44mag handi rifle load

[catman81056]

My son has this rifle and I just got a 245gr Keith type mold for it. I'm PCing the bullets and sizing to .430. We've shot 245gr HP GC boolits in this and it seems to like them. We are pushing them 1500fps + with H110. I'm wondering since the barrel is quite a bit longer than a handgun if more of a rifle type powder would work better than a handgun powder. I'm thinking that case capacity would come into play here. Anyone have any suggestions on this?

[Themoose]

Catman,

I've been playing around with 44Mag loads for rifles since Indiana allowed them about three years ago. I use H110 exclusively now...I shoot water quenched wheel weight gas checked bullets thru them at higher velocity than listed for jacketed bullets...Since I am working on hunting loads, I chose higher weighted projectiles and am now focusing on LBT 280LFN and a newly arrived 270LFN. I only messed with lighter weight 44's for pistol rounds... there I used Blue Dot, 2400 and Win 296(similar to H110). I hear some have success with SR4756, but that is one of the powders announced to be deleted from production.

Hope this helps.

TheMoose

[catman81056]

Thanks for the insight. My son was living in Indiana when he bought this thinking of the deer season. We did try some 300gr GC boolits but just couldn't get them to group as good as the 245gr. The mold I bought recently (on this site) is a Lyman 429421 I believe. Its dropping boolits at 250-254grs with my 50/50 COWW/Pure +2% tin alloy. I usually water quinch all my cast boolits but since I started PCing I've just been air cooling them. I'm going to try to get a few loaded today and brave the cold (18* right now) to see how they shoot. I probably should wait till better weather, but if these group decent with me shivering it could only be better when its warmer. I might even post a few pics if they perform well enough.

[Larry Gibson]

You probably are not going to get the PB'd cast bullets to shoot as well as the GC'd 245s with top end magnum loads, especially with top end H110/296 loads, in the rifle. Suggest you drop back to starting loads of 2400, BlueDot or H4227 and work back up to the max listed loads. The rifle will tell you where accuracy is and isn't. If you have a chronograph you will probably find that accuracy will start going south, given an appropriate alloy, around 1500+ fps. Invariably I found 23 gr H4227 under the 429421 or the 44-250-KT to give best accuracy out of several 44 Magnum rifles (revolvers too!) in the 1500 - 1550 fps range.

Larry Gibson

[catman81056]

Thanks Larry. I've got the Bluedot and I think alittle 2400. I'll look for some H4227 next time I'm at a gun show and give them all a try.

[AZ-JIM]

This thread couldnt have come at a better time!
I will be working with a simillar scenario very shortly in preparation for our AZ gtg.
I believe I am going to start with blue dot, but may work with unique, and h4227 also.
Speaking of blue dot, I have seen posts here and elsewhere about its burn rate, old vs new? What data to use?

az-jim

[Larry Gibson]

AZ-JIM

This might give you some information; http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?51566-Blue-Dot-Hercules-vs-Alliant-test

The photo's and graph are no longer with the "sticky". If you want them I can post them?

Larry Gibson

[AZ-JIM]

Perfect Larry, thanks!

az-jim

[Rustyleee]

Be sure to slug those barrels on the H&Rs. They run as large as .432 in .44 Mag. in fact, that is considered normal.

[.429]

True ^^^ mine is .4315

[357maximum]

Sounds like the perfect application for the .434 version of BadgerEdd's castboolit incarnation of the Speer 240grain JSP........can get one here if you hurry:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?230146-Rapid-Group-Buy-*44-245-RNFP-GC-A-C-E-2cavity-Steel-official-sign-up&p=2623850#post2623850

[Blammer]

I'm PCing the bullets and sizing to .430.

ok, I'm at a loss, what is "PCing"?

[DougGuy]

Powder Coating

[26Charlie]

I found that bullets heavier than 255 gr. would tend to wander from this gun on a cold day (300 gr ). Also, I never loaded any loads I could not shoot in the revolvers like with slow powder (4227 etc) so as not to have separate purposes for the same caliber.

[Boyscout]

0.75" Groups at 50 yds. with my 429421 bullets, WW+2% tin, air cooled: 22.5 Win 296 CCI 350 LPM seated to the crimp groove out of a Handi Rifle.

[AZ-JIM]

Larry, you were right as usual! My speed seems higher than you suggested though, using less powder, but it looks like it works so Im not going to worry about it too much.
H4227, 21.5g
429421 sized .430
Ben's Red
Starline brass
CCI 300
Chrono'd @ about 1630 avg
Remington 788, 44mag
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?231751-Announcement-az-gtg&p=2648331&viewfull=1#post2648331

az-jim

[725]

As rifle barrels are larger than pistol barrels, you might want to experiment with paper patching. just a thought.