Mid Range 44 Magnum loads

[Wolfgang]

Hello All,

Been a while since I posted anything. I have been getting back to shooting my 44 mags and I seem to have become a bit more recoil sensitive than I used to be. I have not been able to shoot much this past year do to a lot of obligations at work so I seem to have become somewhat of a sissy! I am trying to work up a load using either my 429421 250gr. or a Lee 210gr. HP that I cast. I want to try and keep the recoil down as much as possible but that will still still have enough authority to cleanly take whitetail within 75 yards or closer. I'm using my 5 inch 629 Classic this year. I would think somewhere in the 1100fps range should be doable with the 250's and not be real punishing to shoot.

Thanks,

Wolfgang

[runfiverun]

try 9 grs of unique it's just enough without being too much.

[daniel lawecki]

I load 18.5grs of 2400 behind 250gr swc tula primer. Shoots nice out of my 629 83/8" Groups 1.5 2.0 inches with open sights at 50yrds off my pistol rest.

[zxcvbob]

Try about 11 to 12 grains of Herco.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

With 429421 or anything equivalent weight wise you can shoot well with 9 grains of 4756. Recoil is light and it is economical. (divide 7000 grains per pound by 9=a bit less than 800 rounds per pound). If you want to go to stouter loading try 17 grains of 4227. This is a load listed as being for the 44 special and is considerably below the full house load of 4227 listed for the 44 Mag (23 grains). It is not a soft load, but it is tolerable and burns clean. Unique works well and I've used it starting with 5.5 grains and working up with an eye always on the grouping. The 4756 and the Unique work well with wadcutter designs and cut down on the recoil factor. LLS

[Lefty SRH]

Blue Dot and HS-6 are real comfortable in that velocity range.

[Lloyd Smale]

11- herco
13- hs6
19-2400
those are my favorite starting points for loads like that.

[Hickory]

Unique is always a good place to start,
so are Tightgroup and Trailboss.

[Wally]

If you economically inclined use 7.0 grains or Red Dot or Promo with any bullet in the 200~250 grain range...typically you'll get about 1,100 FPS muzzle velocity.

[Wolfgang]

Thanks everyone. I have 2400, Unique, Blue Dot, 231 as well as few others on hand. H110 loads that I worked up in the past still work great out of the Contender but with the lighter 629 they are a bear to hang on to anymore. I like the thought of them stepping out like that but I haven't found one left in a deer yet so I have to wonder if it is needed. I like the Lee HP's as well but I have never shot anything but paper with them. They come out at 210 grains cast and lubed. I would think those would also make dandy whitetail medicine within the above ranges. The 429421 SWC has put them down very well in the past though and I can seem to get them to group better, at least at the higher end loads I was using in the past.

[lonewelder]

I have looked at 44-40 data to get ideas for reduced 44 loads before I got a chrony.That 18.5gr 2400 makes a nice load but don't know what its running.I don't think a deer could stop a 250gr boolit even down to 900 or so

[Wally]

Thanks everyone. I have 2400, Unique, Blue Dot, 231 as well as few others on hand. H110 loads that I worked up in the past still work great out of the Contender but with the lighter 629 they are a bear to hang on to anymore. I like the thought of them stepping out like that but I haven't found one left in a deer yet so I have to wonder if it is needed. I like the Lee HP's as well but I have never shot anything but paper with them. They come out at 210 grains cast and lubed. I would think those would also make dandy whitetail medicine within the above ranges. The 429421 SWC has put them down very well in the past though and I can seen to get them to group better, at least at the higher end loads I was using in the past.

I shoot a lot of .44 Magnum medium loads in a Ruger SBHK and a model 29. The Lee 214 SWC and a Lee 208 WC with 7.0 grains of Promo (or Red Dot) is very accurate and plenty powerful enough for plinking and target practice. If I want a hot load I use 11.0 grains of Unqiue with a 240~250 grain SWC-GC bullet. A heavy charge of 2400 (up to 22.0 grains) will give you 100~150 FPS more velocity but it doesn't shoot any better for me and I am not a hunter. 231 used to be my favorite...used a lot of 8.0 grain loads with the previoulsy mentioned Lee cast bullets. I switched to Promo as it is cheaper and is fills the case better.

