Hi—for years I have been shooting a Model 29 .44 Magnum with an 8 3/8 inch barrel using 24 gr of WW296 behind 240 gr JHP. I now have a 3-inch 629 and I suspect 296 really isn’t appropriate for anything but producing large fireballs due to the slow burn rate.

Does anybody have ideas for a load using a powder optimized for the shorter barrel? I normally use WW231 or Blue Dot in other calibers, and have plenty of both on hand but am not opposed to trying something else if it would be more suitable?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom you can provide.....

I have a 2 5/8" 44 mag I picked up 3 or 4 weeks ago. In looking through my piles of reloads from 8 3/8'sand Super 14" days I found 300 215 grain Truncated Flat Points over 8 grains of Unique. Turns out to be a pretty nice load. In the daytime it has no noticeable flash, mild recoil, and shoots better than I do! At night, I think any round for a 44 mag, in less than 6", is going to put on a light show! I think Blue Dot will make very good flash gun!

I think you should look into a loading manual or Hodgdon's reloading website. They show loads for 8 to 11 grains of WW 231, but I think they will be a little "bright" if you use close to max loads.

Ivan

Well, there are a few truisms at play here.

If you're looking for maximum performance out of any magnum caliber you're going to end up with lots of lots of pressure and lots of flash. That's just the way it is. It's what makes a magnum a magnum.

And there's no getting around that you're going to get less velocity out of your new short barrel revolver than your old 8 3/8" hog leg. There's no canister powder that's going to give you the higher pressures needed for maximum velocity, but has that pressure falling off just at the moment your bullet leaves that short barrel.

And, finally, W296 is a fine powder for both your .44 magnums.

You can experiment with a slightly faster powder, of course. Something like 2400 or Blue Dot will give you good results. But you're not going to find anything that gives you the "magnum" without the light show.

I have .44's in 2.75, 4, 5.5, 6, and 7.5 inches. My own inclination - especially with the shorter barrels - is to load down to .44 Special territory. For that, it's hard to beat W231 or Unique.

Here's some factory data for Accurate No. 2. I like this powder for short barrels as it is very clean burning and flash suppressed. Plus, being a ball powder it meters accurately.
This if for cast bullets.

Caliber: .44 Remington Magnum.
Barrel length: 8” (for Rifle barrels 20-24” add ca +18% to velocities indicated below)
Powder: Accurate – No 2®.
Bullet weight: 185 grains. WC - Target
Low load: 5.5 grains (ca 950 Fps)
Intermediate load: 8.0 (ca 1200 Fps).
Bullet weight: 180-185 grains. SWC
Low load: 6.5 grains (ca 975 Fps)
Intermediate load: 9.2 (ca 1225 Fps).
Maximum load: 12.3 grains (ca 1450 Fps) LD ca 60%.
Bullet weight: 200 grains.
Low load: 5.7 grains (ca 900 Fps)
Intermediate load: 6.5 (ca 1050 Fps).
Maximum load: 10.0 grains (ca 1275 Fps).
Bullet weight: 240 grains.
Low load: 6.0 grains (ca 850 Fps)
Intermediate load: 7.5 (ca 1025 Fps).
Maximum load: 9.0 grains (ca 1200 Fps).
Bullet weight: 265 grains Cast Lead.
Low load: 7.2 grains (ca 1000 Fps)
Maximum load: 8.5 grains (ca 1140 Fps).
Bullet weight: 300 grains.
Low load: 5.0 grains (ca 750 Fps)
Intermediate load: 6.3 (ca 875 Fps).
Maximum load: 7.5 grains (ca 1000 Fps).

It depends on the level of performance you are looking for ? If you still want full magnum performance , then the slower powders still produce the highest velocity . With the short barrel they also produce the largest fireball .
In your case with the short barrel I would look at a powder that is " flash suppressed " . Alliant introduced a powder several yrs ago that is between Unique and power pistol called , " BE-86 " . I have shot it in my 44's and was happy with it's performance . It's a flake powder so it ignites easily and yet it meters very well in my LEE Perfect Powder Measure . Power Pistol is a fine powder but is not " flash suppressed " , produces a huge flame . So in your search , I would definitely choose Bulls Eye 86 (BE-86) . Regards, Paul

You might try Longshot, CFE Pistol, or even 800x though people say it meters horribly.

