Try 10.0 grains of Herco behind a #2 alloy (hard) cast 245 grain semi-wadcutter bullet with standard larger pistol primers. I've used the same load behind a 240 grain jacketed hollow point bullet as well with very good results.
"Herco" is a 28 gauge shotgun powder that burns pretty clean, shoots excellent groups at both 25 & 50 yards and doesn't seem to be "touchy" about being sighted "in" at 25 yards and HAVING to hold "high" at 50 yard targets to stay in the bullseye at 50 yards.... I.E., you can use the SAME sight picture at BOTH 25 & 50 yards which is really "handy".
It meters fairly well through a powder dispenser like my Lyman No.55 which makes reloading with it a reasonably quick, simple operation. Of course, I have carbide lined resizing dies which also adds to the speed and simplicity of reloading the .44 magnum.
I don't use any "crimp" with this load as it never seemed necessary in my old style Ruger "dragoon" (as Jeff Cooper calls 'em)... the cartridge case's bullet tension seemed to do a good job of holding the bullets in place during firing.
I started using this load long before I had a chronograph, so I've never chronographed the load, but my best guess is (from reading reloading information over the past 30+ years) that it's muzzle velocity is somewhere around 950-1,000 fps... or what amounts to a "heavy" .44 Special load. It gives you a little bit of a "kick" so you KNOW you're NOT shooting a .22 rimfire or a .38 Special, but nothing even close to the full loads using either 2400 or H-110.
An old shooting buddy gave me this load over 30 years ago and it's proven to be an excellent mid-range load for the .44 magnum in my old "3-screw" Ruger Super BlackHawk.
If you try it, I hope it does well for you... :-)
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
