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Thread: 44 Magnum Full Wadcutter Loads

  1. #1
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    44 Magnum Full Wadcutter Loads

    I did some searching on this site and a few others, there's really not a lot of load info out there for these. Even the Lyman 4th doesn't show any wadcutter loads. I bought this mold http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=43-190W-D.png, and it casts right at about 195 grains lubed with my alloy. So far, I have tried 5.5 gr of Bullseye, and 6 grains of Red Dot with good results. I'm wondering if any of you guys have any experience with 44 wadcutters, and what loads you prefer for yours. I have a plethora of other powders including Unique, 231, Titegroup and others. If you have suggestions, thanks for sharing!

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    Boolit Master
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    I shoot the Lyman 429438 (185 grain) & a Lee 208 grain WC. Both are very accurate. I use 6~7 grains of Bullseye/W-231/HP-38/Promo/Red Dot/Titegroup. I have never found one powder that was any more accurate than the others. Be sure to check carefully for double charged cases......I charge the cases, place them on a loading block & examine with a flashlight. I also load in a .44 Special case using 5.0 ~ 5.5 grains of powder. 5.0 grains of TITEWAD (Not TITEGROUP) has worked beautifully for me in the .44 Special caliber.

    One can do a little trick when "showing off" ones shooting proficiency with others. These loads are mild compared to full factory loads and accurate. Imagine shooting them at tin cans showing others just how good a shot that you are. Then you let them try with factory level loads. Most don't relaize the difference..afterall both rounds are .44 Magnums, aren't they?

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    i used to use a 220gr wc in my ruger srh(44 mag). the only powder i've used was trail boss, although unique should work as well.

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    WHY? What do you want to achieve. Turn a magnum hunting gun to a pop gun.

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    44 man, Why? So my wife and grandkids can enjoy shooting it too.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by ShooterAZ; 03-29-2017 at 02:39 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    WHY? What do you want to achieve. Turn a magnum hunting gun to a pop gun.
    44man...with all due respect...if you are suggesting that a full wadcutter in 44mag is a pop gun...well, you don't know as much as I thought you did.

    Just in case you don't know...a full wadcutter launched from a 44mag handgun will most certainly kill a deer at 50yds...put a hole all the way through. That ain't talk...that is a FACT. Matter of fact, they work so well, that the 200gr full wadcutter is the only cast bullet I shoot in my .44 levers, now...bang/flop at 75yds. My experience has shown them to be effective...very effective. This idea that the only thing that will work in .44 guns, is the heaviest bullets, is poppy cock.

    Now, if I am hunting truly big game, like elk or moose, I want those heavy bullets...but they certainly are not necessary for most deer...at least, most of the ones that I have seen.

    It is fine to prefer big, heavy bullets...but they are not the only thing that will work for a lot of folks.

    And, they certainly generate less recoil for those shooters that are not into a lot of punishment.
    Last edited by shoot-n-lead; 03-28-2017 at 03:35 PM.

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    That .44 mag wadcutter will smoke most anything. A .38 Special 148 grain wadcutter at around 700 fps will shoot through 18" of ballistic gelatin. A 195 grain .44 mag wadcutter at modest velocity will have a serious terminal effect. I have a 170 grain .359" wadcutter that I use in .357 mag snub-nose revolvers at around 800 fps that will shoot through and through any deer broadside and any Goblin. The magic meplat.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Forrest r's Avatar
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    I monkey around with 162gr/175gr/200gr/240gr wc's in the 44mag pop guns. Not a lot of data out there. It's the depth of the bullet in the case that counts. So no data ='s no problem.

    [IMG][/IMG]

    Top row left to right, the bullets laying down.
    162gr button nosed wc
    175gr de wc
    200gr wc
    240gr wc

    Middle row is comparing the crimp grooves/bullet base in case to a h&g #142 220gr swc. The #142 id the h& g version of the lyman 429215. As you can see the 3 different wc's all have the same seating depth of the bullets base/body in the case. I can use the lyman 429215 data for any of those 3 wc bullets.

