Here's what I have on hand to work with:

.44 Mag brass
Unique Powder
Winchester Large Magnum Pistol Primers (and some CCI Large Pistol Primers)
240 grain LSWC

For 50 yd steel silhouettes

7.0 grain Unique
7.5 grain Unique
Are those too light?

Looking to end up with mild .44 Special-like recoil and accuracy.

Sound like a good starting point to you?

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Professional Trainer

Sounds fine to me. My standard is 7.0 of Unique, but 7.5 would be fine also.

Should be fine. May be a little more consistent in 44 SPL brass. That would also allow you to determine @ a glance which loads are for play & work.

I use 10.0gr Unique for over 1100fps in a 8 3/8 M29. If I don't want as much recoil, I drop back to 8.0gr for about 900fps.

Sir, in my own .44 magnum experiments with Unique and cast 250s, 8.5 grains and 10.0 grains were the sweet spots for accuracy. 7.0 and 7.5 grains were none too accurate, and dirty and smoky besides.

The 8.5-grain load is a little warmer than a plinker, but not at all unpleasant in noise or recoil. 10.0 grains is about a three-quarter throttle magnum load. My chronograph went on strike that day, so I don't have velocity data for you.

For load development, 7.0 or 7.5 grains isn't a bad starting point. For example, I started at 7.0 grains and worked up in 0.5-grain increments to 10.0.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

I definitely agree with the 10 gr of Unique. In my 44's I have used that load with a 240 Missouri cast SWC, 250 Keith SWC, and Hornady 240 gr XTP with great results.

I use 8.5 gr of Unique with the same bullet weight and primer as you mention...love the load. I can shoot them all day long. I don't know the speed, but I imagine it would be around 1000 fps.
John

The 7.0 and 7.5 gr loads of Unique are basically 44 Special loads. Very comfortable plinking loads, and should take down 50 yard steel.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

If you want light, those loads will give low to mid Special velocities. Don't need magnum primers with Unique, but in a large case with light loads, Mag. primers may give less variations in velocity (mebbe, have to ck with a chrony). At first I thought "if he wants light loads why not just go with Specials?" But then I remembered my "experimenting" with .432" round balls (about 135 gr.) and Bullseye. I got 1"-1 1/2" groups at 50' from my Ruger 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk, and could hardly tell I was shootin' anything!

My go to light load is a 240/250 gr Keith or Keith style hardcast with 7.5 grs Unigue -150 Federal primer in a .44 MAGNUM case. Not dirty in my opinion and very accurate in my guns . Easy on my hand and I can shoot them all day.

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T. Johnson

My favorite plinking load for my 44 mag varies from J-frame's with the use of a CCI 300 primer. Otherwise same load for same reasons.
Len

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Endeavor to persevere

Range Update

God Bless Elmer Keith

first shot at 50yds center punched the 10 ring

Looks like I found me a silhouette match load, gentlemen.

All advice much appreciated.

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Professional Trainer

So what was the load?

7 works well but in my case 8 grains sings while still leaving some room on the peddle. but then if I want more ... I crack into the land of 2400.
I wouldnt define a 7 - 8 load as "mild" or "light" but rather an honest midrange. be that as it may its a derned good and useful load on and off the range, nearly a load for all reasons and seasons.
as such ... put in a little extra work tuning and tweaking this one.
you'll only think youve outgrown it but find yourself gravitating back to it after everything else in the category has beaten it into your head, just how good it is

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it just needs more voltage

7.0 - 7.5 - 8.0 Unique

all shot accurately and comfortably in the new (to me) M629 with the strange factory port on the nose

Now to reload enough to practice for the next silhouette match.

When I banged my Wideners swingers with the 240 grain, they almost did a complete loop over the top.

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Professional Trainer

So is the load 7, 7.5 or 8? My two 44 mag loads are 7.5 grains of Unique and 18.5 grains of AA 9. Both are very accurate out of my 629 Mountain gun. At the range, both loads slap the plate rack with authority! The light load slaps them down enough for them to bounce back up almost all the way. The AA 9 load slaps them down, they bounce back up all the way and bounce back down and up 1/2 way again. I love it!

all three work well, so I'll load the next batch with 7.5 and hit the practice range

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Professional Trainer

I think Ron H. gives some good advice. I used 8.5 grains of Unique for years and years but was never completely satisfied. In the last couple years I increased to 9.0. The chronograph indicates the load is more uniform and the cases might stay a smidge cleaner. There may be a bit less leading. (I am shooting older 29s that all have the larger cylinder exit-bore diameters.) Accuracy in all my guns seems a bit better. I too would not go too light on Unique charges - in magnum cases. JMHO.

I agree 7.0 grs of Unique is to light in magnum cases. I think 7.5 grs is the lowest I would go or use .44 special cases to go lower.

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T. Johnson

For many years my CAS .44 Mag load has been 7 grains of Bullseye and a 240 grain lead SWC. Works well in both revolver and carbine. But a little smoky, which is what you want in CAS.

loading 7.5 this evening

headed to the range early tomorrow

thanks

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Professional Trainer

Yikes!

Talk about starting from square one.

new gun
new caliber
new to reloading

Next match is a week away.

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Professional Trainer

7.5 grains of Unique and a 240-250 grain SWC is the load I have used for years in .44 mag. Never had a problem with it.

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SWCA #2421

the 7.5 loads worked fine this morning

me, on the other hand, didn't work so fine

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Professional Trainer