I have 6 different powders in my cabinet to choose from. So I'd like to see what the consensus is on which is best for clean shooting moderate power target loads. Most will be shot from a 3" barrel.
Here's the list from fastest to slowest. Pick the one you've used and like the best.
See my similar poll for loading 357 mag

7g 231 in a magnum case = a useful 44Spl @ 850 ~ 900fps.

7.5 grs. Unique in a magnum case a nice mid range load .

None of the above!

For a TARGET load, Bullseye all the way.

For mid range, I'd go with Unique.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Care to elaborate? I don't plan on adding another powder to my bench, but I'm still curious.

I suspect he's thinking "Magnum" because of the title of your thread. None of the powders you listed are appropriate for "Magnums" because they burn too fast.

With the powders you listed, you can make some extremely accurate, all day shooting, .44 target loads.

Bullseye, Unique, and 231 will all work quite well. For target shooting, why not back down to 200gr slugs in your .44 Mag cases?

One issue I've run into with longer barrel 44's is that you can't get the rear site low enough to shoot 240gr slugs point of aim-point of impact in the low velocity target loads. Going to 200gr solves this problem...and saves some money on bullets as they cost less.

On Friday I brought 600 rounds to the range. 300 .357 (really .38 target loads in .357 brass), and 300 .44 Mags (really .44 Special in .44 MAgnum brass)

The powders I ran were Bullseye, 231, and Unique. I used 5.5gr, 7.0gr, and 7.5gr respectively under Xtreme 200gr plated slugs. All worked very well. I was most pleased with the Bullseye loads. Very light recoil in a 4" 629-1...felt like a .38. At 10 yards the group of 100 rounds was slightly larger than a gold ball.

You're on the right track for target loads. I would suggest trying some different bullet weights. Xtreme has free shipping going on right now, which kinda makes them the best deal at this moment.

Interesting. So even Power Pistol is too fast for good Magnums - even in a 3 inch barrel?

Well, I already have 300 of the 240gr LWSC. I've been looking at the Xtreme plateds, and that's what I use for all my other calibers. The 200gr are just a tad cheaper than the 240gr, but only about 8% cheaper. Maybe I'll buy a box of 250 or so and give them a try. Thanks for the advice.

Yea, we're going to need more info on that claim?

His post was for a 240gr LSWC target load.
You can't beat Unique for that application.

It's slower than 231 but quite a bit faster than 2400, 110, or 296. You can make a stout load with it using lighter slugs, but I think something slower would be my first choice for a fire breather with full weight plus slugs.

I'm sitting on 5lbs of it, but haven't played with it in .44 yet. In .357 Mag it couldn't hold a candle to even IMR4227 driving a 158gr.

I'm actually kind of disappointed that nobody seems to have any good feedback on the AA#2. I picked up 7 pounds of it at a bargain price recently.

For nice target loads in the 44 cases, Universal is hard to beat.
Wide range of accurate loads possible and it meters way better than Unique.
Burns a little cleaner too.
Now if it was actually sold these days.....

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NEMO
"Everything 44"

Any of them ? It also depends on your specific interpetation of "Target load" , it could concievably be anywhere between 650-950fps .

Power Pistol not the best choice for the very bottom of that range. Unique has been. Fovorite for loads of this type since cars staarted with hand cranks. But in recent yers , some disparage the metering thru powder measures and "dirty" . Not a big deal to me , YMMV.

Likewise , 7gr , or a bit more of 231 ia well regrded.

But any listed will be suitble. Flip a coin which to start with , and see which *in your gun* gives best accuraccy/ sufficient accurccy for your needs nd expectations.

10 grains of Unique produces a nice 1000 FPS mid-range load. 8.5 grains makes for nice, soft shooting target load.

I always seem to come back to Unique. My pet load is 9.6gr behind 240 SWC , or 214 gr SWC or 208gr WC or 200 gr RFN .......lol

Be well folks

Out of the powders you listed, I went with Unique. I've been loading that in a .44 Magnum for a long time now. If the question had been for a .38, I'd have picked BE.

Last year, when the powder shortage was near its worst, I found some 800X. I had never tried it, but loaded up some 200 gr. DEWC from Rim Rock Bullets, at a really modest velocity. I got such good results 800X is now my "target load powder" for the .44 Mag, and I've bought more since.

I think Unique may be the best case filler (easiest charge to see and verify) of those listed. I know about Clays, but who has any?

