Beginner 44 mag loads

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Rick Bollinger

Rick Bollinger

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I am going to acquire a Smith & Wesson Model 69 4.25”. I reload for my 44 mag handi rifle and would like suggestions for loads to begin with the pistol. Wife friendly and beginner friendly. I am getting 205 gr semi wadcutters, will be loading in magnum brass vs 44 special. Suggestions appreciated. God bless, Rick
 
A midrange .44 Mag load with BE-86, Unique, AA #5, or near the top .44 Spl loads, something like that. What powders do you have?

Welcome to THR
 
I just started reloading for 44 mag and so far I've just used 240 grain cast bullets. My moderate load is 14.0 gr. of Blue Dot which is noticeably hot but not nearly top-end. It's what I would consider a moderate magnum probably.

These weekend I loaded some up with 6.7 gr. of Trail Boss and I liked those too. Very little felt recoil from my Ruger SBH.
 
I will give a thumbs up to Trailboss for low recoil loads. When my grandson was about 14, he very much wanted to shoot my .44 magnum Super Blackhawk with 5.5" barrel. I cannot recall the powder weight I used but it filled the case to within an 1/8" of where the bottom of the bullet seated. I was using 240 grain bullets and it was a perfect load for him to shoot. He enjoyed the experience and shot quite a few rounds.
 
A 240 grain lead SWC, Lyman 429244 mold, bullet ahead of 7.2 grains of Unique in Model 29-2 is snappy but fun to shoot round. Moderate roll crimp.

The bullet is a gas check design but I don’t gas check it for 44 Special velocities.
 
Love my M69. See my avatar. I load 240gr SWC from Acme or Missouri Bullet Co over 7.5 gr of Unique (Skeeter load sorta) in .44 Mag cases for a stout, for me, in between 44 Special +P and lower end 44 Mag. Very accurate.

A soft shooting load I put together for my son's girlfriend was 5.5gr of Trail Boss and a 200gr Acme RNFP. These were very soft shooting and reasonably accurate.

Good luck!
 
I have loaded 240 gr. LSWC with 44 Special data in 44 Magnum brass many times. Starting loads of Unique or Blue Dot aren't too heavy but I don't know how light a load she'll need. With a 200 gr cast bullet the same would apply, but with some faster powders...

Or just use 44 Specials and clean the cylinder after shooting...
 
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With a 200gr RNFP coated lead bullet, I load with Unique 11.0 gr. or 2400 17.0 - 17.2 gr. Not max but lively.
 
I like 6.5gr of Universal with a 195gr bullet. That would be a nice load in a 44 Mag. I use this load with a soft HP for carry in my 3" 44 Special. Get around 900fps and is very manageable to shoot.
 
For using my SBH or Marlin rifle as a backup gun in SASS, I use magnum cases, 200 grain lead, and 6.2 grains of Trailboss. Hodgdon's minimum load is 6.1 rated at 890 fps. Saves steel targets and the shooter. Shoots like moderate 45 Colt.
 
I've been messing around a ton with 240g lead SWC for nearly a year now. Most of my loads are ones I've gathered here/there. These are my results, load at your own risk:

Unique:
Magnum brass -w- 11.7g, 1305 fps. This one could be taken down to 9-10g for a lighter but still magnum load
Special brass, 5-7g. 5g is what I load for my Bulldog, 637 fps. In my 629: 6g/794fps, 6.7/870fps, 7g 962 fps.

Tight Group
I don't have chrono data yet (too miserably cold out there), but in magnum brass, 240g lead over 10g shoots very well. If I had to guess, I'd say these are in the 1200 fps range.
 
Typetwelve said:
I've been messing around a ton with 240g lead SWC for nearly a year now. Most of my loads are ones I've gathered here/there. These are my results, load at your own risk:

Unique:
Magnum brass -w- 11.7g, 1305 fps. This one could be taken down to 9-10g for a lighter but still magnum load
Special brass, 5-7g. 5g is what I load for my Bulldog, 637 fps. In my 629: 6g/794fps, 6.7/870fps, 7g 962 fps.

