Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 44 magnum reduced loads?

I do clean……occasionally! However, carbon is rather difficult to remove……much easier if it’s never been put there! Why risk carbon, when simply using a case of proper length for the cylinder will avoid this potential issue! memtb

I've fired a lot of 45 Colt cartridges in 454 and I have found it not to be a problem

I read about it here on the net but I find it is over blown and not a concern of mine

Have a look at top end 44 Special loads and you will be fine.

Happy for you!

I bought a very lightly used 460 XVR, which had very few rounds through it….the majority of those being .454 Casull’s.

I aggressively cleaned it after purchase, though didn’t use a bore-scope to examine….as I have never had a carbon issue prior! When working on an accuracy load, I found that one chamber consistently through a shot outside of the group. I measured throats and found some slight differences. The cylinder was sent to a very reputable gunsmith to address the throats. One of his comments upon his work completion was a bit of carbon that required some pretty aggressive cleaning with a 50 cal brush and solvent.


The first thing I did at the time of purchase, was to buy a bunch of 460 brass…..I gave the .454 brass to a friend. “ALL” of my shooting was with 460 brass! Summary: with minimal shooting with short brass, there was a carbon deposit!

Should I have been more alert/aggressive with my initial cleaning …..yes! I never suspected that with minimal use it would have carbon deposits! Could the 50+ thousand psi chamber pressures from the .454’s be the cause for the very hard to remove carbon deposits……perhaps - maybe even likely!

Personally, I think that it’s not worth saving a few bucks to shoot short brass in my revolvers! JMO. memtb

Cost has nothing to do with using 45 colt brass in my 454s. It identifies the difference in pressure loads for the revolvers that can't take 65,000 PSI loads.
I generally load 30,000 PSI in my 45 Cokt brass for use in 6 shot Rugers

I also have a system to elimate any potential “screw-ups” in loads!

Example: my light load 460’s are in nickel plated brass…..maximum or high pressure stuff in conventional brass! I’m color blind…..but, even I can tell the difference! 😉


I guess we each have our reasons for our methods…..which we shouldn’t have to justify to anyone!

Have a great day! memtb

For lack of use I sold my 5.5" Redhawk .44 mag several years back and then a few months ago I started missing having a .44 mag around to shoot.

I found a minty safe queen 7.5" stainless 1989 mfg Redhawk (not Super) in late May priced right and I jumped on it.

I wasn't looking to work up a hard thumping hunting load I just wanted something that was comfortable to shoot and accurate enough to plink with out to 75yds. to 100 yds. and still be able to harvest game with if I was out and had the opportunity using the bullets I had on hand which were Hornady 240 gr. XTP's......on the box Hornady says the 240 gr. .44 XTP's recommended velocity is between 700 and 1500 fps.

I had some H110, 2400, Unique and Winch. 231 on hand and I picked W231 because I've got quite a bit of it.


Hodgdon W231 data using a 8.275" barrel:

Min. 8.0 grs. @ 1021 fps
Max. 11.0 grs. @1272 fps


My accuracy load with the 240 gr. XTP's ended up being 9.5 grs. of W231 powder with Winch. std / mag LP primers.

I haven't fired the load past about 60-65 yds. or ran it across a chrony but it is comfortable to shoot and accurate......I'm happy.

Any load in the book for 44 Special can be duplicated exactly in 44 mag brass. Exact duplication means the OAL of the 44 special load shall be used.

It does not matter that the grooves in the bullet do not align with the end of the brass.

I can not help you find primers. Your revolvers may or may not fire the harder rifle primers.

Yes, LP and LR primers will physically interchange. They are of the same dimensions.

Small Pistol primers have a shorter cup than Small Rifle primers.

Powder suggestion for those reduced velocity loads. I really like Titegroup for this application in 41 mag and 327 Fed reduced velocity loads. Beware, it will use a small volume of case capacity and can be easily double charged.

Since the Biden primer shortage of this past year I have used up all of my SP primers and have had to dip into my SR primer supply for pistol primers.

I have loaded and shot at least 1000 SR primers in .38 Spl for my S&W revolvers and 9 mm in my Kimber and Springfield Armory pistols without any problems.

The fouling ring is why I stopped using .44 Special brass in my S&W 329PD and started using .44 Magnum brass with 8.0 grains of Unique under a 240 grain SWC. The S&W 329PD is a great revolver to shoot with .44 Special level performance loads, but too much to handle for many people with full power .44 Magnum loads. I got my S&W 329PD back in 2005 for $540 from a guy who shot 10 rounds of full power .44 Magnum ammo in it and decided that it wasn't the right gun for him. I think that the S&W 329PD is a great .44 Special revolver and better looking than the 396-1 Mountain Lite that came out about the same time.

This is backwards on the primers. CCI issued a statement at the beginning of the current shortage stating that SR primers can be used safely in SP applications but not the other way around. LR primers have a different depth cup than LP.

I stand corrected. vagaries of memory.

I measured a few samples.
CCI LR .126 in
CCI LP .118 in
Fed SP .1185 in
Rem SP .1185 in

I do not have any small rifle primers. But it is obvious that there is a significant difference between LR and LP.

How do you "exactly duplicate the OAL of a .44 Special load" when using .44 Magnum brass ? Inquiring minds want to know.

Deep seat the bullet and apply a light crimp

LP and LR primers have the same diameter but different heights. SR and SP primers are dimensionally the same.

When loading .44 Special loads in .44 magnum brass I've always seated the bullet to the crimping groove and applied the same amount of crimp as I do when loading magnum loads. Why should a .44 Special load require a different amount of crimp ?

Think about it a bit. It is not a complicated concept.

As an example, Speer # 15 recommends the 200 gr Gold dot over 7.6 gr Universal at 1.49 inches COAL as a max load in the 44 Spec.

So load it in 44 mag brass and seat the bullet to 1.49 inches COAL. Simple enough.

I have been using 41 special data to load the 41 mag at 41 special COAL for many, many years. I also use 32 Smith Long data as well as 32 H&R data to load 327 brass. At the proper COAL for the load data, sometimes the bullet is seated below the mouth of the brass. Often the brass crimps just over the canalure.

I can not take credit for the concept. It was advocated by the good Dr. Ken Howell on these boards several times before his death.

The advantages are two fold. You never have to worry about cleaning the chambers between using 44 special ammo and 44 mag. And you have ready sources of reduced load data at your fingertips in any reloading manual.

I can add photos if that is needed to clarify the issue.

The crimp is of less importance than is the internal capacity of the cartridge case. Handgun cartridges are very sensitive to changes in case capacity. Seating a bullet deeper or more shallow will change chamber pressure and velocities drastically.

Often time "special" loads will not develop enough pressure to burn completely or uniformly when loaded to magnum internal capacities. It behooves us to duplicate the internal capacity of the case the load was developed in. At least to some approximation.

Thanks again for the correction. It was addressed earlier.