Does anyone have a source for good, light 44 magnum ammo? I enjoy shooting 44 special but don't like the extra cleaning required to get the crud out of the cylinders. I'd like to find the magnum cartridges loaded to approximately 44 special energy.
Reduced power 44 magnum ammo
- Thread starter wlc
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Garrett Cartridges Inc.
Lower Recoil .44 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Winchester has a "lighter" .44 mag as well as Federal. Remington stopped producing their great intermediate load years ago.
Lower Recoil .44 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Winchester has a "lighter" .44 mag as well as Federal. Remington stopped producing their great intermediate load years ago.
m657
Member
I load most of my 44 mag at the 1000fps level regardless of powder, sometimes venturing into 1200 land.
And my 44 special typically is in the 900-1000 fps range with the same 240 cast SWC. Don't know why it seems them specials are less recoil, etc.
The 3" barrel is considerably bigger bark with 44M vs 44S of similar recipes; the 4" barrel not so much.
I haven't noticed much crud ring in the amount of shooting I do, barely 2000 rounds/year in that caliber. TiteGroup, Trail Boss, 2400, a few others, don't seem so dirty.
And my 44 special typically is in the 900-1000 fps range with the same 240 cast SWC. Don't know why it seems them specials are less recoil, etc.
The 3" barrel is considerably bigger bark with 44M vs 44S of similar recipes; the 4" barrel not so much.
I haven't noticed much crud ring in the amount of shooting I do, barely 2000 rounds/year in that caliber. TiteGroup, Trail Boss, 2400, a few others, don't seem so dirty.
team sidewinder
Member
I 2nd the Garrett Cartridge Defender 310gr ammo, but it an't cheap and with ammo you get what you pay for. A 44mag is for 44mag ammo and you should practice with what you are going to carry. You can always start to reload your own light recoil loads which might be the better option.
Learn to love the recoil.
Learn to love the recoil.
Last edited:
Thanks APS, that is what I'm looking for. I bought my first .44 magnum in 1967 and reloaded anything Elmer Keith suggested. I have quit reloading handgun ammo because I don't shoot them much now. I have learned to not love the recoil of full magnum loads. I enjoy shooting .44 specials a lot though. I just prefer to use a cartridge matched to the chamber.
Last edited:
Titegroups
Member
Search for cowboy loads.
Hello Gentlemen,
New here. Have some experience with the 44 mag, have 4 of them and use a Model 29 4" for Hogs in tight quarters. I too, have become very recoil adverse. The Cowboy loads are a bit on the light side and usually only come with a Lead bullet which tends to gum up the bore. Venturamunitions.com uses a number of boutique reloaders to produce ammo for most occassions. Drop them an email or thier live chat during business hours and let them know what you want... pricing is very competitive and all produced by licensed and insured manufactureres. i have used a couple of downloaded rounds with TMJ bullet heads that shoot like a 44spcl... drop em a line.
New here. Have some experience with the 44 mag, have 4 of them and use a Model 29 4" for Hogs in tight quarters. I too, have become very recoil adverse. The Cowboy loads are a bit on the light side and usually only come with a Lead bullet which tends to gum up the bore. Venturamunitions.com uses a number of boutique reloaders to produce ammo for most occassions. Drop them an email or thier live chat during business hours and let them know what you want... pricing is very competitive and all produced by licensed and insured manufactureres. i have used a couple of downloaded rounds with TMJ bullet heads that shoot like a 44spcl... drop em a line.
Stevie
Member
Yeh these work good..basicaly .44 Special loads in .44 mag cases.
team sidewinder
Member
Sorry wlc as I didn't mean to come across as flippant on the love the recoil thing but I really don't mind the recoil from the Garrett Defender ammo. After shooting a friends " special bear " loads with recoil that can not be good for any S&W revolver the Garrett Defender seems pretty tame. In my Neck of the Woods I always carry the heaviest loads I can handle because you don't know what you are going to run into out there. I don't shoot the lighter loads for practice as they print way too low and I don't like moving the sights for different loads. ( Just lazy ).
I am sure you will enjoy the ammo from Georgia Arms without getting back into the reloading thing again. I have the same reason for not reloading for my 44 as I just don't shoot it enough to make reloading worth while. Let us know what you think of the Georgia Arms ammo.
I am sure you will enjoy the ammo from Georgia Arms without getting back into the reloading thing again. I have the same reason for not reloading for my 44 as I just don't shoot it enough to make reloading worth while. Let us know what you think of the Georgia Arms ammo.
Last edited:
m657
Member
Decades ago I enjoyed the full house Keith style loads, which worked well on IHMSA 200 yard shots.
Gradually my tastes evolved and I learned to build loads that didn't lead the barrels and were even more accurate.
If I were more in the field exposed to carnivores on a regular basis, I would adjust my carry loads accordingly.
I grew tired of FMJ and prefer cast lead these days, along with the more moderate recipes.
Gradually my tastes evolved and I learned to build loads that didn't lead the barrels and were even more accurate.
If I were more in the field exposed to carnivores on a regular basis, I would adjust my carry loads accordingly.
I grew tired of FMJ and prefer cast lead these days, along with the more moderate recipes.
I have shot some of the Georgia Arms 1000 fps 240 gr. ammo. It seems to work fine, still more recoil than factory 44 special but less than the 240 gr. magnums that I have used. I have a friend that has offered to load some cast swc 240 gr. if I decide what I want and get the components. It seems that a lot of people like these at about 850 - 900 fps.
