Light .44 special loads, any suggestions?

[balkandom]

Hello all,

I bought a Charter Arms Bulldog for my wife to keep in her purse, glove compartment, etc. I'm a long time reloader of .44 mag silhouette ammo, and never really learned how to load light. I loaded up some 240gr wadcutters with a mere 5gr of 231, and in that little pistol, I have to admit that they were not pleasant for me, and probably unpleasant enough to discourage the wife from here on out.
Do any of you have any loads that you could suggest? I welcome any feedback.

Regards,

Mike

 

[noahmercy]

Re: Light .44 special loads, any suggestions?

Try Hodgdon Trail Boss. Five grains of that under a 240 is very gentle (I'd estimate about 650 fps from the Charter Arms) but because it is such a bulky powder, it tends to perform quite well even in "mild" loads...accurate, low muzzle flash, and fairly clean burning. For anyone unfamiliar with the powder, the kernels look like little doughnuts and a jug that normally holds a pound of powder only holds nine ounces of the stuff! It was developed for Cowboy Action Shooting and is wonderful for safely loading down large capacity cases while maintaining ballistic consistency (not always possible with powders which only occupy a small percentage of the big cases).

My personal fave is 5 grains of Titegroup under a 210 grain button nose full wadcutter, but unless you cast or know someone who does (<span style="font-style: italic">and</span> owns the now-discontinued mold), it is a tough one to duplicate. That load will shoot 25 yard cloverleafs out of my Super Redhawk all day long and recoil is about like my Single Six firing high velocity 22LR. Even out of a lightweight Bulldog it is pleasant to shoot, but I sure wouldn't want to get hit by one

 

[1917]

Re: Light .44 special loads, any suggestions?

Like titegroup for light to med 44 loads. It is one of the newer powers that is fast and low volume but maintains accuracy. 200g swc on top of 6 grains TG in 4 5/8 Vaqueros.

I do measure every power charge in a single stage press after blowing up a S&W 29. Min load to max load very small 1 grain spread in some loading.

 

[AK264]

Re: Light .44 special loads, any suggestions?

Tight group and the barnes 200gr made for 44 special not the one made for 44 mag. low recoil- and state of the art terminal performance

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Light .44 special loads, any suggestions?

Fractional loads generally mean Unique to me. It appears to be compatible with a lot of airspace and insensitive to charge orientation within the case. It is also recommended by the manufacturer for downloaded applications. I would also suggest something light and jacketed for a projectile. I would suggest modelling your test loads on something comparable to the lighter end of the 45ACP load spectrum.

Greg