A heavy .44 load

[softpoint]

Sharing a load I've shot for a long time. The Lyman 300gr. SWC .44 gc. I usually keep a few hundred of these loaded, although there is nothing in my part of Texas that needs this much horsepower. And the powder is one I don't normally like very much, H110-296. I've turned two medium size (120-150lb.) hogs inside out with it! I use a full 22.5 grains of powder, This bullet weighs in at 321 grains out of my mix, with gascheck and grease groove filled. My Redhawks like this load,My 4 5/8" Stainless blackhawk is spoiled to it I believe. I got it out today to let it flex it's muscle a little. This was a "best " group of three 5 shoters offhand at 25 yards. Use caution, this load is safe in My guns. It's 1 1/2" on centers. One of my other groups was 1 3/4" and one was...Well :roll::bigsmyl2:
What heavy bullet loads do you fellas like in .44 mag.?

[chaos]

I have never used "heavy" loads in any of my 44's. I've take 20-350lb hogs with little pipsqueek 250-255 gr slugs over full doses of 296.

Anything bigger is just a waste of lead for me. I hunt/live in Texas as well and have yet to find an animal that these bounced off of.

Chaos

[BD]

The 265 grain WFNs over WC820 have killed just about everything I've shot them at, hogs included. I actually gave up the Lee 310s due to their more pronounced POI variations due to recoil and gloves, or lack thereof.
BD

[Lloyd Smale]

I shoot that same bullet and its one of my favorites. I usually load it ahead of 19-20 grains of wc820 or aa9. CAUTION this to is a very stout load. It works in my guns but may not in yours.

[archmaker]

I have several heavies for my 44.

290gr PB TC
300gr GC Keith
290gr GC MiHec HP
350gr GC RN

The 290 PB is currently my favorite, but I have not had the chance to cast the HP. Shot it over the Chrony and it is averaging right at 1300fps.

The 350 actually weighs with GC and lube and the alloy about 362grs, my most accurate 44 boolit to date. I shot a three shot group with all holes touching at 55yds, from the creedmore postion, but the recoil was to much for IHMSA.

The big bullet will barely fit in SBH but has a little more room in the Redhawk.

[Junior1942]

Me and Elmer both like big 44 bullets. My favorite 44 mag SBH load is the Lee 310 @ 1000 fps with WC820. That's all the recoil I can take no matter what Elmer thought.

[softpoint]

Archmaker ,is that a Lyman Mold? I have a Lyman that casts a 345gr. (my alloy) bullet that is also very accurate. I can't recall the number of it right now, (too lazy to go look) but it's ben discontinued. It is every bit as accurate as the SWC, but it is a round nose flat point, and I feel like the SWC is a little better killer on game animals. It would run about 1250 fps with a warm load, and make the little 4 5/8 blackhawk stand nearly straight up when it was fired! I tried to use it for silhouette, too but it just didn't shoot flat enough out of 10.5" blackhawk, I couldn't get enough elevation out of it to reach the rams without going to a really low front sight that would have been useless for anything else, and then I probably couldn't have cranked it down enough for the chickens, although I didn't try it.

[archmaker]

No it was a NEI mold from the 80's.

It is round nose with a slight flat spot on the front.

It was suppose to cast 350 but it is a little bit then that with my alloy, not counting the GC or lube. About 355

[jimkim]

Lyman 429650 318gr 17.5gr IMR-4227. It isn't full power, but it is pretty stiff, and it shoots good.

[475/480]

I shoot a NEI 325gr WFNGC over 20.5gr of H110 for 1320 fps out of my Ruger Bisley Hunter 44 mag. A good stout load but nothing severe.


Sean

[DGV]

Sofpoint, who makes those sights for that Ruger in your picture? Are the from Bowen ?

[softpoint]

That is a Bowen rear sight, front sight is Ruger for .45 Colt (taller) has a Belt Mountain base pin, and aftermarket grips, that is all that has been done to the pistol.

[Doc_Stihl]

The Lee 310 over ~20 grains of H110 is my favorite. Dual crimp grooves let me use it in the Puma as well as the rugers.

[RBak]

Just a bit off track, but a couple of us were recently having a discussion on what ol' Elmer's most popular load was with the 240gr Keith style boolit in the .44...a friend seems to think it was 9.3gr of Unique, I somehow want to agree, but I just can't remember for sure.

Does anyone remember for sure what that very publicized load was?

Thanks!

Russ..

[Dale53]

Elmer's load was a 240-250 Keith bullet over 22.0 grs of 2400. Today's hotter 2400 should be dropped a bit for the same results (.5-1.0 grs). This, of course, is in the .44 Magnum.

Prior to the .44 Magnum, his favorite load in the .44 Special was 18.5 grs of 2400 behind the same 240-250 Keith bullet IN THE GREATER CAPACITY BALLOON HEAD CASES. In the modern solid head cases you'll get the same results with 16.5 grs of 2400.

Dale53

[RBak]

Elmer's load was a 240-250 Keith bullet over 22.0 grs of 2400. Today's hotter 2400 should be dropped a bit for the same results (.5-1.0 grs).

Dale53

SHUCKS! I suspect that's going to cost me a beer, or three.

Thanks, Dale

Russ...

[Rick R]

I think the load you're thinking about is John Taffin's 10gr Unique and a 240gr boolit. :D
Bit cheaper than the 2400 load and still enough for what you'll shoot at 90% of the time.