crimp groove:

S&W 629-4 w/ 5" barrel: 891 fps (avg)
S&W 629-1 w/ 6" barrel: 923 fps (avg)
Ruger Flattop 6.5" bbl.: 938 fps (avg)
Win. Trapper 16" barrel: 1070 fps (avg)
Marlin 94 20" Micro bbl.: 1095 fps (avg)

Not sure how long your barrel is. I assume that is an integral suppressor? If so, this exact load would probably be just at subsonic for you. It also uses less powder mass, so it should be quieter than any of the (slower than 231) powders you listed.

As far as 44 Man's comments, I disagree, and don't listen to him at all when he says "you're screwed". He and I have disagreed before. We just agree to disagree. I'm guessing there are a couple reasons why we disagree, such as the differences in our handguns or in our definitions of accuracy.

For example, if you're defining accuracy as what will take a deer, I would call that 3-4" groups (at whatever range restriction you give yourself), my experience has been that nearly any reasonable powder works with any reasonable (and correctly sized and power-to-hardness ratio) boolit to this level to 75 or 100 yards. He, on the other hand, comments a lot about 200 yard accuracy. Well, those are two different things. I shoot handguns at long range, but not at game. Just my choice, but also consistent with my hunting conditions.

Also, he comments that 300+gr boolits will only stabilize in "slow" twists of 18.75" or 20" twists at higher velocities, but go check out the guys in the 444 Marlin section of Marlinowners.com. They've gotten good accuracy with 300gr+ bullets in the 1-in-38" twists, as long as they use high velocities, and they can shoot 300+grs at slower velocities (well down into 44 Mag. handgun level), if they have the newer 1 in 20" "Ballard" rifled barrels.

I'm glad 44Man has found what works for him, but to say it's the only way to get success or to make a 44 work is just wrong. Experiment for yourself and you'll see.

[45 2.1]

As far as 44 Man's comments, I disagree, and don't listen to him at all when he says "you're screwed". He and I have disagreed before. We just agree to disagree. I'm guessing there are a couple reasons why we disagree, such as the differences in our handguns or in our definitions of accuracy.

For example, if you're defining accuracy as what will take a deer, I would call that 3-4" groups (at whatever range restriction you give yourself), my experience has been that nearly any reasonable powder works with any reasonable (and correctly sized and power-to-hardness ratio) boolit to this level to 75 or 100 yards. He, on the other hand, comments a lot about 200 yard accuracy. Well, those are two different things. I shoot handguns at long range, but not at game. Just my choice, but also consistent with my hunting conditions.

Also, he comments that 300+gr boolits will only stabilize in "slow" twists of 18.75" or 20" twists at higher velocities, but go check out the guys in the 444 Marlin section of Marlinowners.com. They've gotten good accuracy with 300gr+ bullets in the 1-in-38" twists, as long as they use high velocities, and they can shoot 300+grs at slower velocities (well down into 44 Mag. handgun level), if they have the newer 1 in 20" "Ballard" rifled barrels.

I'm glad 44Man has found what works for him, but to say it's the only way to get success or to make a 44 work is just wrong. Experiment for yourself and you'll see.

+1 to the above........................