[Forrest r]

around 9g of 231 will get you there. It's a mild load that I do a lot of plinking with in a 6" 629 classic & for practicing 50m free pistol in a contender (shooting 1 handed).

[Fluxed]

10 gr. of HS6 with a 240 gr. cast SWC works really well for me, but may be a bit slower than you want. However you can increase that charge by quite a bit and do so safely. Check the Hodgdon reloading data. With your 210 HP I'd think about 12 gr. of HS6 would be great.

Also the 9gr. - 10gr. Unique load is nice.

And all good advice above but check the published reloading data first.

[Wolfgang]

Well I loaded up an assortment of the 250's and the 210's. Ran Unique from 8.5 through 10gr. Also 2400 from 17.5 through 19gr. as well 19 through 20gr. of H4227. All upped a half grain from start to top loads and five rounds per load. Should be able to find something workable out of that. Gotta wait until this storm subsides so I can get outside and set up the chronograph and touch them off to see where I'm at.

Not sure how I ended up getting so touchy about recoil over such a short period of time but even though I can tolerate a few rounds of the hot stuff I start tossing lead all over the place rather than shooting a group. Doesn't seem to bother me all that much with the Contender and full throttle loads but that is a scoped 14" long heavy brute so it soaks up a lot of the recoil impulse.

Thanks for all the replies,

Wolfgang

[Wolfer]

I have looked at 44-40 data to get ideas for reduced 44 loads before I got a chrony.That 18.5gr 2400 makes a nice load but don't know what its running.I don't think a deer could stop a 250gr boolit even down to 900 or so

I can attest that it's extremely difficult to recover a 250 gr boolit at 900 fps on MO whitetails.
Unique would be my powder of choice for 900-1100 fps

[hornady308]

As so many have already said, Unique is hard to beat. I did a lot of testing for my 629-3 and have settled on 12gr Unique with a 220gr Lyman 429215. With 240 to 250 grain boolits I like to use 10 gr Unique.

[gray wolf]

8.5 of unique with the 429421 250 gr. bullet is a very accurate plinking load for me,
44 mag ruger hunter. 9.3 is also very good with a little more punch--8.5 shoots just a little higher ( slower bullet ) but accurate.
6 grains of tite group is a one hole shooter at 20 yards and a 6 year old could shoot it all day long, the powder is a fast powder and may give the bullet a little to much kick as apposed to the slower powder ( leading possible ) ?
10 grains of long shot is very accurate for me, shoots close to the 9.3 of unique
with the 250 grain bullet--it's a little flatter shooting and I have to guess it's about 1100 fps perhaps a little more and the long shot helps to keep pressure down.
Please check all load data for your own needs.

[runfiverun]

i think i created a monster with the 9.3 gr load :lol:
i have no room to talk though, i have 1-k or so of that load sitting in the big box of 44's.

[Wolfgang]

Thanks Guys,

I have yet to touch off any of the rounds that I loaded the other day. I had the day off today but spent all of it out at my brothers woods working on getting a blind down the big hill through the trees and so on. Lot of work but we managed to get it next to our cabin. Tommorrow if we get lucky we will get it across the bridge that spans one of the creeks that runs through the property and then get the thing over to the other side of the woods were we can set it up on the platform we built for it. We did manage to pop off a few 41 mag rounds that I shoot often (8gr Unique under a 215gr cast SWC) out of his recent auction buy of an older S&W model 57 with a 6 inch tube. First time he has gotten to shoot it. Beautiful gun that doesn't appear to have been shot very much. Likes that load too but then I haven't ever shot it out of any 41 mag that didn't like it. I'll report back with the results of the 44's that I loaded up as soon as I get the chance to go out and fire them.

Wolfgang

[Thumbcocker]

6.5 of red dot under a Keith has been very good for me. Over 1000 shots per pound and accurate.

[Sven]

I was in the basement the other night getting out my .44 mag hunting loads and reviewed exactly what I was loading for my mid-range loads. I have been using 8.0 to 8.8 gr Universal for my mid-range .44 mag loads using 240 gr SJHPs and 250 gr. hardcast WFNs. I have used these loads even when wanting to use a revolver for my local club's action pistol matches. My 629 Mountain Gun has been what I've mostly carried whenever I go for a walk in the woods, so have wanted to do a little extra practice with it. My double taps are a bit slower and I have to reload every six rounds instead of every 10, bit I attend the action pistol matches to gain proficiency with what I carry, not to win matches.