All will get a 240gr slug up to ~1400fps at max loads, but burn faster than the classic 'magnum powders' so should perform better out of a shorter barrel.

The Hodgdon website has all the load data you need for them.

I happened to own 2 29-3 3 inch round butt guns and found that the better loads are high end 44 sp loads....esp in a round butt gun.Full mag loads are not in the least pleasant. With a 215 gr or 240 gr SWC I used 9 gr od Unique or 10.5 gr of Herco for pleasant(er) shooting load... And as stated full mag loads will still give you the most velocity. I also had a 3 inch RB 629 and it was just as nasty with full mag loads even with the rubber grips that it came with. I think a mid range load with AA No 5 would be ok too. The 3 inch RB guns are easier to carry but still too heavy for CC in my opinion

I own a 3" round butt 629 too and I also prefer to shoot 44 special loads. I use "around" 8 grains of Unique under a 240 gn LSWC in a magnum case. This load is much more pleasant to shoot in that little beast than any full house magnum load.
I will however freely admit that at times six rounds loaded with 296 and fired for effect at the public range will grab some attention.

__________________
"I gots to know"

I shoot a 3" 629-4 Backpacker and I shoot it mostly for paper target shooting at an indoor range out to about 50'.

44 Magnum case Light Load:
240gr LSWC hard cast bullet
5.0gr Bullseye
Standard LPP
1.600" OAL

44 Magnum case Medium Load:
240gr hard cast LSWC
8.5gr of Unique
Standard LPP
1.600" OAL

When the Backpacker is used as my nightstand weapon I load it with the medium 8.5gr of Unique loads.

__________________
NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Yeah..those loads always got my attention too. I sold one of the 29-3s and the 629 also They didn't make too many of the 29-3 3 inch roundbutt guns so I had to keep one.

The No.14 Speer reloading manual has loads for short barrels in many calibers including the .44 magnum.

The powders listed are Bullseye, 231, Titegroup, Red Dot, 700-X, American Select, Unique, and H. Universal.

I have a Smith & Wesson Model 29-5 with a 5 inch barrel and most of my loads use 231 at .44 Special velocities.

I also have Quickload software and it shows that my load of 231 is 100% burnt in less the two inches of barrel length.

Meaning I do not have to worry about 296 powder scorch marks on my targets at the shorter practice ranges.

P.S. Even Dirty Harry downloaded his .44 magnum loads.

Your 231 is fine for making loads that chrono midway between 44 spl and 44 mag "full house" or even lighter down to 44 spl. More fun to shoot.

__________________
Science plus Art

I ran several powders through Quickload checking the percent of powder burned for my 5 inch barrel

What is funny is even with a 20 inch barrel and 296 powder Quickload will not show you 100% of the powder burned.

My son sold me this S&W 29 and he does not reload. I think he sold it because he didn't like the recoil of factory ammo. I let him shoot some of my reduced loads with 231 and he wanted the .44 magnum back.

I told him to buy a Ruger GP100 in .44 Special with a 3 inch barrel and stop crying.

You will still get max vel using slow powders but the blast is fierce. I mostly load medium burners like Unique in mine. A 250-270gr bullet @ 1100fps is about all I want in the snub. BTW, BD is just as bad as H110/W296.

__________________
NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

The OP said nothing about producing lighter or middle range loads, he was asking about powder.

As a general rule the powder that will generate the highest velocity in a 6" barrel will do so in a 3" barrel too. As long as your current load is proven to be accurate in your new revolver I would change nothing.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Id go with the Blue dot.. If I was buying a new type Id go for the BE96,, close burn rates and about what you are looking for. You'll get near the velocity you get with the 296 in that short a barrel but with less flash and recoil. I use 2400 for full power stuff in my 5.5" 44.
I do have some full power 180 gr loads loaded with somewheres of about 28 grains of H110... Second shot blew my sandbag apart from the cylinder blast.

