I'm very new to reloading handgun cartridges so am seeking some advice. I want to develop a 44 mag load for my S & W Mountain Gun oriented mostly to lighter (200 - 225 gr) jacketed bullets at relatively modest (i.e. 1000 fps) velocities. The use would be shots of opportunities on coyotes or cougars. I've read that a number of the 44 mag powders are best when at higher pressures (and therefore velocity). Unique (which I have) is listed as one powder that is very flexible as to be able to download to lower velocity and still retains decent accuracy. Are there other powders that should be on my list?

A lot of folks like anywhere from 8-11 gr Unique under cast 240s.

I use 9.0 gr Unique under jacketed 240s and cast 240/250s. Shoots well at about 1000 fps.

Unique would be my choice. Use it in 44 for cast bullets. Have been wanting a 45 mountain gun for awhile and passed up a 44 about a year ago. Regret that. The plan is to shoot cast at 900 or so. Should make for a pleasant but effective handgun. Universal seems to duplicate unique fairly well and may be cleaner. But i think the newer unique is clean enough, never minded the old stuff.

I prefer Accurate #7 to Unique as it burns cleaner; for really light loads in magnum brass I like Hodgdon Trail Boss.

For loads as you describe, any of the faster to medium powders should work quite easily. Things like 231, HP38, Universal, Unique, Power Pistol, Accurate No 5, or HS6 would work.

I've personally had great luck with HP38 and 200-250 grs cast bullets or 200-240 gr Jacketd bullets running in the 950-1050 range in 4" 44 Mags. Unique is a classic for this too.

Mark in GA

9gr of ww231, pure magic

I use both Unique and Universal for lighter loads in 44 mag brass. Loads are a 250 gr. Keith over 8.0 to 8.5 gr. of either powder. Velocity is 875 to 975 fps. depending on barrel length and is very pleasant to shoot. If you decide to go hotter, I'd recommend H110/W296 or 2400 with H110/296 only used for near max loads. A lot of guys load more Unique up to 1100 to 1200 fps. but for my use, that is too hot for this powder.

I actually prefer Universal, but it is generally not available now due to a fire at the manufacturing plant. I intend to try some Power Pistol as soon as I can lay my hands on some.

You can get 200-210 grain cast lead bullets that will do the job at 900-1000 fps.

Two reasons why I think they'd be more useful to you than jacketed. One, they are cheaper. Two, they are both your practice and your hunting loads, which means that when your opportunity arises unexpectedly, you don't have worry about your sights being out of adjustment for the opportunity.

At that velocity, leading shouldn't be much of a concern.

Back when I used to play with .44 mag quite a bit. My favorite down size load was blue dot.
I found it burned fairly clean unlike Unique which IMHO is one of the dirtiest powders I have ever used.
And I got good accuracy out of it.
It did not wrench my wrist like W296, or H110. Was just a good mild mannered powder. Again this is just MHO, but I think it would be worth a try for you.

I use both Unique and Titegroup for my light loads, depending on what I can get...

Nearly any pistol powder can be used so don't start off hung up on some ancient, dirty-burning, poor-metering, Abraham Lincoln endorsed Unique. But since you already bought some of it - all is lost as you are now another Unique-droid.

It is hard for me to think of a fast or medium burn rate powder that won't work great for your stated purpose. Although I personally would carry a 45acp instead of downloading to 44Wussy.

Seriously, ANY powder used for 45acp will do what you want. I don't feel like typing them all out. Personally I would tend towards the faster stuff as it will top-out burning cleanly at 1000fps and good ignition with regular primers.

Unique meters very well in my Dillon. Very consistent.

Somebody mentioned Blue Dot. I know someone who uses a lot of Red Dot in the .44 magnum. Don't know where he finds it, though. I haven't seen any for ages.

200 gr bullets around 900 to 1000 FPS?

My vote would be Trailboss.

