Why did I do that?

[jimb16]

I went out to the range today to do a little "blasting". I took along a couple of boxes of .44 mags. Granted, they were accurate, but they really hammered my hands. I'm now trying to figure out why on earth I loaded them so heavy. I'm never going to hunt grizzly bear or moose with my Contender so why did I do that? If I load to a decent .44 sp loading, that would be powerful enough for any whitetail that I would encounter around here. I guess I'm really wondering, how many others have ever asked themselves "why did I do that".

[MyFlatline]

Well, because I am more than cheap, I tend to load on accuracy only. Don't like getting beaten up at all. FPS has not had much appeal, just the joy of shooting. I have grown up with a statement and apply it to most everything..If you want to know the truth, follow the money...Yep that's me..I'm cheap.

[country gent]

I have asked myself that several times.
Ohios deer arnt armor plated or wearing kevalar so your right a solid 44 spl load or a little warmer will do the job fine with a well placed shot. Around here our grain feed deer occasionally get pretty decent sized ( Ive seen live weights from 280-300 lbs) but they normally arnt hard to put down.

[arlon]

No idea why, I have a 10" octagon (light) 44 mag. It has never seen more than a special load since I've owned it.

[runfiverun]

cause a 44 can do that.
look at it like this, now you got some empty cases to put some useful loads in.

[Texas by God]

I've been shooting 15grs of 296/158gr JHP in the 4-5/8" Blackhawk. I'm going to tone it down from fireball next session.

[wcp4570]

Been there and done that in my younger days. Now I enjoy shooting much milder loads in my 44 mags. Makes no sense punishing yourself and the guns you like.

wcp4570

[35 shooter]

Cause sometimes it's just fun to unleash a box or two of full power 44 mag. rounds.:grin:
I never found them neccesary for deer hunting with my mod.29's(when i had them)though...heavy 44 special type loads were more than good for that for me.

[Thumbcocker]

While I do enjoy a full snort shooting session now and again I shoot lots of .44 specials. As far as I can tell I have not lost a single chest hair from shooting milder loads.

[sghart3578]

In my ammo locker I recently came across some "Linebaugh level" loads that I had worked up for my 45 Colt Vaquero.

I don't know why I did that or what I was thinking.

I noticed that 6 rounds out of the box of 50 were missing. Then I remembered that I had fired 6 in my stock, wooden grip Vaquero and that was enough.

I am now shooting them up in my Blackhawk with Goodyear grips.

After that I will stick with 6.5 gr of Bullseye and plink away.

[flint45]

Sometimes I just need to split logs the fun way.

[dverna]

I read a while ago about one of the famous gun writers who admonished himself for shooting a lot of full power .44 Mag loads in his younger years. The repetitive recoil contributed to crippling up of his hand.

If it hurts, your body is telling you something.

There is a lot of "pride" many take in shooting heavy loads for "fun".

[Motor]

I shoot a 500 S&W. My hottest load is the start load for Lil-gun using a 440gr in the cast bullet data manual. Shooting this thing with full power loads is simply brutal. Shooting it tamed down is down right fun. I even shoot 250gr and 360gr 50cal muzzleloader bullets from it and the already mentioned 440gr all with 12gr Unique. :)

I think my brother has 3 whitetail kills with the 250gr load. This is why we do this reloading thing. ;)

Motor

[rintinglen]

When I was young and foolish, I loaded everything to the limit and occasionally beyond. I shot a couple of guns into the scrap heap, and laid the ground work for the injuries to my wrists and hands that give me grief today. I now know that such show-off stunts come with a price that is needlessly dear. Better a lighter load that you can shoot well than a heavier load that hurts.

[Jack Stanley]

You probably did it because you could or , you thought you might "need" them for that big hunt someday . Then , you realized that the only thing near you that requires that much penetration has a Peterbuilt or Kenworth emblem on the hood . To top it off the state won't open a season on them no matter how close the interstate is to you

Jack

[jimb16]

Well I can imagine a mount with Peterbuilt horns! *LOL*

[500Linebaughbuck]

i use a 44 spl in a 250gr keith with 7.5gr of unique.

i use a 44 mag in a 280gr wfn gc with 9.0 "whole" grains of unique. i used to use it with a top end load of h110.

i use a 444 marlin in a 280gr wfn gc with 26.0gr of 2400. i used to use it with a over the top of rel 7 or h4198.

i use a 45-70 in a 405gr fn with.............


i could go on and on, but i prefer "lite" loads to "heavy" loads anytime!!! and besides, they no longer make my shoulder hurt!!!

i've been doing "lite" loads for several years now. deer don't complain, so why should i.