This is where having Quickload is nice to have and why the Speer manual list loads for short barreled handguns. And the slower powders are not used in the short barrel Speer loads. If you notice Unique was one of the slowest powders used in the Speer manual for a short barreled .44 magnum I posted in my first post.

Normally you would use a lighter bullet with a faster burning powder and avoid the recoil and blast of using 296. So again having Quickload helps greatly in choosing the most efficient powder. Or follow the recommended short barrel loads in the manuals.

Thanks everybody. All my reloading data is 25+ years old. Based on the great recommendations here I put a crowbar in my wallet and arranged to buy a Speer #14 manual (used on EBay of course). I’m looking forward to learning what they have to say about short-barrel loads.

I will probably load to .44 Special +P levels rather than full honk .44 Mag. But I will probably also shoot a handful of 296-based rounds intended for my 8 3/8 version, just for the light show

I would still use H110 in a short barrel. My second choice is Unique.

If you want a moderate load that groups good, with no flash, you might try CFE-P. It's a moderate speed powder & is flash suppressed. 10.0 & 10.5grs with Xtreme's 240gr P-TCFP shot well for me.

13.0gr/Bluedot (~1075fps) grouped well in my snubby M69 & M629. 15.0gr is max (HDY #8). Reduced loads of BD tend to leave some partially burnt flakes behind, but you probably know that already.

A near max load of Unique under a 240gr JHP shot great in snubby M69 too.

W296/H110 is pretty much an all or nothing powder with no meaningful downloading capabilities & I seldom us it.

.

69 Combat Magnum - , w/Pachmayr grips, Nosler-Unique target

(-01b)

.

__________________
Waiting for the break of day

Well,according to that and based on my experience,I'd invest a few $$ in the form of a 1# of Unique(or any similar burning stuff)and be a happy camper...I mean shooter after that.The funpart with Unique is that you can get very efficient performance with any weight of bullet.
I wouldn't be surprised if you'll end up buying Unique by the 4#keg after trying it!
Qc

I have been happy shooting various length 44 magnum revolvers from 2 5/8 to 8 3/8 inches using loads I’ve worked up with AA No.5. I have found loads with 9 to 11 gr of this powder to be fun to shoot without being punishing. I have been loading it under 240 gr plated bullets. I would characterize these loads as 44 special +P. An added benefit is these loads shoot fairly clean.

__________________
Accuracy supercedes Speed

Speer's "short barrel" loads might be more accurately described as 200 gn gdhp loads, designed to produce Speer's optimum velocity for that bullet. 231 and Red Dot work particularly well for that.

If using lighter/slower bullets for your 3 incher, you may not have enough vertical adjustment in your rear site, something to check for.

Slower 240 grain bullets do not change the poi as much as the lighter bullets do.

I use 2400 in loads that I whip up for my 3" 629.

I often thought that Hodgdon's load of titegroup in the 44 magnum using a 240 gr bullet was pretty high , 10grs max . I tried that load using my genuine " Keith " bullet H&G 503 . It weights 245grs but has a shorter shank (the part of the bullet in the case) than std 240 gr bullets .
I started @ 9grs of titegroup . The cases were a little " draggy " coming out of the cylinder , but could be extracted using the extractor . At 10 grs I had to use a stick to push them out . These were fired from a S&W 29-10 w/6.5" barrel . I realize that Hodgdons is an old firm and well respected in the industry and I'm not trying to shed any " bad light " on them . Simply saying that , based on my experience I feel those loads are really too much of such a fast burning powder . The load data for a cast bullet is 4.7 to 10.0 grs . IMO , 7.0 will be max that I will load in a 44 magnum case .
My " go to powder " WSF @ 10grs w/ the real Keith bullet is my std , " everyday " load . For the fast burners , 7.0 grs of IMR-700X , Red Dot , Bullseye and Titegroup would be my max loads for the 44 mag using the same cast bullet . They produce loads approaching 950 fps using the Keith bullet , excellent accuracy and the cases eject easily . They're easy on the gun / the brass and the shooter . Regards , Paul

Try 8.0 Grains of Power Pistol under a 200 grain XTP.

