Ammunition Reloading. Explore our articles, guides, and join our community to get started on your reloading journey today. Eventually Federal Cartridge offered a 200-grain lead SWC-HP at 900 fps (recently reduced to 870 fps), while Winchester followed suit with a 200-grain Silvertip HP and Remington with a 200-grain LSWC at the same velocity. Normally, you use the 44. special cases in guns chambered for the .44 special cartridge. What kind of gun? The loads I have tried today are all 240 gr's, and OAL set to 1.45" Unique 6.5 gr = 640fps 7.0 gr = 749 fps 800X 7.0 gr = 650 fps Bullseye 5.5 gr = 720 fps AA#2 6.0 gr = 708 fps For those that load for the 44 special, max 15500 loads what are some of your pet loads you like? To duplicate vintage factory loads, the 245-grain roundnose from Lyman mould 429383 is a top choice that is fine for small-game hunting. A LEE size die can reduce them if they are too large. A few loads are offered, however, that utilize the Hornady 240-grain XTP-HP and Speer 240-grain Gold Dot HP. Just stick to near-maximum loads to keep up the velocity and ensure adequate expansion. It is true that guns made prior to 1956 utilized a different grade steel than revolvers chambered for .44 Magnum and later production .44 Special revolvers, but they are nonetheless strong and can easily handle loads that generate 25,000 psi. Manufacturer #: 44B (50) UPC #: 754908168118. The Judge has been promoted! 30 days easy returns; 100% money back guarantee. If you drop a bullet into each chamber in your cylinder, if it falls through any/all of them, it is too small and will probably lead the barrel and not shoot all that well. Whether it's punching paper, whacking steel, hunting or protecting what's yours, the .44 Special makes a lot of sense. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. A database of .44 S&W Special handloads. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. But don't be misled. Speer offers the perfect .44 Special jacketed bullet. 44 S&W SPL LOW RECOIL 240GR FMJ. Magtech FMJ ammunition delivers reliable, accurate performance on the range. If youshoot the Skeeter Load with hard bulletsyou cancrack the barrel extension on your revolver. Its a natural outgrowth of half-jacketed bullets, and unlike traditional jacketed bullets, consists of a full-length copper cup with a lead core. A Smith & Wesson Model 1950 Target 24-6 (middle) .44 Special with a 6.5-inch barrel was used to develop the accompanying data. While the original intent of the .44 Special may have been as a target round, savvy handgunners havelong since used the cartridge for informal shooting and the taking of small to medium game at moderate ranges. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. Since you are buying bullets, they will probably be too hard. There are plenty of bullet weights and styles available for reloading the .44 Special: (from left) 180-gr. SWC-JHP, .44 with 250 gr. This was the dawn of the smokeless era, and with it came some problems. No purchase necessary. Clays, Universal, HP38, HS6 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders. The Cast Bullet Association is an organization of shooters who enjoy shooting cast lead bullets in rifles and handguns for competition, hunting, or informal target shooting. Much has been written about sizing cast bullets to correspond with groove diameter. Groups run 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" at 25 yards with this load if a decent bullet is used and accuracy follows to 50 yards, which is the maximum distance . less than a comparable .44 Magnum, and also less recoil while still being more than adequate for any situation which should arise. (II) Limit one entry per household. For these reasons, 240-grain bullets are best when used in conjunction with load data that exceeds industry maximum pressures. Keith pestered the ammo companies to bring out heavier .44 Special loads, but there was a fear that such powerful loads would blow up an older, weaker revolver. Published on 10-20-2014 09:25 PM You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. JSP * Dies are made by virtually everybody, and for years they have been configured to accommodate both Special as well as Magnum cases with minor die adjustments. In 1932 when Hercules 2400 powder first appeared, Keith loaded 18.5 grains in balloon-head cases to reach 1,200 fps. NEVER! ", "Truth is treason in the empire of lies" Ron Paul, Colt's Manufacturing Company Armorer Instructor. Trigger pull on the test sample was set at 4 pounds. For this assignment, a Smith & Wesson Model 629 with a 4-inch barrel was used, because it is modern, hefty and well-made. Number of Views: 5745, Published on 10-20-2014 09:21 PM less than a comparable .44 Magnum, and also less recoil while still being more than adequate for any situation which should arise. First, not all guns are of equal strength - some will handle significantly greater pressures, while others cannot. Its best to shoot all lead bullets outside to avoid lead fumes. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. All Rights Reserved. You want a light push fit through the cylinder throats. Most modern jacketed bullets must be traveling at least 850 to 900 fps to achieve reliable expansion, a velocity that was easily reached with most 200-grain bullets using standard pressure loads. Though the .44 Magnum is an offshoot of this cartridge, the Special was based on the older black powder .44 Russian. DO NOT use Magnum loads in .44 Specal Cases. No. Caleb Giddings, Marketing Manager at Taurus, introduces the all-new TaurusTX 22 Compact. The sole reason for the low pressure limit on the 44 Special was the existence of those wonderful Spanish copies of N-frame S&W's. 1,200 fps. Colt Model 1861 Special Musket: What's Its Value? we are talking about. Ruger Redhawk 44 mag 51/2 barrel & Ruger 44 mag Super Blackhawk old model 71/2 barrel. Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. #375. The Skeeter Load (7.5 grains Unique and a 250 -260 grain cast bullet) is widely used because Skeeter Skelton promoted it in many articles. Whether a Perfect Packin Pistol 4" S&W-style is fancy or plain it still serves the purpose. Joseph Von Benedikt is with Jorge Spat to learn all about it. If you have a fixed sight revolver 250-260 grain bullets will probably shoot close to the sights. With 6.0 grains of Unique and a 51/2 sixgun the result is a very pleasant shooting, and accurate, load of 825 fps. 4.3 Grains of Trailboss. You can reduce the charge for still lighter recoil depending on the individual revolver. Number of Views: 5819, Published on 10-20-2014 09:14 PM I have .44 Specials whose chamber throats are as tight as 0.427 and as large as 0.433, and I just took possession of a Spanish copy of the old S&W Triple-Lock with 0.437 throats. It is within industry pressure guidelines at 15,500 psi, while offering moderate recoil and good accuracy. Accurates powders come in a number of speeds and there are loads from the fast No. Box 1926, Escondido, CA 92033. Regardless of bullet diameter chosen, the expander ball die should measure at least .003 or (better) .004 inch smaller than bullet diameter to achieve correct bullet and case neck tension. | This load significantly increased the effectiveness of the cartridge while still being easily managed when shooting fast with double- action sixguns. His loads have been successfully tested and used by others for more than 25 years. Most notable was Elmer Keith, a cowboy, hunter, big-game guide, and by the middle 1920s a gun writer. If you think I'm an unabashed fan of the old round, you're right. Box 1926, Escondido, CA 92033. HP, .44 with 225 gr. Thats slightly more than the original .44 Special loading from more than a hundred years ago. Contest void where prohibited by law. With .44 Special throat dimensions varying from .4285 inch to as large as .434 inch, I generally size cast bullets .430 to .431 inch to correspond favorably with most throat sizes. Took this load form Speer #13 manual and it shot very well in both my 44 mags, very accurate and not even max. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. U.S. Reps. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas.) The new 9mm suppressor can mount easily to any pistol barrel threaded x28 inches and doesn't compromise on sound suppression, gas blowback or recoil. Powders include Alliant, Winchester, Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, IMR, Accurate Joseph Von Benedikt is with Rafe Nielsen of Browning to take a look at a new X-Bolt series rifle. Skeltons favorite handload consisted of the 250-grain Keith bullet pushed around 950 fps (4-inch barrel) using 7.5 grains of Unique powder. A charge of 9.5 grains of Blue Dot produced 880 fps and consistent accuracy with the FTX. Associated taxes and fees will be the responsibility of the winner. RDM, Published on 10-20-2014 09:18 PM Can't use 44 Special loads, none will get into the pressure ceiling. By the 1920s smokeless powders had been significantly improved, which resulted in handloaders developing ammunition that enhanced the performance of the .44 Special to create +P loads. Keith bullets from H&G, Lyman, NEI and RCBS loaded in .44 Special brass. The .44 Special is a joy to handload, but there are some important points to be aware of that will help handloaders assemble top-notch ammunition tailored specifically to their guns. What kind of gun? The .44 Special was formally introduced by Smith & Wesson in 1907. However, it is a +P 44 Special load at 20,000 psi. Of course, the situation changed when S&W introduced the .44 Magnum 50+ years ago. I do use it from time to time, however its more than I want for an everyday workin load at 1,200 fps with a 260-gr. It's best to shoot all lead bullets outside to avoid lead fumes. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. My favorite load for my Ruger Blackhawk 44 Special is something I got from an article by Skeeter Skelton. Taurus Marketing Manager Caleb Giddings highlights the features of the new Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum, a purpose-built revolver with a 10.5-inch barrel and an effective recoil-taming brake, with Guns & Ammo Executive Editor Joe Kurtenbach. Charges less than those shown are not recommended, however, as there is the very real danger of sticking a bullet in the barrel. I use that load extensively. It is especially important when handloading the Cutting Edge 200-grain Raptor or 240-grain Solid bullets to use the exact data and overall cartridge lengths as listed, or pressures will change rapidly. Revolver Is Back, A World Record Attempt: Practice Round and Media Day, Interview with Israeli Defense Forces, Part 1. I would defer to Hodgdon data for the .44 Special, although my deep seated loads in mag brass approximate COL for .44 Special. Tightgroup is an excellent fast pistol powder. Many guns will easily handle loads that generate 22,000 psi, 25,000 psi and even more; those loads will be discussed here in a future Pet Loads article. Before the readership has a collective coronary, let me quickly point out that the .44 Special can live happily ever after on a steady diet of ammo loaded with quality cast bullets. Who knew wild turkey's were so stupid!? Ruger's multi-role small frame autoloading rifle - Sear - combines AR-10 power with AR-15 Portability. Handgun Data. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. No purchase necessary. Min Charge Max Charge Optimal Charge Bullet Make Bullet Type Primer Notes; Alliant - Power Pistol: 250 gr. For the .44 Magnum to achieve its greater velocity potential when held to industry overall length specifications, it is necessarily loaded to a higher maximum average pressure of 36,000 psi. Then there is the question of what do you expect to use it for. Why Choose Us? . JHP I like to load the .44 Special using moderate amounts of powder thus providing a very economical cartridge to use any time in any .44 Magnum.