Best all-round 44 mag boolit/load

[fatelvis]

I just bought a S&W 629 classic with a 6.5" bbl, and am shopping for all of the essential "ingredients" to build a good load that I can shoot for an extended time, is accurate, and a good game getter (deer & hogs). Even two loads would be helpful, a light one for plinking/practice, and one for hunting. As always, thanks in advance for your input!

[Premod70]

Try try the Keith bullet and 8.5-10 grains of Unique powder, 8.5 grains will shoot through a deer, 10 grains does it a little better. You can shoot heavier loads but the recoil wears on you over time and nothing is gained compared to the abuse your hand receives.

[Tatume]

I've never found the recoil of the 44 Rem Mag to be abusive. My two favorite loads are 1) Nosler 240 grain bullets with a max charge of H110/W296 (found here: http://www.hodgdon.com/), and 250 grain cast bullets with a max charge of Alliant 2400 (found here: http://www.alliantpowder.com/). Both of these loads are very accurate and very effective. In handguns from 6" revolvers through 14" Contenders, I find both loads to be comfortable to shoot for extended sessions.

[bangerjim]

As the wise old sage once said, "People in Hades want ice water". There is no "perfect" load for anyone or anything. I have at least 6 different loads I use in my 44mag. Just go by the published load data books and find one that feels right for your. I have 5 that feel right for me.

My full-house loads are based upon H110 - - - again directly from the books for the weights I use.

Never use load data from a forum or the net without first double-checking and verifying against published data! I assume since you have been around here since 2006 you own pleanty of load data books.

Good luck developing YOUR load for YOUR gun! And be safe.

banger

[mdi]

I have 5, .44 Magnums and each has it's favorite load. My three revolvers will shoot 240 gr, LRNFP pretty good but one prefers WC820 and one likes Blue Dot. I burn a lot of Unique, Universal and 2400 in my magnums, 99% with cast lead bullets (a lot of Ranch Dog design 240 and 265 gr, LRNFP)

Perhaps it was just my 629, but I've also read this, after a steady diet of heavy loads the revolver can "shoot loose". My particular gun was sent back to the factory to have the barrel "clocked". I had a case of "Magnumitis" and fired many, many full magnum loads it it (mebbe 1 1/2 years), and noticed my barrel had turned to the right, from the muzzle,mebbe 3-4 degrees. Factory repair tech mentioned in the repair report it can happen with continued use of heavy loads. My 629 now sees limited "Magnum" use, but a lot of low to medium loads with 250 gr LSWC and Universal...

[runfiverun]

I have a couple of "go-to" loads.
one is 9.3 grs of unique under the 429241 or the 429667 this is my 'every day' load.
it's not full throttle but it's accurate and precise to the sights on all of my 44's.
I could and do use it every day for everything from targets to rabbits to rocks to deer.

the other is 19.3 grs of 2400 under the same boolits.
it's umm,,,, more, more recoil, flatter trajectory and has just about the same accuracy as the 'every day' load.
it just gets there a bit sooner.

I have tried a ton of other loads from clay's through steel and some H-110 but those two seem to be the vast majority of what I have on hand at any one time.
especially the every-day load, I probably have 3-4,000 cases for those around here.

[Petrol & Powder]

I must agree with premod70 - the 240-250 grain "Keith" type SWC, loaded to the equivalent of the "Skeeter" 44 Special but using 44 magnum brass, is an outstanding 44 mag round. I use 8.2 grains of Unique in a 44 magnum case and I couldn't be happier. It is an excellent "do it all" cartridge and will meet 90% of what a 44 mag is called upon to do. For that last 10% you have full power 44 mag loads at your disposal.

I use a RCBS 250 SWC bullet cast with 30:1 (lead/tin) and it works beautifully.
Unique powder for the "Skeeter equivalent" loads and H110 and a little harder alloy for the full magnum loads.
DONE !

[wrench man]

In my opinion an "All Around Load" wouldn't include a "Keith" type boolit of any kind, I shoot the SAME ammo out of my rifle and revolver, a RNFP feeds well in the lever gun but a semi wad cutter of any sort generally requires double or even triple clutching of the lever!

[Ohio Rusty]

My deer boolit and load is a 429244 HP, weighs about 240 grains on top of a load if 18.5 grains of 2400. Shoots very accurate and a great deer load for my .44 mag contender ....
Ohio Rusty ><>

[tward]

Fatelvis, yea, got to go with the other guys. The Skeeter load (7.5 gr Unique/Keith boolet) will do most of what you need in a 44 mag. It seems a little light on paper but will go through most critters in the lower 48, nothing I'd want to stand in front of! Easy on the gun, hand and wallet!Tim

[Petrol & Powder]

In my opinion an "All Around Load" wouldn't include a "Keith" type boolit of any kind, I shoot the SAME ammo out of my rifle and revolver, a RNFP feeds well in the lever gun but a semi wad cutter of any sort generally requires double or even triple clutching of the lever!

If I had a lever action in the mix that wouldn't feed a SWC, I would go that route. The RNFP is also an excellent bullet.

[DougGuy]

Lee C430-310-RF over 17.0gr Hercules 2400, WLP primer. 1180-1200fps from a 7 1/2" SBH. Slightly less than max load.

[fatelvis]

Thanks for all the replies Guys! I'm leaning towards a Kieth style boolit over 8-9 grns Unique. It sounds like what I'm looking for, and Quickload says it will be running between 1040-1126fps. Are any of you using the gas checked versions of the Kieth boolit, or is it necessary?

[Bomberman]

Gas checks are not necessary for the 429421 Keith boolit. My go-to load for my 4 inch Model 29 is 9 grains of Unique under the 429421. Deadly accurate and easy on the wrist.

[Petrol & Powder]

Gas checks are not needed and frankly I avoid them at all cost.

[unclemikeinct]

I use the Laser Cast 240gr. plain base w 7.1 grains of Unique..reg L P Primer...It works very well in my 5 inch S&W classic...mike in ct

[rintinglen]

I use two basic loads with the 429-421. 8,5 grains of unique, or 20.0 grains of 2400. For 20+ years, I ran it with 22.0 of 2400, as per Elmer Keith. Nowadays, the powers that be have neutered the 357 and 44 magnums and lowered the MAP (max allowable average pressure) to prevent damage to weaker guns.

[DougGuy]

Gas checks help if you are shooting a soft alloy and soft lube. This would make a really good hunting boolit when you can scratch it with a thumbnail, this is exactly the purpose of a gas check. I find they keep the bore cleaner.

[runfiverun]

never overlook the rnfp design.

jeez I should just add that to my sig-line.

[44man]

The boolit I found both the Ruger and S&W loves is the 265 RD. I use 22 gr of 296 with a fed 150 primer for deer and long range.
I shot yesterday and handed it to my neighbor and he blew one of those little bottles of water at 100 yards, first shot ever with a .44, he could not put it down and went through a pile of my loads.
Two other neighbors did real good with it too.
Now I do use the RCBS 245 Keith with 7 gr of Unique for fun but found I need to make boolits VERY hard, 28 to 30 BHN. Very rare because I don't like a Keith style. The shoulder is the most useless thing to put on a boolit.
Most of my hunting is with the 310 Lee or my own 330 gr WLN but I consider both too heavy for a S&W. Top out at 265, heavier has too much inertia on the gun and torque.