In .44 mag, for "heavy" loads, I like H110, for lighter loads, Universal, for really light loads with cast bullets only, Trail Boss. I have both Unique and Power Pistol, but have not tried them in .44 yet. Have just started to use Titegroup in both .44 and .45 LC, and it seems to do OK with 300gr + Hard Cast bullets at 900 - 1000 fps or so.

Hodgdon "Longshot" ( if you can find some) powder can fill the gap between Unique and the slower 44 Mag powders. I have loaded 11.5 grains using a hard cast 250 gr Keith bullet for about 1200 FPS.

Doc

I have tried several powders and all preform very well when vol is 800/1000 fps
With a 240 gr kieth bullet..
Latest thing I have been playing with is trail boss.. Works just fine.....

I've run a few thousand rounds thru my 629, with 9.0 grains of Unique under a 218 grain Cast Bullet. Very accurate and pleasant to shoot. A jacketed bullet should perform similar! memtb

I switched over to Unerversal Clays for lighter loads. It is much cleaner and is easy to get accurateloads with. That said the new Unique is much cleaner than the old stuff. 9grs U-Clays under a Magnus 240gr SWCBB will work wonders.

I use 5-6grs of bullseye or red dot with 240 cast for light plinkers.


8.5grs Unique works well too.

I've shot literally 10s of thousands of rounds of light to mid range loads using unique in the .44 magnum.

Between unique and H110, you have all bases covered. Both powders meter great in my Dillons.

I have used tightgroup in about every other pistol, I can't imagine it not working well in .44.
I know it is a clean burner.

I use Winchester Superfield and use Unique data for 210gr HPs. I also use Universal and get 1050 fps out of my 6" 629 power port.

Why buy a .44 mag for .38 loads? Like buying a .500 S&W to ask about 900 fps loads. You do not hunt game with those loads.
Get a revolver with a barrel! 12 yard guns are money tossed in the toilet.

TiteGroup does indeed work fine in .44s. One of my favorites.

?

Ever find yourself having a quiet drink in a bar with friends and a guy with wild hair comes in and says he's going to kick everybody's ass?

Just trolling, I guess to either feel important or to start an argument. I'm just not interested in what he says.

I bought some Green Dot once when I couldn't find Unique and have been using it for .44 mag plinking loads since. 7.5 gens under either 200 or 240 grn cast bullets works well.

I don't understand the desire to download to 44vagina either, but I've noticed that there are lots of guys who like to brag about their big, macho 44 magnum without actually using it as such. Personally, I don't get it because they end up lugging around all that extra steel for nothing.

@ bfrshooter; Why don't you put a clamp on that he-man mouth and attitude of yours and let Logger load his .44 Mag the way HE wants to? He has his reasons and they don't concern you. Perhaps he's looking for a HD load, and doesn't want any excess penetration,... Who knows? Why the hell should you care? It's his load preference, back off and leave it to him.

Logger; try 7gr. Green Dot; 6gr. Bullseye; or 6.5gr.Universal w/just about any 240gr. lead bullet/primer/MAG case you want/have for about 900FPS.
In SPL. cases, drop about a grain to grain/half for about 750-800 FPS +/-. These loads are about the same in both my SBH and Redhawk w/71/2 brls.(within 10 FPS).

Once you get comfortable with something along these velocities, you might feel like trying a 180gr. XTP w/31 gr. H-110in MAG cases(WW) and WLPM primers for 1700+ FPS (1758 chronoed @ 12' in the SBH)w/ Oehler 35P. OR.....200 XTP over 17gr. Blue Dot in MAG cases/standard primers(WW&WLP) for 1524 avg. again in both Rugers. These loads came straight from the manuals-- SPEER #10 and HORNADY-- and should be worked up to in your own guns.

