I tried a keyword search first, but nothing came up, so here goes.

I just bought a 629-1, 4", and want to go easy on the gun (not worried about going easy on me). I remember 30 years ago reading about using short rds (.44 special) in long chambers, and would like to find a full-length .44 mag on the mild side.

I looked at Buffalo Bore's 'reduced recoil' loads and they clock in at 1250 fps, while Remington's original full-house 240 gr load is currently advertised at 1180 fps. Something around 950-1000 fps would be ideal, (or maybe I have my answer with that remington load). Bullet style doesn't matter. Wouldn't mind finding a LSWC, if they're loaded commercially.

To head off the re-loading question (it's coming, right?), I don't reload because when if I've had enough money for equipment, I bought a gun, but at current ammo prices, I'm open to the idea.

I'm assuming this is for self defense against two leggers? If so Speer makes a Short Barrel 200 Gr. (IIRC) Gold Dot load and Corbon makes a managed recoil 165 gr. JHP load. I have tested the Corbon load. The results are in the Perma-Gel Test Results thread.

Unless you are rich, practicing with a .44 almost requires that you handload.

I have a partial box (not for sale) of the Remington reduce velocity load (R44MG4). It was a 240 lead SWC bullet. I believe it has been discontinued for many years. Maybe Remington could be convinced to bring in back out with the newer lighter weight revolvers out there now in this caliber.

You're probably SOL and might as well get used to the idea of handloading.

Not only is it cheaper but you are more in control of your ammo supply, both as to the quantity and type.

FWIW, shooting .44 Specials, if you can find them, will not hurt your gun AT ALL.

Yes, it's for two-leggeds. I'll look into the CCI load; thanks for the pointer.

I suppose I'd better join some reloading forums. I remember reading about a single round Lee loader that appealed to me. Maybe it's a pain to do them one at a time, but it sounds economical.

At $37.00 and change for 20 rounds, if you shoot much it wouldn't take much to pay for a reloading setup. I know you didn't want to hear it, but it makes so much sense that it's hard not to recommend reloading.

Try a Lee Turret Press. It can be used as a single stage if you remove the auto index rod. With the rod in you still are focusing on only one cartridge at a time, but it will be faster than a single stage and the Lee Turret Press is relatively inexpensive. Get the four hole press so that you can seat and crimp (the Lee factory crimp die absolutely rocks) in two seperate steps. That's what I use and I'm happy with it. For people who burn over 100 rds. a week, a progressive press would make more sense I would think.

The outdoormarksman.com has 240gr swc.

A word about the Specials-in-a-Magnum-chamber bugaboo.

I have been hearing horror stories about how this will ruin a chamber for 45 years, and the whole time I have merrily shot .22 Shorts in LR chambers, .38 Specials in .357 chambers, .44 Specials in .44 Magnum chambers, all with nary a problem. Yes, after a lot of shooting carbon and lube can build up and form a ring of gunk inside the chamber -- but it can be cleaned out with minimal fuss, as long as you don't wait years and thousands of rounds between cleanings. Buy some decent .44 Specials for your 629, clean it regularly, and quit fretting.

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Pisgah

If you decide to reload you could produce some very mild loads using Trail Boss powder in those 44 magnum cases.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll look into the Lee Turret (and outdoormarksman, thanks!). I like hobbies, and reloading sounds like a good combination of detailed work and rewarding outcome. I've been looking at powders, brass, and bullets, and I'm sure I can do better than $26 - 36 for 20 rds of anything.

Corbon makes a 165 gr. Sierra JHP load listed at 1300 fps. You can watch high speed gello shooting video on their website.

enidpd, thanks for the heads up on the video!

1300 fps? Most of the suggestions here make the classic Remington 240 gr load (listed at 1180 fps) look tame. What exactly is the velocity of the original .44 magnum...?

240 gr @ 1400 fps

If its for two-leggeds, you don't want to use re-loads for legal reasons.
Use only factory ammo.

To practice with, get a Lyman reloading manual (Newest is Lyman 48th Edition) and lookup .44 magnum loads.
To start with, use a 200 ~ 210 grain jacketed bullet with the minimum powder charge listed for a .44 magnum case.
It will be easy on the gun and fun to shoot.
As you get used to it, you can work up to a little hotter loads.
Good luck.
Jim in Tennessee

Thanks Jim. Any bullet recommendations?

