44 Magnum rifle. Work up Unique or switch to 2400/296/AA#9...?

[randy_68]

I load for my S&W 629-2 6" and my Henry Big Boy brass. For my 629 after lots of tria l and error I've settled on 8.5 gr Unique with the RCBS 44-250 swc for general shooting and 9.5 gr for hunting. Book it alloy is acww with touch of tin. For my Henry the load is a NOE 432-265 wfngc over 21 gr H110 for 1700 fps and t he alloy is 50/50 ww/pure lead and 2% tin. My goal this year is to get my first handgun deer kill with my Smith.

[MyFlatline]

20.5 of 2400 is stout and accurate, avg. 1650 fps with a 250 cast PC GC

[Patthehandyman]

I have used H110 for years, til I found out that H110 doesn't like temps below freezing. Just switched to Lil gun, and my cold weather test yielded good results. 240 jacketed from 18" breech loader @ 1800fps 1.5moa.

[NorthMoccasin]

The Lyman cast bullet handbook lists 13.0 to 12.2 grs of unique as max for the 429421 245 gr and the 429244 255 gr respectively. I would NOT exceed these levels. 10.5 gr should be a more prudent every day load. Use 2400 for heavier loads. H-110 and 296 are not good choices for less than full throttle loads. The acceptable load range is rather narrow for these 2 powders.

[PHyrbird]

I'm more of a 45 kinda guy. The 45 WM, 454 Casull really like Bluedot. In a Ruger single six the Bluedot got my first deer at 41 paces. (45WM) The longer barrel of a rifle & bullet weights over 250g calls for slower burning rates. A Super 14 barrel will make cloverleafs at 50yds if you can hold it still. I would lean more to RL7, 4227, or some of the newer magnum powders. I too avoid 296 & H110 because even the factory avoids charges less than 90% of max. Hot spherical powders can over pressure. For my purposes it's not worth taking that chance. Also the slower powders that are great in rifles will make a large "watermelon" if you put them in a short barrel. Makes everybody leave at range when you arrive.
I just wish the Mfgs would come out with a nice rifle repeater for my 460S&W babies. I like 45-70 but 460 is in a class by itself.

[Norske]

Both my SBH revolvers and my Marlin 1894 prefer 2400 powder above all others. 20 gr 2400 and a jacketed bullet in the Marlin is very accurate, but the revolvers prefer cast bullets. It's a difference in groove diameter and twist rate.
When I'm in a black bear ground blind, the SBH on top of my day pack is loaded with the Lee 300+ gr cast bullet and a nearly max charge of 2400. I like the look of that wide nose and slightly concave (not really flat) nose.
For pleasant practice, it's a cast 245 gr bullet and 7 gr of Unique.

[Three44s]

Unique vs. 2400/H110?

How about Unique vs. HS6 vs. 2400/H110?

Three44s

[onelight]

I pick the powder that gives the lowest pressure in the velocity range I want while still giving acceptable accuracy.
Maximum loads (based on pressure not velocity ) go in new or once fired cases , and consideration has to be given to the particular demands of the gun they will be fired in , all guns are not created equal.

[Norske]

I corrected my "pleasant load." That 12.5 gr Unique was a brain f--t!

[JoeJames]

I have always thought of Unique as in the moderate to fairly heavy load category, and when you get up a bit hotter, then 2400 would be my choice. If I remember right Elmer Keith was using 2400 in his maximum 44 Special loads. But I have not tried very hot loads. For my 5 pound Rossi, I use 7 grains of Unique with 240 grain swc's for a very moderate, pleasant, and accurate 44 Magnum load = 1150 fps in my Rossi.

[Norske]

Elmer also complained that Unique melted and deformed the bases of his non-GC cast bullets. My recovered cast bullets have shown that to be true.

[djryan13]

Thread is from 2017...... guessing OP got his answer.

[JoeJames]

Thread is from 2017...... guessing OP got his answer.

Lord, I hope he has by this time!

[bluejay75]

My standard WW296/H110 44 Magnum load with the Keith 250 gr 44 bullet goes over 1700 fps from a 20" carbine. This bullet feeds perfectly at 1.70 in my 1894 Marlin.

If you are happy with the velocity and accuracy of your Unique load, then I see no problem using it. I use a 200 gr RNFP with Unique at 1330 fps for practice. This about duplicates the original 44-40 load. The original 44-40 load has killed a lot of game, so your load should work, too.

PM your 296 250 grain load please. JB.

[Tripplebeards]

Here some of my load data and results with a couple of sub MOA results...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...man-devastator

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...my-ruger-77-44


I see the post is from 2017 or I wouldn’t of added to it.

[yeahbub]

For hunting with a SBH, I used gas checked Lyman 429215 cast of air cooled WW's driven at 1100-1200 fps. I never recovered a boolit with complete penetration so far. A 200gr+ boolit gets the job done within 60 yards or so. Easier to shoot comfortably, as well. For the carbine, intending to stretch the ranges at which I could comfortably tackle deer, I switched to 2400 and settled on 21gr. I played with the heavies for a time, but found they were unnecessary. For bigger game, I have a limited run Lee 265gr RNFP TL which paper patches beautifully. Maybe someday, if I'm a good boy (someday), I'll go for elk, bear or hogzilla with that one over Lilgun or 300MP.