.44 mag pistol/rifle plinking combo.

Brutus · July 1, 2015, 06:26 AM

Looking for a good combo for my 6" 629 and a Marlin 1894.
Have some 240gr. XTP JHP's on hand. Want to brew a handload that's accurate and fun to shoot. I'm thinking about 7.5 to 8.0 gr. of universal but have other powders available such as
AA#7, AA#9, Power Pistol, HP-38, WSF and Autocomp.
Please, no Tyranasaurs loads, just a good plinker.

joneb · July 1, 2015, 10:43 AM

The XTP is a good bullet, maybe a little to good for me as a plinker. I would try Extreme's 240gr plated RNFP with 7.5-8gr of Universal.

Single-Sixer · July 1, 2015, 12:32 PM

For a bullet I use a 240 grain cast SWC. I'm away from the house at the moment, so I can't give you a powder charge, but they are snappy enough and if you stay reasonable on the charge, your brass can last darn near forever.

ammo.crafter · July 1, 2015, 01:10 PM

Any thought to reloading 44 special brass? I use them when cowboy shooting along with 240 hard cast lead SWC.
Not at home but will gladly send you reloading recipe when I return.

PM me.

Brutus · July 1, 2015, 06:16 PM

I agree that XTP's are a bit pricey for plinkers but other than kieth style SWC's they are all I have on hand, besides that's what I'll be using in the field, albeit a wee bit hotter so I'm using them to check for feed reliability in the rifle and also to chorno velocity difference.
Will bring some hotter loads to test as well but the lighter loads will be for fun.

mxsailor803 · July 1, 2015, 06:17 PM

Take a look at Extreme bullets. I also use the 240's and they are very good and decently priced.

sawdustdad · July 1, 2015, 07:39 PM

For plinking, I load Xtreme plated 240g RNFP bullets in .44mag cases with 5.6g of Red Dot. That's not one of your listed powders, but lots of other powders would work as well.

Brutus · July 1, 2015, 08:29 PM

I have some plated bullets on hand but they have no cannelure, work fine in a revolver with a very light roll crimp but I have a concern with bullet set back in the Marlin as to heavy a crimp will only serve to shred the plating. Any advise on this would be appreciated.

02bigdogs17 · July 2, 2015, 11:15 AM

Well I can't speak for the 629 because I don't have one yet but it is on the list but I do load for my Marlin 1894 and also my Ruger 77/44 rifles. Im not home right now to verify so I won't tell you how many grains but for powerhouse hunting loads I have not found any better powder for either of my rifles than H110,296, and 2400. For plinking loads in my Marlin I have really good accuracy with Unique so I'm sure that Universal would do pretty well. My hunting bullet is the Sierra 240gr JHC and for plinking I use 240gr swc's, rnfp's, and have used some plated bullets also with a light crimp but I only put one in the chamber and one in the mag so I don't have to worry about bullets being pushed into the case further. I will verify grains when I get home.

Fox84 · July 2, 2015, 04:40 PM

I'am a Extreme Bullet fan for my 44 special. Soon to move up to a Mag.

joneb · July 2, 2015, 10:55 PM

The Extreme plated .357 and .44 have a weak cannelure which works good enough for mid-range loads, the plating is thick and a medium roll crimp should do. I tried a taper crimp for .357 mag. and had some bullet jump in the revolver.

Bocefus78 · July 3, 2015, 08:38 AM

8gr of universal behind any 240gr pill will be a good load. Easy to shoot, but not a complete featherweight.

With that said, your marlin will probably slug at .431 or higher while your smith is .429. Sooooooo, the rifle would benefit from the xtp diameter of .430 if you are chasing the utmost accuracy.

I shoot extreme 240gr pills from mine as plinkers with 8gr unique which is about equal to universal. It groups nicely, but the xtp's do better and that's what I use for whitetails. They are just too expensive for a plinking round IMO. The extreme bullets are $ .10 cheaper each.

