44 magnum loads for the range

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georgiacatweazle

New member
I bought some 44mag dies today along with primers and 100 cases. need to buy powder and bullets. oh and the revolver too, haven't decided on one. looking to reload mostly lighter range loads for target use, maybe a 200-240gr.

i am going to either get a 4" taurus or 4-5.5" ruger redhawk. short yes, but not a fan of 6+ inch revolvers.

Any suggestions for powder / bullet combos. right now i don't have any magnum powder, just for 9/38/40/45 (i.e. bullseye and unique).
the only stuff the local stores have ar the aforementioned and H110, 4227 and one of those 840x or something similar. i'm not too familiar with magnum powders so they may have more but i may have missed them. nowhere local has winchester, trailboss etc, just Alliant and Hodgen.
i only have full length 44 mag cases and most likely will not get 44 special.
also most likely going to run jacketed or coated lead only, not exposed lead.
the primers i got were cci magnums, i'm assuming unless i'm running slow powder, my 45 acp large pistol primers will work too ?
thanks for any info.
 
I use a 250 gr cast SWC over 17 gr of 2400 for light loads.

It will give accuracy, great SD, and it won't romp like a stouter load will do.

Standard primers are all that is needed for most loads that you will shoot.

I tried 800x & Blue Dot and got terrible ES (>100 fps), so I do not use them.

There is lots of load data using Bullseye and Unique, but be very careful with Bullseye charges. The case volume is so low that it is easy to dump a double charge in a case of that size and not be noticeable. That is one reason that I do not use Bullseye in the 44s except for round ball shooting at times.

Note: if you can afford a Redhawk, get it. You won't regret it.
 
"...loads for target use..." Use cast or plated .44 Special loads in Mag cases.
"...will not get 44 Special..." Kind of pricey anyway. If you can find any. And Mag cases will work just fine with Special loads. Just like .357 does.
You do not need magnum primers. Magnum primers have nothing whatever to do with the cartridge or its name. They're about the powder used only.
No such thing as a 'magnum' powder. IMR4227(H4227 is close but not the same) is one of the "Go-to" .44 Mag powders.
Use a manual vs Hodgdon's site. Something isn't right there. They keep saying use magnum primers based on the cartridge name and not the powder used. They show one cartridge using say, H110, needing 'em, but not another cartridge without the "Magnum" in it's name.
 
For a range/plinking load, I use a 240gr cast semi-wadcutter with around 9 grains of Unique and a standard large pistol primer in 44 magnum cases. This load runs around 900 feet/sec, give or take a little, from 6" and 7.5" revolvers.
 
What do you want? Plinkers..MidRange...or FULL throttle?

What Powders can you easily get your hands on?

Many will parrot..Unique Unique Unique. But from the same maker I will say Red / Green Dot, Herco. Depends on what you want.

Just goofing around I found a nice plinker load with Red Dot and 240 gr Xtreme CPRNFP.

Want to open the throttle a bit... 240 gr. cast and Herco

Want to floor it??? 300 Gr. XTP and AA#9

Full throttle= 4227, 2400, H110/W296, AA#9, AA4100,
LilGun. If you want milder.. skip these.
Lots of possibilities... what are you looking for?
 
SHR970 - looking for milder target loads for the range for the most part.
the powders i have on hand are a few different rifle powders for 223, pistol just bullseye and unqiue, but considering getting another powder for use in 44mag.
mostly my reloading is 9/40/45 and 38 special.
 
Missouri Bullet 240gr SWC HiTek coated, Unique powder loaded to max, 1100+ fps (if I remember correctly). Very good accuracy, pretty good StDev, too.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 
I load 255 grain keith cast bullets over 8 grains of titegroup, mild to mid range pop, and its a great powder for your other calibers.
 