[Wolfgang]

I again wish to thank everyone for their contributions. I wish I could say I have gotten out to try a few of the loads but it has been non stop putting the new blind up. We built the other one we have but my brother is so crippled up now that he can't climb the stairs to get into it and it sits about 13 or 14 feet up in the air at the floor. The new one he bought and I think is brand named "Shadow Hunter" is nice but weighs in at close to 500 pounds so it has been a bear to move around. Worked on that all weekend and then had to go a funeral for a close friend from high school who just lost his son in a car crash. I hope to get out and try some of you guys load suggestions soon but life has a way if getting in the way of your fun.

[429421Cowboy]

You will get out soon enough, it sucks that life has other plans though! Let us know how things work out for you!

As others have mentioned, Unique shines (in my eyes at least) at this roll, i use 9.5 gr and a Keith for my hunting load, my pound of 2400 languishes in a shelf now because i realised that twice the powder for another 200 fps and much sharper blast and recoil is hardly worth it! Plenty of critters died to the ol' 44-40 and such, with poorer boolit designs than we have today. No deer is gonna bounce a Keith off his chest at 900+ so why cook it out there any hotter than it needs to be? As others have stated, Promo or Red Dot is the most economical way to do it. If you are looking for lighter still, i load 5 gr or Bullseye in a Special case for something along the lines of a .45 acp performance, and they are super cheap too.

Take care, as soon as this snow lets up this afternoon i am headed out with my Ruger to try an get a doe for our school student food pantry!

[big dale]

Wolfgang: You might want to try about 9 grains of Herco with a Lee 240 grain semiwadcutter for a 41 magnum. It was my standard walking around load for my blackhawk for about 15 years. I liked it so much that after I got a 44 Super Blackhawk I started using Herco in it as well. Finaly settled on 11.5 grains and the Keith 240 grain boolit. Even after all these decades I still use more Herco than any other powder. I still like to shoot full mag loads once in a while, but most of my ordinary shooting loads involve Herco at 1000 to 1200 fps.

HJave fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[smkummer]

I'll add a vote for 9-9.5 grains Unique with the Keith 245 grain SWC bullet. Comfortable out of a SBH and even more so out of a Bisley SBH. Hits a 16" steel plate at 100 yards with ease from a rest. I agree with others as to not using double the amount of 2400 for 150-200 FPS gain when your acceptable accuracy range is limited with a handgun anyways.

[rromeo]

I load for .38, so I have Bullseye and W231 on hand. Is there any reason to try either of these? Unique looks like it will be my winner, but I'm always up for trying other things.

[Wolfgang]

Well gents I had the chance to get out yesterday and shoot a few rounds through the Chrony and get a feel for accuracy, at least at 25yards. All loads were using either a 250gr 429421 or a Lee HP mould that drops them 210grs with my alloy. The loads were assembled with H4227, 2400, and Unique and with the exception of some of the higher end 2400 loads, everything was running under 1200fps with the average being between 1050fps and 1150fps. I found that anything loaded with 2400 over 17grains was getting into more recoil than I cared for.

Two stand out loads were 9gr Unique with either bullet both were really accurate at 25 yards and both were a joy to shoot and the numbers ran as follows:
210gr HP- Ave-1143fps ES-24fps SD-12fps
250 Keith- Ave-1047fps ES-35fps SD-14fps

The next load that shot really well were the 16.5 grain loads of 2400 and I suppose not so surprising is that the speeds with both bullets were very nearly the same as with the above loads using 9 grains of Unique and I mean really close! A 17 grain load of 2400 pushed it up about 80fps and anything over 17 grains started to get into that obnoxious recoil and blast.

I was a little worried about dropping the power of my loads but then in looking at the numbers it dawned on me the even the mid range loads using the 250 grain bullet is still packing as much punch at 100 yards as a 45ACP has at the muzzle so there should be no issues unless I happen to run into that one whitetail that saved up all year and bought himself some body armor.

Thanks again for all of the advice and I think I will pick up a couple of pounds of different powders to play with later on when I have more time. I also noted that when the speeds got up over around 1150fps with the 210 grain bullet that I started to get some leading. I think that those narrow lube grooves are not holding enough lube and I start to outrun the lube I do have at those speeds.

