JUST bought this 696-1 3 inch .44 spl

[larbike]

A good accurate load that won't stress the gun, or your hand, is a 240 gr lswc, 4.0 grains Trail Boss, CCI 300 primer. Try it you'll like it

 

[Avery11]

Thank you all for the load advice.

I have a 550b and most of the associated equipment that I will need. I also have about 1500 lbs of wheel weight lead, unlimited indoor range lead, and 100 lbs of tin in ingot form just waiting to be cast. I'm going to shoot a BUNCH in about three months.

As soon as I finish the guest room and the attic, I will have room to build the dream cave in the basement. Until then, I will just have to use the couple hundred rounds of .44spl I have sparingly.

 

[Drail]

I have been shooting and carrying and handloading for a 696 since 1996 when they first hit the shelves. I will never part with it. Carries exactly like a 3 in. 686. Hits just like a .45 ACP. It's perfect. Feels just like a BIG .38 Spl when fired. Just a big friendly push. I have settled on using hard cast 200 to 215 gr. SWCs running about 875 to 900 fps. As others have said there is no reason to push these guns beyond the load I mentioned. The best factory loading is the CCI/Speer Gold Dot 200 gr JHP. It just doesn't get any better. People will try to buy it from you. Just smile and walk away. I do not believe these guns will ever be offered again.

 

[Dave T]

Were not loading for my S&W 1923 target .44 SPL, but a new revolver with the same cylinder as a .44 magnum, just chambered for .44 SPL.

What the (expletive deleted) are you talking about? This is a 5-shot cylinder in an L-frame revolver. No comparison to a 44 Magnum cylinder or gun. It has been stated in article after article buy people more experienced than me to avoid even Skelton's 44 Special load (7.5g Unique under Keith's 250g SWC) in the 696. Man you are way off base claiming the L-frame 44 Special is the same as a Model 29 or 629.

Dave

 

[STCM(SW)]

What the (expletive deleted) are you talking about? This is a 5-shot cylinder in an L-frame revolver. No comparison to a 44 Magnum cylinder or gun. It has been stated in article after article buy people more experienced than me to avoid even Skelton's 44 Special load (7.5g Unique under Keith's 250g SWC) in the 696. Man you are way off base claiming the L-frame 44 Special is the same as a Model 29 or 629.

Dave

Well, Taurus must have Superior engineering and metallurgy then S&W as there Tracker 5 shot revolver is made in .44 Magnum. It is a medum frame close enough to a S&W "L" frame.
So much for it can't be done.

BTW, you are stating that a S&W revolver chambered in a cartrage that they developed over 100 years ago is unsafe with a load that has been around about 70 years.(7.5 Unique with a KSWC 250 gr.)
Amazing............

 

[AlwaysUp56]

I hate to be so new and wade into a obvious difference of view, but just am beginnig to re-enter reloading after quite a few years of not reloading(read married). Now I'm single, I am taking it up again. Just finished reading the 9th edition of the Lyman Handgun and Pistol Reloading manual and I took away from my reading that an over charge or an under charge outside of the listed data was not to be done, period. My 2cents. Could you get away with it? Maybe. Should you ever suggest another try replicating it....NEVER.

 

[nawilson]

I hate to be so new and wade into a obvious difference of view, but just am beginnig to re-enter reloading after quite a few years of not reloading(read married). Now I'm single, I am taking it up again. Just finished reading the 9th edition of the Lyman Handgun and Pistol Reloading manual and I took away from my reading that an over charge or an under charge outside of the listed data was not to be done, period. My 2cents. Could you get away with it? Maybe. Should you ever suggest another try replicating it....NEVER.

Personally, I'm with you... I will let guys with laboratories and pressure testing equipment figure out what is safe. To each their own though...

 

[COL Jagdog]

Avery, I think you made a great deal -- and I like the .44 special round - I have a 329 PD (4" bbl) and carry .44 special rounds in it -
it has been my usual farm carry weapon (other than a 651 PD on some days) ever since some miscreant broke into my truck and stole my 327 PD (which I have been trying to replace since). I just bought a TALO
629 (3" barrel) which I will carry with .44 spec rounds (except the grips are really beautiful, rosewood -- will be a bring to BBQ or farm dance gun). That being said, (and this is the mediator in me coming out) -
all on this thread need to hum "Kumbaya" for about 20 seconds re the proper loading for .44 spec rounds, lol.
To make you feel even better, if you don't like your new 696, Pm me --
I'll give you $200 over what you paid for it. (offer good for 30 days).
Go shoot it, enjoy it and let the force be with you!!
All the best, COL J

 

[STCM(SW)]

I hate to be so new and wade into a obvious difference of view, but just am beginnig to re-enter reloading after quite a few years of not reloading(read married). Now I'm single, I am taking it up again. Just finished reading the 9th edition of the Lyman Handgun and Pistol Reloading manual and I took away from my reading that an over charge or an under charge outside of the listed data was not to be done, period. My 2cents. Could you get away with it? Maybe. Should you ever suggest another try replicating it....NEVER.

Isn't it wounderfull how lawyers can have changes in reloading manuals now.....

My Lyman manual from 35-40 years ago does not have any statement like that, everyone wants to be sure they can't be sued.

Elmer Keith must be rolling in his grave laughing that .1gr more or less of any powder would do such great harm to you or your firearm of any kind....

