I'm a big fan of Winchester 231 powder. It burns clean and runs in just about every pistol I own. Ergo, (that a word?) I've go lots of it. I've been loading my Model 29-2 with it for a while using it and I worked up a load that I shoot all day long without developing a flinch after say round number 12 or so. Anyway, I've decided to save my .44 Mag brass and use .44 Special instead. The problem is Hodgdon does not advertise a load for W231 in .44 special using 240 gr LRNFT.

Can someone suggest a good starting load for it?

Next question.

I picked up a mess of Speer .44 Shotshells and figure I can use them for snake charmers since we seem to have a few Copperheads and Cottonmouths around here. A loaded capsel using #8 shot weighs about 150 gr.

Can someone suggest a good starting load for it? I don't think it needs much as the normal charming distance is around 10 ft.

Thanks

Lowpower

Yes, it is a word. Ergo, you can use it whenever appropriate.

Lyman #49 lists 5.2 gr. 231 as giving 719 fps with their 429667 bullet; 5.8 (the max) gives 806 fps at 13,400 psi. Since you're in a .44 mag gun and have quite a margin of safety (M29's good for at least 40,000 psi), you can probably go quite a bit hotter but you are in uncharged territory when you.

Can't help you with the snakes. I always used bullets on them.

Sorry I don't have load data for your shotshell charges, just a word of caution. A shotshell capsule probably has different internal ballistics compared to a bullet, so I would not use data for a ~150gr bullet without a lot of research. Try emailing Speer and see what they say. They might be able to give you an adjusted load for the smaller case capacity.

Speer #14 shows start loads for the shot capsule as follows:
each has approximately 140 grains in weight

44 special - 1.600" OAL
W231 6.3 grains at 1045 fps
HP38 5.8 grains at 1055 fps

44 magnum - 1.600" OAL
W231 7.3 grains at 1133 fps
HP38 6.0 grains at 1061 fps

I found that smaller shot is better for these capsules, more pellets typically equals denser pattern. #10-12 is my favorite but hard to locate sometimes. Test your pattern at 10 feet and see what your spread is like as I have found it opens pretty quickly.

I am a big fan of using shotshells in handguns.

I have used the Speer factory rounds in 9mm, 38 Special, 44 Special/Magnum, and 45 ACP. I have even used some of the Remington shotshells in 45 ACP.

I find them most useful, and always carry some when in the field.

Long before they were a factory offer I used to load them up myself with the yellow Speer plastic capsules.

The last time I loaded them I loaded a BUNCH, and I still have some of them left. I loaded them in Oct and Nov of 1976.

I used RP 44 Special cases No 9 Shot and 7.5gr of Unique.

I recently found a bunch of these that I had packed away.

Thanks for the info, everyone!

I had been thinking about 5.0 gr with the shotshells. Everyone has great ideas and I think I'll shoot Speer an email as a check for low vs high end loads. Philbo listed 7.3 gr with the .44 Mag. The one thing I seem to recall during my shotgun reloading was a very light load is more apt to burst a barrel than a heavier charge. I just wasn't too sure about those little blue plastic capsuls.

I re-measured the capsul wt and found it to be 142 gr. I gotta remember to cal my scale.

Lowpower

I load the shot capsules with #9 shot and 7.0 grains of Unique in 44 spl cases for my 696, 3". Makes a good snake load to about 10 - 12 feet AND will break skeet targets from station 1, 7 or 8 amazingly easy!!!!!

I was shooting some Speer shot loads yesterday from a 4" model 681 loaded in .38 cases. 5.0 of 231 with 7 1/2 shot did a fine job at 10 feet and very marginal at 15 feet. Never tried the 44 capsules. I dont think real fast gives you any benefit. Just watch your backstop because those shot pellets will come back at ya!

Thanks again. I tried 5.5 gr using #8 shot in a .44 Mag case. At around 15 ft...Bang! A reasonable spread on a paper towel against a dirt berm.

