Reloading S&W .44 Special

[dlbx2]

I have a friend who loads S&W special loads for my 6 inch 29. I do not like the scrubbing involved with the burn ring in the cylinders, and want to know if you can put the same powder charge into .44 mag brass as he is putting into the special brass. The gun shoots great, and recoil is much less an issue, with the special loads. Just that darn burn ring. Advice, as always, appreciated!

DLB

 

[Nightowl]

Maybe, it depends on the powder charge. Generally, with moderate loads, a few more grains of powder is needed to obtain the same velocity. You should check one or more manuals to determine the correct amount of powder to use in the magnum case to obtain the same velocity you are getting with your current load.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Light loading is done all the time in 44mags, it's one of those rounds that has a lot of flexability.

 

[arjay]

I use unique with 44mag cases and 240 gr lswc to make loads anywhere from 750 fps-1000fps.

 

[papajohn428]

Any time I'm switching from 38 to 357 or 44 Special to magnum brass I bump the powder charge approximately 10% to keep the velocity the same in the larger case.

 

[dlbx2]

Thanks for the advice & info!

DLB

 

[Nemo288]

Short answer is yes. To get an exact equivalent you may need
to add like a half grain more powder to the bigger case.
I.E. 6 grains Unique in a special case, 6.5 in a magnum case.

I have loaded 44 magnum cases with as little as 4.5 grains of PB
using a filler to hold the tiny charge to the primer. Needless to
say these are all cast SWC bullets 200-240 grains.

Finding that really accurate low end load is half the fun

---
Nemo

 

[Mule88]

I use 9 gn of Universal clays for all my mid range .44 loads from 215-250 gn cast. Very accurate and alot cleaner than Unique.