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I stopped casting my own lead a few years back (still have all of the stuff to do it except the will). I now just buy lead bullets. There are many sources to pick from.
To the point:
240 grain lead semi wad cutter with plain base, similar to the Elmer Keith designed bullets, do well.
I have a thing about using 5.6 grains of Olin/Winchester 231, so that is what I use for my light 44s. (As well as in my .45ACP loads.) Note, 231 is reported to be the same as HP38.
I do have a few .44 Special cases some place, but I don't ever get around to using them. I have and use standard .44 mag brass (I buy from Star, they are almost local for me). The brass last forever with this light loading.
Oh, out of my 6 1/2 inch Model 29, I get around 875 to 900 fps and a tad less out of my 6 incher. These are far from being barn burners, but are nothing to sneeze at. They will take little Missouri white tail deer at 60 to 75 yards with good placement.
For more business loads, again, I defer to 240 grain bullets. Only this time I use jacketed hollow points. My powder selection goes back to the late 70s and Olin/Winchester 630. So, you would have to fall back to other sources for a suitable load. Mine run a happy 1250 fps. They do all that I want from a handgun.
My loads are safe in my weapons as I load them. They may not be safe with your components the way you load them. Always refer to trusted loading data from a recognized source.
Enjoy and be safe.
OSOK
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