    The bottom row is a Mihec #503 lone (lyman 245gr 429421). As you can see turned up that 240gr wc has the same seating depth os the 245gr swc. I can use the same data for that 240gr wc as I use for the 245gr swc bullet. Turned the other way the base of the wc is a lot longer/deeper seating depth than the 245gr swc. When I seat these bullets flush I used the starting load data for the 429421 bullet in 44spl cases.

    It's all about the amount of bullet that goes into the case.

    Just because a wc bullet has a crimp groove doesn't mean you have to use it. That 240gr wc is also a 220gr hbwc with the hb pin installed. Testing loads with a 220gr hbwc, the bullets were seated flush, crimped in the 1st groove, crimped in the 2nd groove. And monkeying around turning the hbwc around to make a huge hp.
    [IMG][/IMG]

    More monkeying around with popgun loads. This time h&g #50 148gr wc's crimped in the middle lube groove in 38spl cases to be used in a 357. The 640 rfn hp's were crimped in the bottom lube groove.
    [IMG][/IMG]

    Not sure compare your wc to know bullets and use that data.

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    Nice. Like that kind of "monkeying around."

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    Yes, that is the kind of monkeying around I like to see. It's good to see others doings. Thanks Forrest r.

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    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Ya' gotta love those purple boolits!
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

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    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Ya' gotta love those purple boolits! Did you get the powder from Smoke? Excuse the double post
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  13. #13
    Boolit Master Maven's Avatar
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    ShooterAZ, Years ago I won a B & M .44cal. [single cav.] WC mold with integral handles on one of the auction sites and was I ever pleased! The thing needed minor cleaning, but it casts beautiful ~169gr. full WC's @ .432", which I then resize .431" to suit my Ruger SBH. Moreover, it rarely drops a bad WC, even when the mold is cold. Those WC's are damned accurate with Clays or light charges of Unique, but have enough energy to dispatch a deer if necessary.

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    I agree, I really enjoy shooting mine. I bought the mold to use in my Ruger SBH. I also shot some of them out of my 14" Contender, scary accurate and fun to shoot.

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    Forrest, has it right on the money. I have the 240gr full wadcutter. I do the same thing. If the depth is the same and the bullet weight is the same I am golden and good to go.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master Forrest r's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by murf205 View Post
    Ya' gotta love those purple boolits! Did you get the powder from Smoke? Excuse the double post
    Bought that color from smoke for the misses.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I will admit I am a wadcutter guy myself and follow such threads with interest.

    I know that's not 44man's cup of tea but some things relate differently depending upon how our own interests lie.

    Been fiddling around with flat faced and shallow cup point wadcutters and even at mild speed they are formidable. Moderate loads are better with a wadcutter bullet, I think.

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    The reason is to center at the forcing cone and clock the cylinder. A wad cutter and Keith needs perfect chamber to bore alignment. But you increase drive length and need more velocity for stability.
    But to get the wife and kids to shoot, OK. I will not argue.
    Years ago I had the Ruger flat top with light loads. Carol shot it good so I put full loads of 2400 in a few chambers and she shot. I asked her and she said some were louder.

  19. #19
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    A favorite 44 Special load of mine is the NOE 230 grain wadcutter--looks like an obese 358-495-- over 4.5 grains of Red Dot or 5.2 grains of Unique. Mild, accurate, fun to shoot--what more can you want for shooting paper. Were I wanting to upload it for serious social purposes, I'd boost those charges about a half grain.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  20. #20
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    Still using a 2 cavity LEE .44 mold WC at about 208 gr. and a Saeco .44 cal. 200 gr. WC. I`ve only used 3 powders for them, HP-38/Win. 231 and Red Dot, all 3 powders in the 6 - 6.5 gr. range using a 50/50 alloy of both in my Blackhawks and model 29 Smith. I refer to the boolets as my flying `trashcans`.Robert

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check