Reduced 44 magnum loads?

[6bg6ga]

Is it possible to have reduced loads for the 44 magnum. I will clarify this little. Loading for a S&W 629 not a Desert Eagle. I would like some reduced Unique loads with a 210gr SWC bullet and was wondering if something like 9.3gr of unique would be ok. I have been told you can use the 44 special loads in a 44 mag but that just doesn't sound right to me.

[Ed_Shot]

My 629 does very will with either 200 gr. or 250 gr. over Unique 7.5 gr. in a 44 Mag case. Also like the same boolits over Red Dot 6.0 gr.

[6bg6ga]

I guess I should have mentioned lead bullets not jacketed. The 9.3 gr of Unique is less than the 10.0 gr starting load for the 210 gr bullet.

[ShooterAZ]

6 gr of Bullseye, or 8.5 grains of Unique shoot very well with 200-250 gr cast boolits in the 44 Mag.

[Tracy]

9.3 Unique would be fine. Probably give around 800 fps with a 210 grain cast swc.

[Outpost75]

An article on the subject from Ed Harris, cross-posted here by permission:

Tales from the Back Creek Diary
Bullseye Powder .44 Magnum “Medium” Velocity Loads

Soft, plain based, bullets and fast-burning powders provide economy and utility.

C.E. “Ed” Harris

A firearm does not need to be operated at “full power” any more than any other machine. It is true that some people still believe that if you own a .44 Magnum and reload for it, you must be able to feel the heat on your face every time you pull the trigger, as your hand stings and your ears ring. But this is nonsense, of course. Less power loads are fine for recreation and most field shooting. They indeed have their place. My friends and I probably shoot 100 rounds of “medium velocity” loads for every dinosaur killer. Few reloading manuals list loads for the .44 Magnum other than hand busters. Experienced reloaders successfully improvise, but less intrepid, practical shooters are frustrated.

The so-called “medium velocity” load is subsonic when fired in from a typical revolver. It also does not exceed the leading threshold of about 1300-1400 fps., when a soft, plain-based bullet is fired from a rifle. Remington offered marketed exactly such a .44 Magnum load for a short time during the early to mid 1980s. It was intended for the police market, as a counterpart in .44 Magnum, to the similar lead bullet .41 Magnum police load, which has also, unfortunately been discontinued.

Remington’s .44 Magnum Medium Velocity load offering used a flat-nosed, 240-grain, plain- based, swaged lead bullet with two cannelures, resembling an elongated .44-40 slug. Its shape mimicked today’s “Cowboy Loads” having a catalog velocity of 1000 f.p.s. from a 4-inch vented test barrel, simulating revolver conditions.

These ballistics approximate those of the original 1873 black powder .45 Colt service cartridge, when fired from a 7-1/2 inch barrel. This is hardly today’s “mouse-fart” cowboy load, but stout stuff like they used to kill buffalo and shoot Indians. For today’s hand loader the greatest economy is realized by being able to exploit plain-based cast bullets, using the least expensive, soft scrap alloy, such as wheel weights or common scrap, with faster-burning pistol or shotgun powders which provide twice as many rounds per pound, as the slow-burners normally used for full power .44 Magnum loads.

Lyman’s Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition lists .44 Magnum charges with using fast-burning powders, but their starting loads, while useful in revolvers, often exceed the leading threshold of plain based bullets, when fired in a rifle. Newer powders such as Titegroup or Trail Boss are listed, but my favorite, Bullseye was not. Be careful in reducing slower burners, such as #2400, because ballistic uniformity is impaired if you go below about 16 grains in the .44 Magnum case with 240-gr. bullet.

What follows is my listing of loads which “work” and are well proven. I hope this shortens your learning curve and that they work as well for you as they do for my friends and I.

Medium Velocity Loads for .44 Mag., 265-gr. Saeco #441, BHN11, unsized .433”, LLA
Case, Primer and_______Velocity_____Velocity_____Five, 5-shot Groups* @ 50 yds. H&R
Charge Weight_________5-1/2” RBH___H&R 22”*___Largest___Smallest___Average
Starline .44 Spl. WLP_______________________________________________ _______
5.2BE,RCBS LD#10______782,10Sd_____940,9 Sd____3.0_____1.9_______2.46
Remington .44 Mag. WLP_______________________________________________ ____
6.0 Bullseye, LD#11_____774,36Sd_____983,49Sd____2.5_____1.9____ ___2.24
6.6 Bullseye, LD#12_____948,13Sd_____1141,9Sd____2.5_____1.4____ ___1.94
7.8 Bullseye, LD#14_____1017,11Sd____1233,10Sd___2.5_____1.2____ ___1.88
16.2 #2400, LD#20_____1080,39Sd____1411,44Sd___2.5_____ 1.3_______1.97

Remington .44 Mag. WLP, Remington 240-gr. Semi-Jacketed HP
8.4 Bullseye, LD#15_____1033,11Sd____1197,15Sd___2.2_____1.2____ ___1.76

[Larry Gibson]

6 gr of Bullseye, or 8.5 grains of Unique shoot very well with 200-250 gr cast boolits in the 44 Mag.

Exactly what I use.....

[reddog81]

Any load in-between Special and Magnum data will be fine in a Magnum. Max Special loads are a good place to start. Problems might start to arise if you try and use starting loads in the Magnum cases.

