44 Mag. Ammo Recommendations

[Mark090852]

I'm just getting back into shooting after a 40 year hiatus from it. Just recently purchased a Model 629 Performance Center 44 mag revolver and would like to spend some time at the shooting range getting familiar with it. When I last spent time at the range, as a teenager, the most important factor in choosing ammo, was the cost. I could only barely afford the least expensive ammo available. This time around, I would like to be a little more selective with the ammo I choose. I'd appreciate any recommendations any of you would have regarding a good ammo for target shooting at the range. I'll be going into my local gunshop this weekend, but would like to have as much knowledge in advance as I can. Thanks

 

[Freischütz]

If you haven't been shooting in that long I would buy some 44 Special ammo. It won't have much recoil and you'll avoid hard to cure problems like flinching. There's no better way to spoil the fun of shooting than to let a hard kicking pistol beat you up.

 

[RobertJ.]

I rarely shoot factory ammo anymore. I did recently shoot some Winchester White Box 240 gr. JSP through my Contender .44 mag. It was given to me, and basically I just wanted the brass. It grouped under 2.5" at 50 yards, with open sights! It's probably going to be the most reasonably priced ammo you'll find, and I can vouch for the accuracy. YMMV, however!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you haven't been shooting in that long I would buy some 44 Special ammo. It won't have much recoil and you'll avoid hard to cure problems like flinching. There's no better way to spoil the fun of shooting than to let a hard kicking pistol beat you up.

I agree, get acquainted with your new M629PC with some 44 Special ammo before you move on to the full power 44 Magnum stuff.

I also no longer shoot factory ammo but there are plenty of good choices out there. Remington UMC, Winchester White box ammo is the budget line for each company. American Eagle is the budget Federal ammo. All 3 are just fine for the range although probably not what you would consider target ammo.

Hornady makes good ammo for only a little more in cost. Their ammo with an XTP bullet is very accurate but it will cost you about $1 a round. Not really range ammo IMO. I like Fiocchi ammo because it's usually clean and accurate and costs less than most of the American ammo.

Right now you will probably have to shoot what you can find because the shortage that has been going on for the past 2+ years is easing up a bit but it's still not easy to find ammo and when you do the prices are still high.

Good luck, welcome to the forum and welcome back to shooting...

 

[Magsdartz]

I second the 44 special tip and would like to throw out Magtech and Blazer as a couple of low cost, available brands with acceptable quality for the range.

 

[Larry from Bend]

I second the 44 special tip and would like to throw out Magtech and Blazer as a couple of low cost, available brands with acceptable quality for the range.

I don't have much experience with MagTech but would sure endorse Blazer with aluminum cases in 44 Special. Same is true for 44 Mag Blazer ammo. It tends to be loaded more conservatively than Rem and Win and Federal and shoots well in my guns.

Maybe sometime, though, you'll get into reloading and shoot 240 grain hardcasts much more cheaply.

 

[major bumm]

Some of my better experiences have been with:

mag
PMC 240gr
Federal American Eagle 240gr

(these are stout loadings, but not too hot)

spl
Blazer 200gr has been all I could find not bad though

I had to go to reloading because at $46 for 50 spls and 40-45 for 50 mags is just too much for my wallet.

 

[John Erickson]

Mag tech is good ammo, American eagle is hot ammo for target shooting. PMC is a little lighter. Fed. champion is lighter also . wwb good. Save your brass, a simple lee classic reloader will pay back very fast and you can reload 44 special loads in 44 mag cases. 44 mag. will be easier to find than 44 special.

 

[max]

As stated, start with the special ammo.

 

[gregintenn]

I would first suggest reloading.

Short of that, Magtech makes the most accurate ammo I've chambered in my guns. It's price is very attractive compared to other brands as well. Also, the CBC marked brass it's loaded in makes fine reloading brass.

 

[brokenprism]

Mag tech is good ammo, American eagle is hot ammo for target shooting. PMC is a little lighter. Fed. champion is lighter also . wwb good. Save your brass, a simple lee classic reloader will pay back very fast and you can reload 44 special loads in 44 mag cases. 44 mag. will be easier to find than 44 special.

Was just on GB looking for some .44 mag -- I like the 70s/80s boxes -- and some guy in FL is selling one box of Winchester white box JSP for $115 plus shipping. Shortages really bring out the best in Americans.

That gripe made, can basic reloading REALLY be done with a Lee loader? They're on eBay all the time for not much. My LGS has powder... I have a couple of hundred rds of factory fresh .44 mag & spl... and I have time. I'm tired of never being able to find a 240 gr LSWC at 950 without paying some place like the Cowboy Needs Store $25 for shipping one box. It's insane and the time to reload has definitely come. Can it be done...?

To the OP, this looks like a good basic resource for selection by velocity...

44 Magnum Ballistics Chart | Ballistics 101

 

[Mark090852]

Thanks, everybody, for all the recommendations. After shopping for ammo, I'm certainly seeing the advantages of reloading. However, finding the time and the space here at the house, is prohibitive to reloading at this time. And also, when shopping for ammo, I have pretty much had to take what I can find. There haven't been many options to choose from. Nothing available at the local Walmart. A gun shop 20 miles north of here had one brand. Another gun shop 35 miles west of here had another brand. So I have been buying whatever I could find. Winchester white box and Federal so far.

