44 mag

300WSM said:
I have lots of experience loading the 44 mag in revolver...

Winchester 296 is king for me!

That said...240 gr work better than 225 and 300 gr are the best.

That was my experience in 4 different platforms... but your gun might be different but for me 300, nosler or hornady shot the best


good luck and enjoy!
Click to expand...
I have a mold for a 300 gr. semi-wadcutter but haven't been able to get it to shoot near point of am. Most loads I've trie shoot about 6" high at 25 yards. What I need to do is put a taller front sight on one of my .44 mags so the POI is at least closer to what I want. My mold for Elmer Keith's bullet actually casts out at 250 gr. but hits at point of aim and 25 yards.
Paul B.
 
PJGunner said:
I have a mold for a 300 gr. semi-wadcutter but haven't been able to get it to shoot near point of am. Most loads I've trie shoot about 6" high at 25 yards. What I need to do is put a taller front sight on one of my .44 mags so the POI is at least closer to what I want. My mold for Elmer Keith's bullet actually casts out at 250 gr. but hits at point of aim and 25 yards.
Paul B.
Click to expand...
Paul, if its S&W you can laways change the rear sight blade. They come in different heights. As far as front sight, wouldn't you need a shorter one?
 
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PJGunner said:
I have a mold for a 300 gr. semi-wadcutter but haven't been able to get it to shoot near point of am. Most loads I've trie shoot about 6" high at 25 yards. What I need to do is put a taller front sight on one of my .44 mags so the POI is at least closer to what I want. My mold for Elmer Keith's bullet actually casts out at 250 gr. but hits at point of aim and 25 yards.
Paul B.
Click to expand...
Maybe...or hold at 6 o'clock.

But...When in trouble with the 44..
...slow it down... I say

I've had issues like that with all bullet weights at times.

I slow them down and once my poi is respectable I check the chronograph.

Most times, I've found what I thought was slowing down was actually coming in nearing published speed.
In other words what I ran befire was giving me higher than advertised velocities.
 
flyingagg said:
Paul, if its S&W you can laways change the rear sight blade. They come in different heights. As far as front sight, wouldn't you need a shorter one?
Click to expand...
no...he is hitting high...the front sight needs to be higher...
so you have to tilt the bbl downward..

OR...

Lower the rear sight

To again tilt the bbl downward or lift the rear of the gun upward...

One in the same
 
I've been loading the 44 magnum since 1977 and the only powders I use are Unique, 2400, and W296. These cover the range from plinking to full power hunting loads.
 
300WSM said:
no...he is hitting high...the front sight needs to be higher...
so you have to tilt the bbl downward..

OR...

Lower the rear sight

To again tilt the bbl downward or lift the rear of the gun upward...

One in the same
Click to expand...
You are right
 
PJGunner said:
IIRC, Elmer's load was 22.0 gr. of H2400. I'm not sure if he dropped a grain when it became A2400 but 22.0 gr. either 2400 and the 240 gr. Keith bullet always worked well in any of my .44 magnums. What is little known about Keith is he had three loads for the .44 mag. There was is famous (?) 22.0/2400 we always heard about but he laso had rwo lighter loads using his 240 gr. SWC bullet. One was with Bullseye for plinking and shooting at paper. The other one used Unique as a general purpose load. The two lighter loads were loaded to shoot as close to the point of impact of his top 2400 load as possible so that he could use the same sight picture when shooting whichever load. I never did learn which loading was his standard for every day carry.
Paul B.
Click to expand...
Yes PJ, I stand corrected.

It was the "IIRC" acronym that got me. My first 44 mag was a pinned barrel/recessed cylinder/4" blue Model 29. At the time, I also had a 7.5" SuperBlackhawk. Both of those guns wore Pachmayers. I was aware of the early 29's strecthing frames when hot loaded. The 29 was most often carried and shot with a milder load of Unique behind the 240 Keith SWC. The Ruger, on the other hand was shown no mercy. They are strong and you can't shoot them loose as they come that way. I had three different Super Blackhawks over time and they all shot well after some trigger work. Eventually these 44's went by the wayside in favor of a 5" 629 Classic which was the most accurate 44 revolver that I had.
The 21.0 gr load stuck in my head as that was the one that I used on the hot side. My LGS sold 500 count hard cast 240 gr 429421's that were lubed w/o gas checks which was all that I shot in the 44's.
I don't have a 44 mag revolver anymore as I have since been a 45LC convert. As much as I liked the 629 Classic, I found it was heavier than I wanted to carry. I replaced it with a 625 Mountain gun which is a much more friendly N-Frame on the hip.