[Jedman]

The first 44 MagI owned was a contender and like the idiot I was when I got into handloading I always seemed to start at the top loads first.
I remember shooting 240 gr SWC with 25 grs. of WW 296 starting out and they did give you a beating.
Now I might shoot that load in one of my carbines but out of a handgun a 1000 fps. is just fine.

Jedman

[RKJ]

I shot mine yesterday (cleaning out some old reloads I made and wanted to test them) 18 grains of 2400 and 10 grains of Unique. They weren't bad but enough to let me know I was shooting a 44 mag. BTW, they all shot just fine. I've got to work on my sight picture though. I too used to try to load the snot out of my guns but as I've gotten older I find I don't care for them all that much and have gone to medium charge and light loads. Maybe, maturity & wisdom have found me at last. Nah.

[Murphy]

Just my 2 cent's worth.

I think sometimes we load things on the high end, just because we can. In my early years, I loaded pretty much all of my handgun loads in the mid-range velocity. I figured there wasn't any sense in beating up my gun's or myself trying to prove anything. My real goal was to become a better shot with the guns I had.

One of the greatest things about being a reloader/caster is the versatility we have in deciding what suits our needs best. Just remember, some guns weren't meant to do it all and tote enough gun to do what you intend to do with it.

Murphy

[Shuz]

Shooting heavy powerful loads while young, and reducing the loads as we age, brings to mind and old German saying,"Ve git too soon oldt, and too late schmart"!

[GEOMETRIC]

That reminds me of the words I have for these young drivers. "That sorry punk a$$ #@$% kid. He drives just like I did when I was his age!" Ditto for what everybody has said but actually, I have never liked to push anything to it's limit. An engineer friend once said (I'm not an engineer) those (engineers) that like to design with small safety factors are generally those that have never had a failure.
I don't hunt with handguns, they are in case somebody decides they want to beat my brains out with a pipe or the like. I load the ammo. for my .357 just under max. but my .44 mag. Black Hawk gets loaded down a couple 100 fps. That is more than a .44 special & more that enough to stop some crazy crack head attacker. Indeed, it is still way more powerful than a .45 ACP. Likewise, I rarely load my .300 Win. anywhere near max.. Maybe if I get to hunt Alaskan moose or shoot at game far enough away that I will benefit from the improved ballistics I will, but so far the need hasn't materialized.

[500Linebaughbuck]

Shooting heavy powerful loads while young, and reducing the loads as we age, brings to mind and old German saying,"Ve git too soon oldt, and too late schmart"!

yes sir!!!! i reduce everything.

even my tc encore with a 24" barrel and the 500L. i use hs-6 for everything. i don't even know how bad h110/win296 should be. and i don't want to.

[TXGunNut]

I've always heard and read the 44 Mag is a cartridge that is inherently accurate and likes to go fast. I've never enjoyed a hard-recoiling handgun and the one 44 I've owned was used briefly for load development and then almost forgotten until I sold it this year. Awesome round, just not my cup of tea. But yes, if I had one I'd fire it at full power on a regular basis because that's what this cartridge was designed for.

[500Linebaughbuck]

I've always heard and read the 44 Mag is a cartridge that is inherently accurate and likes to go fast. I've never enjoyed a hard-recoiling handgun and the one 44 I've owned was used briefly for load development and then almost forgotten until I sold it this year. Awesome round, just not my cup of tea. But yes, if I had one I'd fire it at full power on a regular basis because that's what this cartridge was designed for.


that is just hype because most guys will believe it. i used to be "one of those guys". i would take my mag to the limits of velocity. 240-300gr jacketed and h110 were it!!! since i am a ruger guy, i would buy ruger sbh/srh with 4 5/8 to 10 1/2" barrels and a keg of h110 religiously. the 44 mag(s) would do 2 - 3" at 100 yards.

now its not about how much speed but how much recoil i can take. using a 250gr keith and unique with 9.0gr of unique(1000+/-fps) and 280gr wfn and 10.0gr unique(1100+/-fps) which recoil doesn't bother me. i use a 44sp case and 250gr keith with 7.5gr of unique and that my load to hunt deer with.

[TXGunNut]

I have a lot of admiration for the 44 Spl but since I have a few revolvers chambered in 45 Colt I have little use for it. In my limited testing of the 44 Mag it seemed the max loads seemed to have a high degree of inherent accuracy but it may have had more to do with the powder and firearm used. I was using WW296 and an 8" Contender for midrange load development.

