old/new load data

[big brother]

Does anyone have any good loading data for the 44 Russian and the 44 American cartridges using currently available smokeless powder? I'd like to shoot these guns but I sure don't want to bust them. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jellybean]

With the popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting, the .44 Russian has made a comeback. Newer manuals are listing data for it, such as Speer and Lyman. You will probably find some recipes for it at the online powder sites. I have loaded some .44 Russians to shoot out of .44 specials and they are very pleasant to shoot.

I don't think the American has found much of this popularity yet and I don't have the latest manuals so far. If you don't get any good responses I'll take a look at some of the manuals I do have to see what I can find.

If you had put this in the reloading section you might have gotten better results. Hopefully a moderator will see it and move it for you.

 

[moxie]

The 2011 paper version of the Alliant Powder Reloader's Guide (available for free) has 4 loads for the .44 Russian using 200 gr. lead bullets and 4 different powders.
The online Hodgdon site has 14 loads using IMR and Hodgdon powders:
Cartridge Loads - Hodgdon Reloading Data Center - data.hodgdon.com
Google and Yahoo are your friends!

 

[Jellybean]

I didn't think I'd get very far with the .44 American, the only modern powder load data I have is a 200gr. Lead bullet, (Lyman mold 419180), over 5.5 grains of Unique. This is from Cartridges of the World 11th edition, printed in 2006.

They also list a factory load of 25.0 grains of FFg blackpowder with an unspecified 218 gr. bullet.

Ideal hand book number 34, printed in 1942, lists a load of of 4.5 grains of Bullseye under thier, and Lymans, 200 gr. bullet listed above, the 419180. Since your firearm is very old I'd back that down a bit, and stay there.