For a bit more punch I like 10.0 grains of Power Pistol under a 200 grain Gold Dot Hollow Point. Both loads shoot well in my short barrel .44 but don't beat you to death with recoil.

Groo here
In most cases the max pressure will be developed in the cylinder.
Shulman ,a barrel maker said that 90% of your speed is developed
in the first 3 inches of barrel in an auto[that would be the cylinder and some barrel in a revolver]
The remainder in the next 2 inches [5in 1911]
A magnum has more pressure and speed but the ratio will be similar.
The extra pressure will push longer [ greater speeds in a long/rifle barrel] but the comparison still stands.
The faster load is the faster load short barrel or long.

Winchester 296 is a surprisingly sharp performer in 4" barrel .44 Magnums.
Other powders worth considering would be AA-5, AA-7, and Blue Dot.
Blue Dot is a great "intermediate" powder but does not meter nor drop well. The Accurate Arms line meters with excellent precision.
Contrary to popular misconception the ideal bullet weight for short barrels isn't to go heavy, but to go light...velocity is after all, "everything" especially if using a gas-checked, SWC hard cast slug. Ballistic testing with all copper "penetrator" bullets shows that bullets traditionally considered too light for caliber deliver amazing penetration with excellent cavitation when driven fast. A 220 gr. Lehigh extreme penetrator round, driven at 1,500 fps will punch as deep if not deeper than traditional hard cast bullets weighing 100 grains more, but going slower.

Since I have three pounds of early 1990s-vintage Hercules Blue Dot on hand, I am going to test out a load of 14.1 grains with a 240-grain lead SWC. Load data from multiple sources gives high and low Blue Dot levels that are all over the map. Since I have old powder I’m starting at the bottom of the old Lyman data I have. I also have some existing full-house loads consisting of 240-grain Remington JHP sitting atop 24 grains of WW-296 which I can use to compare them to. It will probably be a week or two before I get a chance to try them out....

Pantera Mike , I don't know where you live but I need to tell you about the temperature / pressure inversion thing with Blue Dot . If it gets below freezing , as the cartridge gets colder , the pressure of your charge will increase , not get lower , like most powders perform . If I'm shooting Blue Dot in cold weather , I leave the cartridges in my coat pocket and only get out what I need each time .
I have no problem metering Blue Dot in my Lee powder measure and it is very accurate and gets you up in the magnum range using less powder . Your 14 gr load will be a good shooter using a 240gr bullet .

Thanks for the heads-up. I only hunt paper and the occasional tin can. If it’s cold enough to affect my powder, it’s WAY too cold for me to be outside!

Thanks again. I’m still thinking of switching to a Blue Dot equivalent powder that delivers similar performance, without all the issues. I was thinking AA#7 but I have read a number of negative comments about it. AA#5 seems to have a lot of merit for this particular application, but there is almost no almost-full-power load data for it. Everybody assumes a long barrel, where there is something to be gained by using a slower powder, so there is a bunch of AA#9, 2400, WW296/H110 data etc.

I was also disappointed at the data in the Speer #14 manual for short-barrel guns. I was hoping for optimized .44 Mag data, but what they printed was basically only slightly warmed-over .44 Special data, using small quantities of very quick powders like 231, which don’t have enough load density for my liking and deliver barely 1000 FPS even with a light 200gr bullet.

I have become a fan of powders that fill the case enough to be seen in a progressive press. I could probably get a triple or even quadruple load of 231 in a 44 Mag case. Not that I would ever do that (never had a double load in 35 years, thankfully), but if a mistake was to be made, it could send my 629 into low earth orbit!

Blue Dot is a flake powder and it will do a pretty good job filling your case . You've already got it on hand so I would use it . It's a good powder , works well in the 44 magnum . I have shot pounds and pounds of it in my 44's and 45 Colt pistols . I'm about due to buy another 5# jug . Give it a try , I don't think you will be disappointed .

Elmer Keith lists 22 grains of 2400 under a 250 grain hard Keith semi-wadcutter as his very favorite for the 44 magnum. Elmer was a little guy that liked big recoil.