Brutus · July 3, 2015, 04:05 PM

After scouting around a bit I ran to Cabelas and bought some Laszercast 200gr. rnfp's at
.431 dia. didn't have any 240 grainers. From what I've read the round nose flat point should fuction more reliably and be more accurate with the .431 dia. Sure hope so cost $68 for a box of 500.

buck460XVR · July 5, 2015, 12:39 PM

Come on guys, the OP asked for a plinking load with the components he has on hand, not a recommendation of what you yourself would rather use.

10.5 grains of Unique will drive those bullets just fine at about 950 fps. Very gentle on the hands and enough to clear the barrel on the Marlin. I find them quite accurate also outta my 629, my Marlin Lever and my Ruger 77/44.

condor bravo · July 5, 2015, 05:55 PM

Yes but no where do we see in the OP's posts that he has Unique powder on hand. He says that he has Universal. The Lyman 49th does not show any handgun loads for the .44 mag using Universal. Unique is a little farther down (slower) on the burning rate chart than Universal so the 10.5 gr of Unique should probably not be morphed into 10.5 gr of Universal. Many complain they are unable to find Unique (maybe I have the only can left).

mehavey · July 5, 2015, 07:27 PM

For mid-pressure loads, Unique and Universal load data are pretty much interchangeable.
Go w/ 8.0 grains of either: 16-20\ksi_high 900's velocity in the pistol/1,220 rifle
(Unique is the lower of the two pressures)

Brutus · July 6, 2015, 07:19 AM

Well, I had a rather disappointing time at the range yesterday. Loaded up 50rnds. of the Lazercast RNFP. bullets with 7.5gr and 50 with 8.0gr. of Universal.
Loaded them all to a 1.563 overall length which was right at the upper end of the crimp groove. Not one round will feed in my Marlin 1894.
Can't for the life of me figure out why. WW white box feed perfectly and their JSP looks to be the same profile as my cast bullets. They measure to a 1.586 overall lgth. Snap caps which measure 1.535 also feed without any problems.
Carefully inspected my reloads and about the only thing I can see is that some rounds display a slight bulge right where the bullet ends inside the case.
It's more visual as I can't measure a difference with a set of calipers. Still that's where every round seems to hang up. I suspect the problem lies with the bullet not being seated straight probably the result of the SWC cup in my die. I always seat first, very gently and crimp separately, so I don't think the problem is with technique.
Anybody else ever experience this, and how does one overcome it?
By the way the both loads were very pleasant to shoot with the 8gr. load being a real tack driver, although a bit snappy in the revolver.

Brutus · July 6, 2015, 08:29 AM

Decided to test my straight seating theory and the situation worsens.
changed the seater to the round nose configuration and very carefully prepared two dummy loads, same result. Then I tried a Hornady 240gr. JHP.
and I still get the same result. In the case of all three dummies the visual bulge is gone. Beginning to think I need to have a gunsmith polish or chamfer the mouth of the barrel. Just can't seem to figure out why the factory loads function without a hitch.

mehavey · July 6, 2015, 09:18 AM

Since it feeds factory, and before doing any gunsmithing...

Does it hang up feeding, or hang up fully closing?
If closing, what is the loaded case mouth diameter?
(And whose seating die?)
(BTW, I'm running a `94 w/ Lyman's 429667 @ 1.635" w/o any problem)
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/384...ose-bevel-base
and an Accurate Molds' 432-240E (sized 432") @ 1.630"
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=43-240E-D.png

.

Brutus · July 6, 2015, 10:23 AM

Bullets hang up with about 1/8" of the case into the chamber. If I back off the lever, turn the rifle upside down so the cartridge falls in line with the bore they will slide right in. The Marlin has only a slight chamfer on the throat of the barrel and the bullets lock up at about a 20/30° angle.
Using an RCBS sizing die that resizes to .448Ø
After seating both bullets case mouth measures .455/.454Ø
WW White box ammo measures .453Ø Hard to imagine .002/.003 diff. is causing the problem but something has to be doing it.
The lazercasts are .431 advertised dia. but actually measure .432Ø with a micrometer, on the other hand the Hornady XTP measures .429Ø and it won't feed either. Called RCBS to see if they could provide some feed back. Very nice gentlemen asked if I had tried just a resized case with no bullet in it, to which I replied no but I will as soon as I get off the phone. He then went on to say I could send in my die set with bullets, unloaded of course and they would fix the dies up to function properly with the bullets I want to use. What a wonderful company, never had a problem with their products or customer service, wish their CEO would take over Kimber, I might consider one of their pistols again. resized empty case cycled like a champ.

mehavey · July 6, 2015, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Bullets hang up with about 1/8" of the case into the chamber.
If I back off the lever, turn the rifle upside down so the cartridge
falls in line with the bore they will slide right in.

