Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 44magnum

Viking, what bullet are you shooting, and do you know what kinda speed you are getting?

I want one of those "blow the doors off" loads of the early days of the 44 Mag. One that when it is fired, it forms such a vacuum when the bullet comes out of the muzzle at warp speed it almost jerks ones clothes off.

Appears his favorite part of being on the board is arguing. He doesn't ask for infomation. He requires it.


But, don't ask him for any. He'll send you packing.

Hello how are are you this fine day?

if i had a lick of sense i would let this thing go away. but i thought i would pass along what originally got me to post.

keeping in mind i was wondering about 22grains of 2400 behind a 240grain bullet in 44magnum.

Hornady
7th edition
max load 21.2 grains
in a thomson/contender 22.8 grains
in a rifle 21.5 grains

going back to my lyman 3dr edition cast bullet handbook,circa 1980
max is 23.4 behind a 429421 cast bullet.
times have changed.
i am still trying to find out why that thompson contender has that load as opposed to running it in a super redhawk.
and yes, i do understand the difference between a jacketed bullet and lead.

What we need is some of the guys that know the inner workingness of the loading companies of the 60's to the 70's to come on here with their knowlegement and wiseness and elaborate on the magical loads for the 44 Magnum.

Could you just get a 60-70s load book and shut up ?


All you are doing is stirring drama .

I have two Lyman 1970 reloading manuals here. I want the 1960 reloading data or around that date so as to have a real 44 Magnum load not these creampuff loads that are published now. I dont want these cowboy loads all of the manual list now. The loads where one would have to duct tape the gun to ones hand so it can be held onto. One where when it goes off a mushroom cloud with a whirling high speed muzzle blast that is laying the grass flat while shaking the ground.

I purdy much use the 240 XTP and 22 grains of the 2400. The hard cast that I have are around 250 grains. I half no idea who made them. But again, I used 22/2400 and a for the plinking load I used 14/2400. If that helps you.

When I get some of the load date for the real loads I am going to get one of the self darkening welding helmets to prevent being blinded by the flash.

The load data I used was out of an old Hornady book.

i have a number of .44magnum handguns between superredhawk, contender, and smith's. i also have a marlin 44magnum. Interesting enough while the handguns measure at .429, the rifle if i remember right is at .431 or .432. My original quest was to find a load that worked equally well in handgun and rifle. And with lead there is the issue of the kind of rifling in the barrel of the rifle.

Wasn't the 265 grain Hornady, the daddy of the "heavier" bullets in .44 Mag., .430 whereas most of the others measured .001 or .002" less? Seems like it was developed specifically for the carbines, like the Marlin1894.

that could be, i know ken watters in "pet loads" mentioned going not past that weight wise. interesting enough, he had two sections on 44magnum, in the first section pet load was 22grains of 2400. second section he reduced it to 21grains saying it shot just as well or better.
given the time he wrote that it would have been hercules not that in reality it makes any difference.
i would have to look at again, but seems some of the heavier bullets had trouble cycling in the ruger semiauto carbine.
one other tidbit not related to anything, when i bought the marlin rifle, i got a box of 20rounds of i thought factory ammo. I ran it through a chrony. those 240grain bullets were doing over 1800fps. That beats the velocity and weight of a 38.55.

I believe I seen where todays 44 Magnum loads has ben reduceded. Is that correctum?

Fixt it.

My understanding is that bullet was made primarily for the 444 Marlin with secondary use in the 44 Magnum.

Most Hornady jacketed bullets run .430, whereas Speer and Sierra and Nosler are .429-.4295, regardless of weight.

Ken Waters also never realized H110 and 296 were the same powder, often favoring one over the other and stating so, in several chamberings......

It would be nice if someone would make a 300 grain bullet.

Not a problem.

The handgun is usually not the issue, it is finding a nice tight shooting load for the Marlin that often takes a little bit more homework. But it is not all that hard, and I will give you the "cheat Codes" as the gamers say these days.

The majority of the Marlins that I have personally used ( I currently only have my 16" Trapper .44) have been pretty finicky about cast lead loads, however they do like jacketed. If you stick with a 240 grain Hornady XTP and 22 grains of H110 you will be completely good to go. That will take care of your needs in the handloads department.

Speer makes a 270 grain Gold Dot soft point that shoots well out of Marlins, if you want factory ammo.

I have not had great luck with heavy bullets, both in feeding and accuracy. I "can" make loads but they end up being levergun specific and I don't load that way, so I just stick with the 240 grain loads and am very satisfied.