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Old May 24, 2005, 09:52 AM   #5
Unclenick
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Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,017
One of the great things about the .44 mag is that you can fire .44 specials in it for light loads. For years I've shot the Hornady 240 gr. swaged semi-wadcutter (Item #11108) over 3.9 grains of Bullseye in the .44 special. This load lopes along at a meager 650 fps from a 6" tube, but punches 1" groups at 25 yards all day long. If I were working it up again today, I would try about 3 grains of Hodgdon Clays, which should perform about the same, but burn more completely. To get the same velocities and pressures in the larger .44 mag case, up the Bullseye to 4.3 grains and the Clays to 3.4 grains. The low velocity with swaged bullets is important to preventing leading.

For a full-house load, I've used the Sierra 250 grain silhouette bullet (item #8615) over 23.0 grains of W-W 296. My Redhawk shoots 1.25" groups at 50 yards (scope sight) off bags with this bullet. Note that Winchester originally recommended 296 be used only at their recommended charge of 24 grains for its 240 grain jacketed bullets, and not to raise or lower the charge. Exactly why this is so, when Hodgdon's near-equivalent H110 has no such special restrictions, I don't know? The 23.0 grain load is one my internal ballistics software suggested to correct for the weight and length difference. I've had this work fine in my gun when the bullets are seated to crimp on the cannelure.

Nick
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