Hi there

I am new to this forum so hello to you all!
Can any of you hand loaders tell me what is the upper end speed for which to load a late 29-2, also what are the most accurate load speeds for a 240 gr bullet.
I have found case expansion to be a pretty big issue with factory ammo.
I have begun hand loading with slower burning powders and I'm loading around and below min recommended loads...

Thanks



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Move this to the reloading section for best results.

250g cast SWC over 7g W231 in a magnum case for a 44Spl equivalent.

Same bullet over 22g W296 for a magnum of respectable velocity and power.

I have found loading .44 special loads with 200 or 240 grain bullets to be very accurate and pleasant shooting in the 29-2. I tend to load for about 800 to 850 feet per second velocities for target shooting, but I have no doubt that would also be an effective defense load. I have found superb results with Rim Rock bullets, the 200 grain lead wadcutter particularly, and with SNS Casting SWC bullets. Several powders all worked very well, including Green Dot, Red Dot, Bullseye and TiteGroup. I use the slower powders (HS-6, AutoComp, Silhouette) when I want loads at 900 f/s and up. Good luck and stay safe.

I like a 240 gr lswc loaded with 7-10 gr of unique for plinking.More or less 750-1100 fps.
A 240 gr jacketed bullet with 20-21 gr of 2400 is a good boomer.

I like the 10 grains Unique behind 240 g. swc for a load that lets you know its more than a Special, but nowhere near the full potential. Easy on the gun, easy on the hands.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

Agreed. I have used the same powder charge under 250 gr. hard cast SWC (429421) as my standard deer load. It has completely penetrated every deer I have shot with it, but it is easy to handle with moderate recoil.

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Tony

All my old 29-2's & 629's eat is my cast 250 gr. SWC pushed by 20 grs. of #2400.......Been shooting this load in them since the early 70's....Guns have held up fine.

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S&W Accumulator

If you are looking for .44 magnum loads for a .44 magnum revolver as opposed to loads which can be fired in a .44 magnum revolver, all full power handloads within SAAMI specs with bullets weighing 250 grains or less will be just fine. They will not hurt your gun or cause it to wear out prematurely.

Bruce

Thank you all. We have different powders in RSA but I will use what we have here S265 ...slow burning to achieve both 44 special and for fun some mag loads..
Bruce nice to know that it can handle full SAAMI pressures if necessary... BUT do you not get case expansion at these levels?



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I have a couple of 29-2s that will never be subjected to full power
44 magnum loads as long as I own them for too many reasons to go
into here. I don't know where RSA is and I could guess but it would be
better if you just spelled it out. I have three strong suggestions for
you.
1. Move this to the reloading forum as previously suggested.
2. Forget slow burning powders for light to midrange loads. I get good
accuracy with 6.2 grs of Bullseye and a 250 gr cast SWC.
3. Last but certainly not least, ignore comments like the above one
from BruceM and similar.

You NEED some case expansion when the ammo fires, so the brass can swell out enough to grip the cylinder walls and seal the gas so it can only expand away from the breech. Brass is used for cartridges because it is somewhat elastic (compared to many metals) and will try to return to it's pre-firing dimensions as much as possible. Your sizing die will squeeze it back the rest of the way, mostly.

One finds that all Magnum handgun brass will wear out faster if it is loaded to and fired with full pressure charges all of the time. I've been shooting and handloading Magnum revolvers since 1975, and can tell you that, yes, brass will wear out. As it is cycled, it gets brittle and can develop cracks in the case walls. It can stretch, requiring trimming back to length as part of the handloading process. The primer pockets can loosen up. Few of these things seem to happen to the shorter, lesser pressure Special little brother versions of the Magnums.

Few of us will shoot full power Magnum loads all of the time, though. I load my Magnum brass fully until I begin to get signs of failure, or until I have had to trim it twice, and then relegate it to loads of a mid-range level. That usually takes 5 to 8 loading/shooting cycles with full power with good brass, like Winchester, Federal or Starline. I find Remington brass fails a lot faster, and don't buy it very often.

