I want to make a few 44mag wrist breakers.

[Jaak]

I want to make a few 44 MAG wrist breaker cartridges as a "That's not a knife, this is a knife" type thing for the guests that I bring to the range that want to shoot "the big stuff". It has to be something that a six inch Smith and Wesson 629 can handle as I know the 629 is a little more delicate when compared to the Ruger revolvers that are built like tanks.

What powder and bullet combinations have you all had success with when it came to making a few punishing cartridges?

[DougGuy]

If it's hard enough to hurt your wrist, it's hard enough to hurt the Smith after a while. I would relegate that educational experience you want to exhibit to your guests to only a Ruger..

[Stopsign32v]

I don't think this is the best idea. I dunno...Just don't see you getting much advice here on this.

[358429]

Do you have heavy bullets and winchester 296 or hodgdon h110? Check your load data books, and start a load work up.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[white eagle]

watch your powder charges with 296 and 110 you don't want to start
below listed charges for them then I would use 300+ gr boolits as well

[45-70 Chevroner]

I would stay away from 300gr boolits or J words, in the Smith. You can get a stiff enough load from a 240 or 250 gr. load using 2400. High end loads with that powder and those slugs will be quite enough to get the attention of most novices shooters.

[gwpercle]

Would you like the load Elmer Keith published in his 1936 book " Sixgun Cartridges & Loads"
Wait ... this is Elmer's "44 Special" load ... it's 1936 and the 44 Magnum is still in his mind .
But if you load it in a 44 magnum case you will have a pretty good load .
44 Magnum case .

250 grain cast Plain Base Keith SWC like:
Lyman #429421 or the RCBS #44-250-SWC.

20.0 grs 2400 powder @ 1248 fps

CCI 300 Large Pistol Primer

Remember start low and work up ... this is a maximum load in a couple of manuals ...under the 44 magnum data.
Interesting how Elmer used it in the 44 special... he sorta liked to push the envelope to the very edge .
I'm not sure I would want to go any heavier than a 250 gr, boolit
and 20 grs. 2400 !
Gary

[Winger Ed.]

I'd load regular loads but with the slowest powder.

Then shoot later on in the evening.
A muzzle flash that looks like one from a battle ship is less strain on the gun, and more impressive, than a sore wrist.

[Rug480]

Can’t speak to 44mag specifically but if you’re looking for some wow factor maybe try shooting for the safest, heaviest load that’ll reach 1300-1400fps,

700gr SW500 pills were pretty tame next to full tilt 540gr - the extra velocity kicked it up a notch

[Hanzy4200]

I am not a reloading authority. Verify any data with your manual. Work UP to these max loads.

One of my hotter loads is 23 gr of W-296 under a 245 gr hard cast, magnum primed. Very stout load. I get roughly 1,500 fps out of my Ruger. I would second the opinion of not running these, or other full power pills, through your Smith. You're going to rattle that thing to pieces. Get a second hand Ruger for $500.

If your goal is to put on a show, maybe think of moving up in size. .460 maybe. .500 Linebaugh? I would definitely not put any of these pistols, even the .44, in the hands of anyone inexperience. Not cool.

[BigAlofPa.]

Load some 180 grain cast with 8 grains of unique. Let them shoot 6. Then load some in the gun with 12 grains of unique. It will be fun for them to shoot. And it wont hurt the smith.

[mdi]

When I got my first 44 Mag, nearly 35 years ago, a Ruger SBH I had a raging case of "Magnumitis". I liked the massive muzzle blast and wrist breaking recoil. Next handgun was a 629 and I continued my heavy loads until I had to send it to the factory for barrel resetting (it now only digests 44 Special "+P" level loads.).

But my early "wrist breakers" were with a 265 gr. LRNFP over hefty, near max charges of WC 820. I tried a few 300 gr cast over max Bluedot charges. Lots of noise and recoil, but none over book max. My Ruger and Dan Wesson survived about 8 years of these loads, but my age has mellowed me and I now use much more sane 44 Magnum loads (still 99% cast bullets)...

[Mal Paso]

Wrong Gun! If you want wrist snapping you need a shorter barrel and a Smith won't take Ruger loads for long.

20g of 2400 with a good fitting 260g boolit will do 1350fps from a 6" S&W 629 with about 1,050 ftlbs of energy. My regular load.

