+1 on the 900fps/950fps
The 44spl is 1 of those forgotten calibers that combines accuracy with thumping power. The 44cal's were the "caliber" of choice for target shooters from around 1900 to the 1930's. The 38spl took hold using less resources and having less recoil. Now the 32cal's are taking over the 38spl's role as the premier target caliber.
Using the 44spl in today's world.
The 44spl is still an extremely accurate cartridge that brings a heavier bullet to the table. The 800fps 220gr hbwc 44spl load I use for target shooting on the 25yd line also makes 1 heck of a bowling pin load. This is a load that I normally shoot 1 handed/nra targets.
The other place the 44spl really shines is in the hd/sd/ccw world. 44spl loads in a snub nosed revolver will rival a 45acp and easily outperform any snub nosed revolvers (3" or less) or short bbl'd (3" bbl'd) bbl'd semi-auto's.
Years ago the mfg's swithed from the balloon headed 44spl cases to the modern cases we use to this day. There were a lot of kabooms with the "new" brass because the new brass has less case capacity. So the nra did testing and put this out for the reloads to use. The nra actually did extremely well with their testing and their #'s have proven correct with modern testing equipment. The other thing that is interesting is that they used bullets that were popular at the time of the testing. Some of the bullets they used to test with are still used today. Here's the nra link
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/NRA - Loads for the 44 Special.pdf
Years later Brian Pearce did an article for handloader magazine on the 44spl. His test loads mirror what the nra printed decades earlier along with load data with modern powders. Pearce's article from the handloader magazine.
http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf
Earlier this year I did some testing in a 44spl snub nosed revolver. While not full house loads, they are up there and are extremely impressive.
The 44psl/snub nosed revolver combo has a lot less recoil than a snub nosed 357 and hits hard, real hard. The snub nosed 44spl will easily out perform and 3" bbl'd revolver or semi-auto chambered in 38spl/357/9mm/40s&w/45acp.
Old habits are hard to break. Any time I get a new reloading manual or 1 that I've never seen before. The 1st place I go in them is to the Cowboy Action section. There's just soooooo many excellent soft shooting loads there that are easy on not only my old bones but on my wallet with loads that don't burn a lot of powder.
Enjoy your 44spl, they truly are the best caliber of the revolver world. They can easily be loaded light enough and are accurate enough for target work. Standard plinking loads are very controllable & can easily be used for any range games or sd/hd. And hot loads can sd/hd/ccw or hunting.
Not many calibers can do this as effectively as the 44spl can.
