44 special loads with H110 powder?

If he crams a .44 special case full of H110 and sets it off he may not have a long reloading career.
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Not true. Elmer Keith developed the .44 magnum using .44 Special cases. The .44 magnum cases are longer so that you cannot load a .44 magnum into a .44 Special gun.

If the OP is using a .44 magnum gun, he can load the.44 Special as hot as a .44 magnum.

I've been loading both .44 magnum and .44 Special since 1980 - and you can use H110 in both cartridges - which is what I do, although I use 240 grain bullets in both cartridges.

From the Sierra Reloading Manual, the recommended H110 loads for the .44 Special are:

180 grain bullet: 15.5 gr minimum and 17.7 grains maximum

210 grain bullet: 15.2 grains minimum and 16.5 grains maximum

240 grain bullet: 11.6 grains minimum and 13.3 grains maximum.

I load 12 grains of H110 with the 240 grain bullet - works for me. I've shot thousands of 240 grain bullets in my S&W .44 Special. They chronograph at about 860-865 FPS.

Another piece of advice is to make sure you have a really good crimp on the bullet - as has been pointed out - H110 needs pressure to ignite properly. I also use magnum pistol primers with both the .44 magnum and the .44 Special.

Regardless of the information I have provided directly from the 5th Edition of the Sierra Reloading Manual - the OP needs to check this out for himself as he is responsible for verifying the information is correct.
 
If there were a divided opinion, you might have a reason to question it. In fact, the responses have been unanimous.

The level of experience on this board is substantial. Ignore it at your peril.

Five bucks worth of powder is not worth your life, your vision, or the loss of use of your hands, etc.

Find an appropriate powder and press on.
 
If there were a divided opinion, you might have a reason to question it. In fact, the responses have been unanimous.

The level of experience on this board is substantial. Ignore it at your peril.

Five bucks worth of powder is not worth your life, your vision, or the loss of use of your hands, etc.

Find an appropriate powder and press on.
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The responses have not "been unanimous," as I have provide information for using H110 in the .44 Special.

Speer, Hodgen, and Hornady reloading manuals (I have all of them) assume you are loading the .44 Special for Cowboy Action shooting and lower pressure .44 Special guns.

The Sierra Manual gives loads for modern, higher pressure guns. The loads are for use in Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum revolvers, and modern S&W .44 Special and .44 magnum revolvers.

I load for a S&W M624 using the load I have given. The cartridges show no signs of excess pressure like tight cases in the chamber, primers pushed, case stretch, etc.

Just because YOU personally don't know about loading the .44 Special for a modern gun doesn't make the information incorrect. All you have to do is buy the Sierra Manual - they're $28.95.
 
I have used 296 for .44 magnum for more then two deckades. I tried using 296 for my .44 Special since it is a limited production 624 and will handle the loads. What I found is 296 acts erratically when there is an air pocket in the case.

THIS DATA IS IN EXCESS OF ANY SUGGESTED LOADING DATA

With a 200 grain jacketed bullet I was using 22.7 grains of 296 with virgin cases. I worked the load up using virgin cases to 22.7 grains

I was using an Aimpoint red dot mounted on top of the barrel.
After 20 some shots I sheared the red dot mounts. When I reloaded my spent cases and tried again with the same loading the cases would not eject and showed over pressure signs. I tried backing down the powder charge but the over pressure signs did not go away even down at 14 grains so I gave up.

What I found out is that 296 and air in the cartridge do not mix which is why 296 works for .44 magnum.

If you have a lesser .44 special which is what I suspect if you try to duplicate what I did you will be missing fingers.

I now use Unique for my .44 Special and 296 for my .44 Magnum.



WV Mountaineer....what you do not realize IS that H110/296 HAS been listed in reloading manuals in the past for .44 Special.

Page 19 in my 4th printing Hodgdon manuals shows

16 grains of H110 with a 200-210 grain bullet.
 
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If you are looking to reload 44 special, get a powder listed in your manual ad use it. H110 isn't listed for a reason. And those reasons have been pointed out. God Bless
 
The majority opinion is it's not a good idea. It appears that one loading manual gives some special situation loads for H110 in 44 Special. But I have to ask why? You have a 44 Magnum gun according to post #16. iI you don't have 44 Magnum brass, Graf and Sons have it for less than $25/100. Buying brass is not a waste if you are truely wanting to be a handloader.
Why are you trying to make something out of the 44 Special it is not? Why not just buy some 44 Magnum brass, and use Hodgedon's recomended loads to create a 1700-1800 fps Magnum load with the right cases. If you want something milder to practice, and plink with, get some cast 44 bullets, and a can of Trail Boss for your 44 Special brass :)
 
H110 operates safely at a pressure level significantly above the safe level for 44 SP. Either use 44 mag brass and load for that cartridge or get a powder more suitable to 44 SP loads.
 
Rule No. 1 of Reloading :

Never, ever, ever use load data that is not from a published source. Go out and get a manual and check out your powder there. The risk of serious injury to yourself and bystanders is too great to give credence to any data source except one that is published by reputable experts.