Tight Group
I don't have chrono data yet (too miserably cold out there), but in magnum brass, 240g lead over 10g shoots very well. If I had to guess, I'd say these are in the 1200 fps range.
Click to expand...
"Wife friendly and beginner friendly. ":what:
 
RealGun said:
"Wife friendly and beginner friendly. ":what:
Click to expand...

Those 6g UNQ 44 spcl loads in a full size 629 are real easy on the hands, my wife has shot them, they're not bad at all. In a full size, the 7.5g "skeeter" 44 spcl isn't bad either. If you want a real spud load, 5g Unique with 240g lead in a full size is like a 22...

1200 fps, to me, is a med magnum load at best. I'm getting 1200'ish FPS from most factory loads.

I'm loading some 240g 1600+ fps screamers fro my Super Redhawk...now those are hand thumpers. I've also been loading some 1800 fps 180g XTP in magnum...those are some thundercrackers as well.
 
Typetwelve said:
I've been messing around a ton with 240g lead SWC for nearly a year now. Most of my loads are ones I've gathered here/there. These are my results, load at your own risk:

Unique:
Magnum brass -w- 11.7g, 1305 fps. This one could be taken down to 9-10g for a lighter but still magnum load
Special brass, 5-7g. 5g is what I load for my Bulldog, 637 fps. In my 629: 6g/794fps, 6.7/870fps, 7g 962 fps.

Tight Group
I don't have chrono data yet (too miserably cold out there), but in magnum brass, 240g lead over 10g shoots very well. If I had to guess, I'd say these are in the 1200 fps range.
Click to expand...
10 gr of Titegroup with 240 gr lead in magnum case is rated by Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook as their max load at 1115 fps. Note that fast powders give sharper recoil than actual magnum powders intended for the purpose. I don't use Titegroup in magnums and stopped using Unique in anything heavy.

I would review the OP though, because he is asking for pretty moderate loadings to start.
 
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RealGun said:
10 gr of Titegroup with 240 gr lead in magnum case is rated by Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook as their max load at 1115 fps. Note that fast powders give sharper recoil than actual magnum powders intended for the purpose. I don't use Titegroup in magnums and stopped using Unique in anything heavy.

I would review the OP though, because he is asking for pretty moderate loadings to start.
Click to expand...

There's a back story with that...

I bought some 240g "keith" Hi-Tek projectiles from Missouri (18 hardness). Their softer #3 Cowboy Hi-Tek (12 harness) shoot perfectly up to 900 fps with no leading, so I figured the harder Keith offerings would be fine as well.

Wrong-o I was. I worked with all kinds of powders to get these to stop leading. Some were causing leading closer to the forcing cone, some at the end of the barrel, some slightly along the rifling (es, I know what these mean, so I was adjusting accordingly)...I couldn't get anything to work (I used Unique, H110, 2400). No matter what, all were leading at some point or another, and I tried all kinds of charges.

Finally, I decided on a load with a faster burning powder and went over to Hodgdon to see what they said. With the 10g they listed at max, I figured their load data, even "max" all runs very well, so I started with that, and I didn't want to run that 18 hardness projectile in sube 1K fps figuring it would lead even worse. Surprisingly, over 10g of Tight Group, they didn't lead, I was quite surprised. They shot very well, not a ton of recoil. Once the weather isn't 12F outside, I'm going to mess with lighter loads of the powder to see what they do.

With all of that said, Unique, 2400, and H110 are currently my go-to for 44 mag, not Tight Group. Once I burn through those Missouri projectiles, I'm not going to move forward with that powder for that round.
 
It is funny how that works. I have a 44mag Ruger Super Blackhawk that I run light .44mag rounds through (7 and 9.8 grains of Universal over a 240 grain uncoated keith bullet from Missouri Bullet company 18 brinell) and haven’t had any leading issues.
I haven't had a chance to take my 629 Smith out yet but I guess ill see what happens.
 
Typetwelve said:
There's a back story with that...

