.44 Mag 270gr hardcast reload

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Stefano

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Dear Folks,
Can someone share information or experience in reloading a 270gr hardcast bullet in .44Mag. Would like to make an accurate load for a long barreled M629.
Some fellow shooters say that 270gr is a wise maximum in .44 Mag, everything more heavy isn't good in general and may stress out the gun?
Thanks for any help...
 
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If you do a search,you'll find a train load of info/comments about load data for the 44 magnum.

Generally speaking,the heavier loads with their increased recoil pound the gun harder and takes a toll on the fitting/tolerances.It depends on how much you shoot.I am not in the least hesitant to shoot full powered loads in my 44s but I limit the number of primers I use in such a fashion.This is out of empathy for the gun.

Many shooters use bullets in excess of 300 grains in their 44 magnums and that includes the S&Ws.Use sparingly and do the majority of practice with lighter loads.
 
canoe on the yukon said:
...Many shooters use bullets in excess of 300 grains in their 44 magnums and that includes the S&Ws.Use sparingly and do the majority of practice with lighter loads.
Click to expand...

Good advice, IMHO. Back in the days when 29-2s used to run backwards with 300-gr loads, I developed a strong aversion to them. It is unnerving to hear a "snap" when you are looking for the "almighty BANG!" :o

In any case, my interest was finding a good compromise, and that seemed to be somewhere around 275-gr, since that corresponded with a bullet that was readily available to me. (The H&G 326. This was before the WFN and similar designs became well known.)

At that time, I had enough experience to believe that weight of bullet (275 gr) caused fewer problems with 29-2s and I believed it made a more balanced load than the heavier slugs. One of my friends, with a lot of game shooting experience, was experimenting with loads for maximum penetration and his tests indicated that he could expect that a heavy Keith bullet at about 1200 FPS would do about anything that needed to be done, here in the U.S. Increases in velocity beyond that did not seem to aid penetration proportionately, and he believes what it did add could be either unnecessary or, in some cases, even counterproductive.

So a sort of compromise with the 275-gr at 1200 was reached (this can be done with 2400, which I prefer, or H-110/W296). We figured that was about all a Model 29 could reasonably handle. I settled on it for my uses. My friend continued to research, with bigger calibers, but I do not believe he has changed his notion that 1200 FPS is a threshold of sorts.

That is the basis of my opinion on the matter and I agree 100% with Yukon that any time you can, lighter loads should be used to spare the gun. These days, I shoot a lot of loads in the 1000 FPS area with both 250 gr & 275 gr bullets and rarely use full magnums.
 
Thank you all, thanks for the input,
you both are right and it is my opinion too, not to pound much on a S&W 629 although that counts for every gun.
Probably one could fill books on the 44 Mag an find as much on the web, but my quest is to look for an allround reload because i just want to have one in each calibre, that should be the most accurate.
A 275gr at 1000fps or more could be that!
Indeed it's appropiate to have as many reloads as there are tasks, but it starts to get alot if you need such in any calibre.
I know, in defense it would be way to overpenetrative and frankly whitout hurting someone, i do not think that most of "us" are going to take a .44 for defense, with all the nice tupperware guns and state of the art ammo there is today, or i am wrong? but thats another topic...
So, maybe a 250gr will be better at those velocities or slightly more as an allrounder.
 
Stefano, you're right that, logically, the load depends on what you want to do. In my case, the difference in recoil between a 1200FPS load and a 1000 FPS is enough that I use the slower one almost exclusively. The fact that it is also much easier on the gun is definitely a plus, too. I think you're also quite right that these rounds penetrate way too much to be used anywhere except out in the field.

I just bought a new keg of Unique powder. Last Saturday, I was checking it to be sure there were no substantial changes compared to my old supply. I don't normally chronograph the long barrelled guns (8-3/8") because I use them so infrequently, but in this case I did. Here is the result:

Load: H&G #326 276 gr .430" dia., 9.0 grs Unique, Win LP primer, Federal case.

