Re: .44mag/.44sp Loads

[kmittleman]

Hey Guys,


I broke down and ordered a Ruger Bisley Hunter........no thanks to you all!   Also, I ordered some hardcast 200gr bullets and picked up some Unique. My question is what are some decent loads for hunting and plinking without too much recoil? I plan on using the 200gr for cowboy loads and may buy some 240gr for deer. Any powder/load suggestions?

-Kevin

[coyotejoe]

I haven't worked much with the 200 grain bullets but for cowboy loads you'd probably do well to load them over a caseful of Trail Boss.
 With 240 SWC's I like 12 grains of Hodgdon's HS-6 or Accurate AA-5. Both of those powders are good for about 1200 fps from my 6 1/2" flat top, both are as accurate as I can hold and the recoil is not light but tolerable, should be quite pleasant in your Bisley. I shot up 500 Laser Cast .431" 240 SWC's with those two powders and in my gun they do lead the bore a bit. I can coat them with Lee Liquid Alox to prevent leading. Lubricating a bullet which is already supposed to be lubricated just seems like an unnecessary bother but scrubbing lead out of the bore is also a bother. Those two powder charges are also accurate with Hornady XTP's but velocity drops about 100 fps, not that it matters much.

[Higene]

Da book (internet) says:

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=44%20Special&Weight=All&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

I would recommend 7-11 grains of Unique?

 

[irold]

My Bisley Hunter likes 240 XTP/HPs.  With a good charge of W-296 , it kills deer and hogs.  Gotta use Mag primers with 296 also.  Do a search for 44 loads in GBs forums , lots of info.  Has been discussed at length many times.  Many here like Cast , to each their own........I like the XTP. 

regards , irold

[sixshot]

Kevin, with good bullet fit, & that usually means a .430"-.431" cast bullet, your gun will shoot just about any combination you can load up. Using the Unique you mention, which is one of my 45 year favorites, you can use the Skeeter Skelton load of 7.5 grs Unique & a 240-250 gr cast slug in 44 special brass. This load usually runs around 925-1000 fps, depending on barrel length, I've taken several deer with this load. Using the lighter 200 gr bullets you can start at 7.5 grs Unique & work up until you find a sweet spot.
  Some will tell you that Unique is dirty....guess what, its dirty, its also one of the very best powders out there. If your gun gets dirty you clean it, thats kind of the way it works! If you don't want it to get dirty then don't shoot it.
  Using 44 magnum brass you can start at about 8.5 grs of Unique & easily go up to 10 grs using the 240-250 gr cast slugs. Again, with the lighter 200 gr slugs start at 8.5 grs & slowly work your way up.  The 10 gr load with 240-250 gr slugs will usually run right around 1100-1150 fps, depending on barrel length, cylinder gap, etc. My everyday, all summer load is, 8.5 grs of Unique using a 250 gr Keith slug in 44 magnum brass. Enjoy your new gun.

Dick

[t-reg]

I've shot a lot of hard cast 200 gr FN bullets over WW231 in my BH .44 Special this past year.  Makes a fun practice / plinking load.   Shouldn't be too hard to come up with a similar Magnum load.  http://www.handloads.com/ is a good source of info.

I recently switched to a Mastercast 215 gr LSWC over WW231 as an all around load.  Will soon be working up a hunting load with the same bullet on top of Unique.  I have been impressed with the lighter .44 bullets for their ease of shooting and down range performance.

[critter44]

I have that same gun. It is quite accurate with most anything I feed it. I have had great success on both hogs and deer with 240 gr JSP's and even JHP's over substantial charges of H110. I would not feel undergunned, however, using 240 hard cast SWC's (or heavier).

Find  a good load that shoots well, put it in the boiler room and eat well!