I can tell you that the sort of wear your .44 Magnum S&W will experience by shooting full power ammo is wear that can be corrected. I can also tell you that, if you keep your ammunition at SAMMI spec, you will have to shoot thousands of rounds before anything wears enough to require any adjustment.

I shot handgun metallic silhouette competition back in the 1970's. I used an 8-3/8 inch Model 29-2 for most of it. My standard handload was a 240 grain jacketed bullet over 21.0 grains of -2400 (full power would have been 22.0 grains of that powder with those bullets). Sometimes it was a cast 250 grain SWC over the same powder charge. Over two years, I probably shot 2,500/3,500 full power rounds through that gun. It was still in spec and did not need any repair when I sold it, although it was a lot smoother than when it was new.

The Magnums you see all beat to death are the folks that are loading passed SAMMI standards, or are shooting 300 grain bullets, trying to get another 5% horsepower.

Nowdays, I don't do much big game hunting with my Magnums and don't need a 250 grain bullet at 1,400 fps to penetrate both the paper target and the cardboard target backer, so my loads for my Magnums are mostly warm Specials.

Keep your ammunition to SAMMI specs (there isn't any SAMMI .44 Magnum Plus-P) and your gun will be fire.

And if you actually do manage to wear it out shooting in-spec ammo, you must be well off financially, because that was an awful lot of money/ammo you fired, and if you could afford to have done that, you can afford a new gun!

With my 29-2, the limit was the hand pain caused by the wood grips.
Agree with Bruce, shoot 240 gr bullets and stay within the reloading manuals limits and you won't have a problem. Just use a recent edition, piezoelectric pressure transducer data is what you want to go by.

Some food for thought Ranger.

Do not use slow powder for moderate loads, use a medium powder.

There's good reason for this.

Powder burns efficiently in the upper ranges of power, conversely, it burns inefficiently at moderate levels. Unburned powder granules, soot, etc.

Unique or powders like it are good for moderate loads with heavy bullets.

I also Like W231/HP238 for this. 900fps +/- is moderate in a 44 mag.

Not that I think that the 29 is a fragile gun but I have throttled back with them. Why run full house loads in my vintage S&W's when I have Rugers for that sort of thing. My favorite load is 19.5gr of 2400, standard primer under a 250gr Lyman #429421 at .430" with SPG lube. Thats plenty of "stonk" for anything I want the .44 Mag to do.

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Stay safe people!

I really like the 240 grain LSWC bullets for my 29's. I load them over 20.5 grains of 2400 for whitetails or 17.5 for range use/practice. Same bullet with 6.5 grains of 231 is fine for my clubs indoor range. I use 200 or 215 grain lead bullets in the .44 Specials or .44-40 though,

A lot of folks like the big, hairy, he-man 44mag to brag about owing, but then load it down to 44wussy. And then there are other guys who bought a 44mag and shoot a 44mag. So I guess load data boils down to which camp you want to be in.

Here is some 4" barrel load data you might find useful - 4" 44mag load data

That is my favorite load too. I use magnum primers for the most consistent ignition (and velocities). I shoot more of this load than anything else out of my 629 Classic 5 inch.

Mike

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NRA Certified Pistol Inst.

welcome to the board ... now meet the plank
First ... each gun has its own groove .. what might shoot like a laser in mine might spread like a blunderbus in yours.

There really isn't a speed limit exactly ... guns respond to pressure. Not only do guns answer to pressure, so to the powders you use.

Its kinda like an engine where you have a peak power output at some RPM and a redline.
say .. 500 HP @ 3800 and shrapnel at 4100 ...

Most powders like to be used in the upper end of their load ranges without playing chicken with the redline.
your sub loading practices cannot be doing your consistency any favors.

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it just needs more voltage

I do not know which powders are available to you in RSA, but long ago the now departed Finn Aagaard stated that 11 grains of Accurate #5 behind a 240-250-grain projectile was all a 44 Magnum owner needed. He was living in the TX hill country at the time and stated that that particular load would shoot completely through any animal in that part of the state. Pretty strong statement, considering there are a lot of exotics in the TX hill country.

Back when I was shooting my 629 Classic a lot, that was my go-to load; I shot my own Lyman #429421, then graduated to the Hensley and Gibbs #503 once I got the mould.