[358429]

Mr Jaak what powders and bullets (components) and books and equipment do you have available to you at your reloading bench?

Do you want loud concussion and trash can size fireballs?

Or do you want recoil that's going to make the palm of your hand feel like you slapped a granite countertop really hard?

Maybe you want both

I love to share this picture

I think if you set up a hardened steel plate at a safe distance and let your inexperienced friends shoot a 9 millimeter at it, then afterwards shoot the 629, even with moderate 44 special/light 44 mag loads they will obviously see the increase of swinging (energy transfer) due to momentum.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[405grain]

Pick a load from a reloading manual that is below maximum with a 240 grain bullet and H110. (use a magnum primer) You will get the impressive recoil and muzzle flash. Tell your victims to hold the gun with both hands when firing so they don't hit themselves in the head with the pistol. It's a real good idea to only have one round in the cylinder so some noobie doesn't accidentally fire another round because of the recoil.
After you have panicked your friends with the fireworks show, a much better diet for your 629 would be cast SWC's around 240 grains +/-, over a charge of HS-6 that gives you 44 special +P performance. The gun will like these better, and you will like shooting them better.

[Piedmont]

Would you like the load Elmer Keith published in his 1936 book " Sixgun Cartridges & Loads"
Wait ... this is Elmer's "44 Special" load ... it's 1936 and the 44 Magnum is still in his mind .
But if you load it in a 44 magnum case you will have a pretty good load .
44 Magnum case .

250 grain cast Plain Base Keith SWC like:
Lyman #429421 or the RCBS #44-250-SWC.

20.0 grs 2400 powder @ 1248 fps

CCI 300 Large Pistol Primer

Remember start low and work up ... this is a maximum load in a couple of manuals ...under the 44 magnum data.
Interesting how Elmer used it in the 44 special... he sorta liked to push the envelope to the very edge .
I'm not sure I would want to go any heavier than a 250 gr, boolit
and 20 grs. 2400 !
Gary

Balloon head cases upped the capacity of his .44 Special brass.

[Carrier]

With a 240 XTP and Hodgdon load of 23 to 24 grains of 296 or 110 will get you the flash, bang and recoil you are looking for. I wouldn’t want to shoot a steady diet of them in your 629. But I do know some who have shot hundreds of these loads and don’t seem to have any issues with theirs yet.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Pick a load from a reloading manual that is below maximum with a 240 grain bullet and H110. (use a magnum primer) You will get the impressive recoil and muzzle flash. Tell your victims to hold the gun with both hands when firing so they don't hit themselves in the head with the pistol. It's a real good idea to only have one round in the cylinder so some noobie doesn't accidentally fire another round because of the recoil.
After you have panicked your friends with the fireworks show, a much better diet for your 629 would be cast SWC's around 240 grains +/-, over a charge of HS-6 that gives you 44 special +P performance. The gun will like these better, and you will like shooting them better.

I shoot a 250 gr. boolit over 12 gr. of HS-6 out of my Super Blackhawk. Good utility loading.

[Old Caster]

I find that H110 gives me the most power with a max load and I use a 255 grain Saeco bullet. I shoot them out of an Anaconda and a SBH Ruger and the Ruger kicks way harder and kind of twists in the hand but I had a female exchange student from Japan and I doubt she weighed a hundred pounds and she shot both guns numerous times with one hand. She would handle the Ruger recoil over distance. She would keep her elbow fairly stiff and let the gun go behind her head. With the Colt she wouldn't go past about a 45 degree angle.

When some Japanese engineers came to General Motors for the Fukishima project, I took them shooting and used my girl as a translator and shooting advisor. They were stunned because they would try to hold the gun real still and keeping it from going up much at all and then say, Ow Ow Ow and they each shot two shots, one in each gun so about 12 shots total and she shot the rest of the 50 all with one hand and their accuracy compared to her's was pitiful mostly because she shot in a Bullseye league with me and my son. And by the way, I look both like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood which is quite an accomplishment to look like both considering how different they look from each other.

[44Blam]

I've got the 43-240 AG mold from Accurate and I load that guy with 23.5 grain of W296. It is stout and pushes that boolit right at 1450 fps. I shoot this out of the Ruger - not so sure I would shoot it out of anything else...