44 mag, lee 200 gn Charge?

C

Chainsaw.

New member
Looking to use some Lee 200 grn LRNFP in 44 mag for lite mag loads. Using IMR 4227 whats a good starting weight? I find a loading (25) but its for jacketed loading. Pretty close but rather be safe to start.
 
Chainsaw

Found a "close" recipe. From Lyman's 50th edition, page 440: starting load of 21.8 gr of IMR 4227 for 1,017 fps with a max of 25.5 for 1,227 fps. This was using a gas checked Lyman mold #429215. I was looking for a load with W231. I did find a real divergence between Lyman and Lee/Hogdon for my chosen load. I am still researching before I load. W231 leaves a LOT of air in the case. I will probably shift to Unique or IMR Trail Boss. I am looking for a moderate load and do not want to step up to a gas checked bullet. My lead pill was also cast using a Lee mold for 200 grain flat points. They actually weighed out at 207 grains from wheel weights. Made a nice bullet.
 
4227 is an awfully slow powder for a 200 gr bullet. Besides Trail Boss, other appropriately fast and bulky powders are Red Dot, 700X, American Select, and Clays.
 
load

My go to load for .44 Magnum 200 grain Lead is 8.0 grs. of Unique.
I use this also for 200 gr. LSWCs in my .45 Colt.
 
Unique

Darkgael. After looking over LOS of "recipes" it looked like I would do better to just shift to Unique. Went to Cabella's, Bass Pro, and two LGSs. No Unique to be found. Must be real popular or fading away in NE TN. When I find a pound I'll try your go-to load. In 15 years of loading , never tried Unique. How does it meter in a powder "tosser"? I use Lee and Dillon powder handlers.
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

Start: IMR 4227 19 gr. 988 fps
Max: IMR 4227 27 gr. 1472 fps / compressed loading.
 
Found a pound of Unique - $29.95 at another LGS. The Trail Boss at Cabella's I bought yesterday was only $15.25! Bass Pro had T/B for $22.95. Found everything significantly higher at B/P and selection lower. B/P staff was also a far cut below Cabella's. I find Cabella's just 5 miles further north across the VA/TN border to be worth the drive. Now, off to re-load.
 
Chainsaw,

You may want to define what a light magnum load is to you. You can see from Sure Shot McGee's numbers that 1000 fps (8.275" fixed barrel, like a single-shot pistol) will be close to 20 grains of 4227. But at that load level you would have such low pressure that QuickLOAD shows something close to half the powder will be thrown out unburned. Velocity will probably be erratic. That makes for a very dirty gun, dubious accuracy, and powder cost that is silly expensive when just 8 grains of Hodgdon Universal would get you the same velocity burning much more cleanly and consistently, despite extra space (faster powders aren't bothered as much by empty space, and using a magnum primer will help insure that they aren't bothered by it, as a magnum primer makes more case pressurizing gas to hold start pressure up).

Also note that the more powder you shove through the gun, the greater the recoil, since you are accelerating the powder mass, too. More muzzle flash and boom will be bigger, too. Save the 4227 for a heavier bullets and heavier load levels, and I think you'll be a lot happier.
 
My go to load for .44 Magnum 200 grain Lead is 8.0 grs. of Unique.
I use this also for 200 gr. LSWCs in my .45 Colt.
Click to expand...

My reading of Lyman shows that as under max for even 44 Special. It might run in 44 Mag cases, but I would be interested in knowing the velocity. Seems like it would be far removed from a "magnum" shooting experience. It depends what effect you want, but the bullets do have to exit the barrel.

My modest 44 mags are 9 grains of Unique with 240 grain, so at 200 grain the powder charge would be significantly higher, somewhere in the elevens. That 9.0/240 load is a serious bang but nothing like full up H110 (with jacketed bullets).
 
Used Trail Boss

After lots of research, and consideration of input from the erudites of this forum, I settled on 7.5 grains of IMR Trail Boss. I use a Lee powder measure and had to use the "double disk" kit to get that fluffy T/B to measure up to 7.5 grains. I do not have a way to check bullet speed so I will check for function and accuracy.
 
data

My reading of Lyman shows that as under max for even 44 Special. It might run in 44 Mag cases, but I would be interested in knowing the velocity. Seems like it would be far removed from a "magnum" shooting experience. It depends what effect you want, but the bullets do have to exit the barrel
Click to expand...
Eight grains of Unique is a mid level load for a 200 grain LSWC .44 Special as listed in Speer. Using Hornady data it is a near max load for 200 grain LSWCs in the .44 magnum.
Go figure.
(Hornady does not list data for a 200 grain LSWC....only for 180 grainers and 240s. Max for the 180 is 8.7 grs. Max for the 240 is 7.6. Given the 60 grain difference in bullet weight, 8.0 grains is reasonable for a 200 grainer)
 
UncleNick and others, duely noted. 4227 is really easy to find around here where Unique, Trail boss are very hard to find, Ive never seen a can of unique and only once seen trail boss. Though I have ran into universal a few times. Ill stop and see what Fall City has tomorrow.
 
I wouldn't use Hornady as a reference for lead in general, because it refers only to their swaged lead bullets. They are going to be very conservative, especially with magnums. I believe a harder cast bullet could run much faster.
 
Never Loaded a 200gr bullet but load a lot of 240gr . For the last year I load only Unique and 10.2 gr The 240 is running around 950 fps out of a 7.5 inch barrel . It shoot well very soft and very dirty .
 
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