Brand new 629; model 163636 5". Looking for a decent load that won't blow my gun apart. Anyone???????? Dave

Which reloading manuals do you have? The Speer and Lyman books have lots of loads that will work in your gun.

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

^^^ These have done the job for me. What powder/bullet are you using? They also have lots of info nowadays on powder manufacturers websites. Hard cast bullets are great and the Lyman Cast Reloading Handbook is perfect and the Lyman 49th have plenty of both jacketed and cast loads. Do you have a purpose in mind? Since components are so scarce, what you shoot is basically limited to available powder and bullets you have or can find. Are you new to reloading???

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

First he wants load data, next he'll need information on how to reload the "most accurate" ammo possible -- without every reading a single reloading manual.

I'm done!!

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S&WHF 366

Do you need a hug? Did somebody put something liquid other than milk in your corn flakes? Smile and the world smiles with you. Larry

Try 7-10 gr of Unique with a 240 gr lswc.7 gr is mild and 10 gr is getting into magnum territory.

Among others, purchase the Lyman cast bullet handbook.

Lots of good info!

Get a reloading manual. Go to the .44 Magnum section. Search through the different bullet loads. Determine a load you might like (like the starting load) for a particular bullet you want to use. Then buy components and use that load...

Welcome to the forums.

What kind of rounds are you looking for? Are you wanting hunting loads. plinking loads, powder puffs or what? You aren't giving us much information to go on. You can load down the 44 mag to 44 Russian levels (powder puffs) or up as high and powerful you want (staying within SAAMI specs of course). Do you want to shoot lead, jacketed, plated or a combination? If you reload, you can tailor your loads to what you want to accomplish.

Like others have posted, get yourself some reloading books. I personally have books from Hornady (3 different editions), Sierra (2 different editions) and Speer. And I've heard that the Lee and Lyman books are good too but just haven't gotten around to buying them. You also don't mention whether you have any reloading experience either. Are you just starting out or is 44 Mag just a new caliber to you?

Open any manual to the 44 mag section and you'll find several.
But what keeps these loads from blowing up a gun is found in the first section pertaining to load development.

Don't have a manual?
Relax, you can always buy one.
Don't want a manual?
No problem, there are many other hobbies that may interest you.

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it just needs more voltage

7.5 grains of Unique, Universal, or CSB-1 under the 240 grain bullet of your choice.
As others have stated, there are hundreds of recipes out there.
The 44 magnum has one of the widest ranges of reloads of any caliber.
Hodgdon, Alliant, and Vihtavouri are powder distributors that have loading data available on the web.
Also: Handloads.Com

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Nemo

My previous post was not really meant to be "snarky", but using a load posted on a forum isn't the best way to go. I have seen some questionable loads and remember one particular load posted that was an over max. load of Unique. The post stayed on the forum for a full day and then the OP came back the following day with an apology; he had hit the "9" key instead of the "0" key when mentioning a max. load.

FWIW; I pay no attention to any load data from any forum expert, pet loads website, gun counter clerk, range rat, or gun shop guru. For 30+ years 95% of my load data has come from published reloading manuals. I haven't run out of combinations of components yet...

this is exactly why I do not share load data, except with those seasoned vets that I am sure can and will catch errors and or make adjustments to their needs.

its only a 1/8" gap between the 0 and the 9 key and there is some speed and instinct involved with typing.
these last few lines are typed with my eyes closed to see of that makes a point.

one typeo .... not bad if its in an unimportant place

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it just needs more voltage

Take any 240-250gr/0.430"-0.431" LSWC, any middle book data, go shoot. If you want more, just work the load up from there.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Anybody else note that the OP posted this one post and hasn't been back since to check on any answers he might have been given?

You own an N frame for goodness sakes. I can't see any published .44 Magnum load which is within SAAMI pressure limits doing any damage what so ever to your revolver.

I highly suggest you read up on reloading before you start loading. I also suggest you not trust strangers on the Internet for load data.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

FWIW, and a N frame aside; My 629 (purchased used but in NIB condition) only lasted a few hundred rounds of full "Magnum" loads before it went back to the factory for repair...

might have been more used than NIB
Mine has seen some serious heat in its career without such issues.
By design, they can hold it.
by damage or defect .... not so much.
there's no really reason to molly coddle an N frame beyond shooters personal preference

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it just needs more voltage

I had a Ruger Super Black Hawk that lasted ~3,400 full-house rounds before it was tired. I have ~10K rounds through a M629-2 that is still the most accurate revolver I own. The older the shooter gets the milder the powder charge becomes.

Whose "Full Power Magnum Load Data" did you use?

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S&WHF 366

WELCOME TO THE FORUM, Daveslawson. IF YOU ARE READING THE RESPONSES TO YOUR POST (WHICH I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOU ARE) DO NOT GET SCARED OFF. WHAT IT ALL POINTS TO IS YOUR NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH, BEFORE YOU CAN ASK A MORE INFORMED QUESTION. THE FIRST THING THAT YOU NEED TO DO, IF YOU INTEND TO RELOAD, IS TO BUY A RELOADING MANUAL, AND READ IT ! ! !

DECIDE WHAT PURPOSE YOU ARE GOING TO USE YOUR REVOLVER FOR. SURVEY YOUR RESOURCES TO DETERMINE WHAT COMPONENTS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU. USING THOSE COMPONENTS, AND YOUR MANUAL, PICK A LOAD THAT WILL SUIT YOUR PURPOSE. REMEMBER THAT THERE IS NO NEED TO LOAD BULLETS TO THE MAX, UNLESS YOU ARE LOOKING TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE CHARGE OF A LARGE CARNIVORE, ETC. A MID RANGE LOAD WILL SERVE MOST PURPOSES VERY WELL, AND BE EASIER ON YOUR POCKET, YOUR WRISTS, AND YOUR REVOLVER. WHEN YOU HAVE DIGESTED ALL OF THIS, COME BACK AND ASK SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS, IF YOU NEED TO……….

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Sooooooooooooooo true! Funny how appealing those mid-range loads have become. Also, true that you don't need a 44 mag to kill a whitetail. A number have fallen to my 696 44 spl. To the point of this thread, shooting 44 spl power level loads in an N frame is all day enjoyable.

This shows all signs of being just as valuable as most of the other contributions. While I liked venomballistic's best, it is often in the best interest of the OP not to sugarcoat the correct answer.

I once had a friend who owned maybe a dozen guns and was complaining about the cost of .303 British ammo. I considered all I knew about reloading, component and ammo prices, and about my friend's approach to various things, and did him a big favor: I never mentioned reloading.

Actually the first owner had "Dirty Harry Syndrome". After 2 boxes of factory Magnum ammo, he went back to his .38/.357 Revolvers. I have since read that most early M29s and 629s don't do well with a steady diet of full Magnum loads. My 629's barrel twisted about 4-5 degrees to the left after prolly close to a thousand upper AA#9 loads under 240 gr. jacketed bullets. I now use my 629 with cast lead bullets of between 250 and 265 grains over mid-level loads of 2400...