.44 Rem Mag

[DKD]

I forgot to mention taht although pistol and liked chambered rifles are practical, I would mention that not all rifles so chambered like cast bullet loads. An example of such a rifle is the Marlyn 44 mag and I wouls also presume their .357 lever action guns...the ones with Micro Groove barrels. They don't like cast bullets worth a damn. Now their new Cowboy Rifles which have the Ballard sytle rifiling shoot them really well and can also digest the jacketed bulletrs as well.

[mr surveyor]

one of my good buddies dropped by today with a "gun warming present". He stopped loading .44 mag several years ago when he got into IDPA matches and long range prairie dog hunting. He had a baggie full of brass, an unopened 100 count box of 240 gr swc's, and an almost full box of magnum LP primers to donate to my new obsession. I'll save the magnum primers for the proper load some day, but for now it's gonna be Unique. I've gone through a pound of Unique loading .357's in the last year, as well as a half pound of AA#7 (for jacketed rounds), and have been very pleased. The only time I've ever had the "dirty Unique" experience was with a small batch where I reduced the crimp a bit while experimenting with the Lee FCD.

I have no plans to use 110/296 for any of my loads, although I know they both are excellent "magnum" powders. I'll stick to the powders that can safely be reduced. Heck.... just for fun, my son and I are thinking about buying a can of Trail Boss for .38/.357 (now .44). My goal is to stay around, or below 1200 fps with the non-gas checked lead in the SRH, then if I score the Marlin lever gun I'm looking for will go to gas checked lead. And, there will certainly be some jacketed rounds developed for the pair as well.

I'm ordering dies tomorrow..... just hate the thought of getting old and having a "Bucket List".

surv

[CJB]

Do you think that's a sign of age. I used to be really into the fire breathing, heavy recoil stuff too. Not so much anymore.

I dunno Bawanna.... I pretty much quit with the firebreathers when I was not even 35 or so. Big 44's, even 357's... no appeal any more. I'd rather have a 45LC than a 44mag. The 45acp is just fine - its got enough to do the job.

Maybe if I was goin' for something really big, really ornery... something that might spoil my lunch plans... sure, the .44 or bigger. But then again, I'd rather have a rifle in those instances, or a handy 12gauge pump.

[Bawanna]

one of my good buddies dropped by today with a "gun warming present". He stopped loading .44 mag several years ago when he got into IDPA matches and long range prairie dog hunting. He had a baggie full of brass, an unopened 100 count box of 240 gr swc's, and an almost full box of magnum LP primers to donate to my new obsession. I'll save the magnum primers for the proper load some day, but for now it's gonna be Unique. I've gone through a pound of Unique loading .357's in the last year, as well as a half pound of AA#7 (for jacketed rounds), and have been very pleased. The only time I've ever had the "dirty Unique" experience was with a small batch where I reduced the crimp a bit while experimenting with the Lee FCD.

I have no plans to use 110/296 for any of my loads, although I know they both are excellent "magnum" powders. I'll stick to the powders that can safely be reduced. Heck.... just for fun, my son and I are thinking about buying a can of Trail Boss for .38/.357 (now .44). My goal is to stay around, or below 1200 fps with the non-gas checked lead in the SRH, then if I score the Marlin lever gun I'm looking for will go to gas checked lead. And, there will certainly be some jacketed rounds developed for the pair as well.

I'm ordering dies tomorrow..... just hate the thought of getting old and having a "Bucket List".

surv

Dang, I thought I had a spare set of 44 dies I could send ya for the cause but I just looked and I don't see em. I do have some 38/357 dies extra.

Now days I play with my 45 Colt more too CJB. Got a lever and a couple revolvers for it.

[mr surveyor]

Thanks for the thought, B.