 

[Mark090852]

To the OP, this looks like a good basic resource for selection by velocity...

44 Magnum Ballistics Chart | Ballistics 101

Thanks for the link. Very informative!

 

[brokenprism]

Yeah, I was glad to have found it. I think it was posted here.

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

I just bought a (5-shot, 4-1/4") Model 69, and shot it for the first time today. I had bought four different boxes of ammo, from about the lowest-energy .44mag round I could find to the highest-energy round I could find ... intending to start low and end high, of course. The four (all 240 gr JHP's) were (muzzle-energy, muzzle velocity according to Midway):

American Eagle: 742 ft-lb, 1180 ft/s
Black Hills: 848 ft-lb, 1260 ft/s
Hornady: 971 ft-lb, 1350 ft/s
PPU: 1272 ft-lb, 1541 ft/s

The American Eagle box says 805 ft-lb, 1230 ft/s, so there is a discrepancy there.

I shot three of the American Eagle's first, and was surprised by how much recoil they had. (Years ago, I had a US Arms Abilene .44mag, so I THOUGHT I knew how much recoil to expect, for what was supposedly a relatively light .44mag load ... the Abilene was probably somewhat heavier than my Model 69, though ... probably in the mid-40oz range, versus 37oz for the Model 69).

Then, one-by-one, I shot one round of the successively hotter loads, and was surprised that none of them felt much hotter than the American Eagle. Doesn't make sense to me, given the large difference in the advertized muzzle-energies.

Has anyone on this forum seen any independent ballistics tests for any of these rounds? I'm wondering if the advertized numbers are anywhere close to accurate.

One other puzzling result: I ordinarily shoot a 10mm 1911, with DoubleTap ammo. When an ejected casing happens to bounce off the range enclosure walls, and lands near me, if I immediately pick it up, it is almost hot enough to burn my bare fingers. But all of the above .44mag casings were only luke-warm right after being fired ... doesn't make any sense to me. Any ideas?

 

[Rpg]

That gripe made, can basic reloading REALLY be done with a Lee loader? They're on eBay all the time for not much. My LGS has powder... I have a couple of hundred rds of factory fresh .44 mag & spl... and I have time. I'm tired of never being able to find a 240 gr LSWC at 950 without paying some place like the Cowboy Needs Store $25 for shipping one box. It's insane and the time to reload has definitely come. Can it be done...?

ABSOLUTELY !

A Lee loader will do everything you need at an entry level.

Lots of folks never get beyond that level.

All you need is the Lee, powder, primers, projectiles some case lube and a mallet.

Lee loaders are a great place to start, and you may never really need anything else.

They are slow, but many, many thousands of very fine rounds have been produced with them.

Buying a set up that will produce high volumes in short time is very often overkill.

The shooting sports are equipment heavy.

The truth is that just because it's marketed, or it's hyped on the internet, doesn't mean you need it.

We all love gadgets.

There is a difference between need and want.

Get the Lee

If it turns out you can't keep up with your actual shooting with the Lee, then get a set up with greater production capability.

Truth be told, the majority of shooters don't shoot enough to justify a more sophisticated system (unless you have lots of disposable income and nothing better to do with the $)

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[Mike_Fontenot]

[...]
One other puzzling result: I ordinarily shoot a 10mm 1911, with DoubleTap ammo. When an ejected casing happens to bounce off the range enclosure walls, and lands near me, if I immediately pick it up, it is almost hot enough to burn my bare fingers. But all of the above .44mag casings were only luke-warm right after being fired ... doesn't make any sense to me. Any ideas?

I think I figured it out: With the 10mm 1911, the casing is being ejected immediately after firing, and falls onto the insulated floor of the range (a rubbery material) ... there's not much opportunity to transfer heat from the casing to anything else. With the .44mag, the casing, during firing, is forced against the wall of the cylinder hole, and stays there until I pull it out. Most of the heat of firing is being transferred to the cylinder, and neither it nor the casing increases in temperature very much, because of the massiveness of the cylinder.

 

[Mark090852]

I think I figured it out: With the 10mm 1911, the casing is being ejected immediately after firing, and falls onto the insulated floor of the range (a rubbery material) ... there's not much opportunity to transfer heat from the casing to anything else. With the .44mag, the casing, during firing, is forced against the wall of the cylinder hole, and stays there until I pull it out. Most of the heat of firing is being transferred to the cylinder, and neither it nor the casing increases in temperature very much, because of the massiveness of the cylinder.

That makes sense. I think you are right.

 

[josboy]

I don't have much experience with MagTech but would sure endorse Blazer with aluminum cases in 44 Special. Same is true for 44 Mag Blazer ammo. It tends to be loaded more conservatively than Rem and Win and Federal and shoots well in my guns.

Maybe sometime, though, you'll get into reloading and shoot 240 grain hardcasts much more cheaply.

Curious - do you really like reloading aluminum cartridges? I tried, found it tricky and easy to damage.

 

[howiema]

Blazer Ammo

You all may laugh or say this donkey has a terrible 44 Mag opinion but I have to second the Blazer Ammo for the 44 Magnum I shoot the 200 grain when I can find it and I think it is the best target ammo around. Once again I do not reload and the price is right also even up here.