300gr 44 special in 44 mag

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Jacsd1

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44 300gr xtp question
Hello I’m new to this site and reloading in general. I am looking to see if anyone has ever loaded 300 gr jacketed bullets (which I have acquired a load of)in 44mag cases using 44 special loads. I am aware there is no load data for 300gr specials. I am using w231(also have a ton of). I guess what I am trying to do is see how low I can go with the charge. I have a winchester 1892 that states 44 mag only on gun. This I’m sure is due to cycling the smaller rounds. 44 mag is fun but can just be a little painful after a while. Thanks any help would be great.
 
Hodgdon's website shows a 44 Magnum load using W231 and the 300gr Hornady XTP for handgun. It does not show a similar load for use in a rifle.

This is possibly due to the potential of the bullet getting stuck in the longer rifle barrel. That 300gr. jacketed bullet with it's long bearing surface will have fairly high friction, increasing the likelihood of a stuck bullet (which will have catastrophic consequences if another round is fired without removing the stuck bullet first).

So, lacking any W231 rifle data with that bullet, I would strongly advise against such use. If you want to use W231, choose another bullet for use in the rifle (which likely would be a cast lead bullet). Or, if you want to use the 300gr. XTPs in a rifle, choose a different powder. Hodgdon's website can help you with that. Also keep in mind that data for Hodgdon HP-38 powder can be used with W231 (they are the same powder).

Lastly, 44 Magnum loads are much less punishing to shoot in a rifle than a revolver. What packs a wallop in a revolver becomes rather fun-to-shoot in a rifle.
 
Welcome to TFL.

Get some H110 or W296 and load them to magnum pressure.
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. . . ^^ My first thought.

W231 is one of my all-time favorite propellants. Okay, it IS my all-time favorite propellant.

BUT . . .

I most certainly would never even attempt to load it in 44 Magnum (or Special, whatever), under heavy 300 grain bullets. The whole thing is just a bad combination. Yes, it can be done. But goodness gracious, the pressure would want to build so fast - even in small charges - that I just wouldn't even bother to attempt it. Margin of error: very slim.

Then there's the already addressed concern about sticking a bullet. Fast propellant; low gas volume; long barrel; high friction bullet. Yeah, sticking a bullet is a real possibility.

I'm a fast powder centric loader. Meaning, I tend to lean toward the use of faster powders relative to most loaders for a given application. But in this case, I strongly recommend moving to a slower propellant for such a heavy bullet.
 
It looks like the 44 Mag starting load is 8 grains with that bullet according to Hodgdon/Winchester loading data website. I'd try that first and see how it goes. This load will be much less abusive than your average factory round.

You can probably load lighter than that load and still get good performance, but I have no idea how far down you could go before running into problems. The load data I have doesn't list much for heavy .44 Special rounds. I'd suggest getting some 240 or 220 grain coated lead bullets for lighter loads.
 
All my load books warn of going below starting loads with jacketed loads for lever guns. If pressure drops too much the jacket can stick in the bore, but the core exits, leaving a real problem for the next round down the pipe.

Low recoil loads could be made with AA 5744. AA has data for 300 grain jacketed bullets. It's a very slow powder that would be easier on your shoulder with those heavy bullets. It's made for reduced loads in rifles.
 
Again, I strongly advise against W231 with 300gr. jacketed bullets in a 44 Mag. rifle. The Winchester/Hodgdon W231 data is for handguns, and the rifle section does not list a suitable 300gr. jacketed load with W231 for rifles. I believe the lack of such a rifle load is intentional, as opposed to an omission. Before I tried a W231 behind a 300gr. jacketed bullet in a 44 Mag. rifle, I would call Hodgdon.
 
Jacsd1 said:
Hello I’m new to this site and reloading in general. I am looking to see if anyone has ever loaded 300 gr jacketed bullets (which I have acquired a load of)in 44mag cases using 44 special loads. I am aware there is no load data for 300gr specials. I am using w231(also have a ton of). I guess what I am trying to do is see how low I can go with the charge. I have a winchester 1892 that states 44 mag only on gun. This I’m sure is due to cycling the smaller rounds. 44 mag is fun but can just be a little painful after a while. Thanks any help would be great.
Click to expand...

I'd recommend keeping or selling the 300 grain bullets and buying some 180-200 grain bullets. That's simply too much mass to be moving if you want a lighter load. Get lighter bullets, so moving that mass will be much easier.

A 300 grain light load is really a contradiction.
 
"...in 44 Mag cases using 44 Special loads..." Works just fine. Same as loading .357 cases to .38 Special velocities. The bullet weight doesn't matter. .44 Special handgun loads are not going to bother a .44 Mag rifle.
The pressures given by Hodgdon for a 300 grain XTP with H110 "Rifle" loads start at mid range Win 231 pressure figures. Max loads of 231 are 700 CUP lower pressures than Max Rifle loads. However, that means diddly. It's absolutely not a good idea to make up your own data. Or substitute rifle for pistol data or vice versa.
Just as it matters that most bullet weights for the special on Hodgdon's site are for cast bullets. There's no mixing cast and jacketed data either.
"...states 44 Mag only on gun..." Means don't use .44 Special cases. Lotta lever actions are particular about feeding shorter ammunition.
 
Welcome to tfl!

I'm afraid you have chosen a very poor combination of bullet and powder for shooting "as low as you can go".

Call the people who made the bullet (NOT the powder maker) and see what they say about your using 231.

231 and other fast powders can be used, with any bullet weight and construction, BUT there are a couple of drawbacks if you do this.

First, the small powder charge in the .44 Mag case. This means that a double powder charge is hard to spot, and a double charge WILL blow up your gun. Even a rifle.

Second, its a pressure vs. velocity thing. A fast powder like 231 will reach max allowable working pressure with a lower velocity imparted to the bullet than a slower burning powder does.

You got 300gr XTP bullets, if I remember right, XTP stands for eXtreme Terminal Performance. using them for light plinking loads is kind of like driving a Corvette, and never taking it out of first gear. You CAN do it, but its not what it was made for. (and its a waste of money).

Here's another thing to watch out for, when you're looking to see how low you can go, you may find a load that seems to work fine, every shot exits the barrel, until one doesn't. What I'm trying to say is that if you load X.xgr powder with bullet Y, you might find it works fine, for a dozen shots, which can lead you to assume it will be fine with every shot, but it might be borderline, and shots 1-12 are fine, and shot #13 sticks a bullet in the barrel.

If you are looking for a "cat sneeze" level load, use a cast (or swaged) lead bullet.
 
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