OK, I ordered myself a S&W M-69 4.25 in. barrel .44 Mag/Spl yesterday. Also ordered a set of dies, brass, and bullets. I would like some suggested loads for it. I will have both 240 gr. coated lead SWC bullets (Missouri Bullet Company) and Hornady 240 gr. XTP JHP bullets. I have on hand both Remington and Federal large pistol primers, Unique, 2400, and Titegroup powders, both .44 Magnum and .44 Special Starline brass. Any proven or published load data would be appreciated. Thanks!
Years ago I used a 4" 629 when shooting a combat training course. All I needed was "bang" and some holes close to where the gun pointed ... beyond that, the less recoil the better. 5.0 grains of Green Dot under a 250 grain cast bullet worked well. Came out the end of the barrel, made holes in paper, didn't beat me up.
Lot of people like somewhere around 8-9 grains of Unique .. a little warmer but pretty pleasant.
For a while I shot 17.0 to 18.0 grains of 2400 under my 240-ish grain cast bullets ... std primers, magnum cases. This more or less matched Elmer Keith's heavy .44 special load. That heavy special / light magnum "load zone" is pretty useful.
Today I have other guns, I don't have much need for light loads in my .44 magnum. The only thing I've shot in them in the past 3-5 years has been 24 grains of Win 296 under 250 grain SWC. I use Winchester Large Pistol primers in this load. It is a little peppy in my short Ruger, a lot peppy in my S&W 329PD.
With jacketed bullets, I've never really worked with lighter loads, need velocity for expansion. I've looked for accuracy with max or very near max loads. The best load, across many guns, I've ever come up with, is 240 grain Sierra JHC, WW brass, Fed 155 primer, and 24.7 grains of Win 296. I don't shoot jacketed bullets much now but if I did, I'd start out about 23.5 and work up. I have gone as high as 25 with the Hornady 240 in a Redhawk, but I wouldn't enjoy shooting them in the S&W and I don't think I'd want to subject my gun to the abuse.
I do not like max loads of 2400. It can be a little spooky with some load data.
