44mag

[Tater]

I want to get some reloads for my 44 but I'm not sure where to start. I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 7 1/2 but I'm not sure of the twist, though I'm sure it's the same with all of them. I don't mind experiment with different types of bullets but I'd like a starting point as far as the weight. I've tried a few factory loads and none of them worked too well. Does anyone have any suggestions on bullet weight...250 gr, 300gr, etc? Thanks for the help.

[Hawkeye6]

Tater:

What are you trying to accomplish with your Ruger? Target practice or hunting? Large or small game?

What do you mean by the factory loads did not work too well?

Are you new to the .44 Magnum?

If you are new to the gun/cartridge and having trouble with the factory loads, could the recoil be inducing some "flinch" in your hold? If so, maybe start out with a realtively light charge and a relatively light bullet weight to reduce the recoil.

My preference is to use semi-jacketed 240 gr. softpoints in my .44 Mags. I would think the 300 gr. would have some pretty heavy recoil, so I'm not sure I would want that unless I was expecting bears or boars to come calling.

I've got a friend who is loading (I think) 180's and 200's for his .44 mag. He has a 9.5" Ruger SRH.

Have you looked into .44 Specials either as factory or reloads?

I think Rocky may be able to offer some more specific advice, particulalry on the .44 Special, but maybe on the Mag as well.

Hawkeye

[Rocky Raab]

I'm that oddball writer who's never owned a 44 Mag (or a 30-06 or a 270 or a 7mm Mag or....)

But I also suspect that it might not the gun causing the poor performance. Not a slam on you, Tater my friend. But very minor changes in grip from shot to shot make a HUGE difference with a hard-kicking revolver.

It might be the gun, too. If it's a used gun, and the previous "drug store cowboy" amused himself by spinning the cylinder a lot, the gun could be horribly out of time. Spinning a single action's cylinder peens the locking notches on the cylinder and before long, no two cylinders lock up the same. Bullets fly everywhere after that.

[PJgunner]

Well, assuming the gun is OK, I use basically two loads in my .44 mags. Well, three if you count the snakes load.
The first is my fun load, 8.5 gr. of Unique with a 250 gr. cast bullet. My serious go to load is the same bullet with 24.0 gr. of W-296. It's a hard kicking beast, but accurate in my guns.
The 300 gr. bullets are accurate (RCBS #44-300-SWC) but shoot from 6 to 8 inches high at 25 yards depending on the gun's barrel length. The problem is the front sights are too low on all my revolvers.
If you want to keep your light loads separate from the heavy stuff, use .44 Spl. brass and 7.5 gr. of Unique with the same bullet. That's my pet load for the .44 Spl. I got it from an article by the late Skeeter Skelton who said that that was his favorite .44 Spl. load. it's a good one.
I don't shoot any jacketed bullets in my .44s.
Paul B.

[Catfish]

I`ve been loading for and shooting the .44 mag. since the mid. 1960`s and over that time have developed some very strong oppenion on the round. I only load 2 different powders in it. Win. 296, the same thing as H-110 but I can get the 296 cheaper, and Bullseye.
For a deer load the best I`ve found is a max. charge of Win. 296 and a 240 gn. Serria HP bullet. I have found that the Serrias give me the best in accuracy and terminal preformance. The Hornady XTP bullets are great for accuracy but in my oppenion are lacking in terminal preformance. A far better bullet on wild boar of heaver skinned game. If your looking for cheaper bullets the Rem. 240 gn. HP`s expand as well as the Serria`s, but lack just alittle in accuracy. 90% of the shooters don`t shoot well enough to tell the difference though.
For target loads I like a good hard cast beval based bullet in 240 gn. over 6 gn`s of Bullseye.
These 2 loads have shot well in all of the .44 mag. I`ve tried them in and that has been quite afew over the years.
I still have and shoot a Ruger Super Black Hawk that I bought in 1966. Over the years it has put several deer in my freezer with a number of different bullets and powders, but the one I gave you is the only one I`ve used for the past 30 years.

[8X56MS]

One thing I really like about the .44 Mag is the wide range of loads you can use with it.
I load for my Marlin 1894S Rifle, as well as for my Ruger and S&W revolvers.
My rifle load is the Speer 270 grain GDSP over 21 grains of H110
My most used S&W load is a 240 Hornady 240 HP/XTP and 12 grains of Unique. In my Ruger SA, I often use the Rifle load
My plinking load is a LSWC 240 grain and only 8 grains of Unique.