my new 44 mag handi rifle

[otter5555]

owned a bunch of handis years ago. loved them all. none were 44 mag


i had read that 44 handis could be tough to build a load for so.....


i shoot only reduced loads using home cast boolits


tried 6 different boolits, 9 powders, 3 primers, numerous oal variations


nothing shot under 6 minutes until i tried WSF powder.


all boolits showed promise but THE load for this rifle is 7 gr WSF, 240-430 lee swc sized 430, wolf lp primer, 1.615 oal, mixed brass.


shoots 3/4 minute to 300 yds
chronos 918 avg
zero leading of course
clean burn also


i shoot steel plates exclusively and this one does the job very, very well.


this rifle would not shoot ANY factory load i tried (6) under 6 minutes.


this rifle DOES LOVE 16.1 gr (by weight) black powder under my 214 gr swc
it shoots 1 minute all the way out with BP.


anyhow,


this rifle came with a 52 oz trigger out of the box and it breaks like glass.


my new  223 and 30-30 handis have the worst triggers i have ever seen in a lifetime of shooting. i will rework them next winter. i dont have time right now. i'd be ashamed to ship a rifle with a trigger like that.


this 44 was a real challenge. i have loaded 44 mag for 48 years in every type of firearm and have never had ANY problems getting an accurate load quickly.....until now.


i understand why so many buyers give up and sell their 44 handis.


they will shoot, but it takes a lot of hard work.


otter

[quickdtoo]

Congrats and welcome! You'll find 44mags usually shoot jacketed bullets fine given a good load, I have two H&R 44mags, both shoot jacketed just fine. Cast bullets sized .432" or bigger are the usual cure for poor cast bullet accuracy, this is due to the larger SAAMI Bore spec for 44 mag rifles compared to pistol specs, they aren't the same. 

Tim

[jleem66]

I too have struggled with the 44 mag. It would tease me with a near one hole group, then I would load some more and it would shoot terrible. After joining this forum, I learned how to tweak the 44 and learn how to shoot it. I have one good load with Speer Gold Dot 240 grain and Imr 4227 and am working on a load with Hornady red tips. It shows promise, 1"@ 100 yds. I feel this might be another teaser. I did kill one doe this past season. Head shot @ 40 Yds with Speer load. Also, I run my bullets out passed the cannuler groove and crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Keep trying..
 

[Spanky]

Not sure why you're having such problems with yours. My last 44 mag Handi was an exceptional shooter... even my old overbore 44 wasn't as bad as yours.
 
 
 
Spanky

[otter5555]

mine is now a consistent  3/4 minute rifle with the load i worked up. it would not shoot ANYTHING out of a box and none of my proven 44 mag loads that other 44's love.


it is a keeper with my one load (which is all i need). and that one load only costs me 5.3 cents per shot using todays primer/powder prices


it shoots so well that i have as much confidence in it as i have my goto .223 m700 varmint.


i only hope that my new 223 and 3030 handis wind up as accurate


otter

[quickdtoo]

H&R's accuracy standard is 2" or less 3-shot groups at 100yds with factory ammo, both of mine(44mags) did that, if it wouldn't, H&R will fix it, their customer service is second to no one's.  Most accuracy problems are caused by owner ignorance, see the Handi Basics sticky, oil on the latch/shelf is the most common issue and easiest to fix. 

Tim

[theratdog]

i sent my handy 357 in to get fixed got a 44 barrel fitted at  same time both shoot really good both keeper's. both with lead lee bullets.

[otter5555]

H&R's accuracy standard is 2" or less 3-shot groups at 100yds with factory ammo, both of mine(44mags) did that, if it wouldn't, H&R will fix it, their customer service is second to no one's.  Most accuracy problems are caused by owner ignorance, see the Handi Basics sticky, oil on the latch/shelf is the most common issue and easiest to fix. 

Tim

mine shoots 3/4 minute with the load it likes. the load was simply hard to find. all the tips and tricks did nothing to make it shoot. nothing. the latch/shelf has been kept dry from day 1. i wouldnt own a rifle that shot 2 minutes. my pistols do that and better at 100 yds.


otter

[jleem66]

Otter,
What are you shooting in your 44?
  Jimmy

[otter5555]

i shoot only reduced loads using home cast boolits
tried 6 different boolits, 9 powders, 3 primers, numerous oal variations
nothing shot under 6 minutes until i tried WSF powder.
all boolits showed promise but THE load for this rifle is 7 gr WSF, 240-430 lee swc sized 430, wolf lp primer, 1.615 oal, mixed brass.
shoots 3/4 minute to 300 yds (yeah, near 50 minute drop but thats why God gave us mil dots
chronos 918 avg
zero leading of course
clean burn also

[gcrank1]

Please tell us what dia. bullet fits in your fully fire-formed case mouth.

