44 mag Heavy load help

[boomboy]

I just sent off the money order for a seaco 433. 300gr gc boolit. I was wondering if any one here had any loads for that boolit in a 44 mag? I shoot a old modle ruger flat top that has modified super blackhawk grips. Looking for a full house load. I have unique, 2400, and h110. Also have win mag primers, and various headstamped cases.
Thanks

[41magfan]

Starting load for h110 is 17.7 gn and max is 18.5 gns. With mag primers. 2400 starts at 14.0 and max is 15.7 with standard large primers. This is from lymans pistol & revolver handbook. Sorry it doesn't show a load with unique. I'm not sure what style your boolit is but my book shows a 300 gn keith style with gc.

[boomboy]

Thanks 41magfan. The boolit is kinda like the lee 310gr. round with a big metplat.

[Franklin Zeman]

The latest Lyman Manual lists a number of powders for that size bullet.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Boomboy,

I use an older batch of AA #9 behind a 310gr LBT/WFN gas checked boolit.

19gr in my 5.5" Redhawk give just a tad over 1300fps.

You might note that the heavier boolits can be a problem in some Blackhawks.

No problem with them hanging together, except for the base pin which goes through the cylinder.

I used the 310gr boolit in a Blackhawk and the recoil caused the base pin to damage itself and the retaining, spring loaded cross pin.

If I was to shoot a Blackhawk again, with these boolits, I would plan on buying an after market base pin with a set screw.

The Redhawk, just takes a lick'in and keeps on tick'in. One tough gun!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, with new lots of AA #9, you should be checking the books for load data. AS I said, this is a batch of AA#9 that I have had for quite some time and I think they have lowered the listed load info.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[white eagle]

I use a 320 gr g/c boolit
use 21.5 gr h110/w 296 with a standard
pistol primer no mags here

[JIMinPHX]

H110 has been the best powder by far in my heavy .44 mag loads. Accuracy has been excellent & the shot to shot speed variation has been unusually low. I've seen less than 50fps extreme deviation over 10 shot strings. H110 only seems to be happy in the heavier loads though. For low to mid range loads, use something else.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

YEP!!, H110/296 IS a good one, but when I developed the load I currently use, it was developed with a RUGER Blackhawk Hunter w/2x Leupold.

Tried the 2400, H110, 296 and AA#9

In the case of that Blackhawk, the AA#9 got the nod for best groups.

That development was back a number of years - before chronograph -, so, didn't have velocity figures for those test loads.

However, the current Redhawk with iron sights shoots better then I can hold and gives me the 1300fps from the 5.5" barrel

Maybe if I ever use up my supply of AA#9, I may again test some other powders, but for now at least the AA #9 is doing just fine.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Franklin Zeman]

The 21.5 load of H-110/296 seems to me to be well above all the reloading books I have seen. Most have 18 as a TOP, some go slightly higher. This with 300 gr cast. The 320 is even heavier yet, requiring even LESS powder to be SAFE !!!!!!!!!

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Sorry, left a few fact out of my post back a couple.

I am shooting a 310gr LBT/WFN cast boolit, gas checked, ahead of 19gr. of AA#9.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[boomboy]

Had a problem with my old flattop so i got a hold of my dad's super and am starting to work up a load for the seco 300gr. I started 17gr of h110 and started working up from there in .1 increments. got up to 20gr so far and no pressure signs. primer looks normal and cases slide out easy. I am getting an avg of
1200fps at 20gr and 1100fps at 19gr.
Ruger SBH 7 1/2" bbl

[bbailey7821]

Good Luck Boomboy! I've been shooting the same SBH for 27 yrs and it still gets my blood pump'in! I'm shooting 21g W296 behind a 300g WFN GC

:drinks:

[Hickory]

About 6-7 years ago I hunted deer here in Ohio with my 629 S&W the load was 17.5 grs of AA#9. behind a Lyman 429650 that dropped out at 318 grs. not a maximum load.

I was hunting with my son. He was about 80-90 yards away, no chance for him to shoot. Later, he said he never saw the deer come into the woods.

When they entered the woods they were 50-55 yards away without a decent shot.
There were too many trees in the way. The mulled around a bit with a 8 point buck in the group.

The buck steps out from behind a stand of maples and looks in my direction.
I had the front sight just below his head on the center of his brisket.
At the shot he dropped like a rock.

What I found when I walked up to the buck were two dead deer.
The boolit went all the way through the buck and hit a doe in the head that I did not see, step out from behind the maples.

What I trying to say is that a heavy boolit at close range or at a high velocity will penetrate a lot of tissue. I now save the heavy boolit for bigger game( Elk, moose and bear) for the future.

I have and will from now on use a lighter boolit (250-275 gr) on whitetail deer.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Hickory,

No doubt what you say is true.

However, I tend to be a one boolit guy for hunting.

For a given firearm, one bullet of proven quality for all game hunted with that rifle/handgun.

Be'in an Ol'Coot, it is easy to get mixed up, so it is best not to induce potential problems - is it this boolit or that boolit - into the picture.

Like the story about the fellow with only one rifle likely knowing how to use it, the same applies, for me at least, in using one bullet for all game hunting from one gun.

Therefore, the 310gr LBT/WFN boolit is my go to boolit for my .44.

There ain't no such thing as "too dead" and it is highly likely any boolit with integrity will give total penetation from the .44 at reasonable ranges.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[boomboy]

Bbailey, I sure love the blackhawks. Right now I am looking in to a conversion to a .475 Linebaugh. But I will never be with out at least one 44.

I was talking to a gunsmith who does conversions to 475 and he told me a similar story as Hickory's. Only it was with a
500 JRH, and a bison. He said that he shot it int he ham(why I have no idea) and it exited out the brisket. Don't know how true it is but a heavy boolit and high velocity equals penetration. Most of the time that is a good thing.

[bbailey7821]

Yup, I sure would like for Ruger to chamber the Blackhawk in a 480... Probably won't happen since now the 500 S&W is all the rage!

[calinb]

The 21.5 load of H-110/296 seems to me to be well above all the reloading books I have seen. Most have 18 as a TOP, some go slightly higher. This with 300 gr cast. The 320 is even heavier yet, requiring even LESS powder to be SAFE !!!!!!!!!

I'm a bit late to this thread but I've been considering a 300 gr plus mold and stumbled upon it.

The 2010 and 2011 Hodgdon Reloading Manuals (magazine format) list the following for H110/296 in the 44 Mag:

.................................................. .....START....................................MAX
325 BTB LFN GC........................20.0.....1264........... ...........22.0......1368
330 BTB LFN GC........................19.0.....1239........... ...........20.8......1350
355 BTB LFN GC........................17.5.....1168........... ...........18.8......1245

No loads are published for a 300 or 320 GR cast but the 325 GR BTB is listed at 22.0 maximum. Beartooth Bullets owner, Marshall, said 21 grains of H110 with the 325 GR would be his recommended load for my M29 for improved accuracy over the max load (using WLP only, as also specified in the Hodgdon data). Once I finish slugging my barrel and throats, I plan to just order a few boxes from BTB and postpone yet another mold purchase. I don't need very many heavy 44 Mag loads!

-Cal