Need load advise for NEF 44 mag rifle

[wallacem]

Been doing some playing with the NEF 44 mag, and find it doesnot like light bullets run slow. 240 grain bullets shoot fine but my 210 doe not group well at 50 yards, running at about 1000 fps. Do any of you shoot a NEF and what bulets and loads work best for you? My barrel slugs out at .429 but the slow 1 in 38 twist [twist corrected] seems to be the problem. Wallacm inGa

[Outpost75]

Been doing some playing with the NEF 44 mag, and find it doesnot like light bullets run slow. 240 grain bullets shoot fine but my 210 doe not group well at 50 yards, running at about 1000 fps. Do any of you shoot a NEF and what bulets and loads work best for you? My barrel sluggs out at .429 but the slow 1 in 28 twist seems to be the problem. Wallacm inGa

I load 16 grains of #2400 or 18.5 grains of 4227 with 265 grain Saeco #441 Keith style or 260-grain #430 flatnose with plain base. Bullets loaded as-cast and unsized at .433" diameter and lubed with 45-45-10. Handi rifle with scope groups 3"-4" for ten shots at 100 yards off sandbags. Good "medium velocity" deer load which works well in my revolvers too.

YMMV, but I have found that .44 Special handloads with 260-grain Saeco #430 FN with 5.2 grains of Bullseye shoot well in mine and are low noise for use with a can.

302139

[nannyhammer]

Loaded for my dad's that he used to own. It loved a max load of H110 and 240gr XTP and Beartooth 265gr WFN bullets.

[Larry Gibson]

What powder/load with the 210s?

[Pepe le PewPew]

I’d say if you’re blaming the 1/28” twist as “slow” , then your 240 shouldn’t shoot well either, and honestly should shoot WORSE than the 210. Something else is the issue. I don’t have a NEF 44, but that doesn’t matter for that part of the discussion. Also, friends with Marlin 1/38” twist 44 have had good luck up to 265gr , but at higher velocity than your listed 1000fps. Hope you get it figured out.

[sukivel]

I shoot the MP 432640 hp out of my NEF, it’s 250 gr with 9.0 gr of 700x.

Not sure how accurate it is but after shooting cans open sight and offhand at 30 yards and getting hits almost every time I didn’t care to look on paper.

I do need to see where I am at on paper though. Would like to shoot a deer with it this fall.


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[Shadow9mm]

You say the 210s do not group well. What size group are we talking? What kind of groups are you getting with the 240s? is the 240s are shooting well, why not just use those?

[Outpost75]

If the 210- grain bullets don't shoot well you are sizing them too small, casting then too hard and driving them too fast. You want .432" diameter minimum, 12Bhn maximum and to approximate .44-40 velocity 1250-1350 fps in the slow twist. Try 7 grains of Bullseye, 700x or TiteGroup, 7.5 grains 452AA or WST, 8 grains of Unique, 9 grains of AutoComp or Herco.

[PositiveCaster]

The OP states that his NEF has a 1:28” twist, but all references I’ve seen list 1:38”. Since he is not “pushing them too hard” at just 1000 fps, at what speed did the 240s shoot well? If they were faster than the 210s, then the problem certainly could be the twist rate. Is the OP seeing leading with the 210s? If not then the bullet size/hardness may be okay. The starting loads below will give the OP place to begin, assuming he has/can find those powders. (The suggested 7 grains of Tightgroup will be far too fast if he wants to stay at 1000 fps.) Since he hasn’t bothered to answer the clarification questions above, it’s difficult to provide him with a meaningful answer.

302199

[versa-06]

I have one that I've run a lot of cast ammo through & it's a 1:38 twist. I got some advice a while back that said heavier boolits only shoot fast with slow powders & slow with fast powders in these H&R slow twist rifles. 10 gr Titegroup with a shallow seat shoots 210, & 240gr, quite well, & 9.7 gr titegroup 250 gr. 10 gr 800-x w-210's. -6.2 gr B-eye w-240gr short range dispatch load for trapping Yotes. I have found this advice to be very helpful. But the boolit must be sized properly as we all know. Tite group & 800-x are this rifles friend. One more note these rifles usually have a deep throat so a shallow seat may help.

[versa-06]

I might ad that this rifle loves top end loads using W-296 &210-255 grain bullets.

[Rapier]

The standard silhouette load for the 44 Mag is 23 grains of H-110 under a 240 grain GC hard cast sized to the groove diameter using LBT Blue lube. I use a profile crimp. On the Hogdon site it is shown as the starting load. If you want to use a 210, just increase the powder until it sounds like a rifle, in an 8” revolver. The 44 will shoot 1” at 100 when you get it right.

[Lonegun1894]

The one I had, and sold like the idiot that I am, shot Lyman 429421s sized .434" and pushed with 10.0grs Unique into 1.5-2"@100yds with the factory front post and a Williams rear aperture sight. And the 1:38" twist didn't hurt it one bit.

[versa-06]

Hey wallacem ; where'd you go? Larry G. had the question. What powder/load R-U using with the 210's

[gunseller]

I don't have a NEF but have a Rossi lever and 6 handguns in 44 mag. All shoot a 210 swc well. Cast out of acww and loaded over 6 grains Red Dot. My rabbit and squirrel load. Shot one deer with it at just over 100 yards. Sized .429. Some fire arms just don't like a certain bullet weight for whatever reason.
Steve

[wallacem]

Hey guys, I have been away. Just got back and will get some more info to ya'll tomorrow

[wallacem]

OK a little more info. First, my 44 mag loads that shoot good in the NEF rifle is a 240 gr keith cast, 8.5 gr Unique. I shoot a 2" group at 50 yards. The load that shoots about 8-10" groups at 50 yards is a 200 gr cast with 5.0 red dot in 44 spl cases. I know I first said 210 gr but they are200 gr. I also had forgot to mention using 44 spl cases, but I normally don't have a problem using special cases in this NEF. As I mentioned before, the bore slugs at .429 and these bullets I am using are .430

[Edward]

What he said works!!!/Ed

[versa-06]

The bullet jump depending on your OAL may be allowing your smaller bullet to pitch before entering the lands. Try some mag brass seated as shallow as possible & still not hitting the lands. I seat my Lyman 429215 @1.756 OAL & My NEF likes them.

[wallacem]

I was thinking the same idea. Will load up some this week and try them and report back. Wallace