Accurate #9 .44 Mag

[cheapshot]

Been playing with loads again since Unique has pretty much disappeared. Got some N340 that worked really well. Tried a couple of starting loads of #9 and not only did the accuracy go out the door, the recoil was a mite stiff. However, the two starting loads in my 41Mag were very accurate with stiff but totally acceptable recoil. Shooting a 250 gr powdercoated cast SWC. Starting loads were 17.3 and 17.6 gr. Ruger Super Blackhawk.

Experiences with this combo? Typically run 9.9 Unique which is very accurate. Have some stomper loads (near the top of the chart) with H110 that also remind you that you are shooting a .44 Mag but incredibly accurate.

[MT Gianni]

I find it's surplus twin WC820 likes to be pushed hard with heavy bullets. Do not go lighter than 240 gr in 44 mag. Accuracy should improve with velocity but the powder is not for casual plinking.

[762sultan]

I know WC-820 works real well but where do you find any? I was going to try a powder from Midsouth Shooters Supply that is called Heavy Pistol and it is close to AA9 in burn rate. Only problem is it is made Romania or somewhere in that part of the world and with the panic of Covid there is none available right now

[black mamba]

Power Pistol is a good bit faster than #9, closer to Herco. Shooter's World Heavy Pistol is a very close match to #9, and good stuff if you can find it.

[DougGuy]

Tried a couple of starting loads of #9 and not only did the accuracy go out the door, the recoil was a mite stiff.

You may want to try a fairly heavy crimp for this powder, also check to see there is no boolit movement in unfired rounds halfway through a cylinder full.

[Tar Heel]

Accurate #9 is an excellent magnum pistol powder. I have used it in the 454 Casull as well as the 44 and 41 Magnums. Like all magnum powders, a heavy roll crimp is requisite to ensure reliable and consistent ignition at shot start. It has been my experience that low standard deviation (SD) is attained near the upper end of the load data range. I got the lowest SD when the powder was made in Israel as "Accurate Arms" propellant but the new stuff works great too. With the 270gr Lyman 429640H bullet and other similar weight bullets, 20 grains of #9 is my load. This delivers 1320fps with a SD of 6 fps. No typo there, it's 6 (six) fps SD.

With the heavier 300gr bullets, I drop to 18gr of Accurate #9. I light these off with a magnum primer as well. Accurate #9, H110, W296 prefer 6" barrels over 4" barrels. If you love muzzle flash, then the shorter barrels are better for that but your velocity will suffer as well as standard deviation across your shot string.

I believe the Accurate brand of powder has a secret following and I am to be counted in that fraternity. It has cured some really difficult performance issues for me and, on the whole, delivers the lowest SD I have ever seen among a propellant brand. I routinely get single digit SD with this family of propellants.

Accurate #7 cured the keyhole problem I had in the 9mm. Although a bullet whining downrange was fun to hear, the delivery upon target was disappointing - if it even hit the target post board. :-) Accurate #7 fixed that. Its pressure/time curve was just what the doctor ordered for the 9mm.

So....the takeaway is that I shoot a lot of Accurate #9 in my magnum loads. Know however that this is a magnum propellant by design and that magnum calibers KICK harder than others. I suggest loading them as designed to realize the full potential of the propellant/bullet combinations. A shooting glove will definitely help when firing test strings at the range over the chronograph.

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That target BTW, was shot with open sights - not a scope. Imagine what a scoped Contender or revolver would do!

[Dom]

I have #9 & it works in my 44 mag rifle loads , but I end up going back to 2400 . Just works better for me. Rifle or hand gun.

[DougGuy]

A A shooting glove will definitely help when firing test strings at the range over the chronograph.

The biggest problem with this is that no one makes a dedicated Single Action Revolver shooting glove! And yes, the areas of padding in typical shooting gloves are more for LEO climbing over chain link fences than protecting a magnum shooter's knuckles from the grip frame.

I found for the hardest kicking Rugers that one good turn of 1" wide stretchy flexi bandage from CVS around the middle knuckle of the middle finger on the shooting hand works a LOT better than any glove, especially one with padding everywhere except where you need it most. I can shoot 300gr 30,000psi loads from a birdshead Vaquero all day with just that one turn of bandage.

