44special/44mag lite loads questions

hastings

hastings

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I recently picked up a 629-4 Mountain Gun, and want to do some reloading for it. I also picked up some 240gr Hornady lswc bullets, which are fairly soft, and have ordered some 245gr lswc bullets that are about Br. 18. I've tried some of the Hornady bullets over 6.8gr of Unique, and they are very accurate, but lead a little. They are .430, as are the 245's. I was wondering if anyone could recommend some loads for both bullets using other powder, such as Bluedot, Lil'gun, Titegroup, or any other powder other than Unique. I like how Unique performs, but would like to try something different. I have a few reloading manuals, but I'd like to hear form some forum members about burn rates, efficiency out of a 4" barrel, and so forth.

By the way, I am not a magnum fan, so I plan on keeping my loads to 950fps or less for the most part, and generally dislike jacketed bullets. I much prefer 45colt, and 45autorim to 44mag, but I'm trying to warm up to 44special level loads. I'd appreciate any advice and info you have to offer.

Thanks
Hastings
 
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Long ago I settled on 6.0 to 6.5 grains of Red Dot in a 44 mag case with a 240 grain bullet as a target / small game load. It is accurate and consistent in most all my guns. Gives about 900 fps depending on barrel length.

Larry
 
My recommendation is stay with the medium burners for this application. The slow burners (W296, H110, Accurate #9, VihtaVuori N110) will not be able to generate the pressure they need to be efficient, while the fast burners have to generate a lot of pressure to provide the velocity you want. Plus the fast burners take up so little of the case's capacity that double and triple charges won't jump out at you, and even cases without powder can be difficult to spot. Trust me, 6.0gr of Titegroup (which is a dark powder to start with) literally disappears in a .44 Magnum case...

Loaded under a 245-255gr LSWC bullet and ignited by a standard large pistol primer, Hodgdon's Universal Clays, VihtaVuori's N340, Ramshot's True Blue, and Alliant's Unique will provide what you're looking for in a moderate .44 Magnum load. I know you said you don't like Unique, but 8.0-8.5gr of Unique under a 245-255gr Keith bullet is a classic .44 Magnum loading.
 
5.0gr. Bullseye under the 245 SWC in the .44 Magnum, in the .44 Special I also use 5.0gr. Bullseye under a 200gr. RNFP. For ladies and juniors wanting to shoot the .44 Special I load 3.5gr. Bullseye under the 200gr. RNFP for a nice mild load, good for indoor gallery shooting too.
 
I use Power Pistol in my 44 Special loads. With a 240 grain bulet somewhere around 8.0 grains would transfer to 950 FPS in a 4" barrel.
 
I hate the stuff but Trailboss can make some light loads. It won't meter well for me. You may have better results. I would rather second the HP-38/Win 231 actually.
 
I tried light loads with swaged bullets in my 4" 29-2 and gave up very
quickly. A favorite load is 6.2 grs Bullseye with a 245-250 gr cast bullet
in magnum brass for 830 fps. For a bit more power 8.2 grs W231 with
same bullet gives about 980 fps.
 
I don't dislike Unique, but was wondering if any other powders would give superior performance, meter better, and burn cleaner. I'm just about out of Unique, which I use a lot of for 45colt and 45autorim. Since I'll need to restock, I though getting some input from forum members might help me make a more informed choice.

Great info so far, but I have a question or two.

Question #1: With Trail Boss, I read somewhere that you can get throat errosion. I don't recall where I read this, but it was on this or another forum. Is this true, and how quickly does this occur?

Question #2a and 2b: These are more general. There is a lot of mention of W231, Bullseye, and some mention of Universal Clays and Red Dot. What factors go into making a particular powder your favorite, and how many types of powder have you tried in your quest to find the right powder for a particular gun/bullet pairing?

As I said, I have quite a bit of experience with Unique, but for me it seems a bit dirty, at least in 45colt. I also dislike huge fireballs at the end of my gun when I shoot. This isn't a characteristic of Unique, but it does mean I'm looking for a powder type and amount that will give me a fairly clean burn, will push a 240-255gr lead bullet to somewhere between 900 and 1000 fps, not shoot a fireball out behind the bullet, and meter well thru a RCBS power dispenser. I could buy a canister of each powder, and experiment (which would be great fun, but very costly), or see if others have have ironed out the details already.