4" barrel, 1015 FPS average, 30 FPS extreme spread, 12 FPS standard deviation

5" barrel, 1006 ave, 28 es, 10 sd

6.5" barrel, 1024 ave, 7 es, 2 sd

8.375" barrel, 1081 ave, 19 es, 7 sd

This type of load represents the top end of what I actually enjoy shooting in a 44 Magnum revolver. Anything more than this is work, not pleasure.

The reason I do not favor 250 gr bullets for the 1000 FPS load is that I have always used Unique and do not get good consistency with the 250 gr bullet at that velocity. Extreme spreads run 70-80 FPS. A change to another powder might cure that - W231, maybe Universal... ? I don't know. I do know the 276 gr bullet cures the problem with Unique.

Naturally, the data shown is for reference only, and, like any other published data, should be used with all regular handloading precautions.
 
It boils down to how much you're going to shoot it.If I were going to shoot the 44 magnum only occasionally as many do,I would have no use for anything other than full powered loads.Since I've shot them a lot,I learned years ago to do most shooting with reduced loads.

In recent years,I don't shoot as much so this is somewhat less of a concern and therefore I tend to use loads which are somewhat steamier even for practice.
 
I like the "anything more is work, not pleasure" thing.
Strange that there is just little difference in velocity between 4", 5" and 6,5" barrels.
The H&G#326 is one that you molded, i suppose.
I shoot my occasionaly and keep some stiffer commercial loads aside just to have some.

Anyway thanks and enjoy shooting your 44 Mags.
 
Stefano said:
I like the "anything more is work, not pleasure" thing.
Strange that there is just little difference in velocity between 4", 5" and 6,5" barrels.
The H&G#326 is one that you molded, i suppose.
I shoot my occasionaly and keep some stiffer commercial loads aside just to have some.

Anyway thanks and enjoy shooting your 44 Mags.
Click to expand...
Yep, especially in revolvers, all guns are diff. I have (3) 4" 357mags & one averages 125fps slower w/ all loads.
I use the same load as M29since14; 9gr of Unique under a 270grLHPGC. Vel. run right around 960fps from (2) M29/4" rev. Comfortable & accurate. My plinker is 250grLSWC o/ the same charge for close to the same vel.
44-272-1K.jpg
 
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I've loaded 270 grain GDSP bullets to about 1260 fps in my 7-1/2" 629 Light Hunter. I've thought about a Hard Cast bullet. How hard do you think the lead bullet must be to handle 1250 fps without leading, or would it be necessary to load to a lesser velocity than 1250 fps ? I also use the round in a Marlin 1894 and get about 1650 fps.
 
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Hook686 said:
I've loaded 270 grain GDSP bullets to about 1260 fps in my 7-1/2" 629 Light Hunter. I've thought about a Hard Cast bullet. How hard do you think the lead bullet must be to handle 1250 fps without leading, or would it be necessary to load to a lesser velocity than 1250 fps ? I also use the round in a Marlin 1894 and get about 1650 fps.
Click to expand...


Hook,

The 270 gr gold dot soft point is an excellent bullet.Personally,I would stay with that.About velocity vs leading....it all depends.....I've driven plain base cast bullets at well over 1500 fps with minimal leading.The same load will lead in one gun and not another.The only way to know is to shoot them and see.....leading is caused by a combination of things....alloy,bore diameter,lube,smoothness of bore,etc,etc.
 
Hook686 said:
I've loaded 270 grain GDSP bullets to about 1260 fps in my 7-1/2" 629 Light Hunter. I've thought about a Hard Cast bullet. How hard do you think the lead bullet must be to handle 1250 fps without leading, or would it be necessary to load to a lesser velocity than 1250 fps ? I also use the round in a Marlin 1894 and get about 1650 fps.
Click to expand...
You can run a lead bullet to 1250fps w/ little to no leading cast as soft as 12BHN w/ the right bbl. size & lube.
 
I cast the Lyman 429244 which weighs out at 265g from straight wheel weights - close enough.

My load is 22g W296 and a WLP for what I figure is @ 1200fps.

For general fun or plinking, use 7g W231.
 
Snapping Twig,

That sounds like a great load.Not quite full throttle but more than good enough for most revolver use.If one were going to use one load only,it would be a good choice.If more is desired or needed,I'd prefer a rifle anyway.
 
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