Stuff bandied about on the net is not published, if you ask me, unless it's on a bullet or powder maker's website. Joe Sixguns' blog and Bubba the Guy At Work are not reliable. I'll drink a beer with both of them all day, but anything they have to say about legal advice, politics, or reloading, is not gospel.

I reload for the .44 Special, and guarantee that advice that includes the words 'you really have to fill the case and use a light bullet', is less than sound. Perhaps it's generically true, but reloading is about specific powders and bullets, not blanket statements.

Match your bullet with a published load for your powder and then, and only then, do you have reliable reloading advice.

My neighbor is a reloader, too. We exchange advice all the time. It's accomplished by passing one or more of our manuals across the fence for a day or two. Neither of us will ever use a verbal load recommendation without seeing it in print.
 
The reason everyone is giving warnings is because you obviously don't have an understanding of what generates pressure in various loads. Just because you shoot a 44 magnum doesn't mean you can load a 44 special case up to 44 magnum pressures. Nor can you load a 38 special case up to .357 magnum pressures. You need to do some reading and understand why each and every caliber has a maximum pressure allowed. That pressure is unique to each caliber case length, bullet depth, and type of powder used. If you have a manual read the reloading section and don't just look at the loads. By the way, this is not sarcasm, it's called sound advice. Good luck.
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Well, I have to disagree. In a .44Mag revolver, you can load .44Spec brass to .44Mag pressures. In a .357Mag revolver, you can load .38special to .357 pressures. Now 'why' you would want to do that is another story. Any reloading manual is only going to give you loads with the specified SAAMI range for a cartridge ... Ie. you won't find .44Mags pressure loads in the .44Spec section for a very good reason: Most (if not all) .44special revolvers will not handle (ie. not built for) .44Mag pressure loads... Ditto with .38 revolvers.... That is the only reason.

Now the SAAMI standard is a good idea, so manufacturers can design guns around a cartridge's SAAMI pressure range. There are exceptions but not many... Take the .45 Colt that has two standards (SAAMI and Ruger Only Loads).

As said above, If it was me, I'd just stick with .44Mag cartridges for .44Mag loads, and .44Special cartridges for .44Special loads. Keep it Simple ...

But when it is all said and done, it is your choice. Not ours :) .
 
Well, I have to disagree. In a .44Mag revolver, you can load .44Spec brass to .44Mag pressures. In a .357Mag revolver, you can load .38special to .357 pressures.
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I think it's important to note that from OP's questions and comments, that he looks to be a BEGINNER OR NOVICE RELOADER.
Without experience in knowing what to look for in over pressure, he should start with mild loads and avoid max loads until he gains more knowledge.
 
A new guy should play it safe and use published loads. H110 in known to be less flexible than a lot of other powders.
I wonder what Quickload would predict.
A 44 mag case is about .125" longer than a 44 sp case. A 240 gr xtp takes up more room in the case than a 200 gr xtp, so the available case volume of the 240 in the mag case would be just about the same as the 200 in the special case.
A 200 gr xtp weighs less.
For a given powder charge, pressures should be lower in the 200/sp cartridge than in the 240/mag.
 
I've loaded H110 in my 44 Special using data straight out of Hodgdon #25 copyright 1986. They published H110 loads from 185 thru 265 grains. One would think published data from people who make the stuff can be trusted, but one would be wrong.

Slow powders need to "get going to get going", and chance of squibs is very real. If you insist on finding and using the old data do not reduce, use MAGNUM primers, your best crimp, and most importantly do not practice rapid fire at the range. My near miss was during rapid fire when #3 squibbed and I was a reflex away from squeezing off #4.
 
thank you, keybear, sw282, buckhorn_cortez, buzz cook, nick c s, ozzieman, rclark, orionengnr, WVMountaineer, shooter1911, hartcreek, SHR970, Highvalleyranch, and tom Matiska for your information, it is all helpful, and i am putting it to use, i have bought a lyman 49th edition reloading manual that is full of all the information i could need (as far as i know). i think ill buy another powder, more suited to reloading 44 special brass to shoot out of my 44 mag. and ill save the H110 for reloading 44 mag brass with heavier bullets, for my bear defense loads. Again thank you to everyone listed above, for being polite and welcoming, ill start off with min loads listed on the manual, I'm liking what i hear about titegroup and unique. They seem to be fairly versatile in charge and bullet weight, what are your thoughts? ill primarily be using them as plinking/target practice rounds.
 
My God, I guess if they can't find it with Google, it never happened.

In fact, Brian Pearce has published .44Spl data with H110 for the new Rugers and you can find it in Handloader magazine. Not unanimous at all. Some are just better informed than others. :rolleyes:
 
I'm liking what i hear about titegroup and unique. They seem to be fairly versatile in charge and bullet weight, what are your thoughts? ill primarily be using them as plinking/target practice rounds.
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My thoughts are that you are on the right track :) . I don't use much of Titegroup, but use a lot of Unique ... especially for my .44s (both .44Mag and .44Spec). It is fine for all the different bullet weights you'll run into for the .44. If you can find some, get it. FYI, at one time in the distant past you had basically three choices ... Bullseye, Unique or 2400. Now you have many choices, but the point is Unique, Universal or 20/28 are excellent mid-range powders for the .44s (and .357, .32, .45s, etc...) .

