44 Spl 185 Gr Wadcutter Load Question

[Deep Six]

I was given an old box of 185 full wadcutter bullets in 44 cal. They are made by Markell, Inc from somewhere in California. Probably out of business now. Anyways, I thought I'd make some real old school loads with some of the 35 year old Bullseye powder that was also given to me. The problem is that I can't find published load data for a 185 WC in the 44 special. Anybody know what the powder charge should be or have some published load data? I was thinking 4.5 - 5 grains sounds about right.

[bobthenailer]

Ive had 44 cal wadcutter moulds from lee & saeco, Ive only used them in the 44 mag cases though
I do have some data from a old lyman cast bullet manual for there 180 gr WC #429348 bullet loaded in 44 special cases.

BE 4.0 gr to 6.0 gr
so your estmate is about right !

[Deep Six]

I loaded 50 at 5.0 gr last night. Hopefully I get a chance to test them in the next couple weeks. They sure look sweet!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I've loaded 185-200 grain flat-faced wadcutters in the 44 Mag, using 5.5-5.6 grains of Unique. My mold is an H&G #107. Its a comparatively mild load for work at 25 yards. Good grouping out of a 6" S&W. Bullseye would work but a little less by weight than Unique due to the shorter case of the 44 spl. 4.5-5.0 sounds about right; give it a try and adjust up or down in .1 increments to get what the gun likes best. There are now a couple of mold sources around. Check out NOE and Ballisticast (they took over the H&G mold patterns) to see what they have available. Both make good molds and even if a bit pricey, you would come out way ahead in the long run compared to buying bullets (if there is a source around). LLS