44 magnum loads that don't gobble powder

[Dfish1247]

I have a 629 and srh, both 6.5" barrel. Just purchased both a couple months ago.

Anywho, when I bought the 629, I bought 3 boxes of pmc 180gr ammo, says 1710fps. I bought it to shoot and have brass to reload. After suffering through 2 boxes of that stuff, I had some brass.

I loaded 2 cylinder fulls for each gun, 22gr 2400, 210gr Speer gdhp, Winchester lrp. The pmc's could hit a soda bottle at 50 yards in each gun easily with open sights. The load I made hits golf balls in either gun easily, recoil is far less with the hand load vs factory. Still kicks pretty stout, but nothing like the pmc's.

I have plenty of 2400, couple pounds of blue dot, h110,and unique. 210gr,180gr, and 240gr jhp, plenty of all 3 bullet weights.

I've seen people write using 44 special loads in magnum brass, but I'm leery of that much open case space. I've never tried this, any pointers?

 

[max]

7 to 8 grains of Unique is a standard plinking load. It is accurate, economical and doesn't beat you or the gun up.

 

[Dfish1247]

That's ok with copper jackets? Just want to be sure.

 

[Stroker468]

I load 9.5 grains of Unique with 240g cast bullets. Very comfortable load with just enough kick to let you know you're shooting a magnum. I loaded some using H110, ...I think(don't recall exactly) it called for 23 grains using magnum primers. Fairly snappy, but definitely not economical. I haven't tried 2400 yet, but just found some this week.

 

[arjay]

I like 8-10 gr of unique with 240 gr cast bullets. I've never used jacketed in anything less than full magnum loads w/2400.
Buy a few hundred and give it a try

 

[Peak53]

While I am a fan of Unique in magnum cases with 240 grain lead, I've also found that Bullseye makes a quite accurate, soft shooting, and economical load. Look it up.

 

[Engineer1911]

A 44 mag load that doesn't "gobble powder" is like discussing the "fuel efficient 426 CI Hemi" gasoline engine. Just what are you supposed to put in that big case -- corn flakes? Switch to 380 ACP for powder economy.

Lyman's reloading manual list several loads with lower powder charges, none are loaded for my guns.

 

[4barrel]

Another vote for Unique. N340 is about the same. They pretty much fill the case. You can download 2400 also.

 

[Scharfschuetzer]

As others have posted above, a 240 grain cast bullet over 9 or 10 grains of Unique is about as good as it gets for plinking with a magnum case. Accurate, reasonable recoil and no massive muzzle blast.

If you run across 44 Special cases, just drop the load down to 8 grains and you'll be good to go.

 

[Benchrest1]

Like arjay I use 8.5 to 10 grains of Unique with a 240 cast SWC.

 

[ajgunner]

Not to be picky but I don't believe the Super Red Hawk ever came in a 61/2"??? If you prove me wrong I will have to start looking for 1 to go along with my others.

I shoot 5 different Redhawks and my standard load is 10gr of Unique with a 240gr coated SWC.

 

[6string]

I'm confused by the desired outcome by the OP. Are you trying to save money by economizing on powder consumption? (Hence the title of the thread?). If so, using jacketed bullets will eclipse any savings.
Besides this, jacketed bullets and fast powders are generally not the best combo. Light charges of powder risk a stuck bullet in the barrel. For hotter loads, heavier charges of fast powders risk rapid escalation of pressure the closer you get to max. Additionally, jacketed bullets raise pressure compared to lead bullets, all other things being equal.
If jacketed bullets are your projectile of choice, driving them with slow powders will do so in the safest way, and usually best accuracy.
For reduced loads, target use, and/or economy, lead bullets and light charges of fast powder are time proven, accurate and safe.

All this advice is just a guideline, not a hard rule.

The Unique loads previously mentioned are great with cast lead bullets in the 180-250 gr weight range. Bullseye is also superb.
It might be worth your while to get a copy of the Lyman reloading manual. They are known and respected for their wide range of tested loads with an emphasis on utlity loads on the lighter side.

Enjoy!

 

[Cdog]

Not to be picky but I don't believe the Super Red Hawk ever came in a 61/2"??? If you prove me wrong I will have to start looking for 1 to go along with my others.

I shoot 5 different Redhawks and my standard load is 10gr of Unique with a 240gr coated SWC.

You know Ruger will build whatever a distributor desires.

Looks to be an RSR offering.

Ruger # 05519 is a 6.5" SRH.

 

[CH4]

For cheap .44 mag cast/plated plinking loads I'm
also a fan of unique, bullseye, titegroup and WST.

 

[SLT223]

Best bang for the buck will be lead, coated, plated over fast powder. I very much enjoy 200gr slugs over 5 to 6gr of Hodgdon Clays. Very economical and this powder doesn't leave much to clean up. I would go so far as to say cleaning the gun after 50 to 100 rounds is waste of time.

 

[Dfish1247]

Not to be picky but I don't believe the Super Red Hawk ever came in a 61/2"??? If you prove me wrong I will have to start looking for 1 to go along with my others.

I shoot 5 different Redhawks and my standard load is 10gr of Unique with a 240gr coated SWC.

Well you got me, it's a 7.5" barrel, model 05501, my bad.

Here's all three of my .44's. The eagle takes a full blast 240gr to operate the slide. Any lighter bullet and it jams, but it's a dream to shoot. The 629 wasn't horrible at all with the load I done, even with wood grips.

All I'm after is maximizing a can of powder while still having fun. Less recoil would be nice, but I wasn't flinching at all with the 2400 load.

I've never shot any lead other than .22, have zero experience with it, but looks like I'll have to try lead to make lighter loads, any brands in particular.


Oh, I know firsthand any big block and fuel economy aren't even acquainted, I have a skylark with a 496, never met a gas station she didn't love.

 

[Rosco Shooter]

Like others, I've had good luck with Unique. You might also want to take a look at Trail Boss with lead bullets.

 

[mtgianni]

A 240-260 gr cast bullet and 6.5 gr of Red Dot or Promo is economical, accurate, and with a 6.5" bll will be just under 1000 fps. It may leave a little sooting at the end of the case but it cleans up easily. I have found it to be accurate in a RH, BH, 29, 69, TC and a Rossi 92. Find a shotgun club and get in on a powder order and you're set for a long time.
It also is accurate in a 45 Colt.

 

[FlyFish]

I've seen people write using 44 special loads in magnum brass, but I'm leery of that much open case space. I've never tried this, any pointers?

I've been loading what would be considered .44 Special loads in .44 Magnum brass for a few decades, along with .38 Special loads in .357 Magnum brass. Never had any issues. With the faster powders there's a ton of empty space in the Special cases anyway, so the small amount of additional space in the Magnum cases really doesn't make any difference.

 

[peh_7]

I've had good luck with 5.0 gr of Clays behind a 200 gr plated flat nose bullet. That's a "Cowboy" load measured at 685 fps out of a 6" barrel. (I use this at the indoor range my gun club has that doesn't allow jacketed bullets or velocities over 1000 fps.)

Hodgdon has Clays load data for lead bullets between 165 gr and 240 gr.