Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 44 Special

Post up some of your favorite loads.

Mine is the NOE version of the H&G 265 Keith with 8 grs. CFEPistol, Starline cases and Remington 2.5s.

Rim Rock 260 grain "Keith" pushed by 8.5 grains of power pistol in a Ruger flat top. Starline brass, Federal 150 primers.

Lyman 429421 and 6 to 6.5 Unique for my Charter Bulldog, 7 to 7.5 for the 624 and the same for the little flattop. I want more I get out the 29, the Super or a 44 rifle. It isn't a magnums and there's no reason to try to make it one.
Sometimes I cast up a few 429421 hollow points from soft lead and load them at 6.5 U and they are very destructive.

I cast and load the Lyman 429421 over Unique or Universal for my GP100 and my Bisley Flattop. I keep my 44 Special loads in the normal Special range. I’ve got Redhawks for hotter loads.

everyday use 240 gr bayou bullet coated hard cast with 7.0 grs of Unique, my flattop Blackhawk really like them

Some great loads being posted. Thanks HawkI for starting this thread.

Like the way my flat top is configured. The smaller frame/grip frame than the super blackhawks and redhawks, and I can achieve all the power I need.

Another one is the Cast Performance 300grn wfngc over 15.5 grains of H110 in a Starline case and lit with a WLP primer.

I have a 5.5 inch Ruger Flattop 44 Special and really haven't strayed much from the Keith loads, a 429421 over either 5 grains of Bullseye, 7.5 grains of Unique or 17 grains of 2400. I recently started playing with HS 6 in some of my revolvers but haven't gotten to it yet in the 44 Special. I recently got a Mihec Molds clone of the H&G 503 with the hollow point options. I haven't cast with it yet but am anxious to get some bullets cast with it.

mart, I tried 10 grains of HS6 in my flat top under the 260grn "Keith". Was actually a pretty good load, just a bit dirtier than Power Pistol.

My .44 SPL load is a 240 gr coated lead SWC from Bayou Bullets over 7.5 or 7.7 gr Universal or 7.5 gr Unique with Winchester LP primers. I use this in a S&W M-69. This load is not recommended for pre-1960s era pistols or any of Charter Arms manufacture of any date. This is what I call my "Skeeter" load, named in honor of gunwriter and former lawman "Skeeter" Skelton, as this was his favored load.

+1 on the "Skeeter Load", I've shot tens of thousands of 200gr. RNFP over 7.5gr. of Unique, it has been my go to load for many years.

Bryon,

Thanks. I’ll give that a try. I’ve never used Power Pistol. I’ve led a sheltered life when it comes to handgun reloading. I fall back to Bullseye, Unique, 2400, H110 and IMR 4227. And lately I’ve started playing with HS 6 and Trailboss.

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Brian%20Pearce%20on%20the%2044%20Special.pdf

http://reloadammo.com/44sloads.htm

http://www.goodrichfamilyassoc.org/44_Special_Articles/Ruger%20Lipsey%2044%20Special.pdf

I look at these links for my 44 special in a Ruger Bisley flattop. My standard plinking round in 7.0G of Unique under a 240 grain lead Speer bullet in Starline brass with WW primers. I just cracked my last pound of Unique, so I was going to try 7.0 to 7.5 grains of Universal powder.
For more potent rounds I was going to try AA#9 because I have about 6 pounds.

Terry,

Thanks for posting those; you saved me from digging through 3-4 feet worth of magazines!

I was looking for the Pearce article that showed the three pressure levels. I think he has an updated version, but damned if I can find it.

For those using the time-tested Unique loads, and the similarities of so many of those loads, really speaks volumes,

200 RNFP's get Universal.

200 JHP's get Power Pistol.

Starline brass and CCI 300's for all.

Unique is the only powder that should be burned in a Special case.

Its not even that dirty.

7.5 grains of Unique or Universal under 240-250 grain hard cast SWC

If that is your choice, then rock on big boy, and your are correct that it is not really all that dirty. I have used a lot of it over the years.
However, it is power pistol for me in my flat top. A little better accuracy and cleaner. Icing on the cake and all that.
Have you not tried it yet?

you will enjoy i think those mihec molds

I have a bunch of his molds. They are some nice bullet molds.

Gonna have to agree with this. However, I will use Universal if I run out of Unique.

I haven't really hit on my favorite load for the cartridge yet I don't think. So far most of my loads for it have settled on Starline brass, varying amounts of Unique and one or another cast bullet. 6.5 grains Unique behind a 240 grainer is a bunch of fun and easy on the knuckles out of the 5 1/2" Flattop. 7.5 grains behind a 265 grn Rimrock is a lot of fun but gets a little hard on the knuckles after a few cylinders full. I use that load sparingly.

