truly "special" .44 special

[Leo_B]

I've been debating next year's guns. Likely a .22lr lever action for the rifle. For the handgun I'm stuck between a plus capacity .357M and a .44M revolver. I've never had a .44 of any variety. I do not like recoil and always figured I wouldn't like shooting it. I just found this ammo this evening, .44 Special, 510fps and 104# energy. In a revolver the size of the Super Redhawk Alaskan or 629 Deluxe it can't be any more than a non-+P .38 if even that much. Maybe more like a .22M. Then I just have to find a load recipe to make something similar. Lyman Cast Bullets was no help for load recipes as their lightest entry is for a 205gr bullet. So the data hunt is on.

https://choiceammunition.com/produc...tcfp-black-hi-tek-coated-cast100-hand-loaded/

 

[Pirate69]

I believe Lyman has a mold for the 180 grain bullets.

 

[Leo_B]

Thanks. I should have been clearer. I was looking for load data not a mold. I always look at Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook first.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Unique should shoot well in a 44 special. Another good candidate would be Hodgdon Universal if you can find it. It has shot great in my older cartridge guns

 

[joshb]

Leo, Leo, Leo…..here you go again. “I don’t like recoil” VS “I want a 44.”
Alright, I’ll play: I’ve shot thousands of regular 44 Special loads , +P 44 Special loads and full house 44 Magnum loads in my S&W 629 with the 8 3/8” barrel.
The biggest reason to shoot the 44 Special is the reduced recoil. It’s still not a 38 Special in the recoil department but it is easier on the hand. The bigger gun with the longer barrel helps.
You could look at a modern gun like a Ruger in 45 Colt that can take the hot loads. Factory Colt loads are pussy cats but you can hand load them up to 44 Magnum power if you get a wild hair up your butt. Plus, the cartridge has a lot of history in Texas.

 

[Oso]

My brothers and I started our affinity for revolvers with Dan Wesson 44Mags for going on our first Hog hunt in maybe 1990… before Hogs and night vision was a Thing. There are plenty of pet loads that are easy to handle and a joy to shoot. A common powder for these plinking / reduced loads is shotgun powder (Red Dot, Clays, etc) because it is bulky… downside is these powders are dirty

These reduced load in a heavy revolver provide a nice recoil impulse like shooting a 1911 45ACP.

 

[Oso]

Leo - don’t sweat it or over-think it. At some point all of us were the boy standing against the wall at some homecoming dance. You can’t help what you like, and the trepidation/fear is totally understandable. You are a Rare Breed because you keep staring at the Big Girl built like a Brick House! It’s only natural that your “Fight or Flight” reflex keeps kicking in ever time you think about trying to take the Big Horse for a ride!!!

Welcome to the Club… we are here to encourage you to Live Boldly while helping you spend all your money pursuing your inner fantasies Each additional gun purchase could be the One!

Ask my wife how close I’ve come to it with my most recent purchase. I can proudly say that I have a comfy couch

 

[dellet]

The load your looking at is certainly a specialty load. But something you need to keep in mind is that in cowboy shooting, rate of fire is much more important than accuracy. As long as the bullet leaves the barrel and can leave a moral somewhere on the target, it’s good to go. The needed power factor for a bullet that weight is a velocity that is way too close the stuck bullet speed, at least they have a minimum velocity for all bullets of 400 fps. If it was power factor alone, it would be about 325 fps. Clearly there were some problems without the minimum fps rule.

Take a look at the old data from Hodgdon that includes minimum loads instead of the current maximum only data. Make sure you read the instructions and disclaimers. It becomes clear that low density loads become erratic. Make sure to note the velocity drops expected in shorter than test barrels. Searching for other Cowboy action loads will be your best source for the type of load you’re looking for.

https://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/hodgdon_2002_blackpowder_reloaders_manual.pdf

https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cowboy-action1-1.pdf

 

[joshb]

I’m on the fence with a gun, right now. It’s a nice Ruger in 44 Special. The problem is it has a 2 inch barrel. I gave it to my cousin and he gave it back to me. I thought about selling it but I decided to try it out and see if I like it. I ordered some new brass and when it comes in, I’ll put some loads together and try it out. It might be a nice little hand cannon.

 

[timeout]

Maybe it's just me, but a 44 magnum load that I shoot in a Ruger Redhawk is not uncomfortable at all. Put that same recipe into a Ruger single action and it will get your attention.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Trailboss

 

[Oso]

Grip angle makes the difference in shooting comfort and recoil management. For me a more vertical grip, whether on rifle or pistol, is more comfortable aligning my wrist with direction of recoil. Modern pistol grip over Cowboy Western grip…. RedHawks over Blackhawk.

As far as balancing cartridge with barrel length. As much as I enjoyed the PowerWagon on Simon & Simon, I always scratched my head about the snub nose 44. Revolver that the younger brother carried.

How much powder does a .44 Mag revolver burn in a 2” barrel? I did a quick search and majority of “.44 Magnum - barrel length vs. velocity” comparisons start with 4” barrel being the shortest used in their testing. I did come across a few showing 3” barrel in 900fps and 8” barrel at 1,400fps. It may be erroneous, but I have always assumed that with full loads (factory ammo) that with a snub nose revolver (2” barrel) the majority of powder gets ignited outside of the barrel (fireball). However, with reloads you can dial down powder volume to match what is needed/used by watching when velocity flattens out while powder charge continues to increase.

