Light loads in 44 Rem mag Rifle Cowboy

[Ford SD]

Need and looking for Light loads in 44 Rem mag Rifle
I have a Rossi lever in 44-mag 20" barrel :-P looking for loads for Cowboy western style shooting and I have never loaded 44 mag for rifle

I have one 240g mold and another cowboy friendly 240g Lyman mold in the mail

As the Alliant web site only gives out data for the 44 in revolver I don't know where to start using Unique and Bullseye and 2400 in the rifle

Using pistol data how much more velocity will I get in a 20" barrel plus 300 fps?

Need light loads for the wife so how low can I go without getting one stuck in the barrel (I hope that I would recognize a squib but the wife might not and put another one down the pipe)

Cowboy loads are limited for velocity so don't want to too high

Thanks

[405]

There is data available for 44 Mag in CAS type loads. Trail Boss is a good one to try. Check on the Hodgdon (IMR) site for CAS load data. You can also just use 44 Special cases and load to the lower pressure/velocity specs. But, if you shoot a lot the fouling build-up (carbon ring) in front of the shorter case can be a real pain!

300 fps seems like a lot of difference between handgun and carbine barrels using fast pistol powders- I'd guess much less.

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[two bit okie]

I have a marlin, a rossi, and 4 vaqueros. I load a 200 gr cast (lee 6 cavity) and 6 grs of unique. I will have to dig to find where I got the load, but my guns love it.

[Rodfac]

I've got a Marlin 336 in .44 Magnum with a 20" bbl; and a 6-1/2" bbl'd Ruger Flat Top Blackhawk.

With Lyman's 429215 at 220 gr's, and Win 231, 8.0 gr gives 1043 fps in the Blackhawk and 1223 fps from the Marlin. With that powder, I usually get just about 200 fps difference.

HTH's Rodfac

[Rodfac]

Yep, it's a '64 model 336...I think they made 'em for 3 yrs or so. This one, like many has an oversize bore..ie. .432"+. To get good cast bullet accuracy, I size my Lyman 429215's to .432" and use Hornady's gas check. This combination will give me 1+" gps at 50 yds with the scope on it....and 1.5" with just a receiver peep. I've pushed that bullet to 1300 fps or a little more with a WW alloy with no leading problems, but anything less than .432" dia. is worthless. It pays to slug the bore and size them accordingly. For use in my Rugers and a cpl of S&W's, I've found that the same size works fine, but I don't push the velocities up in deference to the oversize bullet for the bores. When sized to .430", in both makes, the accuracy improves by about 1/4" at 25 yds...for me not really worth the trouble.

I use the light loads in the carbine as practice rounds...and to wow my buddies when they come over to laugh at my cast boolit loads...the laughter doesn't last long! Here''s a typical scope mounted target shot at 50 yds from a sitting, back supported position, no bench or forearm support...the old gun sure has the address when you get the sizing down right!!
Rodfac
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii64/Rodfac/Targets/Targets002.jpg

[collyer]

Hey guys thanks for sharing this info this will we help me out.

[lathesmith]

You can go as low as 3 grains or so with Bullseye from a 20" carbine barrel--IF you use soft lube and SOFT lead. Accuracy is excellent in my Ruger 96/44--nice, quiet plinking load that is decently accurate at close range to boot. About 4.7 grains of Red Dot yields 850-900 fps from the same carbine--and is still a nice, quiet and accurate plinker.

lathesmith

[O.S.O.K.]

Yeah there's plenty of CAS data for the 44mag - and its free.

I would suggest 6.5 grains of W231 under the 240 grain boolit- should give you about 1000 fps out of your rifle.

Figure about 20% gain in velocity over pistol speeds.

[Throckmorton]

If your looking for softer recoil,Trailboss is the powder to go to...dagned near wimpy loads with that stuff,fills the case very nicely too.

[Ford SD]

Thanks for all the info
have a part can of 231 also
so will be doing lots of development as soon as i get the car fixed and the new mold comes in and get some new bullets cast

just going to to do air cool if that does not work oven heat treat

Thanks Again

[Rodfac]

If you're still interested, Ford, my 429215's are a ww alloy, air cooled and lubed with LLA. 'Bout as easy to make up as possible. I size them in a Lee push through sizer (.432"), one of Ranch Dogs contributions as Lyman didn't make a .432" sizer for the 450 Lubricator. I can shoot them that way with similar gping results or add the gc for more umph.

One hang up tho...the Hornady checks are too small in the cup to push fit on the base of my 429215's. I open them up with a ballpeen hammer with the end polished smooth...and it gives me those 1+" gps at 50 yds. Just a light tap does it. Flares them out so they slip on. A suggestion from another forum member...bless his heart!

Rodfac

[Irascible]

I use the Saeco 200 gr Cowboy mould and size my WW bullets at .430. When Trail boss came out I settled on 6gr which is the same velocity and slightly more accurate than the load of AA#2 I was using. Both are equal velocity to the American Pioneer load I usually shoot. I sight in dead on at 50yds which is about 1 high at 25yds. I throw the charges. It works very well for Cowboy action

[Dale53]

Rodfac;
Excellent post!