There are certain Magnum powders that should not be down loaded i.e Win 296. However any powder that has both Special and Magnum data will work with loads in the middle.

[6bg6ga]

I have 2400 powder but only use max loads of that with jacketed bullets in my Desert Eagle. No plans to us it in the 629 with lead bullets.

[44MAG#1]

Check into Alliant PowerPistol. I have been using 9.4 gr with the 250 "Keith" bullet and have been very pleased with this load. It is roughly equivalent to 8.5 gr Unique.
Meters well (not that it makes any difference in the shooting of most of us) and shoots well.
Currently I am using S&B primers and have found them just fine.
Yeah for sure don't use 2400 in a Smith N frame they won't last long. It would be an interesting paperweight though.

[6bg6ga]

This is what I have on hand for pistol powders...WW231, Unique, Red Dot, and Bullseye.

[Outpost75]

You can safely substitute Red Dot for the Bullseye charges listed above. You could also do so with 231 and it would be OK to increase charges about 10%, cross-checking against published data. I ran alot of rounda with 10 grs. of W231 with Hornady 240 XTP with good results.

[Texas by God]

9 grs of Unique under a 210 cast is a wonderful load in the .44 mag AND the .41 mag. My brothers and I shot thousands of these honing our handgun skills when we were young.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[30calflash]

All of the above good. I've used 7.5 to 10 grains of Unique with 240+ grain cast, all shot well. My Bullseye loads have been less so far but even 4.5 grs. shot well in indoor plate shoots. Will be trying some other BE loads soon, due to the input here.

[rintinglen]

8.5 grains of Unique under an RCBS 44-250 KT was all I shot for a long time. Later I went with 6.5 grains of WW-231 for reasons of economy. I sent an awful lot of wheel weights down range with one or the other of these loads. I see no reason whatsoever that your 210 grain load shouldn't work like a champ, putting a lot less wear on the old S&W, and dare I say, less wear on the old S&W shooter as well.

[bobthenailer]

I have the Saeco # 420- 200gr TC have used them between 800 to 1,200 fps in about 8 different 44 mags over the past 25 years with excellent accuracy ! this is my go to bullet for 99% of my 44 shooting, have 3 other 44 moulds

My loads are loaded in 44 mag cases with 6.0 gr of BE or TG @800 fps
7.0 gr of BE or TG @ 940 fps
13.0 gr of HS-6 @ 1,200 fps

[JMax]

I load 7.8 gr of Unique with a 210 gr RNFP in my 6" 629. Chronos at a little over 1000 ft/sec and very accurate.

[ulav8r]

44 Russian loads would be nice plinkers. My first pistol loads were for a German Commision revolver. Trimmed 44 Special brass to less than an inch, Lee 215 SWC in COWW, and about 6 grains of Unique. A very similar to 44 Russian load. Has been years since I loaded any, so the charge may have been a little more or less.

[MT Chambers]

I hate to go against all the experts but I would go with Trail Boss and eliminate any chance of multiple charges in the big cases.

[Plainsman]

I tend to load most of my .44 cartridges with Special loads. I even have some Russian brass to play with. The only time I load "heavy" is for hunting use and practice. Otherwise I dont beat myself or guns up.

[rintinglen]

Just for grins, I loaded up a dozen or so Starline 44 mag cases with 9.4 grains of Power Pistol, WLP Primers and 429-421 boolits cast hard and sized .431.
12 shots don't tell you all there is to be said, especially at 50 feet, but my initial experiment looks pretty promising. I need to load up some more and get out to the outdoor range where I can do some shooting at a longer distance.

[Poppaclutch]

I hate to go against all the experts but I would go with Trail Boss and eliminate any chance of multiple charges in the big cases.

I always visually check (with small flashlight) all load levels in every case in my charging block before moving on to the next step. This is good practice.

[Bill*B]

Don't hesitate to load your .44 Magnum down to .45 Colt, or even .41 Colt levels. Wrist breaking, fire breathing, full house .44 loads are fine for hunting, but a PITA for anything else. Lighter loads in the 850 fps range will transform your pistol, and enhance your enjoyment. I load a light 180 grain wadcutter.

[Jack Stanley]

When I was using the .44 a lot I used 8.5 grains Unique and a 240 grain SWC in a magnum case . I'm sure Unique can deliver what you want from your lighter bullet with a small charge adjustment .

Jack

[CIC]

The older I get the less I see a need for a full 44 mag load,at least where I live. I am beginning to believe that a 44 special load is just about right. Much more enjoyable to shoot for sure. I don't use unique but only for the fact that when I had a chance to get powder during the drought unique was unavailable. I was able to get some universal and have been happy with the results.

[MT Gianni]

6.5 gr Red Dot with a 240-260 gr bullet is my plinking load in a 44 Magnum. It shoots well and gives me all I need to punch paper with.

[bigboredad]

6.5gr in a 45 colt and a 300-340gr bullet equals a full fun day smashing things and shooting thru things you never thought a 45 could penetrate.it is a favorite load for my 45,44and even the 480

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[6bg6ga]

I always visually check (with small flashlight) all load levels in every case in my charging block before moving on to the next step. This is good practice.

Good advice.