I really think you will like that load, assuming you can get Accurate #5; it is approximately one grain slower than Unique, therefore the one grain "heavier" recommendation than the already suggested ten grains of Unique.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

My favorite load for 240 gr cast SWC was 18.5 grs 2400. 8 grs of 231 behind same cast 240 gr SWC (using Hodgdon reloading data) was also good mid range load. My 44 Mags are long gone. I just stick with 38/357 at this point in my shooting "career" but the 44 Mag provided me with great enjoyment for many years. Darn good cartridge...

Guys, looks like he is from the Republic of South Africa, which also fits with the "S265" powder he mentioned. Googling that powder brought it up and it is made in South Africa.

Ranger02, looking at that powder website and their offerings, the MP200 powder looks like it would work better for a 240 grain lead semi wadcutter or other lead type, mid-range round for your 29-2. I would start off with their starting load shown for the 245gr SWC JOSYD Cast, which is 10.6 grains and see how that works for you. I don't know what other powders are available for you there, so can't give you any other suggestions.

Cheers Ranger, been a few years since i was Across the pond. I have a couple early M29, neither sees full, power ammo nor a jacketed bullet. Contrary to what some who dont shoot their magnums a lot, a steady diet of full power loads will loosen a M29 up, been there done that.
Loading slower powders at below recommended starting rarely gives good results. I run 245-250gr lswc at 1150-1200fps in my 4" guns, plenty of power for anything i need to shoot at. I can get there with medium burners like Unique, Wsf, hs6 or sim. 2400 also does well around 18.5gr. The question is what powders do you have available to you?
Looking at the Somchem data, you might be better off with mp200 for lower vel loads. Should be cheaper to shoot too.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Accurate and soft recoil loads can be made with TRAILBOSS.

For the record, a 29-2 can be shot out from a steady diet of magnum loads with 250 gr or lighter bullets - I did it 36 years ago. All I shot in the gun was the 429421 cast hard from linotype lead, over 22 grains/2400, standard primer. Caution - this was the older, slower burning 2400. That load is much too hot today with the current 2400.

The gun was wonderfully accurate with this load, and an amazing long range revolver, until about 15,000 rounds when accuracy fell off as it became loose. FWIW, I never had a pierced primer, or sticky extraction, or any other sign of too much pressure.

I have found the .41 Magnum in the Model 57 to be just enough "beefier" that it's life is considerably longer than my old 29-2 was. Nevertheless, that old gun is one I wish I had back; I would have it rebuilt and continue shooting it.

If anyone runs across N403663 (6 1/2" blue), please contact me.

I have had 2 Mod 57s rebuilt by S&W because of shooting nothing but magnum loads, the top strap streches

A sensible full power load for a 29-2 in my opinion is 21gr of IMR4227 under 240gr LSWC.

This is not top end velocity like H110/W296, but plenty fast, extremely accurate, and best of all 4227 is a single base powder which makes it a bit easier on your gun than the double base ball propellants.

[QUOTE=BUFF;139073049]



Nowdays, I don't do much big game hunting with my Magnums and don't need a 250 grain bullet at 1,400 fps to penetrate both the paper target and the cardboard target backer, so my loads for my Magnums are mostly warm Specials.
QUOTE]

250gr SWC @ 1200 works just fine! Comment intended for the hunting part of the comment.

re:"what is the upper end speed for which to load a late 29-2, also what are the most accurate load speeds for a 240 gr bullet."

my own loads of "upper limits" and "most accurate" are not the same;

I use a 629-1 8 3/8" for best accuracy loads I can build, for range games, in the 750-1050 fps range, with 200/240 cast SWC. Devastating on bowling pins but the dang things are pretty tough to eat if you don't cook 'em right.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

I see this is an older thread, but my attention was grabbed by the number of shooters successfully using a 10.0 grain Unique load with a 240-250 grain LSWC in their 29's. My experience with this load has been sticky extraction and leading in my own pet 29-2, and, mediocre accuracy. I dropped the load to 8.7. Extraction was easier but still somewhat sticky, accuracy again mediocre, and heavy lead 2-3" from the barrel breech forward. I used a commercial cast 250 grain Keith bullet, sized .431". I never slugged my barrel, but the cylinder throats slugged .432", hence my choice of a .431" bullet. I probably should do a bore slug, but was wondering if any of you had any further ideas or suggestions. Incidentally, jacketed bullets posed no issues.

