Looking for a soft load.44mag with what I have to work with.

[George]

Ok been thinking reading and deciding on this and what I'm going to try if you guy's think it's a good idea and safe.. Accurate Powder #7 going by there online date guide for .44magnums 240gr (L) bullet SWC they state starting load as 14.7 with a V of 1,180fps and a max load of 16.3 at a V of 1,341fps. I was thinking that this Powder #7 will take up a lot more room in the Magnum case then the X700 powder I have that was mentioned.. What I was thinking for soft loads was #7 12gr of powder with the 240gr (L) SWC Elmer K bullets I have. Thinking velocity would be in the upper 800fps range and should be soft shooting. What say you all? This is the load I will try if you guy's think it's ok to do. Thinking of loading about 25rounds for testing and getting use to the gun and load and go from there..

The IMR X700 at 6gr in the .44 magnum case, it being a small flake powder barely dusts a .44 mag case. Looks like nothing and I worry about consistent ignition and also worry about consistent shot to shot power do to the large amount of room in the case for the powder to move around in.. Again what say you all?

Again thank you all for your help with this! George

 

[Jimbo357mag]

What I was thinking for soft loads was #7 12gr of powder with the 240gr (L) SWC Elmer H bullets I have. Thinking velocity would be in the upper 800fps range and should be soft shooting. What say you all? This is the load I will try if you guy's think it's ok to do. Thinking of loading about 25rounds for testing and getting use to the gun and load and go from there..

I think that is a little bit too low to start with the #7. If you reduce the Max load of 16.3gr by 20% you get a load of 13.0gr. That is where I would start.

When I shot reduced loads of Blue Dot, a similar speed powder, and #9 I got some unburned powder at -20% of a max load. Universal on the other hand at -20% burned fine and I use that load sometimes.

 

[George]

Jim, Thank you! I'll take your advice from your first post and load 12 rounds 14gr #7 and see how I like them! Glad I asked before just trying it. Oh is there #9 powder more for Full house loads? George

 

[NikA]

No. 9 is a slower powder, which means higher velocity for larger charges, basically magnum loads. Lower charge weights with slower powder will result in a larger amount of unburned powder exiting the barrel.

 

[George]

Hello Again This leads me to ask just one more question.Going by the data Guide for the x700 powder it only lists a maximum charge for the x700 powder for the 44 Magnum with my bullet weight and that is 9.5 grains With a velocity of 1185 ft/s. I was thinking of reducing it by 10% Leaving me with 8.55 grams of powder Does this sound reasonable I think this is one of my last choices for the powders And bullet combination I have. So 14 grams Of Accurate number 7 Or should I try 8.55 grams of X700?Will they both be safe?If so I can make up 6 or 12 rounds of each and see how I like them and then go from there What do you think? Thank you for putting up with me George

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Hello Again This leads me to ask just one more question.Going by the data Guide for the x700 powder it only lists a maximum charge for the x700 powder for the 44 Magnum with my bullet weight and that is 9.5 grains With a velocity of 1185 ft/s. I was thinking of reducing it by 10% Leaving me with 8.55 grams of powder Does this sound reasonable I think this is one of my last choices for the powders And bullet combination I have. So 14 grams Of Accurate number 7 Or should I try 8.55 grams of X700?Will they both be safe?If so I can make up 6 or 12 rounds of each and see how I like them and then go from there What do you think? Thank you for putting up with me George

I saw that also, in the Hodgdon data they only show the Max load for 700x. ..but if you look at the 44 special data you see the list min and max loads of 700x. ...so I woulld assume that a load of say 5.0gr up to the max 9.5gr of 700x and a 240gr lead bullet would be fine in the 44 magnum.

If I were you I would load up 13.0gr of #7 and/or 6.0gr of 700x with a 240gr lead bullet and see how you like them.

...yes the loads you mentioned would be safe but more like medium loads. I thought you wanted to start with rather soft loads?

 

[NikA]

I don't load 700X so I cannot tell you the performance of these loads. However, my Lee book lists 700X for .44 Special from 4.3 to 4.9 grains at an OAL of 1.45" and for .44 Magnum from 8.4 to 9.5 grains at an OAL of 1.62", both with a 240 grain lead bullet. This indicates to me that you can probably use 700X, which is a fast powder by my understanding, right from .44 Special loads plus a bit for the larger case volume all the way up to the 9.5 grains you quoted as a maximum load.
As always, I assume no liability in making this statement, and your experience may differ. If it were me, I'd probably start with the 700X because it's likely to burn more completely with a less than full load.