[otter5555]

i dont fire form brass
i full length resize


as stated in the original post, i am sizing to 430


and this rifle loves the bullet and size mentioned in my original post


otter

[gcrank1]

I didnt mean fire-formed as in just to fire-form, but the brass after firing a round, which is, of course, fully fire-formed.
I only ask because I have considered this caliber and would like to get a sense of how the chambers run and what dia. cast bullets they may tend to take.
BTW, what you have developed certainly sounds splendid.

[Lonegun1894]

Just to give you data from an extra rifle, my H&R .44 slugs at .432" and the fired brass measures .433" inside the case mouth, but I seat .434" cast bullets and the chamber easily and shoot well most of the time (I still need to do some load tweaking).  Now I don't know if they get sized down slightly when I load them into the case or not, but they shoot well with most loads, but the subsonic attempts are driving me nuts when ranges exceed 25-30yds. 

[gcrank1]

Thanx LG1894!

[murphdog]

Lonegun,
Are you shooting an H&R/Marlin, etc with 1 in 38 twist?  I have a hard time getting accuracy from slow (subsonic) bullets in my H&R 44, and I think its due to slow bullet spin.  I have finally found a subsonic load with a short 200 gr bullet that is accurate enough to get squirrels at 25-30 yards, and I'm happy with that, but I've come to the conclusion that my slow-twist 44 rifle will never shoot slow bullets as accurately as it shoots full-power bullets at max velocity. 
Duane

[quickdtoo]

I wouldn't discount heavy for caliber bullets in the 44mag due to the twist, properly sized cast bullets work just fine, BTB 355gr come sized up to and including .432". 

Tim

Here is a target with holes punched with Beartooth 355 gr. hardcast and H110 shot at 100 yards.
 

[Lonegun1894]

Lonegun,
Are you shooting an H&R/Marlin, etc with 1 in 38 twist?  I have a hard time getting accuracy from slow (subsonic) bullets in my H&R 44, and I think its due to slow bullet spin.  I have finally found a subsonic load with a short 200 gr bullet that is accurate enough to get squirrels at 25-30 yards, and I'm happy with that, but I've come to the conclusion that my slow-twist 44 rifle will never shoot slow bullets as accurately as it shoots full-power bullets at max velocity. 
Duane

Yes, Sir!  It's a H&R Handi-rifle in .44 Mag with the 1:38" ROT.  I can keep them on the bottom of a coke can at 25yds with subsonic loads, and they're stable, but they go sideways by the time they get to 35-40yds and accuracy goes out the window.  Now this is ok because my main purpose for these subsonic loads (2.7grs Unique pushing a LEE 240gr TL SWC which casts at .434") is garden pest control, and the .44 tends to not ricochet like when I tried a .22 and is more effective than the pellet gun I tried initially.  The gun has the original 22" barrel because I haven't shortened it like many seem to do, and the large bore and long barrel act like a suppressor without having anything built into it to require the tax stamp, and is actually quieter than my pellet gun with these loads.  Another load I use is he same 2.7grs Unique under a 170gr Lee FP cast in .30-30, .308, or .30-06 for the same effect.  Anyway, sorry for going off topic for a second.  Now when I go to full power loads, the majority of these go into about an inch to an inch and a half at 50 yds, and 2.5-4" at 100, depending on what kind of day I'm having, but there is still the occasional flyer that happens just frequently enough to keep me scratching my head.  I'll get it figured out though.

[v8r]

The only question I have is will the .44 Handi shoot factory loads good. Some of us do not have reloading equipment.

[Lonegun1894]

I haven't bought any factory .44s to try since I've had this rifle, so I wouldn't know.  I have fired a feew jacketed that it did about 2.5" with at 100 yds, but I only had about 20 left before I went to all cast, so I would assume it will do the same with factory ammo, since the bullet was factory made instead of home cast.  Anyone else try factory stuff?  There has to be someone...

[quickdtoo]

The only question I have is will the .44 Handi shoot factory loads good. Some of us do not have reloading equipment.

Both of mine shot factory ammo just fine. 

Tim

[geezerbiker]

The one I had loved factory ammo and seemed to hate my hand loads.  I didn't have it long enough to finish load development...

Tony

[jpshaw]

Mine shoots WWB 240 grain soft points as good as my reloads.  Killed a few deer with those loads too.