JB, are you seeing a trend here?

This is universal sage advice you're getting. These guys are all experienced in both loading and shooting. I've been reading some of them for up to 10 years on the web, and their answers mirror my experiences of the last 30 years.

My hot load is with AA#9, but I've been toying with 2400 & 4227 lately (going back to my roots, I suppose, as my mentor taught me with those). Lots of blast and flash, but that fun will wear off sooner or later. I still load 'em, but only for carrying in the woods and ocassional sight verification.

My main load in 44 Mag cases is 7.5grs of 231 (HP38 is same powder and load is interchangeable) with a 265gr SWC, giving me about 875fps out of 5"-6.5" barrels. It's VERY pleasant to shoot, accurate, and powerful enough to take up to deer-size, close-range targets of opportunity.