44 Mag. reloading

hammered54 · February 28, 2013, 03:59 PM

I'm looking for sub 1000fps data using 240g JHP.

I have a super blackhawk that I'd like to shoot for more than few rounds.
I have blue dot, H110, and good old bullseye available and WLP primers.

would be nice to get it into the 950 +/- with what I've got on hand.

Matt.

Sevens · February 28, 2013, 05:12 PM

If you want anything less than full-bore, full magnum loads -- stay away from that H110. You will have genuine problems reducing that powder and the manufacturer (distributor, actually) has very specific warnings against that.

Your best bet would be the old standby Unique for this type of load, but I would choose Hodgdon Universal over that. But you have niether and you want to do it with what you do have.

From what you have left, I'm not sure that Blue Dot would work all too well when reduced that much, so I think Bullseye might work better. I've just never been a fan of using a very fast powder in a large-cased magnum round like the .44 Magnum. When you get anywhere near a maximum load, the pressure spikes very, very sharply.

I think your best bet is to contact Ben Amonette at ATK, who is the guy that answers all e-mails about handloading questions using Alliant powders. Both Bullseye and Blue Dot are Alliant powders, and he might have the best advice.

He may tell you to go buy a pound of Unique!

McShooty · February 28, 2013, 06:10 PM

Yup, I agree on staying away from H110. I think Bullseye will do your job, but some other relatively fast powder, like HP38 could also do well. Best choice might be something a little slower, like AA#5, or Unique as mentioned above, and you might want to use .44 Special cases for this kind of load.

jepp2 · February 28, 2013, 06:20 PM

Quote:

I'm looking for sub 1000fps data using 240g JHP.

I have a super blackhawk that I'd like to shoot for more than few rounds.
I have blue dot, H110, and good old bullseye available and WLP primers.

would be nice to get it into the 950 +/- with what I've got on hand.

For about the price of 100 bullets, you can buy a pound of the correct powder. H110 is the wrong powder and if you somehow decided to proceed with it, you certainly would want to use magnum primers.

Why not pick the right powder for the load you are developing, buy it and enjoy great performance for many hundred of future round?

hammered54 · February 28, 2013, 07:18 PM

I'm not opposed to picking up another lb. of powder to do this. ( if I can find it )

one of my books show a load for 930fps using blue dot but that is for a 3 1/2'' barrel, the other book shows that same load at close to 1200fps with a 7 1/2'' barrel.
I was hoping to use the powder I have to do this.... ( blue dot, bullseye )..I'll keep searching.

Rifleman1776 · March 1, 2013, 09:16 AM

I don't post my loads. But, I did extensive target shooting with my .44 mag. and '***** cat' loads. I used Win. 231. But, there is a downside with light loads. The loader/shooter, meaning YOU, must be aware at all times of the 'primer up', 'primer down' condition. It can and will affect pressures. You cannot (safely) load too lightly as excessive pressures will occur.
Light loads can add a new dimension to shooting the big maggie, but like everything in this game, safety is #1 consideration.

mikld · March 1, 2013, 12:07 PM

I often load down my .44 Magnum to pip-squeek sized loads. I've loaded as low as 120 gr. ball over about 3.5-4.0 gr. W231 all the way to 265 gr. RNFP over a near max. load of WC820 (all in Magnum brass). First check the starting load velocities in your manual. Mebbe one of those will be soft enough. If not, look at some .44 Special loads in your manual. They'll work but the velocities listed for .44 Special loads will be higher than the same load in a Magnum case, but for soft shooting there is no problem. As noted, stay away from reduced loads of H110/W296 (hard to ignite slow burning, may cause squibs or Kabooms).

rclark · March 1, 2013, 12:41 PM

With 12g of Blue Dot, I got 1035fps (5 1/2" barrel) under 240g SWC . Wasn't very consistent as my ES was 118fps over 28 shots.... I've tested a lot of loads in the 1000fps range and have some favorites under 240g SWC, but I don't shoot jacketed rounds in any of my calibers, so not much help here.... Looking at my load table, I never did test Bullseye in .44Mag either (oversight, note to self ... must test!). H-110 of course can't be used for this application as stated above.

Catfish · March 1, 2013, 12:49 PM

6 gr. of Bullseye gave me 950 with 240 gr. cast bullets in my Ruger Super Black Hawk.

david_r · March 1, 2013, 01:14 PM

bluedot on the low end was disappointing. It blew half the powder onto the bench in my 357 mag 4" barrel. I would expect that was why rclark saw the big deviation in his tests.

hammered54 · March 1, 2013, 01:42 PM

well...I think I'll stick with 11.8g of bluedot ( 1100 fps) in a 7 1/2 barrel for the first 5 and see how that feels and then work down to no lower than 10.8.

thanks for the input guys...this should be fun !!

Matt.

Sevens · March 1, 2013, 03:07 PM

Honestly... for 1,000 FPS, you should be considering some cast lead bullets. You'll save a HEAP of dough over jacketed and it'll be much easier to find loads that do what you want. Remember that pushing a lead bullet out of a barrel takes less pressure as it is less work, less resistance.

m&p45acp10+1 · March 1, 2013, 07:15 PM

Since you said you would consider picking up another can of powder if it is findable. Two words come to mind for me Trail Boss. I shoot a lot of .41 mag with it. I have used it with plated 210 grain Berry's while I was waiting for my mold to come in the mail. Go to Hodgdon's website to get directions to use it. It is very simple to figure out how much to load with any bullet, even if load data is not published. It is a great clean burning powder for reduced recoil loads. I use it in several calibers of hand gun, and rifle.

