.44 magnum reduced load suggestions?

[brass shower]

Hi all, I'm finally getting around to loading for my beloved 629 Mountain Gun. I picked up some H110, Unique, and Power Pistol towards this end.

I'll use the H110 for the wrist cracking loads. It's my understanding that this powder requires magnum primers and won't do for reduced loads.

I settled on the Unique for lowpower loads for introducing newbies to the .44. Does anyone have any minimum loading data available for 180 grain laser cast slugs? Alliant's website shows some cowboy load recipies with 6 grains of powder pushing 205 grain bullets @ 743 fps, but 180 grainers are what I've got for this purpose. Will a 180 grain slug be a safe substitute for that load or will I need to beef the charge up a bit?

The Power Pistol I picked up for some fun flashbang loads on recommendation from TFL (many moons ago), but I can find very little information for low to medium power loads, also with the 180 grain laser cast. Is this powder suitable for reduced loads or will I run into problems if I try to reduce it similar to H110? Any low to medium power recipies y'all care to share?

Another thought, are magnum primers suitable for these reduced loads?

Thanks in advance

 

[only1asterisk]

This information should NEVER be used for any purpose by anyone to do anything. Use of infomation within frees the author of any liability he may otherwise have been liable for.


Magnum primers will ignite more powder faster causing higher peak pressure. Magnum primers may not cause trouble with some reduced loads and there are certain powders that require their use, but the general rule is not to use them unless they are specified.

You are correct about H110 being only for full power loads. That is pretty much all it is good for, and if all you load is 44 mag for you MG, a pound will last you a long time!

Unique is a good powder for reduced loads in the 44, but has the ability to do much more than just that cowboy load. If I was going to suggest a light load for that particular 180 grain bullet, it might be Starline cases with win. large pistol primers and 6.8 grains of Unique.

Power Pistol is not something I have ever loaded into a 44, it is a high-density, medium burning rate powder that works great in cartridges that have small volumes compared to the size of their bore. 45 ACP, 40 S%W, and 9mm ect. The burn rate is about right for light bullets in the 44, but I would choose a less dense powder to better fill the larger 44 Mag case. Not that Power Pistol will not be useful, just maybe not optimal. Alliant list some pretty stout loads. Reduces loads with Power Pistol? There are better suited powders, I don't think I would mess with this combo.

I like Red Dot for reduced loads in lots of guns.


This information should NEVER be used for any purpose by anyone to do anything. Use of infomation within frees the author of any liability he may otherwise have been liable for.

David

 

[Edward429451]

This information should NEVER be used for any purpose by anyone to do anything. Use of infomation within frees the author of any liability he may otherwise have been liable for.


I use the Lyman cast bullets 180 gr full wadcutter with 6 to 6.5 gr of unique or 10 to 12 gr of 2400. Edited to add, I've never used a magnum primer in any 44 load, and I dont miss them.

The 10.0 gr of 2400 loads are magnificent and what I used to introduce my sons to the 44 mag. They have zero muzzle rise and are quite accurate. Very low noise factor also. First time up with these loads I kept checking the barrel to see if they squibbed. They feel like about how you'd expect a 38 special to feel from a 53 oz gun. None ever squibbed on me. You 'almost' dont even need muffs with these. We had a blast.

And work em up from there over time as familierity increases.

(Don't ever slip in a full house load on em without their knowledge that one is in there somewhere. Its not really funny and could do more harm than good to the learning process, aside from being rude. Its a good thing to do once they are learning and are wanting to progress in trigger control and such but they should still be aware that one is in there somewhere, so its like a drill and not a cruel joke.)

 

[larryw]

These loads are using West Coast Bullets 240gr RNFP plated bullets and WLP primers. Lead bullets produce similar results, just more mess.

Light load: 6.0gr of WST or 6.5gr of N340 (roughly 775fps out of a 5 1/2" barrel). Very mild plinking load. WST load is more accurate in the shorter barrels, N340 in the longer (8"+).

I've found many powder charges for 230gr 45ACP +10% work well as light 44Mag (Special) loads, especially the 5-6" barreled guns. I shoot Rugers that are unbreakable and only load Starline brass, you should use caution when working on these loads.

Medium load: 12.0 of BlueDot (roughly 1000fps out of a 5 1/2" barrel). A little more stout, but not punishing. This load also sings in my 20" Marlin lever gun (1300fps).

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Reduced loads

For reduced 44 Mag loads check out the top end of the 44 special reloading data.

John Paul

 

[Standing Wolf]

This information should NEVER be used for any purpose by anyone to do anything. Use of infomation within frees the author of any liability he may otherwise have been liable for.

I've had very good success with 4.5 grains of Bullseye behind 240-grain semi-wadcutters. That would be a light load in a .44 special. It's very accurate in my pre-agreement model 629.

 

[JohnK]

I agree with John Paul. If you want minimum loads and are going to be using magnum cases I'd use 44 Special data for whatever powder you want and increase it by .5 gr for the larger magnum case.

 

[Clark]

I like 24 gr H110 240 gr JHP for me.

But for my woosy brother, I use AA#9.
There are AA#9 44 Special loads and AA#9 44 mag loads, and one can interpolate over a wide range.
My brother likes a load that is between 44 sp and 44 mag.

 

[dleong]

Reduced H110 Loads

I'll use the H110 for the wrist cracking loads. It's my understanding that this powder requires magnum primers and won't do for reduced loads.

I am not sure if this is necessarily true. My regular 44 Mag recipe comprises 20 gr. of H110 under a 240 gr. Rainier TMJ projectile with a WLP primer at an OAL of 1.64" and a moderate taper crimp. Shot out of my Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 10.5" barrel, it is an exceedingly accurate round with a mild yet satisfying recoil. The heft of the long-barrelled SBH probably helps to soak up the recoil.

