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Who is the 44mag reloading expert?

Dusty Stevens

Dusty Stevens

Shiner
Id like to use power pistol, speer 240gr jacketed magnum hollow points and cci no 350 magnum primers. Anybody got a recommendation?
 
I'm no "expert", but unless you either have a bunch of that powder or are otherwise locked into having to use it for some other reason...well, I have had real good accuracy with 2400. I started at 20 grains and worked up a little.
I am gonna guess and say you have the PP and cannot get any other powder right now {like the rest of us}??? PP is pretty fast for the 44 mag and jacketed bullets. I have also had pretty decent results with 4227 and 296.
I don't know why, but I have owned three different 44 mag pistols over the years and they all favored 2400.
I cut a Taylor throat in the one I have now and it works great for cast bullets. I was worried it might not shoot the jacketed ones as good as it did prior, but it didn't change a thing accuracy wise, maybe even improved it a little.
 
msinc said:
I'm no "expert", but unless you either have a bunch of that powder or are otherwise locked into having to use it for some other reason...well, I have had real good accuracy with 2400. I started at 20 grains and worked up a little.
I am gonna guess and say you have the PP and cannot get any other powder right now {like the rest of us}??? PP is pretty fast for the 44 mag and jacketed bullets. I have also had pretty decent results with 4227 and 296.
I don't know why, but I have owned three different 44 mag pistols over the years and they all favored 2400.
I cut a Taylor throat in the one I have now and it works great for cast bullets. I was worried it might not shoot the jacketed ones as good as it did prior, but it didn't change a thing accuracy wise, maybe even improved it a little.
Click to expand...
Yes sir im locked into power pistol or bullseye and those bullets. I have everything needed for 45acp or 10mm and have a dillon dedicated to each. I do not normally load pistol rounds so i have no stockpile only emergency supplies for those.
 
@Dusty Stevens - I use Bullseye, WLP's, Starline Brass, and a 240 gr. LSWC, and started with 5.1 gr. It was such a fun load, that my kids shoot it, and they get funny looks from the 'old' guys at the club who see an 18 year old girl pull out this long barreled Dan Wesson revolver and aim it down range.

For serious loads, I've upped the powder charge to 6.1 gr. Bullseye is a little dirty, but not nearly as dirty as Unique (which I tried and didn't care for).
 
I would suggest that you try to source some cast bullets. Most of my hand guns have never seen a jacketed bullet, for heavy or light loads. Same can be said for my straight wall cartridge rifles, from .357 to .45-70.
 
Dusty, now sure what your intentions are for your 44 mag. I always bring along a pistol to the range to shoot during rifle barrel rest periods. Sometimes bring a 44, just for casual plinking. I mainly shoot cast bullets with Unique. Find full power 44 magnums are not all that much fun to shoot. I only shoot magnum loads to kill my occasional dream of a Freedom Arms 454 Casull. Could probably live out my life with 44 specials. When I do shoot jacketed bullets I use H110/Winchester 296. I may be way behind the times, but cast 240 grain bullets and Unique work well for me.
 
Not what you are really looking for, but my load for 44 mag was 18.5 grs. Blue Dot, mag. primers and Speer 240 gr. jsp or jhp. Kind of a difficult task to limit ones self to all the materials on hand.
 
Back in the 80's my brother and I were competing in our local 50 yard falling plate match and I was using a S&W Mod 29 with the 8 3/8" barrel. My load was 8gr of 231 and a 240 gr cast bullet. Very little leading and one pass with a Lewis lead removal tool would take the lead out.
 
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Well i wish i had all those powders to try, but since i dont consider myself a casual pistol reloader i only have power pistol and only have that for the 10mm bear loads i cant buy.
 
If you are using the CCI350 start at 10.5gr and work up to 11.5 should get you in the neighborhood of 1320 fps in a long for handgun barrel (7.5"+). Alliant does list the powder (although with a CCI300 primer) for the .44mag but with lighter bullets 200grJHP at 15.5gr and a 210gr at 14.5 so it is not unheard of for this powder to power a .44mag. Best of luck with this challenge.

Mike
 
I'm no expert, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.
I have no experience with PP, but having shot many thousands of rounds of 44 mag, I use 16 gr of 2400 with a 240gr lead bullet. It does about 1000 fps, and is a very very accurate load. The same load works well in a 44 special.
For full house loads I use a 240gr Jacketed with 24.5 gr of 296. I don't shoot many of these, because they are no fun.
 
you shurely have friends that would give a cup full of powder that is appropriate burning rate for a 44 mag with heavy bullets,,,,you are trying to load a fuel dragster with diesel fuel and expecting it to work,,,Roger
PS,,,if you lived closer I would bring you a cup-full-0 powder ,,,free of charge,,,
 
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