Just ordered 200 240gr bullets from Bayou.
will probably do a first batch with unique to start off with. then need to find a gun to shoot them through :-)
 
I think your making a mistake not giving lead a chance. Much cheaper and if you keep the velocity at 1000 FPS your not going to have leading.
For 44 mag and specials handguns I use the Penn 200 GR round nose flat point. Or a standard semi wad cutter in 240.
For medium loads I like Herco which is considered a good shotgun powder but it measures well and there are a lot of loads for the Herco. As long as you stay hot enough to seal the case its very clean.
For magnum loads H110 or 4227 and 200 grain jacketed of whatever I can find.
http://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html
 
240 grain cast lead bullets, and however much Herco your book says to use (probably about 12 grains but it might be a little less.) It's nice and bulky, and should give you almost 1200 FPS. I never had any leading problems with my .45 Colt at that speed.
 
Plinker load: Starline Brass CCI300 primer 240 gr. Xtreme Plated RNFP 7.1gr. RED dot. gives around 1000 fps from my 7 1/2" SRH. good accuracy, and didn't leave the gun sooty.

The good part is RED is also bulky enough you will see a double charge easily.
 
Since you have Unique in your tool chest already, it works great from 800fps light plinkers on up to mid magnum range.

Missouri Bullet Company 18BRN plain cast SWC perform great in my Redhawk from 750-1400 fps, without leaving lead behind.
 
I quite like unique, light and puffy :-)
I was going to order a bunch of plated bullets from xtreme, would have been cheaper to buy 500, but bayou was $12 for 100, $15 shipping ouch, but so many people say lead is good, as long as i don't eat them right :-). so with 200 i should have enough to work up a target load and then make a few batches.
only issues i've had is running the stuff through my original Lee powder measure that came with my kit, charges all over the place. i now have a Lee auto drum (LOVE IT), just loaded 50 380 acp last night. isn't that opposite ends of the power spectrum.
 
Unique and Bullseye will work just fine in .44mag. Bayou makes very good bullets, and you don't have to worry about leading at the velocities published loads will attain with either powder. As for double-charging, you have to set up a routine that will eliminate the chance of a double-charge. I take primed cases from the left, charge them, and put them in a tray to the right of the powder measure. They start butt-up so I know there's no powder in the shell when I grab it. Then after I have charged them all, I check them with a light. You won't see the difference of a tenth or three, but you will see a double-charge. Even with my routine, I did find an over-charged case one time. Can't figure out how it happened, and the cases before and after were right on their charge weights. I must have lost concentration somehow. But the key is that I found it before seating a bullet on it. I use Bullseye and other small-charge powders frequently with no fear of a double-charge. It's a good powder. But if you feel better using Unique, go for it. I tend not to like it for handguns and am using up my stock in shot shells, but that's just me. Buy a shootin' iron and load up what you have. You'll be fine.
 
For target shooting with .44 Mag I like 15.5 gr of 2400 and a 250 gr SWC. Gives about 1050 fps and is easy on you and the gun.

Another good one is 8.0 gr of Universal with the same combination above for about 950 fps.

I'm not a fan of Unique, it just doesn't meter well for me.
 
Just an update. picking up a used 7.5" super redhawk today with a wolf spring kit available (not sure if i need it), and a simmons pro hunter scope. $525.

I've been reading that a tried and tested light loading under a 240gr lead is 7.5gr of unique with magnum cases ? think its the skeeter loading ?
 
For a new .44 Magnum shooter, I'd recommend a starting load of Unique under a 240-250 gr. LSWC. That load still recoils and sounds like a Magnum, but a bit easier on the hands. If you want to start lower/softer, go with .44 Special loads in .44 magnum brass (you mentioned you didn't have any Special brass). You don't need "magnum" powders or "magnum" primers unless you want full Magnum loads. For everyday shooting I like 9,5 gr. Unique under a 240 gr. LRNFP GC bullet.

I started reloading .44 Magnum in 1990 and of course had a good case of "Magnumitis" so I used H110/W296. I eventually tired of the wrist wrenching recoil and BOOOM! report so I started creeping downward with my loads (besides the square back trigger guard of my Ruger SBH would bloody my fingers). I now have 5, .44 Magnums and have reloaded everything from 123 gr. balls to 265 gr RNFP T-Rex killers. Prolly my most favorite cartridge...;)
 
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