I used to read that a bullet had to move out at 1000 fps minimum to reliably expand. I'm sure bullet design has improved in 30 years. On the oteh rhand, a .44 caliber hole is a big hole, and the SWC seems pretty effective. You need a gas check over 1000 fps, right?

I shoot Speer 200 grain JHP in front of 10.5 grains of Unique in a .44 magnum brass case.
Also, Speer 210 Gold Dot JHP in front of 10.3 grains of Unique in a .44 magnum brass case.

Not sure what the fps is.

Both of these are fun loads and real easy on the gun.
Jim

You don't need expansion if you use a .44.

Nor do you need factory ammo. There are legions of us who do not use factory ammo, whether for sporting or defensive purposes.

While expansion may or not be a necessity, it most certainly is very desireable. It will transfer more energy to the shootee, and minimize the possibility of pass throughs. I'm a firm believer that mid power .44 magnums have enough energy that it can be a factor in stopping someone. Note that the best street loads in several calibers generally stop in 12"-14" of gelatin.I agree. I'm tired of the overpriced **** with QC issues that the factories are spewing out. At some point I will be using handloads in all calibers except my .22s.

As far as the Corbon 165 gr. JHP is concerned, I clocked a single round out of my 5" 629 at 1250 fps. and have found that it's very mild to shoot. I've loaded that same bullet up to 1656 fps. and it's quite different when pushed that fast.

flop-shank, I'm one who hasn't yet bought into the 'energy transfer' theory and when you don't buy into that, the whole bullet expansion thing kind of seems like a side issue. Knives and arrows transfer very little energy but have caused a lot of fatal wounds. Someone pointed out recently that a hot bath transfers more energy to you than a knife, but very little damage.

Stating the very obvious here, but bullets kill by damaging vital stuff inside. Some of that can be located on the far side of the target. I don't want a bullet stopping short of that--I want it to go all the way through. Doesn't matter to me if it still had kinetic energy to spare after accomplishing that.

Now I might whistle a different tune if I had to shoot someone with a loved one standing right behind them, but I don't. In fact, I don't even keep a loaded gun in the house and to date all of my shooting has consisted of hunting and plinking. Shooting people has never been a concern or a very likely thing to happen as I don't carry a gun, either. But in hunting, I definitely do not want the bullet stopping inside. It makes tracking too difficult.

Go to Youtube and watch Kennedy's head blow apart. Grizzly yes, but tissue torn that the bullet never touched. Yes, I know that was a rifle and we're talking handguns here. However, I run a screaming hot handload in my .44 mag. and I've shot a woodchuck through the head (which disintegrated) and two others through the body (the first one had a 5" tear for an exit wound and it's stomach, spleen and a large part of it's colon were blown out of the exit wound) and saw serious tissue damage that was done by energy. There was damaged tissue that the bullet never touched. So it stands to reason that as cartridges become more powerful, even from handguns, there's a greater likelyhood that their energy will play a part in stopping power. At the same time, I'm not saying that shot placement isn't paramount. It most certainly is.

In a podcast at Proarms Podcast , Keith Jones, a veteran cop who has used gunfire to win four deadly force encounters, talks about how when his agency switched from .38+P to .357 magnum they had to shoot perps fewer times to get them to cease their hostilities, yet more of those shot with the .357 survived their wounds to be stood in front of a judge. Obviously something more than tissue damage was at play.That's because they poke holes. The ability to stop and the ability to kill are two different things. On the flip side Mike Tyson's fist ha s locked a lot of people up and layed them out flat on the canvas without any penetration whatsoever. If energy wasn't causing the stop, what was?I don't mean to be rude, but give me a break. Generally 12"-14" penetration will reach the vital stuff. I can't forsee the future and I'm very concerned about the innocent family that might be standing behind a perp in a gas station, or on a sidewalk.Shooting to kill a game animal and shooting to stop a violent criminal are two different things and require different bullet performance. Your thinking is spot on for hunting. If I were hunting, I would look no further than the tried and proven SWC.