That's not a cartridge dimension problem, rather that's a feed angle issue (and a gunsmith correction).
Do take it to a pro who is familiar w/ the action and let he/(she)decide whether to attack the feed
ramp or the elevator mechanism.

Brutus · July 6, 2015, 02:48 PM

Do you have any recommendations on a smith capable of this kind of work?

mehavey · July 6, 2015, 03:18 PM

Before you do that, read through these (particularly #1 to start):

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/ja...-s-solved.html
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=701165
http://levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?t=18698 (Noah Zark Post)

Brutus · July 6, 2015, 05:41 PM

Thanks very much for the tips, went to the Marlin website and reviewed the extractor issue.
Don't have time to mess with it tonight but tomorrow I'll grab my punches from work along with some stones and finishing files.
Thanks again for the tip.

Ozzieman · July 6, 2015, 07:06 PM

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

My marlin does not like semi wad cutters. They hang up from time to time.
What I use for plinking is the Penn 200 RNFPBB. They work well in light loads and I have pushed them to over 1200 with his hard lead with no leading. Being round nose they load very well. They are a little light for heavy loads.
The bullet I like best for the Lever action is the 240 TCBB. In my Ruger 77/44 it will drive tacks

July 1, 2015, 01:10 PM	#4
ammo.crafter Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2006 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 1,970	44 Any thought to reloading 44 special brass? I use them when cowboy shooting along with 240 hard cast lead SWC. Not at home but will gladly send you reloading recipe when I return. PM me. __________________ "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". --Thomas Jefferson

July 1, 2015, 06:16 PM	#5
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	I agree that XTP's are a bit pricey for plinkers but other than kieth style SWC's they are all I have on hand, besides that's what I'll be using in the field, albeit a wee bit hotter so I'm using them to check for feed reliability in the rifle and also to chorno velocity difference. Will bring some hotter loads to test as well but the lighter loads will be for fun. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 1, 2015, 08:29 PM	#8
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	I have some plated bullets on hand but they have no cannelure, work fine in a revolver with a very light roll crimp but I have a concern with bullet set back in the Marlin as to heavy a crimp will only serve to shred the plating. Any advise on this would be appreciated. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 3, 2015, 04:05 PM	#13
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	After scouting around a bit I ran to Cabelas and bought some Laszercast 200gr. rnfp's at .431 dia. didn't have any 240 grainers. From what I've read the round nose flat point should fuction more reliably and be more accurate with the .431 dia. Sure hope so cost $68 for a box of 500. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 5, 2015, 05:55 PM	#15
condor bravo Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Nevada/Ariz/CA Posts: 1,753	Yes but no where do we see in the OP's posts that he has Unique powder on hand. He says that he has Universal. The Lyman 49th does not show any handgun loads for the .44 mag using Universal. Unique is a little farther down (slower) on the burning rate chart than Universal so the 10.5 gr of Unique should probably not be morphed into 10.5 gr of Universal. Many complain they are unable to find Unique (maybe I have the only can left). __________________ Ouch, the dreaded "M-1 thumb", you just know it will happen eventually, so why not do it now and get it over with?? Last edited by condor bravo; July 5, 2015 at 11:35 PM.