I then loaded (by accident-1) 5 rounds of .44 Spec using the same as above. Again I fired it only this time from 25 ft (another accident-2).

Accident-1 = I thought I was loading .44 Mag brass then looked at it,
whoops! No biggie because the M29-2 can handle it.
Accident-2 = 8 Yards!!! Sheesh!!

Results were amazing as I fired onto a target this time instead of a paper towel. Pellets littered the target but were spread out. A strange thing happened. I'm sure the blue capsul broke up when hitting forcing cone so I think the little round white plastic gas check wad(?) easily travelled the 25 ft to the target and put holes in the target. The holes looked like I had used SWC because 3 of the 5 had a perfect hole in the target. The other 2 tore the hole somewhat.

I suspect at 10 ft the shot will put any snake out of my misery and the wad will act as the coup de grace.

Lowpower

When you run out of plastic capsules, buy a box of gas checks.

I've been using them for this purpose for over 20 years.

In the case after priming, load powder, then place a gas check over the powder cup side up. Load measured shot charge and then place second gas check on top, cup side up - crimp.

These work even better than the plastic capsules.

I have approximately 100 or so left then I'll give the gas checks a try.

Thanks for the tip!

Is there an issue with the homemade shot shell when the pellets leave the chamber?

I have an old(ancient) single shot shotgun in good condition that was chambered for a long extinct 44 shot shell that I'm told was the predecessor to the 410.
Having nothing to go on; I used 44 magnum brass and worked up a load of 6 gr of 231 and over powder cardboard wad with as much 7 1/2 shot as would fit with an over shot cardboard wad.
This load patterns nicely at 25' to 30' and I'll probably use it as a pest load. However; I have NOT tried it in a 44 revolver.
Jim

I have always liked the shotshells too. Use them all the time out here in the country though I usually shoot 38/357 shotshells in my old 5 screw 357 carry gun. Attached a picture of some oldies.

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I am reading this from 4 years ago--So how much do u drop the charge from a plastic that sticks out 1/2 inch to a gas check that makes it a wad cutter & seated flush? Looks like your way the shot would go through the forcing cone & maybe hang up some where? The factory case comes out the barrel before it releases?

in a 44 mag with over powder and over shot cards,I use 7 gr. of Unique with # 9s.

I tried a 12 foot shot at a cardboard box side panel from a refrigerator shipping box. The shot capsule caused the greatest damage. I had a really tight 4 foot diameter group of shot on a 36" wide piece of cardboard.

I found the best snake load (on rattlesnakes in the prairie dog patch) was a 38 Special or 357 mag with a 150 to 170 gr cast lead bullet. If you didn't hit the snake with the bullet, the rocks, sand, gravel, or bullet fragments would definitely slow the snake down so a 3rd or 4th aimed shot would kill the critter.

Use lead bullets and the powder charge of choice. Close will count!!!

__________________
S&WHF 366

B back later on this with factory loadings. Thanks--I have it all-I need to learn more about the wad cutter snake shot. Like u posts arjay. 9 grains with # 8 sounds way much. A factory shot has over a 100 pellets. How many will yours hold?

You're right! (can't read my own writing) Its 7 grains.Im thinking it was around 100-120 #9s
I take a piece of brass and sharpen the case mouth with a deburring tool and cut wads out of a styrofoam plate.The over powder wad gets pushed down with the head of a nail,fill the rest with shot,give it a roll crimp and put in the top wad and then seal it with silicon caulk.

Nothing to do with much -20 years ago my wife hollered like she did 20 years before that. OOHHH- GARY -COME SHOOT THIS SNAKE. I went out & there was a small snake the dogs & cats had in part of the yard. I came out with my 28" model 12 & shot it & 6 dogs & 12 cats was no where to b found. Big hole in the grass. She has never interrupted me when I was watching NASCAR since. This post is about snake shot.

6g of W231 should do the trick.

It all makes it out the end of the barrel, no complications at the forcing cone.