---

As for H-110 loads, yes Brian Pearce did publish some .44Special loads with it... But they are not SAAMI loads as in the following case he tested with a Freedom Arms revolver. 25K psi loads Tier 3.

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian Pearce on the 44 Special.pdf

Also about the Ruger .44Special Flattop,

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Ruger Lipsey 44 Special.pdf


But for a beginner reloader, I would stay away from H110/296 for the .44Special. That is my opinion and stick'n to it :) .

Oh, and if you like the .44Special (one of 'my' favorites) here a list of articles collected over the years:

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/
 
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I stayed away from Unique for years because I always thought it was so dirty
In the last two or three years I have used a lot of it .

I loaded all my lead for the 44 Mag with W231 . The powder shortage got me using Unique and that was a good thing .

As a reloader the manual is the Bible .
 
well i think next time i head into town ill pick up some unique, or send away for it. thanks everyone, ill let you know my results when i finally get them loaded
 
Welcome to the forum and thanks for asking our advice

Kalen, I am glad you stuck around. This forum is one of the better ones and a few impatient/intolerant folks can be found anywhere. Forgive them. They are more concerned with safety (yours) than decorum.

Unique is an EXCELLENT powder for light to medium loads. I have used it for 35 years. It is a little sooty, but cleanup is part of the fun, right? My best girl dabs on a little Hoppe's #9 when she is feeling frisky.:D (kidding)

Every powder has its niche. The niche for H110 and Winchester 296 (the same powder) is maximum powder loads. It needs the highest pressure to reach the proper burning pressure and temperature for predictable, stable burning. A light bullet does not provide enough resistance for that. A light crimp does not, either. A smallish case does not allow for a good, long burn time (though if you match case volume, bullet weight and charge weight you could do it in a 44 Special case, I'll wager). However, I will not wager my own money or my own body parts or gun. A 44 Special case fired out of a 44 Magnum gun if loaded with a safe combination of H110 and bullet can be safe because the gun can contain the pressure. But if that cartridge is loaded into a 44 Special gun there will probably be more pressure than the gun can stand. And a case loaded with H110 to 44 Special pressure levels cannot be depended on to avoid erratic behavior (incomplete burn, stuck bullets, pressure spikes and such other dangers). Tom Matiska is right. Slow powders need to "get going" to burn right. In H110's case, this is especially true.

I mentioned finding a safe load for firing a 44 Special case in a 44 Magnum gun as an example. To find such a load, you would need to equip a ballistics lab and run the experiments (or find a lab that did and was willing to share the data with you). Neither is worth the trouble, since you have a 44 Magnum gun and 44 Magnum cases are readily available (even if more expensive in your locale). Older manuals with 44 Special recipes were using the powder that was available AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION. And using ballistics equipment available at the time, too. Powders have changed a little bit and ballistics science and equipment have become more sophisticated, too. By all means, if you have 20 year old powder, check a 20 year old manual. But also check a current manual as well. Safety always, safety all ways.

Frankly, I nave never owned a single piece of 44 Special brass, though most of my shooting is 44 Special power levels. And when I find any 38 Special brass, I give them to my friend who reloads 38 and .357. Most of my .357 guns have never even SEEN a 38 Special case, and none since 1976. Keeping only one chambering of brass keeps my supply logistics simpler. I never worry about separating 38s from 357s or 44 Special fron 44 Mags.

The respondent who suggested 44 magnum brass (sorry, I cannot find your name right now as I type this) is spot-on. I would go so far as to trade my 44 Special brass for 44 Mag, or powder or primers. But that's just me. Others find it more convenient to know that Special cases have special power levels and Mags have Mag levels. Me, I have to read the labels I put in the boxes to know if my loaded Mag brass has Special energy levels or Magnum energy levels. So, do what you prefer.

Lost Sheep
 
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Kalen - With regard to your original question; under certain circumstances you could use H 110 in 44 special.

The two most notable differences between 44 special and 44 magnum is
1. maximum operating pressures
2. the strength of the weapons that each is intended to be used in
3. the length of the cases.

The 44 special normally operates at a lower pressure designated as safe for older guns and small guns with light frames and thinner cylinder walls.

The 44 magnum operates at higher pressures and is chambered in modern, larger framed, strong guns that can handle the increased strain. 44 magnum brass is roughly 1/8 inch longer than its special counterpart to prevent that ammunition from chambering in a weapon unsuited to containing its potential max pressure.

Now, here's the rub; despite the difference in case length, both cartridges have almost identical overall loaded lengths giving them effectively the same internal case capacity. What you will find however, is that bullets of the 44 caliber variety almost always come with the cannelure or seat groove placed for appropriate oals in the 44 magnum only. This means of course, that these bullets seated to that cannelure in a 44 special results in a shorter oal cartridge with reduced space in the case under the bullet. Therefore you cannot put 44 magnum level powder charges in a special case UNLESS you use a bullet that gives the appropriate (longer) length and then ONLY use that ammunition in a weapon KNOWN to be of adequate strength.
 
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