I am currently also experimenting with milsurp WC820 powder to duplicate H110 loads. WC820 burns about 13% faster than H110, and loads have to be adjusted accordingly. So far, 17.5 gr. of WC820 seems to be an almost exact match for the 20 gr. H110 recipe in terms of accuracy and felt recoil (I haven't had a chance to chrono the new load yet).

DL

 

[brass shower]

Thanks for the responses guys, does anyone have information on minimum loads to use with Power Pistol?

Dleong, Alliant recommends reducing max loads no more than 3%. As I understand it, the power is harder to ignite than others, which is why they need the magnum primers, and reducing it further introduces the possibility of inconsistent ignition and squib loads. At least that's what I've heard.

 

[dleong]

Dleong, Alliant recommends reducing max loads no more than 3%. As I understand it, the power is harder to ignite than others, which is why they need the magnum primers, and reducing it further introduces the possibility of inconsistent ignition and squib loads. At least that's what I've heard.

I believe you meant Hodgdon, not Alliant. Hodgdon markets H110.

Hodgdon's load data for H110 does indeed warn against reducing the charge by more than 3%. However, Lyman's 47th edition load data manual lists a starting load for H110 with a 240 gr. projectile as 19.3 gr. This is almost 20% less than Hodgdon's recommended charge of 24 gr. for the 240 gr. projectile. This inconsistency is rather odd.

When I was developing a 44Mag load for my SBH, I started at 19 gr. of H110 and worked up in 0.5 gr. increments until 23.5 gr., while keeping a very close eye on pressure signs. According to my notes, the primer started flattening at 22.5 gr., but combustion appeared to be complete (i.e., no unburned powder) through the entire charge range. I was also using WLP primers at the time. Based on these tests, I settled on 20 gr. of H110 as it offered excellent accuracy and mild recoil with good brass life.

DL

 

[brass shower]

I believe you meant Hodgdon, not Alliant. Hodgdon markets H110.

You're right of course, I gotta stop smelling the powders. Do you use magnum or regular primers with that load? And did you happen to chronograph it?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I am currently also experimenting with milsurp WC820 powder to duplicate H110 loads. WC820 burns about 13% faster than H110, and loads have to be adjusted accordingly. So far, 17.5 gr. of WC820 seems to be an almost exact match for the 20 gr. H110 recipe in terms of accuracy and felt recoil (I haven't had a chance to chrono the new load yet).

got to love that WC 820!!!

 

[Kamicosmos]

I second several things in this thread.

I load the 23 grains of H110 with 240 grainers. I use this load in my Marlin 1894, 12 inch Contender, and 5.5 in Redhawk. In the Redhawk, they wear you out after about 30 rounds!

I really enjoy the 12 grains of Blue Dot. So much more mild than the H110 in the Redhawk. After 50 rounds, I usually wish I had brought another 50! Pretty accurate too. (and I haven't chrono'ed yet, but just got a chrony so hopefully soon.)

A friend is looking into buying that WC820 in bulk, so I'll be interested in trying that out.

Also, I just picked up the 48th edition of the Lyman book after many recommendations to get it. I too am surprised at the wide variances in loads, especially with some of the more...extreme loads like H110 mag loads. I usually double check with the powder manufacturer before putting it through my guns...

 

[Art Eatman]

This load came about from my absolute laziness: My .45ACP Major Power Factor load for IPSC was 5.8 grains of 231 behind a 200-grain SWC. I wanted some plinking loads for my Redhawk. So, using 250-grain SWCs, I just stayed with the 5.8 grains of 231. From the 7.5" barrel of the Redhawk, that bullet hit harder than the .45ACP, but I have no idea of the velocity. Easy to shoot, from that heavy pistol...

, Art

 

[dleong]

You're right of course, I gotta stop smelling the powders. Do you use magnum or regular primers with that load? And did you happen to chronograph it?

Smelling the powders is half the fun of reloading!

For my 44Mag loads, I use Winchester Large Pistol Primers (WLP), which apparently can be used "for standard or magnum pistol loads" (quoted from the package). I also use the same primers in my 45ACP reloads. No big reason--they just happen to be the only ones available at the local gunstore.

The 20 gr. H110 load was chrono'd at about 1210 fps some months ago; I have not had the opportunity to measure the 17.5 gr. WC820 load yet.

DL

 

[P95Carry]

I used to shoot long range handgun (100 and 300) ..... tho most guys used hot loads i found that my 44 mag Keith 250 grn SWC was very well behaved when ''lobbed'' by a reduced load ..... a sorta 44 spl.

I take no responsibility for its mention or subsequent useage by a third party - but 8.5 grns Red Dot proved an excellent propellant.

 

[Master Blaster]

7.5 to 8.5 grains of Unique and a 240 lswc with a winchester WLP.

Nice mild accurate load out of my redhawk and super blackhawk.


Not the load for you if you like bone jarring recoil and a huge fireball.


WARNING USE A CURRENT DATA MANUAL FOR ALL LOADS

 

[Mannlicher]

About the most reduced load I use is 8 grains of Unique under a 240 grain Speer, cast LSWC. This load runs about 900fps out of my 4 inch Mountain Gun. I like this load as a 'hiking' load. Easy to control, shoots well in my Smith, and still has enough 'oomph' to handle most anything.

oh yeah, and don't nobody use this load either

 

[WESHOOT2]

SO SUE ME

7.0g Hodgdon Universal Clays, Starline case, primer (I prefer Federal 150's, but normally use a CCI350 with this load -- confusing, huh?), 240g hardcast LSWC, Redding Profile Crimp kinda' heavy.

Hodgdon offers excellent "cowboy" data.........