Hi guys,

A have a box of Hornady 225gr. FTX bullets and want to work up a load for my 629 Classic.
I have the Hornady loading manual 8th edition but none of the listed powders are available where I live.

I am used to develop my own loads for both rifle and handgun with Quickload, manuals and common sense but the thin walls in the 629 cylinder scares me a little.
18gr. VV N110 seems like a safe load in my Winchester 94 and according to QL it gives the same pressure as the H110 load listed in the Hornady manual.
I am new to reloading 44 Magnum so how do you guys look for pressure signs when working up loads for revolvers?

I have a 629-1 with 4" barrel that I bought new a long time ago. They do seem "thin" if you compare them to a redhawk or blackhawk. My speer #12 lists n110 at a starting load with 225 bullets @18.8 and my lyman #49 lists a starting load @ 19. I mostly shoot medium loads out of my 629 because due to it's weight it kicks hard and I don't enjoy it any more. But I still love shooting it with Medium loads (240gr bullet @ 850-900fps). Pressure signs are standard ones for revolvers ie flatten primers and hard to eject cases.

For the FTX bullet the cases must be trimmed to 1.255".
The bullet is longer than a normal 225gr. bullet so greater seating depth and less case capacity calls for a reduced charge.
Max. load with H110 according to the Hornady manual is only 20,7gr. with this bullet so 18gr. N110 must be very close to max.
This is my first 44 and cylinder walls appears thin compared to my 357s so safety margin must be less if loading to hot?

I bought some of the Hornady lever 44s, and returned them after I read you have to trim case. I suppose it is not the end of the world, just designate those for the rifle. I wouldn't rule it out some day, if I decided they were that much better. I need to research it more, and at the time hunting season was coming up fast.

So for my lever I just went with a 240 jacket flat point or hollow, with H110 and 24 grains.

__________________
Beware the man with one gun.

I live in Denmark and unfortunately there is not a single can of H110 in the country.
Plenty of Vihtavuori though.

trg; Sorry you can't find the powders you would like to try. I also have a 629 Classic (6 1/2 inch barrel). My favorite load is with 200 - 215 grn cast bullets, standard strength primers, and 9-9.5 grns of Winchester 231 (or Hodgdon HP38) powder. Produces 1,130 fps with around 670 foot pounds of energy with very moderate recoil. Very accurate as well. Shoots into 1 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards. Good luck with your testing....

Curious do gun related items cost more over there? I pay about 20-22 USD for a lb of powder.

__________________
Beware the man with one gun.

Everything is more expensive here.
60 USD for a lb of Hodgdon powder.
I reload 50BMG.
35 rounds on a lb of powder.




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I've used the Hornady FTX bullets in .45 caliber but not in the .44 but I'd suggest, if you haven't already, is to load up a dummy round, in an un-trimmed case, to see if it it loads into the chamber without interference (bullet contacts the chamber throats) or clearance (extends past cylinder opening) issues. They have the same notice for the .45s but in my gun it wasn't necessary to trim the cases as they just cleared.