Thanks to all,

Wolfgang

[Freischütz]

11 gr of Herco and 429421 works well for me.

[quasi]

I use 10 grs 231, any 240-265 grn Cast boolit I have cast at loading time.

[crabo]

12 grains of HS6 behind the H&G 503 for 1200 fps.

[9.3X62AL]

I've yet to fire a 5" Model 29, but have fired several each of 4" and 6" barrels. The subjective recoil of the 4" guns is vastly different from that of the 6" guns, and seems sharper and more straight-back than that of the 6" guns. I think Elmer Keith--the father of the 44 Magnum--said it best when he related that "1200 FPS is all you need" with his 240 grain SWC that bears his name. A 4" 29 firing full-tilt 240s running 1350-1400 FPS is no freakin' fun. In a Redhawk, mo' bettah--but still more than what's required to make venison with sideiron. The most-blooded firearm in my safe is an 1873 Winchester in 44-40 WCF that took muleys and blacktails into the hundred+ numbers range, and at least 2 black bears that my grandmother saw get kanked at the mountain ranch where my Dad was born. 200 grain bullets running 1100-1200 FPS from the carbine barrel leveled their karma mui pronto. If I want my hand beaten, I'll find an anvil and hammer.

[a.squibload]

Used to shoot 330 gn ww boolits thru my
2" 29 around 1400 fps, was't THAT bad.
It does have large grips.
Pretty sure it was 2400 but coulda been Unique,
would have to look it up.
I think heavier boolits take a little more time to
launch so less "whack" for your paws.

[4296]

I have use the following loads with the RCBS 250g Keith that run 1000 fps in 4" and 4 5/8" 44 magnum sixguns:


10g Unique

11g Herco

12g HS6

[digger44]

I use 6.4 Red Dot or 8 Unique under TL430-240 in my Ruger SBH. Fun and easy to shoot and still a good amount of punch.

[Sven]

Thanks again for all of the advice and I think I will pick up a couple of pounds of different powders to play with later on when I have more time. I also noted that when the speeds got up over around 1150fps with the 210 grain bullet that I started to get some leading. I think that those narrow lube grooves are not holding enough lube and I start to outrun the lube I do have at those speeds.

Thanks to all,

Wolfgang

FYI, I run a Lyman 429215 cast with wheelweights up to about 1200+fps to match recoil of the Winchester 210 gr Silvertip factory load. No leading (it IS gas checked) and gives a nice, pleasently stout recoil.

[dakota]

Back when I shot my 44 a lot, I used 10 grains of Unique with 240 grain Keith (or Thompson) cast, I had plain base and gas check. They were pleasant to shoot. I just bought S&W 29 and plan on going back to that load. I also had an 8 pounder of 5744 and I shot that up with mid-range loads in the 44. Can't remember the charge though.

[Old School Big Bore]

I have decades of shooting 4" M29, 3" & 4" Bulldog, 7.5" SBH, and several .44 rifles. When I was developing a duty load for the M29, Unique worked the best in the 4" guns, and my go-to duty load for that M29 right now today as in I'll go on at 4 PM, is the Speer 225 gr JSWCHP over 10.0 of Unique. I used the same Lee 210 you're casting as the practice boolit for that load; my two DC molds and my HP mold drop that boolit at 215 from straight COWW. One year I used that duty load in that M29 to take the 'South Texas Slam', a javelina, a coyote and a whitetail. All were hit through the heart and lungs, and none took a single step after the shot. At the time I developed it, I was using the SBH to shoot IHMSA with a Keith over 11.0 of Unique which gave me tolerable recoil for the 40 round match and took the rams over NO PROB. By the way, Jerry Miculek notes his favorite .44 load is identical to my duty round; I wonder if he could talk Speer into not dropping that great bullet...
When you go to shop for the additional powders for experimentation, consider including Herco, it's another great powder for midrange applications in several calibers including your .41 Mag. I've been dipping into an 8 pounder of it for those loads because my supply of Unique is running low and there's none around here.
Good luck with your big-bores.
Ed

[Tristan]

I worked from 8 to 10 grs. Unique under a commercial cast 240 SWC lit by a Winchester LP, and the 10 gr. load ended up being the most accurate; it is a mild load, but not a wimp by any measure. A good, moderate load.