 

[Drail]

By handloading Keith type loads for a L frame .44 Spl. revolver the problem is not so much you will "blow up" the gun as it is you will beat it to death fairly quickly. I haven't seen any actual reports of a "blown" 696 but I have seen numerous reports (with photos) of 696s sustaining serious damage to the forcing cone. For that matter a LOT of silhouette shooters have beaten 29s to death with heavy loads. If you don't care how long the gun's useable service life is going to be then load it up hot. But these guns were never designed or engineered for such heavy loads and they won't stay in spec long if pushed beyond what the manufacturer designed it to handle. Besides, there is no need to do this. A .44 Spl. load using a 200 gr. bullet at 900 fps or a 240 gr. bullet at 850 fps will do anything ever needed for anti personnel use. That is very close to .45 ACP ballistics which has earned a great deal of respect from people who have used them for serious purposes for many many years. If you need (or want) more power than that buy a .44 Mag. It's an L frame. It was designed for .357 Mag power levels. Expecting it to withstand .44 Mag levels is not realistic.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I found this article and will use this as my guide when I start to reload for my 696.

The .44 Special Revisited

If you don't want to read the whole thing he sums it up this way.

While the performance of the large-framed .44 Special revolvers was optimized years ago with Elmer's and Skeeter's loads built around 250 grain bullets, the smaller, lighter .44 Special revolvers popular today are better served with smaller, lighter bullets. While the 180-190 grain wadcutters delivered poor accuracy in the polygonal rifling of the S&W 696, the 200-230 grain flat-pointed bullets at about 950 fps are an excellent fit for the dainty little S&W 696, and make dandy field loads. With bullets of sufficient bearing surface, this little gun delivers superb accuracy. This is .45 ACP level of performance, with revolver accuracy, safety, and reliability, and Cramer 8A and the LBT 230 WFN provide all the meplat you could ever want (with no worries about feeding reliability!). The .44 Special is a cartridge deserving of being revisited, and it rewards those that do so.

 

[copasj]

Re.. Skeeter loads

Sorry to dredge up an old topic, but I picked up a 696-1 a little while back. I haven't done any loading for it, but it had been abused by the previous owner. I am assuming they were using Skeeter loads or something similar. There was a lot of leading in the barrel and he said "his buddy" had been loading him cast lead bullets. The forcing cone doesn't look damaged, but the lockup is a little looser than I would expect.

It's supposed to be back from the gunsmith this week, where it's lockup is getting checked. I'm also having the frame and cylinder bead blasted and hammer and trigger cerakoted. That's also to fix some cosmetic damage the previous owner did.

As far as loading is concerned, I intend to start with 200 grain cast RNFP's. Eventually I would like to get a 240 grain SWC mould. Loading data for the .44 special seems all over the map though. That's why I want to start with 200 grain bullets.

 

[youngda9]

I shoot mine with 270 grain cast bullets for practice. They are the same bullets that I shoot in my 44 mag loaded way down to a medium pressure 44 special round. I shoot a hot 200gr Gold Dot for SD.

Here is some good info and plenty of loads:
The .44 Special Revisited
experiments with cast hollow-points in the .44 Special by Glen E. Fryxell

 

[Coastie762]

Another powder to consider is Power Pistol. A load consisting of 7.5 grains of PP under a 240 cast SWC averages approx. 870 FPS out of both my 696-1 and 3" 24-3. This load is comfortable to shoot and accurate. Alliants data shows a max. charge of 8.0 grains of PP with a 250 gr cast Keith SWC. PP also meters well through a powder measure.

I've had similar positive results with PP in cast loads for .357 and .44 Mag.

 

[bob1956]

Just wanted to weigh in on the 696 discussion. I see a lot of back and forth on the issue of handloading for 44 spl. I agree the 44 spl is a great caliber and used in a "N " frame platform it is very safe, even with loads that exceed published data. I have personally been loading the spl. for 30+ years. I would agree that each handloader has to develop good habits about his loads. My personal feelings are that my habit includes when recomending loading data to people who I don't know error on the side of caution. Many people have had bad problems around handloading, book smarts will not win out over common sence and no I am not afraid of lawyers. I'm afraid of someone getting hurt. I'll end with this statement the forcing cone on the 696 is very, very thin.

 

[copasj]

Yes, it is.

Loss of .035ish inches of material going from 357 to 429, making the forcing cone weaker. Plus the additional area of the bullet for the pressure to act on.

I'm sure it can handle more than the SAAMI 15,500 PSI limit, but I'm not qualified to accurately estimate how much it can take.

 

[TexasArmed]

I have (2) 696's. The street price is about $800. I think most would opt for a 629 at about the same price and shoot 44 specials to reduce the recoil. The difference is the 696 is more compact being an L and that makes it more desirable to some. I don't shoot mags and I like the compact size better. Until S&W produces the 696 again, which isn't likely, they will continue to escalate in price. They are becoming difficult to find. I buy everyone I see locally if the condition is good and the price is right.

You have a nice one and the price was, shall we say, well below market.

Jim

Thats the one model revolver I am still wanting to finish my buying. I have not found one. I was looking for a S&W 696 44 Spl when I bought a S&W 625-5 Long Colt 45, 4" barrel.
I wanted a S&W 696 Spl 3". I only use factory rounds but I have plenty of ammo for a CA 44 Bulldog, so I wanted a S&W of the same caliber.

 

[1563621]

LGS Find

696 no dash, Found 7 months ago . 600.00 stealS&W lazer engraved Jan. 97.

 

[ladder13]

Great find ^^^^^^^. I had a -1 that I foolishly let go about 2 years back. Then this no dash appeared about 9 months back and I happily paid the 8 bill asking price. Love the 44 special caliber, a handloaders dream.

 

[1563621]

Looking for a change in grips now.