44 spl in 44 mag

[TMAKER]

Does anyone shoot 44 spl in 44 mag or just download 44 mag for paper shooting?

[Cheesehead]

I shoot 44 Special all the time in my S&W Model 29. Nice for low power rounds.

Cheese

[irold]

I like to use the 44 mag cases  and as ya say down load them to probably 44 sp. +P levels.  That way , no worries about chambering full length mag cases.  I'm a little bit on the lazy side , don't clean or scrub things as well as I should.
regards, irold

[Cheesehead]

Yes, there will be a foul ring from the shorter 44 Spl case that will require cleaning.

Cheese

[TMAKER]

Is there any negative affects to usung 44 spl loading data with a 44 mag case?

[Darrell Davis]

Not that I have ever seen.

I have only a few "special" hulls, so any loads of that level would need to be in "mag." cases.

Shoot and enjoy.

I have shot lots!!!!!! of .38s in a 357, and the fouling ring can be an issue after a lot of shooting.

However, with the RUGER, it is not an issue as stripping the handgun down and soaking the cylinder in a good solvent makes the cleanup quick and simple.

Unless your loads are extremely dirty, by the time you need to take it down to soak the cylinder, the rest of the action could probably use some cleaning and a bit of lube anyway. 

Two birds with one stone.

Keep em coming!

CDOC

[Skillet]

Got an older Hawes "Western Marshal" .44 mag.

I have 3 other .44 spls and hand-cast/handload alot of .44 spl ammo. I shoot only .44 spl ammo in the Hawes and get good accuracy with my handloads.

Having the forcing cone re-cut was an inexpensive and effective upgrade for shooting cast bullets.

I feel like shooting full-house mags in the Hawes would shoot it loose. It should be able to handle all of the spl ammo I'd ever want to feed it.

Skillet

[Glanceblamm]

Here are some "easy recoiling" loads from the John Taffin writings.

Special Pleasure Loads for the .44 Magnum:
                      Bull-X 240 SWC

6.5 gr. HP38          851
6.0 gr. WW452AA         860
7.5 gr. WW231         914
7.0 gr. BullsEye         971
12.0 gr. Blue Dot         992
12.0 gr. HS-6         1041
8.5 gr. Unique         1065
19.5 gr. H4227         1109
10.5 gr. Herco         1132

[1911crazy]

After studying the specs on reloading the 44 special and the 44 magnum with SWC lead cast bullets I came up with a solution.

I noticed I got more power from the exact load in the 44 special case than using the 44 magnum case with the SWC lead cast bullets.  I figured why waste the larger magnum cases on lead cast bullets.  Plus why waste jacketed bullets on paper targets too.  My point is I load all my 44cal SWC lead cast bullets in my 44 special cases and the more powerful jhp's in my 44 magnum cases.

I also do the samething in my 38 special and my 357 magnum too. I load all the 38 special with SWC lead cast bullets and the 357 magnum with the JHP bullets.

I'm following the reloading specs on the 44 special and the 38 special for the swc bullets in the 44 special and the 38 special.

After shooting the SWC lead cast bullets i do like to throw in some hotter magnum loads just to keep the feeling of the magnum rounds just a few at the end of the shoot will do it.

[poncaguy]

I shoot them in my 10" Thompson 44 mag Contender.............no problems, much more pleasant