[500Linebaughbuck]

I have a lot of admiration for the 44 Spl but since I have a few revolvers chambered in 45 Colt I have little use for it. In my limited testing of the 44 Mag it seemed the max loads seemed to have a high degree of inherent accuracy but it may have had more to do with the powder and firearm used. I was using WW296 and an 8" Contender for midrange load development.

my choice was either the 45 colt or 44 mag and i chose the mag. the 45 colt is nothing to sneeze at either. i have used it for many years, but the 44 stole my heart.

[tazman]

I went out to the range today to do a little "blasting". I took along a couple of boxes of .44 mags. Granted, they were accurate, but they really hammered my hands. I'm now trying to figure out why on earth I loaded them so heavy. I'm never going to hunt grizzly bear or moose with my Contender so why did I do that? If I load to a decent .44 sp loading, that would be powerful enough for any whitetail that I would encounter around here. I guess I'm really wondering, how many others have ever asked themselves "why did I do that".

The only real answer is "it seemed like a good idea at the time".

[6bg6ga]

The only real answer is "it seemed like a good idea at the time".

Not the first time I've either said or thought that.

[OlDeuce]

When I was younger that's what I did ! Super Blackhawk was the only thing to own in 44mag !! Now that I'm way older my 44 is by my side ! I just
moved up to the Thompson Contender in .444 !!!!!! We just never learn !! [smilie=s: Its just so much fun!!! Ol Deuce

[Walks]

I loaded maxed out .44MAG as soon as I got my 1st SBH for IMSHA. Later the .454CASULL . I went through WW296 at about 3lbs a month.

Hottest .44SPL was Skeeter Skelton's 250gr Keith over 7.5grs of Unique. Greatest .44SPL for COLT SAA ever. Now the Casull is long gone. COLT SAA in .45Colt is now LYMAN #454190-255gr over 8.5grs of Unique.

My old hands appreciate the lighter recoil.

I believe my hands would be in better shape today if I had shot light loads in my youth.

[Bill*B]

We all have the urge to hot rod our pistols - but when our hands give up, a light dawns, and we discover moderate loadings.

[trapper9260]

I have not look to see the high end of load my ammo. I let the gun tell me and start on the min. and go from there.I guess that is how I was taught.Why use more powder then you need to.

[gnostic]

I went out to the range today to do a little "blasting". I took along a couple of boxes of .44 mags. Granted, they were accurate, but they really hammered my hands. I'm now trying to figure out why on earth I loaded them so heavy. I'm never going to hunt grizzly bear or moose with my Contender so why did I do that? If I load to a decent .44 sp loading, that would be powerful enough for any whitetail that I would encounter around here. I guess I'm really wondering, how many others have ever asked themselves "why did I do that".

I'm in the same boat, I loaded a few hundred 310 grain bullets with a stout load of 296 and now I'm considering pulling the bullets and reloading the cases. The last time I shot this load, I lost the feeling in two fingers of my right hand for a year or so. My thinking was, if I want to shoot 44spl, I'd shoot my 624 rather than my SBH.

[bruce381]

When I was young and foolish, I loaded everything to the limit and occasionally beyond. I shot a couple of guns into the scrap heap, and laid the ground work for the injuries to my wrists and hands that give me grief today. I now know that such show-off stunts come with a price that is needlessly dear. Better a lighter load that you can shoot well than a heavier load that hurts.

yeah that's what I used to do now all fun loads maybe Jim they were made when you were full of piss and vinegar?

[Rodfac]

Good advice, this.>>>
I think sometimes we load things on the high end, just because we can. In my early years, I loaded pretty much all of my handgun loads in the mid-range velocity. I figured there wasn't any sense in beating up my gun's or myself trying to prove anything. My real goal was to become a better shot with the guns I had. As a rule, I load to Skelton's 240/7.5 gr Unique standard in Special brass. Given the size of our wily KY white tails, I'd be comfortable with Skelton's load out to just about 50 yds or so, with open sights. I know from experience that load will shoot clean through a 120 KY deer when hit behind the shoulder, and will break two ribs coming and going while doing it.

That same powder load works extremely well with Lyman's 429215 with or without the GC. This latter load is comfortable for all day toting, and quite good as a defense prescription too. I get ~950 fps from my pair of 4-5/8" Ruger BH Flat Tops. I'm also fond of 6.0-6.5 gr of 231 for ~900 fps in Special brass.

Any of the above are far better than I can hold anymore and manageable from a recoil standpoint. For plinking, the Winchester 231 powder at 6.0 gr with Lyman's 429215 without the GC is the cat's meow.

Best Regards, and may I add: take care of your sight, your hearing, and your wrist joints when you're young. Best Regards, Rod (I'll be 72 this May)

[fastdadio]

I'm with you guys all the way and have nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. Except, what the heck should I do with this pound of W296 I got sitting on the bench? Anybody load it in the 30-30?