New to 44 Magnum

[FlyfishermanMike]

I just picked up my first .44 magnum. Looking into bullet styles and weights, there are almost too many options. I bought a Lee 429-200-RF to plink and start of with. Down the line I'd like a Keith style 240-250 mold. I'm leaning towards finding a used Lyman 429421 but I'm open for suggestions. Lee's 429-240-SWC doesn't seem like an exact clone and uses gas checks.

As far as appropriate powder for lighter loads, I have Unique, Titegroup, CFE Pistol, WST, Bullseye and Power Pistol. I'm considering Unique as I don't often use it in the other calibers I load.

Thanks,

^^ike

[runfiverun]

8.5-9.5 of the unique is a good spot.
it does well with 200 or 240-250gr boolits.
don't overlook a good 240gr round nose flat point boolit.
if you look closely at your revolver you'll see how it matches the curves and angle changes from the cylinder to the muzzle.

welcome aboard.
you'll hear about some mold makers with good swc type designs here shortly.

[Tatume]

Hi Mike,

Welcome aboard.

Unique is a good place to start. Look at molds on http://www.accuratemolds.com/ and you may see something you like.

Take care, Tom

[WFO2]

I'm pretty new and cast for 44 mag as well . I like the Lyman 429421 and the RCBS 44-250-KT . I have been using H110 with magnum primers .

[44man]

You didn't say which .44. One of the best for all is the 265 RD. An LBT style or RNFP will be best from 240 to 250 gr, not a Keith.
Unique is the stand by for lighter recoil and even 7 gr is very good. 231 in that range shoots very well.
Best to mention the gun if you are going to hunt deer, etc. There are things you don't want to use in a S&W.

[ironhead7544]

Lots of good bullet designs out there. Slug your barrel and cylinder for sizing.

I like the Keith 250 at 1200 fps or so for hunting. 10.0 gr Unique with that bullet is a good all around load for general shooting at less than full speed. WW296/H110 for full loads with the proper charge.

Got my first 44 Magnum in 1972.

[fatelvis]

8.5-9.5 of the unique is a good spot.
it does well with 200 or 240-250gr boolits.

What hardness boolit would work well with a 429421 over 8.5grns Unique?

[Tatume]

Wheel weight metal will work well, BHN 12. It is not critical.

[FlyfishermanMike]

Ruger Redhawk, 5.5" barrel. I'll get to real magnum loads after I familiarize myself a little more. Thanks!

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

[NavyVet1959]

Ruger Redhawk, 5.5" barrel. I'll get to real magnum loads after I familiarize myself a little more. Thanks!

Keep some light loads on hand (maybe round ball loads) for when you want to introduce your wife / girlfriend to it.

[daniel lawecki]

Welcome to our campfire first of all. Unique will serve you well I like the 250 SWC Keith. Serves my needs out to 100 yards I never had a deer complain.

[white eagle]

I have had numerous 44's you are going to love this cal
mine really likes the 429244 copy or original bullet
marry that bullet with W296 and you have a winning combination

[runfiverun]

I cut my ww's with soft lead.
ever since I noticed I was getting stick on ww's and clip on ww's in about a 1 to 3 ratio I just started sorting melting and blending them that way.
now that stick on ww's are harder to get I just use whatever soft but 'dunno for sure' lead I can get is used the same way.
last time it was a bunch of [bout 300 lbs] 22 lr lead a bud collected at an indoor range.
this gets my bhn into about the 10 range and since few of my loads are top end mud stompers anymore it does the trick.
I have even taken the alloy up to 19.5 grs of 2400 in both the 44 and 45 colt [1600-1650fps] and have had zero issues doing so.
BHN isn't all that important until it is and for loads like this harder is not a help.
if I were running my stuff on top of H-110 all the time I would explore a harder bhn by water dropping or other methods.
but the seemingly pedestrian velocity's and softer alloy do the trick on paper and in the field where I live.

[nagantguy]

the .44 is easily loaded for, molds are just big enough to fill out nice and the boolit's just big enough that they are easy to hang onto for seating/sizing ect from mild to wild the 44 is about my all te favorite. bunnies, woodchucks, crows, deer, coyotes and hogs have all fallen to it in several platforms, red hawk blackhawk, lever guns. from 180gr going slow for bunnies and such to 320 going midling fast for deer and hogs to 250 go in very fast for everything it's one of the total package revolver calibers!

[44man]

Ruger Redhawk, 5.5" barrel. I'll get to real magnum loads after I familiarize myself a little more. Thanks!

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

Good gun, I don't like the grip or spring system but the gun handles recoil OK and the tank will shoot anything. Get back after getting used to it or PM me for loads.

[fatelvis]

In light of this post, I went out and cast a couple hundred NOE 432258 boolits to load over 8.5grns Unique. It just makes me smile how beautifully those fell from a brand new mold. Seasoning? Lol, who needs seasoning?! Hats off to NOE's molds, gotta love 'em!

[EDK]

I use a variety of different boolits in multiple 44 magnums, but for pistols I really like full wadcutters from 2 group buys here. OLD WEST BULLET MOULDS made a clone of LYMAN 429352 and MIHEC did a hollow base with removable/reversible pins.
They're great for freaking out RANGE NINJAS when they see the big sharp edged holes in your targets.

[mdi]

The .44 Magnum is my most favorite cartridge. I have reloaded it with round balls over a dusting of Bullseye up to 265 gr. T-Rex killers. I cast and shot a lot Lyman's 429421 and 429244 bullets and purchased many different design bullets, none less than 225 gr. (it just didn't seem right to use a "light" bullet in my Magnums). I picked up a Puma in .44 and had feeding problems with SWCs and found Ranch Dog's excellent design bullets in 265 grain and 240 grain. It is a round nose flat point and very accurate in all my .44s (5). I can keep 2" at 25 yds in my Dan Wesson and 629, and around 3"-4" at 100 in my Puma (old eyes).

[paul edward]

Ruger Redhawk, 5.5" barrel. I'll get to real magnum loads after I familiarize myself a little more. Thanks!

All of those powders will work. Unique and Power Pistol have similar burn rates. PP meters more smoothly. Eight grains of either is a good starting place with plain base bullets.

The Lee 200RNFP is a good one to start with.

More specific recommendations can wait for clarification of your intended application.

[stubert]

No one is mentioning the Lee C430-310 mold? For $25.00 you will have a very accurate bullet that will go end to end through most anything in the lower 48. I seat mine to 1.71 over 20.8 grains of WW-296. My bhn is somewhere in the 12-14 range. These would be magnum loads.