What's a full magnum .44 load?

os2firefox · Sep 17, 2015

My first revolver was a super redhawk and the general consensus seemed to be that any factory ammo was okay to shoot through it. For a pretty dumb reason, I decided to sell it off.

Fast forward to today, I was going to buy a second one but there was a 629-10 6.5 Classic right next to it that wanted me to take it home instead. So, I did.

The thing I am finding now is that it is not recommended to shoot a lot of full powered magnum rounds through it, so what is a full powered magnum?

I know for sure that the buffalo bore +P+ is a no go.

What about these?
- freedom munitions 240gr RNFP bullet at 1235 fps
- magtech 240ht SJSP bullet at 1,180 fps

foytfoyt · Sep 17, 2015

You can shoot an unlimited number of 44 Magnum loads that conform to SAAMI specs. This is the purpose of the organization. S&W and Ruger are members, as are many others.

SAAMI | Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute

Ammunition labeled +P or +P+ should not be used in any firearm, unless the manual for that specific gun explicitly states it is allowable.

Although SAAMI has standards for 38 Special +P, 9mm Luger +P, and 45 Automatic +P, I'm not sure they even recognize 44 Magnum +P, in which case all "44 Magnum +P" is at your risk.

(Yes, this even applies to Rugers. Anything else is 100% at your own risk, which some may decide to do...)

Some small ammo manufacturers make claims about suitable firearms for their above standard ammo. They may NOT speak for the firearm manufacturer.

Fishinfool · Sep 17, 2015

Your 629 will handle any SAAMI level factory load just fine. It is what it is designed for. There is no recognized standard in the 44 magnum for +p or +p+ loads. Pressures are at whatever level the loader wants, and no firearm manufacturer I am aware of will warranty their guns for their use.

Typically, a "full power" factory load these days from a mainstream manufacturer is a 240 grain bullet at about 1200 to 1300 feet per second. Safe handloads will match these numbers, maybe slightly exceed them. Your 629 will handle them just fine.

Stay away from the specialty +p and +p+ loads in the .44 mag. +p loads are generally used in cartridges that have been around a while, for which a lot of old guns are around. It allows a slightly hotter alternative for modern, stronger weapons. They still stay within SAAMI standards. The .44 magnum was designed as a high intensity cartridge from the start for use in modern, high strength guns, hence, no +p standard. There are no recognized +p+ standards for any cartridge / gun combo, and they are use at your own risk.

Larry

sw282 · Sep 17, 2015

Want a real MAGNUM? Get a 460S&W XVR.. At 60,000 PSI thats double a 44Magnum.. Plus it'll light up the night like an Atom Bomb

Rick_A · Sep 17, 2015

sw282 said:
Want a real MAGNUM? Get a 460S&W XVR.. At 60,000 PSI thats double a 44Magnum.. Plus it'll light up the night like an Atom Bomb

Don't be ridiculous.

.44 Magnum is enough to take care of most anything that needs to be done with a handgun in North America.

ultratec00 · Sep 17, 2015

You can also complicate the conversation as quite a few load manuals tend to differentiate between firearms, to include rifles chambered for that specific cartridge.

foytfoyt · Sep 17, 2015

Rick_A said:
Don't be ridiculous.

.44 Magnum is enough to take care of most anything that needs to be done with a handgun in North America.

No it's not! This would be adequate for personal protection:

The APC projectiles were each 18.9 million grains in mass.

Note that the "tiny little bitty" 5 inch guns are also firing...

murphydog · Sep 17, 2015

The two loads you mention are perfectly safe in a 29-10. Heavy use of these or higher pressure loads will accelerate wear and may require extra maintenance, but this is in the thousands of rounds range...many more than most will shoot in a lifetime.

LimaCharlie · Sep 17, 2015

I don't push the limits on any gun, I just go to a hotter cartridge gun. It give me excuses to buy more guns. If my .44 magnums don't have enough power, I get out the .454 Casull.

Mike SC Hunter · Sep 17, 2015

For over 25 years I've been shooting a load (22 grs of #2400/250 gr.cast swc) through my 29's/629's & Rugers. This is a full power load. My guns will go another 25.

os2firefox · Sep 17, 2015

After some additional reading, it seems to have been a bigger issue with the pre-endurance upgrade 29/629 models. So, I don't have to worry about this until I start reloading.

