Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Trouble finding the right 44 load.

Got a new Blackhawk, seems to be more picky than the other 44's. I would like to get it going this week. I have 190gr, 250gr, and 275gr Lead bullets and 300 gr XTPs.
I have Titegroup, Bullseye, Unique, Universal, 2400, H-110, 296, possibly HP-38... but i don't see it right now.
I'm also real low on Large MAGNUM Primers.
Either Special or Mag brass.

Would prefer something over 900fps, and grouping nicely so I can hunt with it out to at least 50yds.
I've have tried several things already. I actually think this last round of testing, The bullets are jumping crimp on the heavier loads. I need to duplicate some of the loads, take the calipers to the range and just check it.
Books i'm using is the Lyman Cast 4th edition, and Lyman 48th & 50th.
Just wondering if anyone has some pet loads I can look at.

Thank you Gentlemen.

Reposted because this forum gets 5-6 times the traffic of the loading forum, sorry.

My go-to 44 mag load is 18.5grs of 2400 under an Oregon Trail 240gr cast lead semi wad cutter. They give over 1200fps from my 4-5/8 SBH with reasonable recoil, and better accuracy than I can usually take advantage of. The bullets are .431 dia..

My Remington 788 .44 Magnum gave incredible accuracy with Hornady 240gr. XTP's and H 110. Three shot cloverleaf groups @ 50 and 100 yds., sighted 1" high @ 50yds. shots were right on @ 100yds..

Have you conducted your due diligence and measured your chamber throats to determine both size and whether they all match? Barrel groove diameter means nothing, as long as it's the same size or smaller than the throats. Don't laugh, wouldn't be the first time Ruger sent a revolver out the door with a barrel larger than its throats. Knowing throat diameter allows you to make an intelligent decision regarding bullet diameter, and that'll effect accuracy and leading.

Good chance it's not an issue, but when wonky results happen then it's time to address the minutiae.

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thought has crossed my mind, I priced gauge pins. Then I priced renting the throat reamer and pilots, and considering I have 5, 44's. I think I will rent the tools and check them all.

However, this doesn't help the present. Would jacketed bullets fair any better? I haven't tried the XTPs yet.

Second question, I am suspicious of the crimp because the first few in a 5 shot group will be very close, then the next will drift up and up. Leading me to believe the bullets are moving out, lowering pressure and changing POI up. I can check this next trip to the range... just would like to hear your opinion on if that is likely.
These were heavy doses of 2400, 21-22gr under 250gr cast.

I pulled my 2400 data from Lyman, started at 20gr and went to 22gr, later read Keith used 22.5gr... 22gr was getting rowdy.

10.0gr Unique under the 250gr bullet should get you around 1050 fps ballpark.

That's pretty much my go-to load for 44 Mag any more, but with a 240gr bullet.

my standard go to rule of thumb for Max loads h110/296
for nice light plinking loads unique.
most of them between stuff 2400


and I generally load 240s or 300s
if you're wanting to get just over 900 FPS I would probably try unique first but it looks like you already have so guess I'm not much help..

I use a LBT 260 gr WFN hard cast bullet over 10 grains of Unique. Just under 1100 fps, if my old memory’s serve me. 😬
It’ll kill anything you want to kill with plenty of penetration and great accuracy too. I rarely ever “catch one” in a feral hog. And they’re usually DRT if I do my part on bullet placement.

I used to load them up with a maximum load of WW-296, and try to push them to 1400 fps.
Got tired of the recoil on my arthritic hands and the punishment of my ears. 🤠

Anything over 900fps. I have tried Unique, but I used 7, 7.5gr under 250gr cast in a SPL case and 11.5, 12, 12.5gr under a 190gr cast hp with a Mag brass.
May just need to try a little more under the 250gr in a Mag case judging by responses. I haven't tried the Universal at all, but I hear it's pretty much the same charge weight as unique and groups may get better or worse. Looks the same on a burn chart.

I'm after whitetail, they aren't going to catch [bleep], but a case of dead.

A rough idea of throat size can be made by dropping bullets of known diameter through the chambers to see if they catch in the throats.

Then the load I mentioned will do everything you need. And then some. 🤠

You don't need gauge pins to check throat diameters (although they are nice). Simply drive a soft slug through from the front, any kind of soft lead as long as it's a skinch bigger than the throat, then mic it. Repeat in the rest of the throats. A proper diameter lead bullet should be able to pass through a throat with moderate thumb pressure.

Same rule applies to jacketed but obviously you're at the mercy of the bullet manufacturers, not much you can do about it if they're too small (but sizing down if too large can be done with a Lee push through die).

Montana Marine’s load of Unique is a winner in both my Blackhawk and S&W mod 69.

H110 has been my standard for jacketed .44 loads for a couple of decades. An article on primers in the 2015 Hodgdon Annual revealed that H110 did very well with standard LPs, though cold weather might change that. I use them all the time with no issues at all. Certainly they’re fine for 2400 as well as faster powders.

If you have a Hodgdon manual, take a gander at the data for 240gr Noslers and H110. The staring load is only slightly slower than the max load, but the pressure is much lower.

To be clear... you just recommended subbing in Large Rifle primers?

Agreed. Pretty much my go to 44 load also. Shoots well and plenty of power for anything I need to do with a 44

That 10gr Unique load under a 240gr also gives 1285 fps from my 20" Rossi carbine.