That brings up a good point.
The ever elusive case filling of big cylindrical cases with mild(er) charges.
This problem isn't limited to revolver cartridges either.
Most of the former black powder and cordite rounds have struggled to find a proper case fill
with nitro powder that also comes in under the rated pressures and gives desired performance.
I have played with my share of inert case fillers in just the limited rounds I shoot.
Although not listed, I am leaning more and more to the new cowboy powders for this reason.
Case fillers add another sometimes dangerous (now) unnecessary variable to the equation.

As an example; a favorite 44 special target load was 4.5 gr. PB with the case filled with 9.5 gr Grex under a 240 SWC.
This gives about 650 fps and blows the case out to a full seal.
I can easily duplicate this with Tin Star or Trail Boss without the filler.
Still working on the fine details for the various guns.
I obviously don't mind heading to the range with the chrono and spending a couple 3 hours shooting some tests.
Another main objective when I shoot is to create empties so I can reload some more

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NEMO
"Everything 44"

I'd LOVE to use Acc 2, 5, 7, and 9. But like everything else, it hasn't been available. In the last 2 1/2 years, I've found a few pounds of RD, 2400, 1# of Acc #7, 1# of PB and few pounds of Titegroup. If you've got 7 pounds please give US some feedback.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

This shortage has forced us to try about everything except what we are used to buying. I found out that I really like Red Dot and Acc 7 and I wouldn't have tried them if not for this mess.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

OK, I will!
I got a killer deal on a 5 pound keg and two 1 pound cans for $112, so I couldn't pass it up with the scarcity and price of pistol powder these days...

The main trend I seem to be seeing in this thread AND the other poll I started Best powder for 357 mag 158gr plated SWC target Loads is that the "old standbys" seem to be getting a lot of votes. Unique seems to be a lot of people's favorite, though in my (limited) experience it doesn't meter very consistently at all. Bullseye seems really popular too - and that's good 'cause it meters pretty well.

I'll try the AA#2 and report back.

Two powders: 800x and IMR 4227. Love 'em both.

Sorry, not in the poll. But since they are both slower than Power Pistol (slowest thing I have) I'll count yours as a vote for it

That poll is telling you something, loud and clear.

4227 is pretty darn slow, and and doesnt burn well at the bottom end of the load spectrum, even with a heavy crimp. It makes extremely accurate supersonic loads, and I've become a very big fan of it. It's a single base powder, so it burns cooler than H110, and W296. So theoretically it's easier on the guns.

lts been 3 years since l have seen any Unique, Bullseye, or 231.

l have been using Power Pistol and TiteGroup in their place. The Power Pistol does quite nicely in place of Unique..TiteGroup for Bullseye/231

A top competitor at my club shoots 240 LSWC over 5.2 Bullseye in magnum cases with CCI MAGNUM primers.

Sounds crazy, but I tried the load both ways, reg and magnums, and magnums win.

I believe the magnum primer ignites the powder better in that big case.

3/13/2015 LSWC 240 Bullseye 5.2 LO 703.0 HI 753.0 AVG 731.3 ES 50.00 SD 9.89

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

I would go with 2400, but I guess you don't have any of that. I just landed 2 pounds two weekends ago!

I also use 10 grains of Unique with the hard cast 240 grain SWC for my target loads. Been using it for 35 years.

Around here the best powder is whatever you can find.
Two years ago I found a pound of Red Dot a few weeks ago I scored a pound of 700X....those were the ONLY handgun powders on the shelves. Most shops had NO powders at all.
The powder you want may not be the powder available . I carry a list of all the powders that will work for my needs and buy whatever I can find. So far the pickings have been real slim!
Gary....I long for the old days when 22 LR's and powders were in unlimited supply.

I use 10.0 grains of Unique with a CCI 350 magnum primer under a Berry's 240 gr plated bullet. Great load. It clocks 1,120 FPS from a 5" 629 Classic and will ring a 10" gong all day at 100 yards (offhand).

Mike

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NRA Certified Pistol Inst.

I would classify that type of load (which works well for me too) as a full power target load.
Generally I use the expression "target" to mean paper punching at sub-sonic velocity.
That's just one of the many things that make reloading great:
everyone can get the load they want or need.

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NEMO
"Everything 44"

Already been mentioned, and I agree....
Unique is my favorite for moderate practice loads, but Bullseye has proven most accurate for me.

Gotta actually start to conserve my Unique. It is still bad out there for pistol/shotgun powders. Going to try out some BE-86 for some 850ish fps 240LSWC loads. Alliant only lists 1200fps+ magnum loads. We'll see how it burns. I did find a decent moderate 45acp BE-86 load, though...so it should work at lower pressure in the 44mag case.