Light load for Winchester 94 in .44 Mag?

[RobW]

I am looking for a light load for paper-punching and plinking.

I would like to use .44 mag brass, 200 - 240 grain lead flat-noses, loaded to 800 - 1000 fps.

Can I use the .44 mag brass instead of .44 special?
Can I use W 231 or do I have to use a slower burning powder?

My books show me some 44-40 and 44 Special-loads that don't exceed 15,000 psi. Would the use of .44 Mag brass be on the safe side?

 

[dundee]

It sounds like what you are looking for are "cowboy" loads. Mosey on over to the web sites of Hogdon , Winchester, and even that Swedish powder maker that starts with a V. Look for cowboy loads for the 44. They are nice and gentle.

You can also go over to the SASS website and do a search for 44. You will find many references and loads. The 240 bullets are better for very light loads due to better bullet resistance in very low pressure loads.

 

[AK103K]

Rob,

I used to load light rounds for my model 94 trapper and model 29 smith using 240 gr lead swc bullets and unique powder at around 850 fps. I used mag brass and had no problems at all. Hornaday has loads for the 44mag using lead bullets in its manual, thats where I got my info. These loads are fun to shoot and were very accurate.

 

[Art Eatman]

I was too lazy to reset my powder measure, one time, and loaded some 250-grain lead SWCs in my .44 Mag with 5.8 grains of 231--my IPSC load for .45ACP. Worked just fine in a RedHawk. It "hit" a bit harder than the .45ACP on fall-down steel plates.

Try maybe six or eight grains of 231...Check a loading data book before going up a whole bunch. 900 ft/sec from a long-barrelled pistol would run 1,000-1,100 from a carbine, I imagine.

FWIW, Art

 

[RobW]

Many thanks for the input. It helps a lot. After skimming 6 gun-shops I could find a box of .44 Special Cowboy loads. They are a delight to shoot at my regular sessions (150 - 200 rounds). The problem I had at the weekend with the .44 Spec. is that this shorter rounds had some problems once in a while to cycle in the chamber reliably. I suspected something like that at the beginning so I thought using the .44 Mag brass would be the best idea.

Again, many thanks, I'll follow that path.

Rob