July 1, 2015, 06:26 AM	#1
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	.44 mag pistol/rifle plinking combo. Looking for a good combo for my 6" 629 and a Marlin 1894. Have some 240gr. XTP JHP's on hand. Want to brew a handload that's accurate and fun to shoot. I'm thinking about 7.5 to 8.0 gr. of universal but have other powders available such as AA#7, AA#9, Power Pistol, HP-38, WSF and Autocomp. Please, no Tyranasaurs loads, just a good plinker. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 1, 2015, 10:43 AM	#2
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	The XTP is a good bullet, maybe a little to good for me as a plinker. I would try Extreme's 240gr plated RNFP with 7.5-8gr of Universal.

July 1, 2015, 12:32 PM	#3
Single-Sixer Member Join Date: June 17, 2015 Posts: 26	For a bullet I use a 240 grain cast SWC. I'm away from the house at the moment, so I can't give you a powder charge, but they are snappy enough and if you stay reasonable on the charge, your brass can last darn near forever.

July 1, 2015, 06:17 PM	#6
mxsailor803 Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2010 Location: SC Posts: 1,344	Take a look at Extreme bullets. I also use the 240's and they are very good and decently priced.

July 1, 2015, 07:39 PM	#7
sawdustdad Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2014 Location: Virginia Posts: 484	For plinking, I load Xtreme plated 240g RNFP bullets in .44mag cases with 5.6g of Red Dot. That's not one of your listed powders, but lots of other powders would work as well.

July 2, 2015, 11:15 AM	#9
02bigdogs17 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2012 Location: Indiana Posts: 138	Well I can't speak for the 629 because I don't have one yet but it is on the list but I do load for my Marlin 1894 and also my Ruger 77/44 rifles. Im not home right now to verify so I won't tell you how many grains but for powerhouse hunting loads I have not found any better powder for either of my rifles than H110,296, and 2400. For plinking loads in my Marlin I have really good accuracy with Unique so I'm sure that Universal would do pretty well. My hunting bullet is the Sierra 240gr JHC and for plinking I use 240gr swc's, rnfp's, and have used some plated bullets also with a light crimp but I only put one in the chamber and one in the mag so I don't have to worry about bullets being pushed into the case further. I will verify grains when I get home.

July 2, 2015, 04:40 PM	#10
Fox84 Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2012 Location: Chester Va Posts: 360	I'am a Extreme Bullet fan for my 44 special. Soon to move up to a Mag.

July 2, 2015, 10:55 PM	#11
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	The Extreme plated .357 and .44 have a weak cannelure which works good enough for mid-range loads, the plating is thick and a medium roll crimp should do. I tried a taper crimp for .357 mag. and had some bullet jump in the revolver.

July 3, 2015, 08:38 AM	#12
Bocefus78 Junior Member Join Date: July 30, 2013 Posts: 9	8gr of universal behind any 240gr pill will be a good load. Easy to shoot, but not a complete featherweight. With that said, your marlin will probably slug at .431 or higher while your smith is .429. Sooooooo, the rifle would benefit from the xtp diameter of .430 if you are chasing the utmost accuracy. I shoot extreme 240gr pills from mine as plinkers with 8gr unique which is about equal to universal. It groups nicely, but the xtp's do better and that's what I use for whitetails. They are just too expensive for a plinking round IMO. The extreme bullets are $ .10 cheaper each.

July 5, 2015, 12:39 PM	#14
buck460XVR Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2006 Posts: 4,342	Come on guys, the OP asked for a plinking load with the components he has on hand, not a recommendation of what you yourself would rather use. 10.5 grains of Unique will drive those bullets just fine at about 950 fps. Very gentle on the hands and enough to clear the barrel on the Marlin. I find them quite accurate also outta my 629, my Marlin Lever and my Ruger 77/44.

