I load and shoot .44 Russians all the time as well as .44 Specials in my .44 Magnum chambered 4.25" S&W M-69. I have not experienced any excessive chamber fouling as some claim. Also shoot a LOT of .38s in my .357 also without any excessive fouling. Having said that, I also clean them on a regular basis. I load the same bullet for my Russian and Special loads and most of my Magnum loads: a 240 grain coated cast lead Keith style SWC. Please note that these Russian loads ARE NOT intended to be used in an antique or reproduction 1800s era .44 Russian pistol. I have three Russian loads all using a coated cast lead 240 gr Keith style SWC bullet:
.44 Russian - 4.2 gr Titegroup - WLP -744 FPS
.44 Russian +P - 5.2 gr Universal - WLP - 787 FPS
.44 Russian +P+ - 6.1 gr Universal - Rem LP - 849 FPS
Lee makes dies to load .44 Russian. While the sizing die is the same for the Special and Magnum, the other will not work as the case is too short. I just ordered a set of proper Lee .44 Russian dies and use my same Lee factory crimp die. BTW - you can order direct from Lee, but they are a bit more expensive than what you can usually find them for from Grafs, Midsouth, Midway, e-bay, etc.
You can also load the .44 Russian with black powder, but I have never done so. After all, that is what it was originally loaded with. I don't recall the black powder load formula, but it can be found on John Taffin's website. Remember, black powder residue requires extra care with cleaning.