That 22 gr 2400 load is a big boomer. I like 18-20 grains best

The load I shoot in my Model 69 4 incher is 12 grains of unique under a 210 gr Gold Dot. This produces a solid 1200 FPS, low ES, and good shootability in my gun.

With a wfn or swc bullett of 240 or 250gr.
18 or 19gr 2400 is a very good load. A9 or similar will probably work.
8 or 9gr of Unique, Herco, PP, WST, etc. Any medium slow powder.
5 or 6gr Bullseye, Red Dot, Promo, A2 etc. Fast shotgun type powders.
18.5gr 2400 is Elmer Keith's balloon head .44spl load. Probably close to the same powder capacity of modern .44Mag cases......

__________________
dd884
JMHO-YMMV

If you want some good *** kickers used 24 grains of Winchester 296!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Yup got those already for my 8 3/8 inch Model 29. It will be interesting to see how they feel in the 3-inch version.

I may be going to try both tomorrow...stay tuned!

My range trip was a qualified success. I didn’t start shouting the .44s until I had already fired two boxes of .22 and two boxes of .38 Special, so I was pretty tired by the time I tested the .44 loads.

I was rather surprised at how stout the 14.5 grains of Blue Dot w/240gr SWC was. Recoil was pretty substantial but there was no muzzle flash apparent from behind the trigger.

The 240gr JHP with 24.0 grains of WW296 was not that much more punishing but the fireball was prodigious.

Unfortunately my accuracy had gone to hell by this point. I embarrassed myself at 25 yards. I was quite surprised and pleased at how accurate the 3-inch jobbie was at 15 yards, shooting double action (something I probably haven’t done in 10 years) with one string seeing five of six shots in a single large ragged hole.

I also fell in love with my 686 .357, shooting powderpuff .38 wadcutters and 125gr +P rounds. I hadn’t fired it in about seven or eight years and I forgot how accurate, not to mention fun it is.

I have about 5000 empty .38 Special cases under my loading bench, and zero loaded rounds in the house. I think I may load up some more .44 mag using a powder other than Blue Dot, saving it for 10mm where it seems to excel, and then start loading up a bunch of .38 and .357.....

Thanks for all your inputs.

Shooting Is Fun!

I use AA#9 a lot in .44 and .41 Magnums. Less flashy than H110 with only about 100 fps velocity loss.

Would you miind sharing your BE-86 load data?

I haven’t really reloaded since the 1990s, and am just getting back into the hobby. Part of my problem is that all my load data dates from that time, but since then there has been an explosion (hah!) in new boutique powders, powders for which load data seems hard to come by, particularly for cast bullets.

I have a Lyman manual from 1970 (!) which is just decorative, and ‘one book, one caliber’ manual dated 1993 which has the relevant pages from contemporary manuals, which predates powders like BE-86. And I have the new Speer manual which has no hard cast lead bullet data at all.

I might need to invest in the latest edition of the ‘one book, one caliber’ manual.....

Houston GT , I used 10.5 grs of BE-86 , with the 245 gr swc ( Keith , HG503) . I would think any 240 gr swc would be fine as my load was not that close to max . Alliant shows 11.6 max with a cast 240 gr RNFP , so a 240 gr swc would work just fine . Regards , Paul

I decided to give 2400 a try, specifically because it can be downloaded all the way to light .44 special territory. I chose to start out with 18 grains, which is just below the .44 Magnum starting load in most manuals for a 240 gr SWC, but the starting load for .44 Special is 13 grains. I brewed up 100 rounds this afternoon and hopefully can try them out on Friday.

In minutes I will be taking delivery of 8000 (!) more 240 gr SWC moly-coated bullets from the recently defunct Billy Bullets, so I will have plenty of opportunity to experiment!

The 2400 load worked great. Decent accuracy, zero perceptible muzzle flash, and recoil light enough to tolorate all day, while not being so light as to let you forget you’re shooting a .44 Magnum. I brewed up another batch and will be heading to the range again in a couple of days. Thanks again to all for the help!