July 5, 2015, 07:27 PM	#16
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,894	For mid-pressure loads, Unique and Universal load data are pretty much interchangeable. Go w/ 8.0 grains of either: 16-20\ksi_high 900's velocity in the pistol/1,220 rifle (Unique is the lower of the two pressures)

July 6, 2015, 07:19 AM	#17
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	Well, I had a rather disappointing time at the range yesterday. Loaded up 50rnds. of the Lazercast RNFP. bullets with 7.5gr and 50 with 8.0gr. of Universal. Loaded them all to a 1.563 overall length which was right at the upper end of the crimp groove. Not one round will feed in my Marlin 1894. Can't for the life of me figure out why. WW white box feed perfectly and their JSP looks to be the same profile as my cast bullets. They measure to a 1.586 overall lgth. Snap caps which measure 1.535 also feed without any problems. Carefully inspected my reloads and about the only thing I can see is that some rounds display a slight bulge right where the bullet ends inside the case. It's more visual as I can't measure a difference with a set of calipers. Still that's where every round seems to hang up. I suspect the problem lies with the bullet not being seated straight probably the result of the SWC cup in my die. I always seat first, very gently and crimp separately, so I don't think the problem is with technique. Anybody else ever experience this, and how does one overcome it? By the way the both loads were very pleasant to shoot with the 8gr. load being a real tack driver, although a bit snappy in the revolver. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 6, 2015, 08:29 AM	#18
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	Decided to test my straight seating theory and the situation worsens. changed the seater to the round nose configuration and very carefully prepared two dummy loads, same result. Then I tried a Hornady 240gr. JHP. and I still get the same result. In the case of all three dummies the visual bulge is gone. Beginning to think I need to have a gunsmith polish or chamfer the mouth of the barrel. Just can't seem to figure out why the factory loads function without a hitch. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 6, 2015, 09:18 AM	#19
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,894	Since it feeds factory, and before doing any gunsmithing... Does it hang up feeding, or hang up fully closing? If closing, what is the loaded case mouth diameter? (And whose seating die?) (BTW, I'm running a `94 w/ Lyman's 429667 @ 1.635" w/o any problem) http://www.midwayusa.com/product/384...ose-bevel-base and an Accurate Molds' 432-240E (sized 432") @ 1.630" http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=43-240E-D.png . Last edited by mehavey; July 6, 2015 at 09:50 AM.

July 6, 2015, 10:23 AM	#20
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	Bullets hang up with about 1/8" of the case into the chamber. If I back off the lever, turn the rifle upside down so the cartridge falls in line with the bore they will slide right in. The Marlin has only a slight chamfer on the throat of the barrel and the bullets lock up at about a 20/30° angle. Using an RCBS sizing die that resizes to .448Ø After seating both bullets case mouth measures .455/.454Ø WW White box ammo measures .453Ø Hard to imagine .002/.003 diff. is causing the problem but something has to be doing it. The lazercasts are .431 advertised dia. but actually measure .432Ø with a micrometer, on the other hand the Hornady XTP measures .429Ø and it won't feed either. Called RCBS to see if they could provide some feed back. Very nice gentlemen asked if I had tried just a resized case with no bullet in it, to which I replied no but I will as soon as I get off the phone. He then went on to say I could send in my die set with bullets, unloaded of course and they would fix the dies up to function properly with the bullets I want to use. What a wonderful company, never had a problem with their products or customer service, wish their CEO would take over Kimber, I might consider one of their pistols again. resized empty case cycled like a champ. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill. Last edited by Brutus; July 6, 2015 at 11:18 AM.

July 6, 2015, 02:48 PM	#22
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	Do you have any recommendations on a smith capable of this kind of work? __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 6, 2015, 03:18 PM	#23
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,894	Before you do that, read through these (particularly #1 to start): http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/ja...-s-solved.html http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=701165 http://levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?t=18698 (Noah Zark Post)

July 6, 2015, 05:41 PM	#24
Brutus Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2005 Posts: 1,023	Thanks very much for the tips, went to the Marlin website and reviewed the extractor issue. Don't have time to mess with it tonight but tomorrow I'll grab my punches from work along with some stones and finishing files. Thanks again for the tip. __________________ Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak out, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill.

July 6, 2015, 07:06 PM	#25
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	http://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html My marlin does not like semi wad cutters. They hang up from time to time. What I use for plinking is the Penn 200 RNFPBB. They work well in light loads and I have pushed them to over 1200 with his hard lead with no leading. Being round nose they load very well. They are a little light for heavy loads. The bullet I like best for the Lever action is the 240 TCBB. In my Ruger 77/44 it will drive tacks __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe.