Reduced 44 Magnum Loads...

[BCB]

What would be a good starting load for boolits ranging from 250-325 grains using Bullseye powder...

Velocity is not critical--just looking to shot 50 or so downrange for no particular reason!!!...

Thanks...BCB

[Hickory]

250 grs. would the maximum boolit with Bullseye.
200 grs. would be a better weight for a reduced load in the 44 magnum.

[BCB]

I just checked Ken Water's Pet Loads books I have and he lists 4.5 grains with a 240 grainer in the 44 Special...

I wonder if that same load could be used in a 44 Magnum...

Also, why do you think a 250 boolit would be maximum weight using Bullseye? Do you think it would take more Bullseye to get it moving and maybe that could cause high pressure using such a fast burning powder?

Thanks...BCB

[sundog]

Red Dot. Do a search for cowboy loads.

[MT Gianni]

6.5 gr Red Dot goes just under or over 1000 fps depending on bbl length and is boringly accurate.

[44man]

The heavier boolit has a longer drive band length so it needs faster for stability. A 240 can be shot pretty slow with decent accuracy. I would go lighter myself.
Bullseye loads for a .44 are still up in the 1000 fps plus range. There are not even listed Bullseye loads after 240 gr in my books and 325 gr boolits are in 2400 and 296 ranges.
I suppose you could shoot a heavy boolit with a pinch of Bullseye but you could outrun it. Might hit sideways too.

[Salmoneye]

Click on your bullet weight in the left pane:

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm
(http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm)

In addition, the old Alliant paper manuals had data with Bullseye:


http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Freebies/RM/Alliant/Alliant_2005.pdf

[upr45]

I've also had good results with red dot for mild loads.

[Loudenboomer]

8gr unique under a 250 kieth swc is very accurate in my 8 3/8" 629.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

With a H&G #503 @ 250 grains I have found that 9 grains of 4756 shoots very well at 50 yards. Less than moderate recoil, burns clean and no leading of any sort. In 2 S&W M29 revolvers, one with a 6' barrel and the other with an 8&3/8". Can be shot for extended periods of time without battle fatigue. Not much fouling to clean up after either. LLS

[L Ross]

Well since the OP asked about Bullseye I can say I have shot several hundred 240 and 250 grain swc over 6.7 grains of Bullseye in a Super Black Hawk. I have been well satisfied with that load. 6.7 you ask? Just happened to drop from the measure at that amount when I was trying to set it at 6.5 and I figured, what the heck.

[Outpost75]

I chronographed 7.2 grains of Bullseye with the Saeco #441, 260-grain Keith type SWC in my Ruger Super BH with 5-1/2" barrel and got 967 fps with an Sd of 7 fps and extreme spread.of 17 fps. Clean shooting, accurate load.

[hp246]

Would .44 Spl be easier to create light loads?

[Forrest r]

I've shot allot of plinking loads in the 44mags over the years with different cast boolits & bullseye. Anything from 180g wc's to 310g lee's and I keep coming back to the same starting loads.

7.0g for anything from 180g to 260g
6.0g for anything from 270g to 310g

I've never shot anything heavier than 310g in a 44mag, others have and have posted excellent write-ups/results.

FWIW:
The 2005 alliant reload manual lists these bullseye loads,
240g l (gc) 9.8g max
310g lswc 6.8g max

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I have used Bullseye exclusively with the 240 gr boolit in the .44 - SPECIAL. That's the load.

[Outpost75]

Would .44 Spl be easier to create light loads?

IF you are shooting in a .44 Special! But if accuracy is the goal, reduced loads in .44 Magnum brass are more accurate than jumping bullets the longer distance in .44 Special brass. If you go below about 6 grains of Bullseye in .44 Magnum brass, then you start getting increased velocity variation from powder positioning, but in .44 Magnum brass I've had good results with Saeco #441 in charges from 6 to 8.5 grains. Results of charge establishment velocity tests in my Ruger SBH with 5-1/2" barrel, new Starline brass with Remington 2-1/2 primers, 12-shot strings:

5.0 Bullseye, 774 fps, 36 Sd, 114 ES
6.0 Bullseye, 842 fps, 11 Sd, 39 ES
6.5 Bullseye, 906 fps, 10 Sd, 36 ES
7.2 Bullseye, 967 fps, 7 Sd, 17 ES my most accurate load in Ruger SBH,
1238 fps, 9 Sd, 25 ES in H&R Handi Rifle, 2-1/2" groups at 100 yds wiuth scope!
7.8 Bullseye, 1017 fps, 11 Sd, 40 ES
8.4 Bullseye, 1141 fps, 13 Sd, 56 ES

[30calflash]

I used 4 1/2 grains of bullseye with 240's in a 4" m29 for indoor plate shooting years ago. Worked well for that application. Range 21 feet IIRC.

If shooting more than 25 yards I think I'd up it a little. Powder puff loads usually don't group at distance.

[BCB]

Thanks for the info…

I really never messed with Bullseye and reduced loads very much during my entire reloading career, but I was reading a thread about “quiet 30-30” loads and Bullseye was being used. So, I thought, what the heck, and I loaded some Lee C309-150F using 4.5 grains of Bullseye and did some shooting from my Contender. The accuracy was amazing. It will most consistently shoot 1.5” at 100 yards with little or no effort..

So, I thought I might try the reduced stuff in my 44 Magnum Super Redhawk 9.5” and that is why I started this thread looking for info using Bullseye…

Well, from what I read here and some other reading, I decided to just start at 4.5 grains with the RCBS 44-250-K boolit…

4.5…720 fps
5.0…792 fps
5.5…831 fps
6.0…910 fps

I also tried the 429650 (~325 grains) with 5.5 grains of Bullseye for a velocity of 833 fps…
(Note that the 5.5 produced nearly the same velocity with the 250 and 325 grain boolits)

Both 5.5 grain charge shot less than 1” at 25 yards with both boolits…

I have a life-sized steel groundhog and I can hit it at 100 yards with both loads. You can fire the round, have a sip of beer, and then listen for the clang!!! Well, it’s almost that slow…

Plus, that 5.5 grain charge probably doesn’t stress they cylinder of the Super Redhawk very much!!!!!!!

Thanks…BCB