I have the Lee 4 die set for .38/.357, and they have gotten a work-out. I really like the quick-lock bushing set up.... well I did until my son decided to come over and load his .38 spl rounds. Normally, I just drop in the sizing/decapping die and run all the brass through, then in about 10 seconds drop in the expanding die.... then the seating die... then the FCD....no adjustments needed. Got my mind set on the Lee 4 die set for the .44

[getsome]

I love loading for reduced power loads in .44 mag cases...Once I figured out that trying to prime cases with the press didn't seat them deep enough causing good primer hits but no bang...I have since gone to the Lee hand primer tool and the problem went away...I have found that 8.0 grains of Universal Clays with a 240 gn Hornady JSP bullet makes for a very accurate and easy shooting light recoil load...If I am loading .44 special I bump it down to 7.0 grains of powder and it is just about the same, something like 900-1000fps and is quite fun to shoot...

My 16 year old son loves to shoot full power rounds through my Smith 629 and is accurate with them but for me I just don't enjoy all that hand pounding and noise and would much rather shoot my powder puff loads...

[Bawanna]

I can't believe getsome said powder puff loads. His powder puff loads.

I had a cup of kerosene this morning with my barbwire. Very refreshing.

Hope yall buy that.

[getsome]

Bawann you really need to get in touch with your feminine side once in a while......Heck even Jocko has pink grips on one of his pistols so whats the problem.......I even load powder puff loads for my .45 colt coy boy revolver so what do ya think about that?...I figure since ole Dietrich is gone somebody has to step up and be the local perv in this bar...Am I right????

[Bawanna]

Bawann you really need to get in touch with your feminine side once in a while......Heck even Jocko has pink grips on one of his pistols so whats the problem.......I even load powder puff loads for my .45 colt coy boy revolver so what do ya think about that?...I figure since ole Dietrich is gone somebody has to step up and be the local perv in this bar...Am I right????

Yup your right as rain as usual. These straps on my boulder holders are killing me today.

[Tinman507]

Try Underwire. Only method that works for me.

[mr surveyor]

got the dies and bushings ordered this morning, so should be good to go by this time next week

[mr surveyor]

patiently waiting for the dies...... toe tap, toe tap, toe tap........

down to my last 50 158 gr swc bullets for the .357 as well........

Dear Santa.... please send pre-moulded lead, pre-formed brass, and plenty of that burny, sparkly stuff, and a bunch of those pop thingies..... soon

[mr surveyor]

dies should be here tomorrow....???....

ordered 500 240 gr lswc's for the 44 and 1000 158 gr lswc's for the .357 from Rim Rock today

maybe by this time next week I'll be ready for a serious loading session or two

[mr surveyor]

well.... I have had about three weeks to test various loads for accuracy, handling and overall performance, and I'm still working on the lswc load. I'm pretty happy with the 240 gr Hornady XTP over 15.2 gr of AA#7, but it's subject to change. With the 240 gr SWC's I've been working with Unique, from 8.3 gr to 9.5 gr, and accuracy/performance just ain't there. It's pretty obvious with the lower end that there just ain't enough uummppphhh to expand the case (really dirty fouling of everything within 6 inches of the chamber), but no signs of leading. Upping the load to 9.5 gr really cleans up the fowling problem, but I still don't thihnk I'm getting the lead down the tube fast enough to stay on target. So, today, I finally broke down and bought a can of 2400 (which I should have done a year ago when I started loading .357's) and hope that the slower burn rate will make a difference. At least it's a substantial increase in the filled volume of the case which I hope will help with consistancy from one round to the next.

As soon as I've settled on an accurate load for 240 gr lswc at somewhere between 1100 and 1200 fps out of this beast, it will be time to decide on either FO sights or optics and it will be used for hunting this year.

Oh, and I will chrono the loads when I think they are worthy of the time and effort.

[Just in joy]

I am in the process of working up some loads for bear hunting. But I have a box of oregon trail 200gr rn for plinking I loaded these up starting at 7grs and ended at 7.8grs of universal. These were all ***** cat loads the 7.6 were the most accurate at 50 yards roughly.

My son and I had a great time with them today o also have a box of 240 gr swc I will be working on for bear season. I may use unique for that load not sure yet still working them up. The above photo is of my super black hawk. I traded a at lower for.