As an aside, all the above loads have taken deer. The lead 240s at 15-20 yds.broadside from my stand, and the XTPs out to 65 yds.. All were/are still accurate in my Rugers. Work up the most accurate ones in yours and be happy. Don't let anyone discourage you in your search for whatever you choose, especially in the shooting fields. Good Luck and Happy Shooting.
WILL.
3

lastround, Very well said!!! memtb

dla, most of us own vehicles that will exceed the posted speed limit, unless you perhaps you own a Chevy Volt!! memtb

My problem is to buy a .44 mag and then want loads that feel like a .22. What was the gun bought for? It has not that much recoil with the hottest loads.
Dia says it right. Just what possessed a person to a .44 mag if he can't handle it?
My favorite now is the .500 JRH, killed 5 deer with it this year. Next is the .475 and I am 77 years old.
Load a .44 down! You have to be kidding. I bought my first in 1956 and a 429421 with 22 gr of 2400 was all I used. Don't stick Bulseye loads in my face. Girly men! I have had women shoot my .500 with no problems. A 440 gr at 1350 fps.
Can't shoot a .44? What the hell did you buy it for?

Never mind. It's not worth the trouble.......

The best thing about toning down the 44 is that it doesn't have to deafen you to kill a deer.

Its obviously going to arch the trajectory more and is going to make getting a lot of jacketed expanding bullets impossible to open as range increases and velocity impact goes down, so keep that in mind.

lastround, I was told by an old man many years ago," There's two things that a man will lie about - their sex life and fuel mileage". I guess we can add the "big guns" they can comfortably shoot!!!!!! memtb

M; My thoughts too(almost)...Was going to reply as such, but didn't want him to feel[GAS-TRATED].(no misspelling)
WILL.

I have been shooting 41 and 44 Magnums for close to 40 years and for a lot of those years shot nothing but full power loads, both with 240 gr. and 300 gr. jacketed bullets or a 250 gr. cast bullet in my 44s. That was true until seven or eight years ago when I got smart enough to figure out that a reduced load (950 to 1050 fps) with the same cast bullet was a lot more fun for plinking cans, rocks, and other targets of opportunity. I still shoot full power loads in my 44 Mags on occasion (if I feel like it) and that too is MY decision. I will also say at this juncture that my reduced loads will also kill any animal that I choose to hunt with a handgun, up to and including whitetail deer. I do this with guns that I have bought with my own money and have every right to do with as I please.

I don't mind admitting that the 44 Magnum is my limit as far as handguns go, with no desire to go any farther up the scale. I also have no use for the Internet trolls on here who cowardly get a nut off bragging about their unproven abilities and calling others by whatever name their imagination allows just to either feel better about their own ineptness, or to start an argument that has no meaning to anyone but themselves. All I'm gonna say..

Good, you're kind of a gasbag anyway....

If the shoe fits..........

I've used both Universal and Titegroup with 240gr SWCs with great results.

I shoot 335 gr Hard Cast in my suppressed .44 mag Contender, and even at 1050 - 1100 fps, it does NOT feel like shooting a .22! Will also shoot through 2 hogs and keep going, and I really don't need more penetration than that. I have also shot full power .44 mag loads for many years in various handguns, just don't feel the need to push the limits of the gun or me that much anymore. Will be looking at a .480 Ruger this week, and I don't load for that one so it will probably be shooting full-power factory loads for at least awhile.

I just loaded some 44mag 240gr JHP and used HS6 powder. Referencing some handloaded articles by Pierce and Haviland shows a variety of mid range loads using medium burners as mentioned so far.

When in doubt about the 44 mag, do what Mackey Sagebrush says, as the guy knows what he is talking about....

Tom

Mack has certainly flung a fair share of lead downrange......it usually pays to listen to advice from folks like that.

I have used a lot of SR-4756 it is a very clean Unique. Alas I don't think it's still available.

The 44 Magnum is perfectly capable of shooting 300+ grain bullets at palm-numbing speeds. By the logic of some, one should therefore stick only to that stuff. Horse pucky I say! There is absolutely no reason not to spend even more time in practice with less than full steam loads. Less lead, less powder, less blast, less recoil; I don't know what's not to like? If a person needs to burn and launch the maximum loads a particular gun is capable of to somehow prove his manhood, I'm sorry.

W231 and Red Dot are two of my favorites for easy shootin' with 240-250 grain bullets in the 44s and 45s.