I bought some 240g "keith" Hi-Tek projectiles from Missouri (18 hardness). Their softer #3 Cowboy Hi-Tek (12 harness) shoot perfectly up to 900 fps with no leading, so I figured the harder Keith offerings would be fine as well.

Wrong-o I was. I worked with all kinds of powders to get these to stop leading. Some were causing leading closer to the forcing cone, some at the end of the barrel, some slightly along the rifling (es, I know what these mean, so I was adjusting accordingly)...I couldn't get anything to work (I used Unique, H110, 2400). No matter what, all were leading at some point or another, and I tried all kinds of charges.

Finally, I decided on a load with a faster burning powder and went over to Hodgdon to see what they said. With the 10g they listed at max, I figured their load data, even "max" all runs very well, so I started with that, and I didn't want to run that 18 hardness projectile in sube 1K fps figuring it would lead even worse. Surprisingly, over 10g of Tight Group, they didn't lead, I was quite surprised. They shot very well, not a ton of recoil. Once the weather isn't 12F outside, I'm going to mess with lighter loads of the powder to see what they do.

With all of that said, Unique, 2400, and H110 are currently my go-to for 44 mag, not Tight Group. Once I burn through those Missouri projectiles, I'm not going to move forward with that powder for that round.
Click to expand...
While wishing to promote staying on track with the OP, I will suggest with your sidebar that you go with softer bullets and in keeping with the level of recoil you find acceptable for the application. My best success with seriously magnum lead bullet loads is with IMR4227.
 
Targa said:
It is funny how that works. I have a 44mag Ruger Super Blackhawk that I run light .44mag rounds through (7 and 9.8 grains of Universal over a 240 grain uncoated keith bullet from Missouri Bullet company 18 brinell) and haven’t had any leading issues.
Click to expand...

Well...that makes some sense though. Universal is quite a bit faster burning than 2400 or H110. Not as fast as HP-38, Trail Boss, Tight Group, or Clays (some of the many powders they list as ok with a 240g lead SWC), but it is faster...perhaps that's why you've had success with it.
 
For my wife I load 4.0gr of Titegroup with a 240gr Speer LSWC in a 44spl case, my gun has a 7" barrel and weighs 54oz. Very light recoil with that load. I have a moderate load that I use 8.5gr Unique with a 240gr LSWC in a 44mag case. My heavier loads (folks here probably think are still light) I use 11gr BE 86 with a 240gr xtreme CPFP in a 44mag case. I use Large Pistol Winchester Primers.
 
I found that a 200 grain bullet over 6.5 -7.0 grains of W231 was soft shooting and plenty accurate.
I’ve since moved onto trying unique and 2400, but those light loads were nice .
David
 
Reminder, the OP is loading for a Smith and Wesson M69. While chambered in 44 Magnum, the M69 is a small (L) frame 5 shot revolver. It weighs in at 37.4 oz, lighter than a GP100 357 Magnum, which weighs 40 oz, so full house 44 Magnum loads are going to be quite a handful. I have one and shooting 240 gr bullets at anything over 1000 fps is not what you want to put in the hands of a beginner.
 
Welcome to the forum as well.
Another vote for Trail Boss for light loads. Make sure you do not crush the powder or compress it. They have a section on the website and in their manual on how to find a load if none is listed. For hotter loads I like 2400 and there are many loads listed. Any of the powders listed above will work well in the 44 but going on the light side with that revolver is a good idea. Make sure you crimp the bullets in well for a comete burn. This is more critical with light loads from my experience. Have fun.:thumbup:
 
santacruzdave said:
Reminder, the OP is loading for a Smith and Wesson M69. While chambered in 44 Magnum, the M69 is a small (L) frame 5 shot revolver. It weighs in at 37.4 oz, lighter than a GP100 357 Magnum, which weighs 40 oz, so full house 44 Magnum loads are going to be quite a handful. I have one and shooting 240 gr bullets at anything over 1000 fps is not what you want to put in the hands of a beginner.
Click to expand...
You make a good point, but I would rather think of the L-frame as "medium", in light of the K-frame .357s and certainly J-frames being more trim. In the S&W spectrum, I think a J-frame is "small".
 
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