44 special

KY DAN said:

I have acquired a rossi 720 44 special

I hant to load for, I keep reading of avoiding hot 44 special loads which I am ok with in this small of gun.

With that said what is not a hot load?

I have the following powders which I feel are
appropriate

Unique
True blue
Bullseye
700x
Win 231
Hs6

What pressure do I need to stay away from?

What velocity should I strive for in 200- 250 grain lead bullets?

Buffalo bore has a 200 grain wadcutter 1000 fps that is safe in a charter arms 44 special, how is this possible?

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I use this site all the time. Start at the lowest load based on powder and appropriate bullet grain.

The Rossi model 720 (44spl) is a solid revolver. I have reloaded for two of them (200-225grn) and have kept most loads under 1000fps. They handle hotter loads with no problem but I do not like to feed any gun a steady diet of hot loads. These Rossi's are good guns IMHO

KY DAN said:

What pressure do I need to stay away from?

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SAMMI specifies max pressure for the .44SPC at 15,500PSI... you need to stay away from anything over that. I would opine that any mainstream published data for the .44SPC would limit their loads to that... simple enough.

Those Buffalo Bore 200 grain wadcutters will be ok in the Rossi, but your hand might not. I load those same bullets from Rim Rock on top of 6.5 grains of Unique. Those do 850 fps from my 3” Charter Arms Bulldog and they’re stout in the lightweight revolver, but controllable. They look like soup cans and cut big, clean holes in things. Your Rossi has the benefit of decent weight to mitigate recoil. I want a 720 and almost had one; I decided to sleep on it and it sold while I was dilly-dallying.

Buy and use a good manual. Use starting loads.

KY DAN said:

I have acquired a rossi 720 44 special

I hant to load for, I keep reading of avoiding hot 44 special loads which I am ok with in this small of gun.

With that said what is not a hot load?

I have the following powders which I feel are
appropriate

Unique
True blue
Bullseye
700x
Win 231
Hs6

What pressure do I need to stay away from?

What velocity should I strive for in 200- 250 grain lead bullets?

Buffalo bore has a 200 grain wadcutter 1000 fps that is safe in a charter arms 44 special, how is this possible?

Click to expand...

Any standard (not +P) load in a published manual will be fine. Start with the lower powder weight and work up to just below the top weight. Stop when you find a load which meets your accuracy goal.

Obviously, step one is to set an accuracy goal and for a fixed sight, 3” woods gun like the Rossi Model 720 I have found 4”at 25yds shooting off hand to be pretty good. Anything better might require a bench rest and steady hold. And better eyes than mine.

I have a Taurus 441, which is a 5 shot, it's kinda a cousin to your Rossi. I've seen the same warning about the Taurus and I've never tried to hot rod it. My go to powder for it has been Unique. Usually a 7-7.5 load depending on the bullet weight. It's a great shooting pistol and most of rounds I've put thru it have been 200 gr jacketed. But I also shoot a lot of 240 cast semi wadcutters with 7.0 of unique in all of my .44 specials.

My observations show any 357 mag load is a normal 44spl load. Might help in cross reference as you look.

In the 44 Special ... a 250 gr. cast SWC and 6.0 grs. Unique @ 750 fps will duplicate the original 44 Special load , and one of my favorite .
... a 240 gr. cast SWC bullet may also be used with 6.0 grs Unique for a pleasant and accurate load .
Gary

For a S&W 696 I mostly load 200-215gr lead, coated and jacketed. For mild target loads I use W-231, for warmer loads I use WSF. I tried Unique but didn't care for it.

AJC1 said:

My observations show any 357 mag load is a normal 44spl load. Might help in cross reference as you look.

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How does that work with the different bullet weights between the 357 and the 44? Which loads go where?

Just do what others have said get one or two good reloading manuals , powder companies also have data online on there websites, use starting loads you can always work your way up towards maximum. I always use starting loads never go much beyond middle loads , the powders you have are appropriate I would start with W231 just my opinion if you want more power/velocity than a 44 special get a 44 magnum, no need to pound that beautiful gun to death . The powders you have listed should work well I use Several of them in 44 magnum.

tominboise said:

How does that work with the different bullet weights between the 357 and the 44? Which loads go where?

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With standard loads. 158 vs 240... it was an observation of corilation...

I use 700-X in most of my 44 Special loads.

Unique, Accurate #5, W231 and a few others of similar performance would work well.

PapaG said:

Buy and use a good manual. Use starting loads.

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Also, this ^^^

Brian Pearce, who has made .44 Special loading something of a specialty, recommends against exceeding SAAMI specs for the Rossi 720. I personally would be comfortable going slightly above - the .44 Special really is "sadly underloaded" - but not by much. I'd be tempted to work up to the Skeeter load (7.5 Unique with a 250 cast SWC) but I'd be as cautious as a three-toed coyote.

My thoughts on the Rossi 720 is that is in the mass equal to a S&W K frame, where as a S&W 696 is a L frame. If I were reloading for a 720 I would stay with in load data for a Charter Arms revolver. JMO

cfullgraf said:

I use 700-X in most of my 44 Special loads.

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I have tried 700-x for 44 spl but it did not meter well for me, but it did shoot well. Am I being to fussy about flake powders metering poorly?

Congratulations. I bet that'll be a fun one. I wouldn't load over the standard 15,500 PSI for it, but I'd have no reservations about loading at that pressure level. I would not load the skeeter load for it.

I like 4.8 Bullseye and my RCBS 44-250-K bullet for a standard pressure load that's plenty powerful enough for most uses.

joneb said:

I have tried 700-x for 44 spl but it did not meter well for me, but it did shoot well. Am I being to fussy about flake powders metering poorly?

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Yes, flake powders are difficult to meter but in the grand scheme of things, it really does not matter--with flake powders..

Metering with flake powders such as 700-X or unique will result in higher than "normal" powder variances but it seems to matter with the" end result".

joneb said:

I have tried 700-x for 44 spl but it did not meter well for me, but it did shoot well. Am I being to fussy about flake powders metering poorly?

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The great thing about this country - and this hobby - is that you can be fussy.
If you are going to use a volumetric powder thrower then flake powders are probably not going to be your first choice. The only thing you miss by not using 700X or any other large flake powder is that they are very flexible and don’t tend to react poorly to variance. The same is true for many flattened ball powders so it’s really not a huge loss.

Tiny bit off topic but would w231 be good under a Keith bullet in my 624 4 inch? Say 6.0-6.5 gr? I’d like to stay with available powders

shoebox1.1 said:

Tiny bit off topic but would w231 be good under a Keith bullet in my 624 4 inch? Say 6.0-6.5 gr? I’d like to stay with available powders

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If putting a hole in paper any powder you get good consistency works. When hunting or self defense speed and energy changes the powder you want. Your bullet doesn't require expansion to function so your available choices are wider.
This question doesn't have a yes or no when the answer is does it meet your needs.

joneb said:

I have tried 700-x for 44 spl but it did not meter well for me, but it did shoot well. Am I being to fussy about flake powders metering poorly?

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Yes you are being fussy LOL!!! love 700 X have used it for 29 years in many cartridges that is why it’s so good and sadly I can’t find it anywhere right now so I have had to make some changes. I have never understood the issue with flake powder I really like them.

joneb said:

I have tried 700-x for 44 spl but it did not meter well for me, but it did shoot well. Am I being to fussy about flake powders metering poorly?

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I use quite a bit of 700x in the .44 Special and have solved the issue by only occasionally weighing a drop! As long as the measure has not gone out of whack and is dropping 30 grains or something, I just ignore it; the holes in the target are what matter in the end.