.44 spc,Truth or Myth?

[cherrypointmarine]

I was reading in one of my magazines that the .44 spc could be loaded hotter than factory .44 mag loads. For all you loaders out there, is this true? I just bought 2 .44 spc's, a M24 and a M696 after chasing a nice .44 spc for a while. For some reason, I really like this round, and it would be nice to know just how strong these rounds really are. Thanks

 

[BigBill]

We get more velocity from a 44 special with a cast lead load over a 44 mag case with the same powder and charge.

I'm not sure about a magnum charge in a 44 special case?

 

[75Vette]

I'm certainly not an expert but I would not play with hot 44 spl loads through the 696. Being an L frame with a very thin forcing cone I would not try to push it's limits. On the other hand, the 24 should take whatever you feed it.

 

[S42N8]

As I recall, the balloon head .44 Special cases held more powder than a .44 Mag. Could they be loaded hotter than a .44 Mag? Yes...but the safety margin would be iffy. John Taffin has an article on this in G&A mag, which discussed John Lachuk's .44 Lancer cartridge. Lachuk was using Colt Frontiers with a fair amount of custom mods and cut-down .405 Win brass toget to .44 Mag performance in the 1940s. Article at Before The .44 Magnum Part 2Guns Magazine.com | Guns Magazine.com

The article cites a balloon head .44 Special case as holding 36 gr. of 2400; the solid head .44 Mag as holding 35 gr. Personally, I wouldn't go there; I like my guns (and hands, etc.) in working condition

 

[oldman10mm]

44sp can be loaded to 44m pressures in the proper gun. 44sp cannot reach 44m velocities because of a smaller(less case capacity) case. 44sp factory load are always weak because ammo manufacturers don't know what vintage/strength gun it will be used in. a gun that's 44m will readily use hot 44sp loads. I'm currently setting up to load 44sp for my S&W 44M's,some will be plinking/target loads and some will be hot. Load data has drastically changed in the past 40 years for 44sp. Max loads are down from back then due to legal liability reasons.

 

[Rpg]

As a practical matter, the 44 special can be loaded above standard old black powder numbers.

These levels are perfectly adequate for anything in North America although they don't equal 44 mag ballistics

Sometimes less is more.

 

[epj]

Elmer Kieth made some very stout.44 loads. He also blew up a few guns in his quest for a .44 Magnum.

 

[arjay]

You can get it to where Keith was (240 gr @ 1100-1200 fps),but who knows what the pressure is?

 

[gen3guy]

I wouldn't go there.

 

[rockquarry]

The answer is "myth". Please reference the article and magazine.

 

[H Richard]

I paid too much for my 24 to load it that high. I'll put those in my 29.

 

[Nightowl]

Do you really want to load a .44 Special to .44 Magnum pressure levels? Not me, thanks!

 

[BigBill]

Your m29 won't shoot the reloads I shot out of my super black hawk in 44 mag. The people near me left the range when they seen the flames. I learned my lesson really early in life. They never came back with hotdogs & burgers the flames were just right. Lmao.

Don't try this at home. When someone says hold my beer watch this, run forest run. Rugers are very freaking strong.

 

[Grayfox]

If you want magnum level loads, stick with the .44 magnum and guns designed for it.
I like the .44 Special just the way it is.

 

[Buford57]

The .44 Special is neither truth nor myth...it is Legend.

 

[Stranglehold]

The .44 Special is a fine cartridge but I would never consider loading it to .44 Magnum pressures or velocities in a model 24 or 624, certainly never in a 696. The .44 Special, when loaded with a good 250gr to 265 gr SWC at 900 to 1000 fps will do 90% of what needs to be done with a big bore handgun and it will do it in a lighter, more easily packed platform without the noise, recoil, and blast of it's more muscular big brother. The added velocity of the Magnum flattens trajectory, but the Special is more than capable of taking medium big game at typical handgun ranges.

My favorite load for the Special is the Skeeter load, a 250gr Keith SWC (Lyman 429421) over 7.5gr of Unique for 900 to 950 fps from a 4" barrel. If I need more bullet weight or velocity than this, I transition to the .44 Mag, or maybe the .45 Colt. An excellent treatise by Brian Pierce on loading the 44 Special can be found in Handloader Magazine #236, posted here for your convenience.

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf

As good as the cartridge is, there's also something intangible about shooting the .44 Special that may be hard to explain but easy to understand by those who dote on the cartridge. A return to a simpler time and in some small way, a connection to those great handgunners who came before...there really is something special about the .44 Special.

Roe

 

[birdshooter]

The article cites a balloon head .44 Special case as holding 36 gr. of 2400; the solid head .44 Mag as holding 35 gr. Personally, I wouldn't go there; I like my guns (and hands, etc.) in working condition [/QUOTE]

You will note in the article that this statement mentioned that this was the capacity when filled to the mouth of the case. He was simply comparing the capacity. The actual load was quite a bit lower. I already tossed the magazine or I would note it. Still a stout load nonetheless.

I am kind of a sissy when it comes to recoil and favor moderate charges in both my .44 Special and .44 Magnum. Both are capable of what I need them to do.

 

[silentflyer]

Maybe but why? Elmer did all the work years ago, and yes blew up some guns along the way. That's why the .44 magnum was created..

 

[44wheelman]

Yes, theoretically you could load a 44 spl hotter than factory mag....if you have the right powder. So, what is that powder? Whatever generates more than 36,000psi. I imagine a case full of bullseye would do it. You first.

 

[steelslaver]

I would never try hot loads especially in my 696 or the 3966 I just picked up. As mentioned pretty thin forcing cones. Plus in smaller L frame guns that were designed more as defense guns than anything else there is no need for higher velocities and heavier recoil would reduce recovery time.

The 44 mag was created by hot rodding large frame 44 specials and some where destroyed in the process. That,s why there are 44 mags, so 44 specials don't get destroyed.