Well I tried them out today and, as you surmised the lower end loads with 2400 were both incredibly dirty and inaccurate. I had loaded some 13, 15 and 17 grain rounds and as I went up in powder levels, they became more accurate and cleaner. The 17 grain load was stout indeed.

There was some leading, but not bad. I'm not sure which load, or if all of them contributed to it, but it should be easily removed with the lewis lead remover. (gets here tomorrow)

This was my first extended session with a 44 mag, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I ran 100 44 special equivalents, 15 mid-range, and 25 mag rounds through my new model 29. It happily ate them all. Those, coupled with 100 rounds of 45acp have managed to make my hand pretty tired. The 45 rounds felt light in comparison!

Thanks again for your help in this endeavor. Much appreciated.