superlight .44 Russian load

TheBear · April 12, 2011, 11:13 AM

Hi guys,
Im looking for a superlight .44 Russian load for small range shooting with my ruger 77/44. How low can i go loading down the .44 russian? Anyone know where to get extra light (<150gr), soft lead .44 projectiles? Trying to find the most quiet, lightest, Load that is still precise and safe to shoot.

joneb · April 13, 2011, 09:00 AM

The lightest I know of can be found here; http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
3.3gr of IMR Trail Boss and a cast 165gr LRNFP.

For a softer swaged lead bullet Hornady makes a 180gr http://www.hornady.com/store/.430-44-CAL-c-427/

PawPaw · April 13, 2011, 05:17 PM

Standard cautions apply. CAUTION: The following post includes loading data below currently published minimums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

I played with "cat-sneeze loads" for several years and they're a lot of fun. I once loaded a .38 case with 2 grains of Bullseye and made a fine little load that you could walk out about 10 yards and find the bullet in the grass.

I'm not saying this is a good idea, I'm saying I've done it.

There is a good article here to give you some guidelines. LINKY!

Ozzieman · April 13, 2011, 05:33 PM

Give Penn’s 185 GR DBBWC a try.
I also have a 77/44 and light bullets don’t work well in mine for accuracy. When I tried these I got good accuracy because of the longer bullet to rifling length.
I tried the lightest book charge for a 44 special using titegroup and got good results. One other thing is that with the wad cutter you can seat the bullet fully into the case, this gets less space between the bullet and the back of the case so that those light charges leave less empty space than a semi or round nose bullet.
I didn’t clock them but I swear I could see the bullet going down range. I was also impressed that they drove round holes through the paper. I really expected them to tumble at that low of a velocity out of the Ruger rifle.
To go the other direction try the 320 SSK with H110> VERY impressive. I saw a 200+ pound buck drop like a rock being hit with one. No meat loss, I worked up a load for these for a friend.

http://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html

TheBear · April 14, 2011, 08:38 AM

Thanks for the replys,
now im feeling more confident making superlight loads. Im gonna load some .44 russian cases with 3.5gr of N310 (most suitable powder ive got at home at the moment) and a .430 250gr WC lead bullet (most suitable bullet ive got at home at the moment). I cant wait to find out how much noise they make and how accurate they will be.
Ive heard that I should use magnum primers and drill the flashholes to 3,5mm (9/64") when i want to make superlight loads to ensure that the powder ignites completely. What do you think about that?

PawPaw · April 14, 2011, 10:19 AM

I've never used magnum primers for pistol powders. That stuff simply isn't that hard to ignite. I've never drilled a flash-hole either. I might de-burr it, but have never drilled one.

In fact, I don't use magnum primers for most of my rifle work. I"ve got exactly one load out of several dozen that calls for a magnum primer.

YMMV

joneb · April 14, 2011, 08:43 PM

VV N32C may be a good powder to try for light Pb loads.

TheBear · April 17, 2011, 01:55 PM

i found a box of walther powerballs in my garage (full rubber paintball balls cal.43) and their diameter is exactly .430, weight is 18,5gr. Im gonna load some of them into .44 russian shells with magnum primers and give them a try. could be just what im looking for.
anyone know about a shop that sells rubber projectiles? i think im gonna dig into the whole thing with rubber projectiles a bit deeper.

April 12, 2011, 11:13 AM	#1
TheBear Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2011 Posts: 303	superlight .44 Russian load Hi guys, Im looking for a superlight .44 Russian load for small range shooting with my ruger 77/44. How low can i go loading down the .44 russian? Anyone know where to get extra light (<150gr), soft lead .44 projectiles? Trying to find the most quiet, lightest, Load that is still precise and safe to shoot.

April 13, 2011, 05:17 PM	#3
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	Standard cautions apply. CAUTION: The following post includes loading data below currently published minimums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information. I played with "cat-sneeze loads" for several years and they're a lot of fun. I once loaded a .38 case with 2 grains of Bullseye and made a fine little load that you could walk out about 10 yards and find the bullet in the grass. I'm not saying this is a good idea, I'm saying I've done it. There is a good article here to give you some guidelines. LINKY! __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

April 14, 2011, 10:19 AM	#6
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	I've never used magnum primers for pistol powders. That stuff simply isn't that hard to ignite. I've never drilled a flash-hole either. I might de-burr it, but have never drilled one. In fact, I don't use magnum primers for most of my rifle work. I"ve got exactly one load out of several dozen that calls for a magnum primer. YMMV __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

April 13, 2011, 09:00 AM	#2
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	The lightest I know of can be found here; http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp 3.3gr of IMR Trail Boss and a cast 165gr LRNFP. For a softer swaged lead bullet Hornady makes a 180gr http://www.hornady.com/store/.430-44-CAL-c-427/

April 13, 2011, 05:33 PM	#4
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	Give Penn’s 185 GR DBBWC a try. I also have a 77/44 and light bullets don’t work well in mine for accuracy. When I tried these I got good accuracy because of the longer bullet to rifling length. I tried the lightest book charge for a 44 special using titegroup and got good results. One other thing is that with the wad cutter you can seat the bullet fully into the case, this gets less space between the bullet and the back of the case so that those light charges leave less empty space than a semi or round nose bullet. I didn’t clock them but I swear I could see the bullet going down range. I was also impressed that they drove round holes through the paper. I really expected them to tumble at that low of a velocity out of the Ruger rifle. To go the other direction try the 320 SSK with H110> VERY impressive. I saw a 200+ pound buck drop like a rock being hit with one. No meat loss, I worked up a load for these for a friend. http://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html

April 14, 2011, 08:38 AM	#5
TheBear Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2011 Posts: 303	Thanks for the replys, now im feeling more confident making superlight loads. Im gonna load some .44 russian cases with 3.5gr of N310 (most suitable powder ive got at home at the moment) and a .430 250gr WC lead bullet (most suitable bullet ive got at home at the moment). I cant wait to find out how much noise they make and how accurate they will be. Ive heard that I should use magnum primers and drill the flashholes to 3,5mm (9/64") when i want to make superlight loads to ensure that the powder ignites completely. What do you think about that?

April 14, 2011, 08:43 PM	#7
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	VV N32C may be a good powder to try for light Pb loads.

April 17, 2011, 01:55 PM	#8
TheBear Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2011 Posts: 303	i found a box of walther powerballs in my garage (full rubber paintball balls cal.43) and their diameter is exactly .430, weight is 18,5gr. Im gonna load some of them into .44 russian shells with magnum primers and give them a try. could be just what im looking for. anyone know about a shop that sells rubber projectiles? i think im gonna dig into the whole thing with rubber projectiles a bit deeper.