There is a LOT of good information in this thread.

Dale53

[Ford SD]

Well have a small up date,
Got my Lyman 44 cal mold # 2660667- #429667 240g cowboy friendly mold and cast up some bullets weight in at 251g -- 252g with lube using range lead dia 431- 432
Only loaded a dummy to check feeding, feeds good no hang ups, in a Rossi puma model 92 copy
Load length 1.630 +- in 44 mag brass crimping in groove :Fire:

New question I have 250g gc bullet data, how much to reduce for lead base bullet?

Or should I just use 240g data as all I am looking for at this time is a accurate fun load start at min and work up and stop when I get a target I am happy with.
now working on casting enough to have some fun in the summer :Fire:

Thanks

[WyrTwister]

Need and looking for Light loads in 44 Rem mag Rifle
I have a Rossi lever in 44-mag 20" barrel :-P looking for loads for Cowboy western style shooting and I have never loaded 44 mag for rifle

I have one 240g mold and another cowboy friendly 240g Lyman mold in the mail

As the Alliant web site only gives out data for the 44 in revolver I don't know where to start using Unique and Bullseye and 2400 in the rifle

Using pistol data how much more velocity will I get in a 20" barrel plus 300 fps?

Need light loads for the wife so how low can I go without getting one stuck in the barrel (I hope that I would recognize a squib but the wife might not and put another one down the pipe)

Cowboy loads are limited for velocity so don't want to too high

Thanks

Take a look at the load data for .44 Special .

God bless
Wyr

[Franklin Zeman]

Just a quick comment. If your sizer die is too small, there is a simple easy fix. Take it out of the machine and clean it up. Take a round pencil and wrap a strip of sandpaper around it. Put the pencil into the hole and roll the die on your pant leg. Measure from time to time until you get the diameter you want. I usually scratch the new size on the die so I can ID it later.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Ford SD: I have a Rossi 92 in 45 Colt. I shoot a 230 Lee tumble lube design 2R nose. I use
6.5 or 6.0gr. bullseye for the Cowboy shoots they shoot very well I never miss the 40 yd. targets with either load. Th MV is about 700 fps and if the sun is just right you can see the bullet go down range to the target. I do belive that load could be used in the 44 also, using
a 215 gr boolit or there abouts. I do get some burnt powder residue down the side of the case as this is a very low pressure load.

[EDK]

Get a copy of HODGDON'S Cowboy Action Shooting booklet and start there. I liked the 429667 with HP38 and TITEGROUP....start around 5 grains and work up as you like. The regular booklet shows considerably more enthusiastic loads in 44 magnum pistols...use this data as the maximum in your rifle. Actually, your ROSSI is an 1892 Winchester clone...one of the stronger actions....more safety net.

You get a lot more loads per pound with the pistol powders. You use half the amount of H110/2400/296...and you're not looking for maximum loads in this case anyhow. Take a look at HERCO, RED DOT, and UNIQUE also.

:cbpour: :redneck:

[hickstick_10]

TRAILBOSS

Can't praise it enough

[Yance]

Trail Boss. Data is on imr/Win/Hodgdon site. I don't shoot much of it, but from what I have I've found;

Good case fill, it meters well through my Lyman 55, burns very clean, gives very decent velocities for the perceived recoil, (i.e., shoots "soft"), and usually gives SD's in the single digits, something important when shooting "long range" with slow moving boolits.

Try it, you'll like it...unless you're a recoil junkie.<G>

[Hank10]

Any of the fast powders like bullseye, reddot, 700X, AA#2, american select, clays
are great for what you want 4 to 5 grs. with whatever bullet weight you have,
gascheck or plain base, pistol or rifle. Give you about 650 to 700 in your pistol and about 300 more in your rifle. will vary with barrel length. SASS allows velocities as low as 400 in the pistol and as high as 1000. You can also use slightly slower powders like Unique or 231, using a gr. or 2 more than the fast powders. They'll all be plenty accurate in pistols and rifles and won't beat you up in a days shooting. Have fun.
H10
AKA Hy O. Silver
Sass18867

[Ford SD]

Up date ---- got to the range

Loaded up 70 rounds started a 7.0g--8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 of Unigue with 250g lyman cowboy bullet and my own home lube

all on paper at 100yds (new gun) iron sights
Taurus/ Puma 44 mag 20" barrel 1892 clone

no Leading (checked at different times during shooting) and cleaned up easy wet patch & dry patch and repeat and the 2 dry patch came out clean

its a keeper:Fire: now serious load development

First time experiance of trying a load increase of 1g increments and shooting them down range and having one subsonic and then the next one pass the speed of sound and get a crack:lovebooli

[Newtire]

One hang up tho...the Hornady checks are too small in the cup to push fit on the base of my 429215's. I open them up with a ballpeen hammer with the end polished smooth...and it gives me those 1+" gps at 50 yds. Just a light tap does it. Flares them out so they slip on. A suggestion from another forum member...bless his heart!

RodfacI found the same thing with the Hornady checks only using the NOE remake of the 429215. The Gator Checks that Blammer sells fit perfect.