44 specials

[jurassicnarc]

DMZX and Slamfire have this one right. I load for two .44 Spl's and three .44 Mags. Appropriate brass keeps things nicely separated. All three of my Magnums like the same 3/4 throttle load... 10.0 to 10.2 grains of Unique under anybody's 240 gr JHP in Magnum brass. Accuracy is very good, and recoil is very manageable, even in S&W's scandium framed model 329 PD. Power is a nice step up from the .45 ACP without wear and tear on the wrist. I often run 200 to 250 rounds before heading home. Be prepared for a few unburned grains, but nothing that would tie up the gun and easier than trying to scrub out rings left by firing short specials in magnum chambers.

 

[Hal]

I tried Unique - (7.5 gr on up to around 10 or so under the 240 gr. swaged lead Hornady) which BTW is my "go-to" powder for nearly everything.
Worked fine in both my .44mag revolvers.

I had some issues with it though when I used those loads in my Winchester Trapper. - bullets keyholed - lot's of leading - even with only 8 gr.

I switched over to Win 231 to see if that would work any better - it didn't.

I went down in burn rate to the 2400 w/the swaged lead 240 gr. and found I had a lot better velocity spread & better accuracy

I had a supply of generic 240 gr FMJ bullets that I used up with some moderate loads of Unique just to get rid of them.

Bottom line here is that's the basic reason we reload/handload right?
IE: The ability to tailor a load to suit our needs. The lower cost is an added benefit.(IMHO)