By the way, while I have shot the SW500 and thought it was fun, I don't think of it as a round I would shoot often enough to justify buying the gun... .44 Mag is about as big I would go in a handgun.

Kernel Crittenden · Sep 17, 2015

os2firefox said:
So, I don't have to worry about this until I start reloading.

I would encourage you to NOT take up reloading so you can make your own experimental +P and +P+ .44 Mag loads. If you choose to do so, and have others that depend on you for their sustenance, make sure all your policies are maxed out and all your premiums are paid up.

bigggbbruce · Sep 17, 2015

A big issue with large magnums is powder choice. Forcing cone erosion can become a factor with any make.

calmex · Sep 17, 2015

Mike said:
For over 25 years I've been shooting a load (22 grs of #2400/250 gr.cast swc) through my 29's/629's & Rugers. This is a full power load. My guns will go another 25.

When I lived in Canada and had a 29-2 I shot a lot of reloads using that exact combination. I never had a chronograph at the time, but I had a 6 1/2 inch model. If you have ever chronographed your load I'd love to know your results just for nostalgia's sake. Thanks.

jimbo728 · Sep 17, 2015

foytfoyt said:
No it's not! This would be adequate for personal protection:

The APC projectiles were each 18.9 million grains in mass.

Note that the "tiny little bitty" 5 inch guns are also firing...

I gotta git me one uf deez!
In all seriousness I think you would be happy with the Magtech 240gr offering. It is very shootable and still around 700 ft lbs of energy. My 629-3 loves them in that velocity range. Its not the most powerful ctg for .44 Magnum but it shoots very well without being overly powerful with recoil that is controllable. If the Magtech 240 is going 1180fps that actually produces over 742 ft lbs of energy.
It probably goes closer to 1100 fps in real life.
Jim

sw282 · Sep 18, 2015

Mike--- l thought you were out of 2 4 0 0

Frank46 · Sep 19, 2015

Foytfoyt, darn fine pic of a Iowa class BB. When I was in the Philadelphia naval base waiting for the pencil pushers to do my separation papers they had the USS New Jersey in the drydock getting her ready for vietnam. God what a beautiful ship. Almost tempted to reenlist just to do a tour on her. Frank

foytfoyt · Sep 19, 2015

Frank46 said:
Foytfoyt, darn fine pic of a Iowa class BB. When I was in the Philadelphia naval base waiting for the pencil pushers to do my separation papers they had the USS New Jersey in the drydock getting her ready for vietnam. God what a beautiful ship. Almost tempted to reenlist just to do a tour on her. Frank

Frank46, I'm no sailor, but even I can see that the Iowa class are fine looking ships by any standard. Clean and elegant. I particularly like the sweep of the hull as it narrows towards the bow. HMS Hood was handsome, but I don't think any warship looks better than the Iowas. I've toured the Missouri, and need to see the Iowa ASAP.

My co-worker served on an old ammo ship that resupplied the USS New Jersey while she was off Vietnam. His ship carried everything from .223 to 16" shells, and experienced frequent electrical fires... He likes to tell the story of watching a crane accidentally drop a pallet of detonators several stories down into the hold full of ordnance. He believed this was going to be his final vision on earth.

I took this public domain pic from Wikipedia. Given that the displacement is listed as being as much as 58,000 tons, I'm impressed by the lateral movement.

steelslaver · Sep 19, 2015

Wonder if its guns were rated for +P.
Actually wonder what the load specs were and the ballistics.

Found it 2700# armor piercing had a MV of 2500fps and a range of appox 23 miles.

That is 262369974ft/lb of muzzle energy.

Murdock · Sep 19, 2015

Ha! That's not "lateral movement."

One of my first department heads in my first sea tour had been a turret officer in USS New Jersey, and he said that was a common misconception. The counter recoil mechanisms in the turrets prevented any movement to the side.

That flat/rippled look on the water off the starboard side is from muzzle blast. (It's one of the reasons that nobody was allowed topside during firing).

During my second tour in Lebanon with the amphibious forces things got rather noisy in and around Beirut, due to rowdy elements, so we used New Jersey's 16-inch guns on targets up in the mountains that were related to the noise makers in town. Things got really quiet after that. The effective radius of a 16" frag projectile was 250 meters.

Once when I was transiting the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel the USS Iowa was coming in. It was 1984. It stopped traffic on the bridge while people gawked. Magnificent ships.

What's a full magnum .44 load?

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