I was also wondering if anyone has an exhaustive powder burn-rate chart, or info that would help demystify choosing powders for varying barrel lengths. All of the reloading manuals I own simply give low and high charges in several powder types without any explanation of the characteristics of each powder, and what makes it suitable for that particular use. Any other info must be infered.

Thanks
 
hastings said:
I was also wondering if anyone has an exhaustive powder burn-rate chart, or info that would help demystify choosing powders for varying barrel lengths. All of the reloading manuals I own simply give low and high charges in several powder types without any explanation of the characteristics of each powder, and what makes it suitable for that particular use. Any other info must be infered.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Ask and ye shall be given:

POWDER BURN RATE CHART

In mid-range powders, I am using more Universal than Unique these days.
 
According to my records, 8.0 gr of Hodgdon's Universal Clays registered 1015 fps out of my S&W M629 with its 4" barrel (Action Bullet 240gr LSWC, Starline brass, CCI standard LP primer, 1.590" COL, with a firm roll crimp). My notes indicate I was to try 7.5gr for about 950 fps, but this as never tested. I know that, for me, Universal Clays measured much more consistently than did Unique, and burned cleaner as well.

All this happened back in the summer of 2008 when I still owned a .44 Magnum revolver...

As far as how many powders I've tried? Well... I confess to being somewhat of a powder slut... I'm willing to try a pound of just about any powder once...

IMHO, VihtaVuori's N340 is possibly the best medium burner I've ever tried, but it is relatively expensive. Still, I've got that new unopened canister of True Blue calling to me from my powder shelf...
 
Last edited:
hastings said:
Question #2a and 2b: These are more general. There is a lot of mention of W231, Bullseye, and some mention of Universal Clays and Red Dot. What factors go into making a particular powder your favorite, and how many types of powder have you tried in your quest to find the right powder for a particular gun/bullet pairing?



Thanks
Click to expand...


Most manuals will have their tested results in bold or indicated which are the most accurate load they tested so generally that is a good place to start.

You can probably get by with 3 powders.

Fast, medium and slow. Between brands each brand has a powder similar to those of another brand.

I have several different powders but usually buy Hodgdons powder as their online website is the best (IMO) and if you call them they are folks who actually want to help you.

If I could only have one powder it would be HP38/Win 231
It will load anything I shoot. Is it the best at everything? No. There are better Full house Magnum powders but how often do I want to beat myself and gun up?. So for Magnums you have H110/Win 296 or say 2400, a fast powder, Bullseye has been used forever.

Here is a updated Burn rate with some of the newer powders.

Burn Rate
 
Thanks for this great info. This is exactly what I was looking for. The burn rate info is quite helpful, and it sounds like I should go get some Universal Clays, W231, and maybe a canister of Trail Boss to boot. I'm actually tempted to go the powder slut route, and get one of each mentioned here just for the pleasure of going thru the testing process.

Thanks again. The info is greatly appreciated.
 
I use Unique for the application you describe. I've found that it "cleans up" under higher pressures (probably not as much as some other powders), so you might experiment with charges, crimps, and bullets to see if you get satisfactory performace with a particular combination. I shot a local IDPA match this past weekend using the Skeeter Skelton load of 7.5 grains of Unique under a 245 cast SWC (velocity less than what you're looking for) with my 4" 629 from an IWB holster. As the only revolver shooter in the match, I wasn't worried about using the most competitive equipment but wanted a test bed to see how this combination performed for me under match conditions. I didn't clean the chambers at all between stages, and had no problems with unburnt powder impacting reloads. Accuracy was good, and no problem seeing the target through the smoke (very little) on double taps.

One thing I like about the Hercules/Alliant powders like Bullseye and Unique is that they have been around a LONG time resulting in a wealth of published recipes and experiences. Some of the newer powders may have advantages for particular applications, but some may also have quirks like inverse temperature sensitivity or pressures may spike unexpectedly in some loads that come to light as people work with them more, so I am always cautious when treading new ground.
 
lite and med loads

Try 7.1 grains of W321 for a lite load and 8.2 of the same for a med. load. I shoot Bear Creek 240 gr. SWC Lead moly and have no leading problems in all three of my 44 mags. Both arevery comfortable on the wrist and good on target
 
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