More info. Bore slugs .4295".

Remington use to make a lead flat nose 240 gr. about 1000 fps.Not sure if they still offer it.

I worked up a Metallic Silhouette load that has served me well for many years. Out of a stock 629 8-3/8" barrel (with scope + sandbags) I was getting 6" groups at 200 meters. Much smaller groups closer in.

The load is 18 gr. of 4227, 300 gr. Hornady XTP bullet with CCI mag. primer and Starline brass. The 300 gr. Nosler hollow points would do the same, but a non hollow point would not group well. This load is going 1050 FPS at the muzzle, still doing 900 FPS at 200m. Recoil is mild. I have shot 2 rounds (80 shots) in one day many times and at no time did my hand hurt from recoil. Never rang a ram either.

Shil , I suggest you get some bore slugs from Veral @ LBT Molds . Your problem sounds like where the barrel threads onto the frame there is a " choke " . You need to drive the slug all the way through the barrel starting at the muzzle . You tap the slug in just about 1/8th " , pull it and measure the groove diameter . Then re insert it and tap it all the way thru till it comes out the other end and take that measurement . You will feel rough spots and / or the tight spots . I place an indexing mark on the slug telling me where the front sight is located so when I re insert it , it goes back in the same as before . Slugging the barrel all the way will tell so much about the condition of the barrel .
Maybe you have tight spots where they roll stamp the marking on the side of the barrel . It sounds like though when they tightened the barrel onto the frame , it caused a " choke ' a tight spot right there . This condition is not unusual in revolvers of any make I've come across. I lightly oil the slug and a little down the barrel before starting . Make sure the barrel is clean . A small piece of " Chore Boy " ( pure copper scouring pad ) wrapped around your bore brush cleans the barrel quick and easy . It is available at most hdwe store , walmart etc . ONLY buy Choreboy as it is pure copper , not steel coated in copper .
I fire lap the barrel , just like in Verals book " Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets " and the problem slowly goes away . The book is available on his website for about $15 . I learned a lot from it . Hope I have helped , good luck .

I want to correct the above post of using " 22 grs / 2400 with a 240gr cast bullet " . That particular load of 22grs / 2400 is for the Elmer Keith bullet only ! He designed his bullet with a shorter shank ( part in the case ) and a longer nose to increase case capacity . The Lyman 429421 is considered a good Keith bullet . The std 240 gr has a much longer shank and a shorter nose decreasing case capacity . Using the above load will have dire high pressure effects on your handgun . I would reduce that load by 2 grs for starters .

250 SWC and IMR 4227 at min charge or a little higher works for me. My 629 doesn't see max loads at all I have a Super Blackhawk for that.

I recommend staying within SOMCHEM specs for the selected powder. Don't load below the minimum, and be certain to use magnum primers. Full-length resize, trim when necessary. Adjust you powder charge to obtain the best accuracy with your bullet selection. If you are dissatisfied with the results, change the bullet, and/or change the the powder, and begin the process all over again.

Best of luck.

I've shot a lot of 44 Mags with 10-11gr Unique under some sort of 240gr bullet.

I keep a box of full power 44s around(usually some sort of 240gr JHP or gas-checked SWC with the book max of 296) but it may take me a year to go through those.

Otherwise, the nice, pleasant mid-range loads are what I prefer to shoot-both in 357 and 44. The Unique load I suggested above is hot enough to know it's a magnum, but not so much that it's overly uncomfortable to shoot.

If you want to ramp things up, try some Herco or Blue Dot. To be on the safe side, though, be sure you're following RECENT data for Blue Dot or using loads directly from Alliant.

And, of course, if you want full power you want 2400 or 296/H110. 296 is a bit slower than 2400 and will give you a shade more velocity. It also-in my experience-gives an ear-ringing report like no other along with a noticeable ether-like smell when it's fired. It's definitely a "wow" powder, especially at an indoor range, but I tend toward 2400 for general use.