Well... until I get set up for reloading, I'll carry the Remington 240 @ 1180 fps. It's one of the widest hollow points I've ever seen -- like the Speer flying ashtray. I like the scalloped jacket and soft lead too.

bp, do a search, if you haven't, and check out the thread Perma-Gel Test Results here in the ammo forum. I've tested the Remington 240 gr. SJHP. I think you'll find it interesting.

I shoot a lot of remington 180 grain JSP.....seems to shoot very well and the last deer i shot with it fell in a pile.....

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millbilly

I carry a 44 Special revolver when I carry a revolver, have do hesitation about the ammo. Just find a decent hollow point. The larger hole (over a 38) gives you a head start IMHO.

That's a nuts hot load! It really impressed me when I shot it.

Pro Load made a 200 Gr "Tactical Lite" load with the Speer Gold Dot bullet at 1000fps. It shoots pretty sweet.

offers a 240 grain lead SWC at about 1100 fps. They shoot well and are very controlable with practice, decent prices too.

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Big bang, much smash'em.

"Made"? I see Pro-Load doesn't offer this any more.

I think the Speer 200 gr short barrel magnum load is probably the equivalent of what you mentioned.

I have not been able to get anything from Pro Load lately. I bought a few boxes of the Tactical Lite load several years ago. I still have 40 rounds. Talk about gaping hollow point!!!

Do a search on Elmer Kieth and his experiances with the "44Mag"
I have a Ruger 44carbine and recently a Ruger RedHawk 7 1/2 inch barrel I bought because I really can't use the lead reloads in the carbine very well. Can't wait to set the Ruger RH with a crono.
Notch

It sounds like you may have talked yourself into reloading. Once you make the decision the rest is easy, well not really but you know what I mean. Everybody and their brother will have a different opinion on equipment. My brother gave me a Rock Chucker to replace my lost Rock Chucker but I recomend a Dillon BL 550. They run ads in the American Hunter next to the viagra ads. It runs about $250 and if you get it I'm sure in time you will agree it's the best twofitty you ever spent. It's a solid quality machine and upgradable to an RL 550b full progressive.

Especially with 44 mag ammo you will recoup your cost in no time. Factory will run you about a buck a round. Let's break down cost aside from the equipment.

Brass (reusable) and initial cost somewhere 10¢ to 50¢ a piece.

Primers run about 3¢ a piece

Bullets vary but I use Hi-Tek coated bayou about 11¢ I have some jacketed I think I paid 20¢

The powder varies by load but 10¢ is a conservative est.

Using the brass about 10x means you pay less than 30¢ a round customized to your specifications and needs.

Once you zero in on what you like and hard core shopping and buying in bulk and you will wonder why you didn't start reloading sooner.

I doubt very much I have over 400 bucks invested in my Lee turret press including dies for .44, .45ACP and 9mm. It paid for itself in less than a year. I only recently (~a year ago) started loading for my 6 inch 629-1. It's for fun only, targets and plinking. I doubt I'll ever hunt with it or carry it. I initially thought of loading .44spec's but didn't want to mess with the carbon ring they'd cause in the cylinder. A gunsmith shooting pal gave me a half dozen of his reloads one day and said "try these". They're essentially .44 spec loads in magnum brass and are a dream to shoot. I can shoot a hundred of them painlessly. It's a 200gn round nose flat point lead bullet I buy from a local caster over 9 grains of Unique powder. I don't know what the FPS is and don't care. They go where I point them and are pretty clean. I am looking at scopes for the gun now and thinking about longer distance targets so I'm pretty sure I'll eventually have to start experimenting with better loads, but for now this one is a sweetie.

Shooting 44 specials in a 44 magnum will not hurt a darn thing if you want light loads.
Same goes for 38 specials in a 357 magnum. I've been doing it since 1967 in a Ruger Blackhawk. Cleaning the gun takes care of any residue.
Don't believe the "horror stories" you read on the net......some folks like to talk about things they have no real knowledge of and experience with.
Gary

Good advice. That's what I do. I use hot .44 Specials.

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Loyalty Above All.. but Honor

Yes, no fretters allowed here.

Go ahead and start with a lee Loader. Many of us did! A lead bullet at 900 fps in your .44 will work for a lot. And cheap too. Don't worry about expansion. A .44 goes in at what you hope your .30 cal. will expand too!

old 1911 fan

Anyone notice this thread is 5 years old?

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Yea I just did.