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Thread: 44 Special +P load suggestions

  1. #41
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    Well, I ended up making a box with 9.2 grains of unique from my lee dipper. Magnum brass, 240 grain bullet. Nice stout load, Dont hurt the hand, but has some authority.

  2. #42
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    9.3X62AL's Avatar
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    Yessir! You are likely in the 975-1000 FPS ballpark, depending upon barrel length and the usual revolver working quirks. 90% of my Magnum revolver shooting these days gets done with loads of this sort--standard weight SWC running 100 FPS either side of 1000 FPS. Useful and powerful without beating you silly, and they can be fired all day.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  3. #43
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    I have adopted 6.0 gr of W231 with a Keith Boolit as my standard .44 Special Load for my BH Bisley and S&W696, and 8.0 gr of W231 with the same boolit for my Midrange Magnum load for my SBH Bisley.

    Last month I hit 3 chickens, 3 pigs, and 3 Rams at our Short Range Silhouette match. That's 50 100 and 200 Meters, and hitting 3 Rams at 200 meters with a handgun was pretty satisfying.

    The accuracy was definitely there, and the power was too. I was aiming at the foot of the chickens at 50M, The belly of the pigs at 100M, the middle of the Turkeys at 150M and the top of the back of the Rams at 200M.

    Point being,,, The actual drop at 200M was less than 12" when dead on at 100M,,, From a 5" revolver.

    8.0 gr of W231 should yield @ 900-950 FPS from a 5" barrel. More than adequate for my uses.

    All the boolits I shot were 429421's with powder coating and sized to .431. Cleaning was one clean patch thru to clean out powder fouling from the last shot fired. YMMV.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  4. #44
    Boolit Master waco's Avatar
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    I shoot a 429421 over 8.0gr Unique from a 5" S&W29 in mag brass right at 910fps with good accuracy.
    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
    Proverbs 1:7

  5. #45
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    I load 10 gr. of Unique in my 3 screw SBH, it's hotter that my Colt's SAA .45 7 1/2" bbl. with 8.5 gr. of Unique over 454190 but still very pleasant. Have DougGuy ream the cylinder throats of your SBH before the results of your range tests frustrate you.

  6. #46
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I slugged my throats, and they were .433 for 4, .434 for 2. I only shoot field positions, and If I can get the gun to shoot 6" at 50 yards, then im happy. I have a 6" plate hanging at 50 which I hit a couple times the other day. I havent sighted it on paper, or rested though at any distance other than about 15 yards, so I aint got no idea where its hitting at any other distance yet. If I do my part, I can hit that plate with most handguns, most of the time .

  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silver Jack Hammer View Post
    I load 10 gr. of Unique in my 3 screw SBH, it's hotter that my Colt's SAA .45 7 1/2" bbl. with 8.5 gr. of Unique over 454190 but still very pleasant. Have DougGuy ream the cylinder throats of your SBH before the results of your range tests frustrate you.
    That is my hunting load in the 14" Contender...it will get the job done, is not abusive and will shoot near "one hole" groups.

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bazoo View Post
    I slugged my throats, and they were .433 for 4, .434 for 2. I only shoot field positions, and If I can get the gun to shoot 6" at 50 yards, then im happy. I have a 6" plate hanging at 50 which I hit a couple times the other day. I havent sighted it on paper, or rested though at any distance other than about 15 yards, so I aint got no idea where its hitting at any other distance yet. If I do my part, I can hit that plate with most handguns, most of the time .
    Not at all unusual. Some years ago, another member here and I went to examine five S&W Model 29s from the early 1980s to mid-1990s birthing. Have Pin Gauges/Will Travel. Throats in all 5 examples ran .433"-.434", a couple were .432" IIRC. Not the end of the world, SAAMI shows .433" as the upper limit of "within spec". If grooves run .429"-.430", an 11* forcing cone recut might make things run very well. I just wasn't in the mood for gymnastics or adventure travel at the time, so I "passed" on all five. I should have snagged the 5" one, though.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  9. #49
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    The OP wants to build his reduced magnum loads with magnum brass. This longer brass changes the dynamics of the load significantly from loading with Special brass. From my own experience in this topic 376Steyr offered the exact same recommendation I will make: 10.0 Unique with a 240-250 boolit in Magnum cases, standard primers. This load should give you exactly what you are asking to achieve. Enjoy.

  10. #50
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I really liked the 9.2 grains of unique in magnum brass. When I get a powder measure, i'll see about going higher some and finding a sweet spot.

  11. #51
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    This is an old thread but I'll bet the OP hasn't found a better load for his purpose than the 9.2gr Unique he was dipping............
    JMHO-YMMV
    dd884
    gary@2texastrucks.com
    Gary D. Peek

  12. #52
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I ended up shelving the gun because it leads up bad due to a tight spot in the barrel. It is gone back to Ruger currently. We'll see if they fix it or if it's on the chopping block.

  13. #53
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    Cheatermk, I had a 624 some years ago and fired a lot of 17.5 2400 loads out of it with no apparent problems. That's not a recommendation, just io.

  14. #54
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    I still use 17.5 grains of 70's vintage 2400 with Elmer's bullet in my 44 magnum revolvers! Elmer's original load was 18.5 grains of 2400 in balloon head cases!

  15. #55
    Boolit Master smkummer's Avatar
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    Shooting my Colt NF 7 1/2” at 100 yard steel, my session was so much more enjoyable with unique and 9-950 FPS and 429421. I truely believe the 2400 load would only be reserved for possible long hunting shots of which would be rare in So. Indiana. Of course a plow handle single action doesn’t mitigate the recoil as well as a N frame smith. The older I get, I want just enough power (recoil) to do the job and little more.

  16. #56
    Boolit Master curioushooter's Avatar
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    I chronoed the skeeter and skeeter plus loads. 7.5 + 429421 = 950, 8.0 and 1000, 8.5 and just clipping under 1100 from my 6.5" 624. And not nearly as dirty as anything involving 2400. I am using unique made in 2019.

    I would think that 12 grains of Blue Dot may surpass 1100 with good results.

  17. #57
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    I shoot 17.5 grains of 2400 with Elmer's bullet!

  18. #58
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Bazoo, my all time favorite, non bazooka, loads IN 44MAG BRASS, is 16.6 grs of 2400 and a 429421 Lyman and a std primer. In my 4" 629, it goes 1061fps average of 5 shots and is pretty accurate. In my model 24 6 1/2" 44 spl, I load Skeeters 7.5 grs of Unique for 980 fps and it is as accurate as I can shoot it from the bags. 13.2 grs goes 980 as well in the spl brass and is a tick more accurate that Unique. In a 44 mag chamber these 44 spl loads will be slower but are a point of reference for you. Both powders are great for the 44, spl or mag, and the only reason I like 2400 is because it runs through the powder measure with more ease and repeatability than Unique.
    Last edited by murf205; 05-13-2020 at 10:41 PM.
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  19. #59
    Boolit Master Groo's Avatar
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    Groo here
    Deep seating bullets is gaining some followers of late.
    Use a "keith"[orginal longnose style] Skitter load in magnum cases BUT seat and crimp OVER the front driving band..
    This will give about the same volume in the case as a 44 special seated to the crimp groove.

  20. #60
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    My non-max magnum load back in the day (also a Skeeter load) was 18.5 2400 under the Keith.

    What is "Quickload Bazoo"?

    I subscribe to LoadData.com. $35 a year and all the loads I want right on my phone, no paper to keep up with.

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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