Unique is good, but Power Pistol goes through a measure lots better.

5.0g Bullseye or
8.0 Power Pistol
Any 240g projectile
Ruger Flattop

My last .44 special loads were with the RCBS 250 grain SWC bullet .. a mold they discontinued quite a few years back. I still use it a lot for .44 magnum. I don't recall the charge right off but I loaded them with Win 231 in the WW special cases, probably with Fed 150 primers.

I didn't have good luck with getting consistent charges using Unique or Blue Dot in my Hornady measure nor in a borrowed Lyman measure. There was enough variation to be dangerous, not merely inaccurate.

Tom

I've been using the Skeeter Skelton load for a long time. 7.5 Grains of Unique and a 250 grain Lyman 429421. Tin cans fear my name:-)

I prefer Power Pistol, because as I've said, like the way it measures. But, if it worked for Skeeter...........

I am a dedicated Unique user. However, in my S&W 696 it simply did not shoot all that well....to my disappointment. Ended up with 5.2 grs. of Bullseye under a Lyman 429421.

Had an old, very nice shooting load with 275gr hard cast and H-4227 for a Lipseys Ruger, speaking of 44 Specials, if you ever lay a hand and an eye on a Freedom Arms '97 in 44 Spec, your screwed, I am! dear lord in heaven they are sweet!

gunner, there is a FA Mod.97 in 45 Colt in my safe. Been there 18 years and I couldn't have said it better. I used to live across the highway and up the mountain from them. In front of the building they had a sign that said, "The World's Finest Revolver." I cannot but believe it.

Winchester brass and primers and 240 grain hard cast SWCs.

In the Rossi 720s and Taurus 441s 5.5 grains of Unique.

In the S&W 624s, 7.5 grains of Unique.

In the S&W 329PD, using .44 Magnum brass, 9.0 grains of Universal.

I still have almost 10 lbs. of Unique and save it for my .44 Special and .357 Magnum cast lead loads.

You bet Sharps4590, I've never owned a high end custom revolver, but from what little I know, they best be tight and square to compete with a Freedom Arms.

I own two FA 97s, a 5-1/2 inch .357 and a 6 inch .41 Magnum. I doubt I'll ever own a nicer handgun than these two.

NICE! a 5.5 or 6" FA '97 in 44 Spec is what started my illness! ; ].............I have a 7.5" FA 454, it's not going anywhere either.

Now you’re speaking my language 😁

...at least you didn't blame me...since mine is a .41......

Anybody ever shot any critters with book level 44 special loads under a Lyman 429421 Keith bullet? I have a 1926 2nd Model Hand Ejector Target that I hold near and dear and I’d like to slap a pig or two with it but I want to be gentle with the old girl due to age and rarity. Sources indicate that less than 150 Targets were ever made and it’s probably worth a pretty good chunk of change even though it’s not mint. At least it hasn’t been refinished. I have Unique and RedDot for powder and the above mentioned mold as well as a 429215 HPGC.

Have you looked at Winchester 231?

How many of the suggested loads stay within 44spl pressure limits?

I'm a dedicated LBT mold fan. My favorite in the 44 Special is my LBT 255 gr WFN PB over 8.5 gr of AL 20/28 in Starline cases capped with a CCI 300 primer. From my 4-5/8" Flattop Ruger Bisley I get 1050 fps with low SD's.



This doe was DRT from 15 yds. Complete pass through.

TheKid
That is a classic revolver for sure.
whelennut

It sure is... Care to share the history of that fine revolver?

A friend had it in his gun shop for forever, no interest in it with the local crowd. When I went to leave Alaska after a decade living there I needed to unload a few guns that wouldn’t be of any use down here so we struck a trade. Another good friend of both of us gifted me the suede lined Bianchi flap holster to go with it.

I haven’t lettered it but have more or less narrowed down the ship date with the help of the guys over at the S&W forum. Probably 1932 production but you never really know without a letter. Plus the very few 2nd model targets produced shipped anywhere from 1926 to the 40’s. They apparently made up the frames and assembled and shipped them as the rare order came in.

When I got it a King’s front blade was in the barrel tenon, crescent shaped with a white insert, period correct and too me really neat. Unfortunately it was way too low, shot 12” high at 25yds with standard pressure 246gr ammo. So I made a Patridge blade of the proper height on my lunch break one day, may have to track down an original one of these days. Aside from that and the stocks, which are from a late 30’s 357 and I consider another neat period upgrade over the service stocks it would have shipped with, it’s all honest and original.

I don’t shoot it a whole lot but it does get used. It’s one of my favorite revolvers for sure.