 

[dellet]

Grip angle makes the difference in shooting comfort and recoil management. For me a more vertical grip, whether on rifle or pistol, is more comfortable aligning my wrist with direction of recoil. Modern pistol grip over Cowboy Western grip…. RedHawks over Blackhawk.

As far as balancing cartridge with barrel length. As much as I enjoyed the PowerWagon on Simon & Simon, I always scratched my head about the snub nose 44. Revolver that the younger brother carried.

How much powder does a .44 Mag revolver burn in a 2” barrel? I did a quick search and majority of “.44 Magnum - barrel length vs. velocity” comparisons start with 4” barrel being the shortest used in their testing. I did come across a few showing 3” barrel in 900fps and 8” barrel at 1,400fps. It may be erroneous, but I have always assumed that with full loads (factory ammo) that with a snub nose revolver (2” barrel) the majority of powder gets ignited outside of the barrel (fireball). However, with reloads you can dial down powder volume to match what is needed/used by watching when velocity flattens out while powder charge continues to increase.

Not sure if you were looking at this or not, but it’s a good resource with real world testing.

BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .44 Special Results

(statement of intent)

ballisticsbytheinch.com

 

[Kittitas George]

I wanted something heavier than a 357 Mag. After a lot of reading I choose a 41Mag., loading bullets of 200gr. The recoil was very manageable, return to target pretty quick. An issue many 'gun writers' even the old timers comment on is many shooters can not control recoil and return to target with the 44Mag. I used Ruger single actions, but my favorites were a couple S&W revolvers. It maybe something you should consider. I carried these 'horse back', just in case, riding in REAL BEAR country. Thankfully, I never needed to demonstrate my quick draw, bravery or stupidity.

 

[Leo_B]

Yes, .44 and less recoil generally don't go together as it seems most people who get them are looking for the most uncomfortable shooting, biggest fireball experience that can be produced. It's more macho. I don't need any of that. I just want decent shooting and not a single one of my targets so far has asked what size or power level I made the holes. So that round was interesting. I realize it's for cowboy action shooting where hitting the target somewhere, anywhere, is the goal.

I'm looking at a load in Lyman Cast Bullets 4th ed. of the 205gr. 427098 at about 740fps as interesting. But I don't cast and won't be and don't know if those can be bought anywhere or not. I'm sure similar can be found though and will check Missouri Bullet Co. as I like that business. And two of their recipes use 2400 and Unique, both of which I have.

 

[Leo_B]

And as much as I enjoy feeding my "having a .44 would really be cool" side the slightly more logical side keeps turning back to the 627PC as it gives the 8th round I'd like to have, is definitely mild (enough) shooting with plain .38 loads and has plenty of power available when wanted. And all sources I've found so far list it as 7 5/8" OAL which fits my size requirement being 1/3" less OAL than my SP101 currently EDC. And most expensive on my suspects list as an added bonus.

 

[K22]

I have owned and shoot both, 357M and 44M, all S&W's.

Unless you plan to hunt big game or just have the desire to shoot a 44, I would opt for the 357M if you are recoil sensitive.

I mostly shoot 38+P these days in my 357's since I do not hunt big game and the allure of the 44 wore off years ago.

There are plenty of cast and lead bullets mild loads for the 44 using either magnum or special cases. In my way of thinking, the reason to purchase a 44M is that you have a reason to shoot a powerful revolver. Otherwise, it seems counterproductive to purchase one then load it down. But that's just me.

I find the 357M with 38+P load very accurate and enjoyable (recoil wise) to shoot. My favorite load is 5.6 grains of 231 with 125 Hornady XTP's in 38 cases.

 

[kelbro]

I've had a couple of 44 Mag Pistols that I shot 44 special loads in. Fun but had to scrub the lead out of the cylinders. Had a 44 special (Lipsey's) Ruger flat top that was a lot of fun to shoot and very accurate. I moved to a 45 Colt flat top that gave me more versatility and had a lot more published loads and available bullets. Then I got a Redhawk in 45 Colt which was SWEET. Double action. Load as hot or as mild as you want and still shot like a dream. But, it was HEAVY. The only one that has remained in the safe was the 45 flat top Blackhawk. Sambar stag grips and a western holster. I cast my own bullets for about 40 years but a cross country move put an end to that.

 

[joshb]

“I always scratched my head about the snub nose 44. Revolver that the younger brother carried.“
My thoughts exactly. Looking at the table in the link, 7-800 fps with a 200 grain bullet out of a 2” barrel isn’t very impressive. My 357 is a 6 inch barrel, which is the shortest revolver I owned, before this Ruger. Given the heft of the Ruger, I don’t expect the recoil to be that bad but given the “performance “ , I’d rather be shooting my Colt 1911 in 45ACP.

 

[Oso]

I heard a good description for what a 2” revolver was designed for as “Eyes, Ear & Throat”. These are places that you plug the snub barrel into before pulling the trigger. Really up close shooting.

Another reduced / “downloaded” cartridge that is worth considering is a 45ACP. I have a 4” S&W 625 (45ACP using moon clips) that is pleasant to shoot and easy to reload.