Sorry for misquoting as I am 77 years old and I had to google "IIRC" to get the point. I then googled Keith load to validate my mistake.
 
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walkinhorseman said:
Yes PJ, I stand corrected.

It was the "IIRC" acronym that got me. My first 44 mag was a pinned barrel/recessed cylinder/4" blue Model 29. At the time, I also had a 7.5" SuperBlackhawk. Both of those guns wore Pachmayers. I was aware of the early 29's strecthing frames when hot loaded. The 29 was most often carried and shot with a milder load of Unique behind the 240 Keith SWC. The Ruger, on the other hand was shown no mercy. They are strong and you can't shoot them loose as they come that way. I had three different Super Blackhawks over time and they all shot well after some trigger work. Eventually these 44's went by the wayside in favor of a 5" 629 Classic which was the most accurate 44 revolver that I had.
The 21.0 gr load stuck in my head as that was the one that I used on the hot side. My LGS sold 500 count hard cast 240 gr 429421's that were lubed w/o gas checks which was all that I shot in the 44's.
I don't have a 44 mag revolver anymore as I have since been a 45LC convert. As much as I liked the 629 Classic, I found it was heavier than I wanted to carry. I replaced it with a 625 Mountain gun which is a much more friendly N-Frame on the hip.

Sorry for misquoting as I am 77 years old and I had to google "IIRC" to get the point. I then googled Keith load to validate my mistake.
Click to expand...
No problem. These days some consider Elmer's load too hot for any gun, even the well overweight Redhawks. I had a 6" 629 for a while and after about 250 rounds of Elmer's load it had to go back for repair. Then after 200 more rounds back again it went. When I got it back? It went. I generally run about 20.0 gr. of 2400 these days or 24.0 gr. W296 in my Blackhawks and only run the full Elmer loads in a couple of Redhawks. I'm thinking of backing that load down to 20.0 g. for the Redhawks as well. My 86 year old wrist doth protesteth loudly.
Paul B.
 
A thing I was told by Hodgdon, even though powders have not changed, primers today are hotter than a couple of decades ago, so if using the same recipe, chances are loads would be hotter.
 
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walkinhorseman said:
Yes PJ, I stand corrected.

It was the "IIRC" acronym that got me. My first 44 mag was a pinned barrel/recessed cylinder/4" blue Model 29. At the time, I also had a 7.5" SuperBlackhawk. Both of those guns wore Pachmayers. I was aware of the early 29's strecthing frames when hot loaded. The 29 was most often carried and shot with a milder load of Unique behind the 240 Keith SWC. The Ruger, on the other hand was shown no mercy. They are strong and you can't shoot them loose as they come that way. I had three different Super Blackhawks over time and they all shot well after some trigger work. Eventually these 44's went by the wayside in favor of a 5" 629 Classic which was the most accurate 44 revolver that I had.
The 21.0 gr load stuck in my head as that was the one that I used on the hot side. My LGS sold 500 count hard cast 240 gr 429421's that were lubed w/o gas checks which was all that I shot in the 44's.
I don't have a 44 mag revolver anymore as I have since been a 45LC convert. As much as I liked the 629 Classic, I found it was heavier than I wanted to carry. I replaced it with a 625 Mountain gun which is a much more friendly N-Frame on the hip.

Sorry for misquoting as I am 77 years old and I had to google "IIRC" to get the point. I then googled Keith load to validate my mistake.
Click to expand...
uuhh,,,,

I am NOT 77 years old and I didn't know what IIRC was and I am fairly tech savvy.

I am right there with ya brotha....




I see many of those little letter things and I have no idea what 99 percent of them are
 
Lately I have started shooting 44 special loads through my M-29 for a fun load. I have found full tilt 44 mag loads to be not much fun in a 4 inch M29 but it makes a good carry gun out in the woods. If I think there is a chance I might need a lot of pistol power I carry my 500 with 380 grain hard cast. The big Smith is much softer to shoot with that load.
 
FNWhelen said:
Lately I have started shooting 44 special loads through my M-29 for a fun load. I have found full tilt 44 mag loads to be not much fun in a 4 inch M29 but it makes a good carry gun out in the woods. If I think there is a chance I might need a lot of pistol power I carry my 500 with 380 grain hard cast. The big Smith is much softer to shoot with that load.
Click to expand...
I am not sure what is bigger...that Smith or a remington model 7 youth

just saying

:ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
When I first started shooting pistol silhouette I used a blackhawk 7.5 but it just did not fit my hand very well. Switched to a model 29 but it only lasted two years. They just did not hold up to lots of full house loads. Last 44 was a DanWesson 10 inch. Now that held up but it was as big as 500 S&W.
 
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