Load suggestions for a Winchester M94 in 44 Magnum (the devil gun)

[hornady308]

I've had my Winchester 44mag for about 10 years now and never found a really good load for it. It looks almost new and is in great shape in and out. The bore is .432, so I am sizing bullets to .433 and using an Alox lube. Since the barrel has a relatively slow twist I am planning to use light weight bullets as they have been the most accurate. The Lyman 429434 at 230 grains has shown the best accuracy thus far. I also have a GB 434-207 mold that throws bullets that are a close second (they weigh ~ 210 grains when checked & lubed). Accuracy is my prime concern, though I am planning to use this rifle for Whitetails this year, so velocity is still important. I have some standard 44mag powders on hand, including 2400, Blue Dot, Lil Gun, H110 and Unique. Any suggestions?

[Lonegun1894]

Since you said that you size the boolits to .433", I assume they cast larger than that. May I ask what they actually cast to? Have you tried them unsized to see if they will chamber and if so, what kind of accuracy you get with them unsized? I am just thinking that maybe, if they will chamber unsized, it might allow you to fill the throat and see if that helps any or not.

[BNE]

I don't think any mold will work. You should just send the gun to me and end your frustration. :bigsmyl2:

[Ithaca Gunner]

I trust you're shooting it off a bench? What are the groups like?

I confess to never having heard of Lyman's 429434, but in a .44 Magnum rifle I would be tempted to try IMR4227.

This puts me in mind of a story from long ago. A fellow was having the same problems with a .44 Magnum lever gun, just wouldn't shoot to his satisfaction no matter what load he tried. Four to five inch groups at 100 yards was the best he could do with it off the bench and frustration was mounting to the point where he was thinking of just get rid of the rifle quickly and take his lumps on it. There happened to be a seasoned old shooter there to guide him on the path of content with his rifle. He advised the fellow to choose his best load and shoot like a man, off his hind quarters at a 6" bull at the same range. With a little coaching and practice the frustrated lever gun owner began hitting the black four out of five times and became rather pleased with his rifle and himself. The old shooter said, "Shoots better than you thought, don't it!"

I have a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308 that gave me fits trying to achieve what I considered acceptable accuracy with. I got it to the point where the first 2-3 shots were around an inch off the bench at 100yards, but the others would open it up to over 2" unless letting the barrel cool completely. It turns out it's the most accurate bolt rifle I own for shooting off hand. It beats my other "more accurate" rifles every time.

[OBXPilgrim]

My Win94 44 mag didn't shoot very good until I went to the Lee 310gr RF slug. Yep, it shouldn't stabilize real heavy boolits, but pushed fast, it does. I haven't tried out to 150yds, but out to 100 it's fine. Killed 4 deer with it over the past 3 years. Powder that works best in mine was 2400.

Shooting 200 gr slugs was very frustrating with it.

[jlchucker]

I had one of those, a trapper carbine. It was my "truck gun" and I spent many an afternoon plinking with it at my club range. I had a Williams receiver sight, and a brass dot front bead (Lyman or Marbles, if I remember right. The most accurate load I used in this gun was the Lyman 429215 with a Hornady gascheck, sized .430, behind 21 Gr of 2400, according to my notes. Although this particular gun shot very well for me, I never really hunted deer with it. It was one of those Winchesters made after they came out with angle eject, and before they put in those stupid crossbolt safeties, and the lever link was too narrow for the frame cavity. Consequently, this little gun rattled too much for me to do any serious hunting with. That having been said, I wish I had kept it.

[longbow]

Not a Winchester but a .44 mag rifle with slow twist ~ Marlin 1894.

I found that I just wasn't getting any sort of decent accuracy with boolits over about 270 grs. so quit trying. Some say up to 300 gr. WFN's shoot well for them but I have not tried that design. RanchDog 300's are another some have success with in 1:38" twist.

I settled on 270 gr. max. and get good accuracy with anything lighter. I mostly shoot 240 to 260 gr. Mihec H&G #503 and 434640 both of which hold nice groups.

My powder of choice is IMR4227 which is what I use most of the time. I have used it successfully with boolit weights up to 300 grs. (no the 300 grainers weren't accurate but the load was fine).

H110 did well also but for whatever reason I prefer IMR4227. IMR4227 is also more flexible in that you can use reduced loads where with H110 you cannot so hot it is.