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[cheapshot]

Crimp is pretty solid, considerably more than the .41 Mag. Getting no setback at all. Had a few pieces of old brass from the range with really dirty primer pockets. If the primers aren't perfectly flush they will hang up on the frame. Cleaned the pockets out later. Couldn't see how bad they were. Dropped the cylinder twice on the second batch to get it to turn. All was good.

[Tar Heel]

The biggest problem with this is that no one makes a dedicated Single Action Revolver shooting glove!

DougGuy - I use this Uncle Mike's glove which has a double leather middle finger upper and a web protector as well. I have had this pair of gloves for a while and they are getting a bit threadbare. I went to the Uncle Mike's web site and these are no longer offered as a product. Holy smoke! I haven't looked at all the available options as far as makers are concerned but for sure, the ACE bandage will work to keep your knuckle from getting beaten up. I always have a few band-aides in my range box specifically for this purpose (knuckle protection) if I have left my shooting gloves elsewhere.

I'll guard my gloves with my life now that I know I can't replace them with a newer pair. Somebody has to make a similar glove.....I'll keep looking.

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[El Bibliotecario]

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I know the original poster asked for 44 Magnum data, but I had the attached 44 Special photo readily available. The accuracy may be nothing to rave about--but neither is my shooting. Load data is noted on the target. This might--or might not--serve as a plinking load in the bigger case.

[Tar Heel]

286678[/I]

I know the original poster asked for 44 Magnum data, but I had the attached 44 Special photo readily available. The accuracy may be nothing to rave about--but neither is my shooting. Load data is noted on the target. This might--or might not--serve as a plinking load in the bigger case.

Library Man, Give Tite Group a try in that 4" tube. You will be amazed! Accurate #9 never did well for me in a 4" bbl. Seems to really like 6" or more to get good burn. That's a sweet looking Ruger BTW.

[alfadan]

I use aa9 at 18.5gr with a 240gr swcgc. Works very well. Also, a finger-groove rosewood grip that fills in the gap behind the trigger guard helped tremendously.

[charlie b]

I am another AA fan. I used a lot of #5 and #7 in the .45, 9mm, and .357. I tried #9 once in the .357. It was better than the #7 when using the heaviest bullets, ~180gn. Since I didn't shoot anything heavier than 158 it really didn't do anything more for me than #7.

I hope Western keeps the #7 as it is what I used the most in the pistols. Haven't seen any for a long time.

[black mamba]

Shooter's World Major Pistol is a near duplicate of AA #7, and works very well in the magnums and heavy 45 Colt loads.

[Lloyd Smale]

i was told ramshot enforcer is the same as aa9 too but dont take it to the bank because ive never tried it.

[black mamba]

Ramshot Enforcer is the same as Accurate 4100, both slower than #9.

[rintinglen]

#9 in my experience is more in the 2400/VV N110 range, but because of it's perennial unavailability, I have only used it in .357 magnum and in a single 44 Mag load. 18.0 grains of #9 and an RCBS 44-250K was showing signs of being quite accurate, but I ran out and couldn't find any locally.
I had tried AA #2 back in the day, but found lot-to-lot variances were excessive, and availability was spotty.

[ioon44]

I like accurate #9 for my 44 Mag and have really good accuracy with a 245 gr Keith style bullet.

[Alferd Packer]

Been playing with loads again since Unique has pretty much disappeared. Got some N340 that worked really well. Tried a couple of starting loads of #9 and not only did the accuracy go out the door, the recoil was a mite stiff. However, the two starting loads in my 41Mag were very accurate with stiff but totally acceptable recoil. Shooting a 250 gr powdercoated cast SWC. Starting loads were 17.3 and 17.6 gr. Ruger Super Blackhawk.

Experiences with this combo? Typically run 9.9 Unique which is very accurate. Have some stomper loads (near the top of the chart) with H110 that also remind you that you are shooting a .44 Mag but incredibly accurate.
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Those starting loads will work really well if you put a heavy crimp on those loads.
This is true with virtually all loads using any but lite target loads with fast powders.