February 28, 2013, 05:12 PM	#2
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	If you want anything less than full-bore, full magnum loads -- stay away from that H110. You will have genuine problems reducing that powder and the manufacturer (distributor, actually) has very specific warnings against that. Your best bet would be the old standby Unique for this type of load, but I would choose Hodgdon Universal over that. But you have niether and you want to do it with what you do have. From what you have left, I'm not sure that Blue Dot would work all too well when reduced that much, so I think Bullseye might work better. I've just never been a fan of using a very fast powder in a large-cased magnum round like the .44 Magnum. When you get anywhere near a maximum load, the pressure spikes very, very sharply. I think your best bet is to contact Ben Amonette at ATK, who is the guy that answers all e-mails about handloading questions using Alliant powders. Both Bullseye and Blue Dot are Alliant powders, and he might have the best advice. He may tell you to go buy a pound of Unique! __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 1, 2013, 12:07 PM	#7
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	I often load down my .44 Magnum to pip-squeek sized loads. I've loaded as low as 120 gr. ball over about 3.5-4.0 gr. W231 all the way to 265 gr. RNFP over a near max. load of WC820 (all in Magnum brass). First check the starting load velocities in your manual. Mebbe one of those will be soft enough. If not, look at some .44 Special loads in your manual. They'll work but the velocities listed for .44 Special loads will be higher than the same load in a Magnum case, but for soft shooting there is no problem. As noted, stay away from reduced loads of H110/W296 (hard to ignite slow burning, may cause squibs or Kabooms). __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

March 1, 2013, 12:41 PM	#8
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,619	With 12g of Blue Dot, I got 1035fps (5 1/2" barrel) under 240g SWC . Wasn't very consistent as my ES was 118fps over 28 shots.... I've tested a lot of loads in the 1000fps range and have some favorites under 240g SWC, but I don't shoot jacketed rounds in any of my calibers, so not much help here.... Looking at my load table, I never did test Bullseye in .44Mag either (oversight, note to self ... must test!). H-110 of course can't be used for this application as stated above. __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king. Last edited by rclark; March 1, 2013 at 02:58 PM.

March 1, 2013, 03:07 PM	#12
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	Honestly... for 1,000 FPS, you should be considering some cast lead bullets. You'll save a HEAP of dough over jacketed and it'll be much easier to find loads that do what you want. Remember that pushing a lead bullet out of a barrel takes less pressure as it is less work, less resistance. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

March 1, 2013, 07:15 PM	#13
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	Since you said you would consider picking up another can of powder if it is findable. Two words come to mind for me Trail Boss. I shoot a lot of .41 mag with it. I have used it with plated 210 grain Berry's while I was waiting for my mold to come in the mail. Go to Hodgdon's website to get directions to use it. It is very simple to figure out how much to load with any bullet, even if load data is not published. It is a great clean burning powder for reduced recoil loads. I use it in several calibers of hand gun, and rifle. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

February 28, 2013, 03:59 PM	#1
hammered54 Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2010 Location: Pinckney,Michigan Posts: 151	44 Mag. reloading I'm looking for sub 1000fps data using 240g JHP. I have a super blackhawk that I'd like to shoot for more than few rounds. I have blue dot, H110, and good old bullseye available and WLP primers. would be nice to get it into the 950 +/- with what I've got on hand. Matt.

February 28, 2013, 06:10 PM	#3
McShooty Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2012 Location: Northern Missouri Posts: 480	Yup, I agree on staying away from H110. I think Bullseye will do your job, but some other relatively fast powder, like HP38 could also do well. Best choice might be something a little slower, like AA#5, or Unique as mentioned above, and you might want to use .44 Special cases for this kind of load.

February 28, 2013, 07:18 PM	#5
hammered54 Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2010 Location: Pinckney,Michigan Posts: 151	I'm not opposed to picking up another lb. of powder to do this. ( if I can find it ) one of my books show a load for 930fps using blue dot but that is for a 3 1/2'' barrel, the other book shows that same load at close to 1200fps with a 7 1/2'' barrel. I was hoping to use the powder I have to do this.... ( blue dot, bullseye )..I'll keep searching.

March 1, 2013, 09:16 AM	#6
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	I don't post my loads. But, I did extensive target shooting with my .44 mag. and '***** cat' loads. I used Win. 231. But, there is a downside with light loads. The loader/shooter, meaning YOU, must be aware at all times of the 'primer up', 'primer down' condition. It can and will affect pressures. You cannot (safely) load too lightly as excessive pressures will occur. Light loads can add a new dimension to shooting the big maggie, but like everything in this game, safety is #1 consideration.

March 1, 2013, 12:49 PM	#9
Catfish Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 171	6 gr. of Bullseye gave me 950 with 240 gr. cast bullets in my Ruger Super Black Hawk.

March 1, 2013, 01:14 PM	#10
david_r Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2013 Posts: 131	bluedot on the low end was disappointing. It blew half the powder onto the bench in my 357 mag 4" barrel. I would expect that was why rclark saw the big deviation in his tests.

March 1, 2013, 01:42 PM	#11
hammered54 Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2010 Location: Pinckney,Michigan Posts: 151	well...I think I'll stick with 11.8g of bluedot ( 1100 fps) in a 7 1/2 barrel for the first 5 and see how that feels and then work down to no lower than 10.8. thanks for the input guys...this should be fun !! Matt.