I found Unique to be lacking in the rifle as it is too fast for top velocities in the longer barrel. Groups were decent and recoil moderate under 240 gr. boolits. I have not used it under lighter boolits yet. I suspect it would be not bad under a 200 gr. boolit.

The lightest boolit I have shot is my Accurate #43-165B which is 165 gr. and IMR4227 did not work well with that little lightweight. I went to 700X and 10 grs. of that made for a fun plinking load with some zip to it.

Got decent results with Blue Dot too and again, like Unique it seemed a bit fast for the longer barrel with 240+ gr. boolits.

I have not tried 2400 or Lil Gun.

From the powders you have on hand, I have to think that 2400 and H110 would be your best choice for top velocity under the 230 gr. boolit. IMR4227 would be my choice there.

The faster Unique or Blue Dot might be better under the 207 gr. I think Unique may still be a bit fast for top velocity though.

What does your loading manual say? You will usually get highest velocities with slower powders so 2400 and H110 may be your best choice to start with and check accuracy.

That's all I've got.

Longbow

[jlchucker]

If I remember right, my Winchester trapper had a 1:38 twist. I think that was a carryover from the old 44-40 guns they made way back when. Collectors who have original 92's and '73's in 44-40 could maybe comment on that. My trapper didn't do well at all with heavier boolits, but shot really well with the RCBS 215 grain boolit that I mentioned earlier. Maybe it would be worthwhile to try some lighter boolits. Just a thought.

[1Shirt]

My Marlin likes the big 310 Lee!
1Shirt!

[725]

429215 for me, too.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have a Rossi 92 in 44mag. Do not know what the twist is but it really shines with the Lee 310gr bullets.

[Lead Fred]

Got a 1970 Winnie in 44 mag, We use the Ranch Dog 300 gr FN backed by H110

Dong goes the 200 yard gong

[trapdoor1873]

I have found the Lyman 429244 #2 alloy with 21 grains of 2400 will shoot 2.5 inch groups at 100 yds. out of my 94 16" trapper.

[Wally]

I have a 94AE. I use Unique powder and 429215/429244 bullets that require GCs. I use a Freechex tool to make my own and it shoots accurately out to 75 yards or so. Using a scope and a rest ay 150 yards...the accuracy is poor. It shoots light loads and .44 Specials quite well to about 50 yards..I size them at .431". It will shoot accurately at 100 yards+ with factory J bullets, but I almost never use them. I also have a .444 Marlin...it shoots cast bullets far more accurately at 100 yards+, such as a 250 grain Kieth or a 429640.

[hornady308]

Well, I took the advice of Lonegun1894 and tried a load of 20gr 2400 with some of the 207 grain bullets sized at .433 and some others left unsized, but with gas checks in place. The results were pretty remarkable. The .433 bullets won't shoot well at 100 yards, but the .434 unsized bullets were very accurate. Looks like I won't have to give the devil gun to BNE after all. I fired the unsized bullets first. Fired three shots, adjusted the scope down a tad, then fired 5 shots for effect. I then adjusted the scope a bit more and fired 11 shots of the .433 bullets. Of course, I let the barrel cool down after every few shots. Now, I'm ready for hunting season.

8207482075

[Lonegun1894]

Glad that helped! It was the magic thing that changed my H&R .44 from shooting like a shotgun to acting like a rifle too. I have taken it a bit firther and have been paper-patching for mine, but it's easy as it's a singleshot. I have not tried PPing for a repeater where the rounds have to get through the action unscathed yet, but will be trying after deer season. Now don't laugh, but the magic size for my H&R is also .434", so maybe there's a pattern here that we can all use?

[Old School Big Bore]

Haven't had the chance yet to try different diameter CBs in my Handi nor my B92, much less my Deerstalker, but when things settle down here I'll Beagle a couple of molds & report back on what happens.

[mike in co]

i thought you said you had a 44 not a shot gun....lol
ok in my marlin i shoot 432's ...293( these are 300's without the gas check)
yes try a heavier bullet WITH OUT THE GAS CHECK IN PLACE. we are slow enough that it should not be an issue.
for the record my 7.5" super red hawk shoots better without the gas check than with...
the carbine actually shoots better with the the gas check but does shoot well without......way less than 1/4" diff at 50yds.
i shoot accurate number 9 or wc820( my lot is a little slower than 9).....3/4" and less at 50yds...
why 50 yds?? we shoot a steel match at 50..and that's all i do with these two guns.

[trapper9260]

I got my Marlin 44 and my Red hawk shoot the same boolit and load and i have it right on and no change of data.