 

[George]

Jim.
Yes you're right the original idea was to make a load That was close 45 ACP that I'm used to and work up from there that was my original thinking you are correct.At the moment I Prepped 24 casesPrimed All ready to take Powder charge and bullet.I know they're two different type of guns but I do like the soft slow recoil of the 45 even with a full house load it's just different than a revolver so I know that's going to be a little different to begin with.I guess that's the main reason I want to start soft.That pretty much sums it up. George Sory using voice to text on my phone.

 

[5of7]

To produce a soft load with slower powders such as AA9/296/2400 and the like, I have always used magnum primers because they will do a better job of igniting the slower powders, especially since the pressure levels are lower than what is optimum for those propellants.

Of the powders you have listed, AA7 is the one that is best suited to your needs.
I am assuming that you will be trying for velocities of 1000 fps or less.
I like Winchester large pistol primers which are suitable for either magnum loads or mid-range loads, but any other magnum primer will do.
Good luck and welcome to the handloading community. 8)

 

[George]

5ive, Yes I do have Winchester standard or magnum primers there WLP primers. That's the only pistol powders I could find at the time online and that was a 2+ month wait with S&H and Has-Mat. Yes 1000fps or just under would be nice. I'll Keep my eye open as the gun shops have more powers in stock. Lots of rifle powers but little to no pistol powers with in a few hours of me.. Heck by the time I find some I may be use to the .44 magnum on the low end of the magnum load for that caliber. Thank you! George

 

[George]

Hi,
Ok what I decided so far. I did load the Klmer K 240 SWC bullets in front of 14.0 Grains of Accurate #7 with Winchester WLP primers with a light crimp. I loaded 12 of them.
Next
What I'm thinking of is using the IMR X700 with the magnum cases same bullet. Thinking of going with 5.0 grains of X700 but seat the bullet a little deeper. Setting the bullet just past the last ridge on the bullet that the others are crimped behind then add a very slight crimp to that..
My way of thinking seating the bullet this way would take up a little more room in the magnum case and make the inner dimensions of the magnum case closer to that of a .44 special case. Yes seating the bullet a little deeper and a slight crimp will bring up the pressers but I am using a Ruger SBH here so I'm thinking it should be safe.. with a Velocity of under 900fps or less.. Am I starting to think like a re-loader?Is that good. Asking to be safe. Thanks again! George

 

[NikA]

If you read my previous post, I gave you the listed OAL that is safe with the 700X loads according to Lee (probably taken from Hornady data). As long as you are not under the .44 Special OAL, you should be safe .1 grain above the .44 Special max in a .44 Magnum gun with basically any powder. This is because .44 Special has such a low pressure. Between the two OALs, you need to be careful because you wouldn't want to exceed safe pressures for .44 Magnum (you don't know how much above 5.0gr is safe at this length). Your approach is not wrong but you would probably be safer finding a load that you like at the .44 Magnum OAL because you know that safe charges exist all the way from the listed .44 Special charge weights all the way up to the .44 Magnum max charge.
That's my thinking, but of course your experience may differ.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I would crimp into the crimp groove of the bullet. This will give the powder a better start. 700x is fine in the 44mag case. Just load 5.0gr - 6.0gr and go shooting.

 

[Rclark]

I would crimp into the crimp groove of the bullet.

Yep. +1. I never worried about AOL until I got to loading .45 ACP. Just crimp in the crimp groove and your good to go. Not rocket science nor are you working at pressures where a difference of 1K-5K PSI will make a hill of beans difference. As Jimbo states ... Just load 'x' and go shoot'n.... As long as 'x' is a known load of course .

 

[George]

NikA, thank you for reposting. that's just what I need sometimes.. I did reloaded 12 rounds IMR X700 with 5gr and a 240 Elmer K bullet.. Looks like it should be about 850ishfps. Nice soft shooting.. I will go from there with the other 12 rounds O perversely loaded and see what I like. How the gun feels and so on.. I did re read and feel I know a little more now. Learning all the time..
Also a big thanks to Jim, taking the time to keep re posting as new thoughts came to you to help my understand what I'm doing.
I'll post when I shoot the loads May be a while and if things go well I shoot a few factory magnum loads if I can handle the loads I made up ok. Thank you all that posted it was all good learning info and very useful !! George

 

[George]

All loads I tested worked well.. X700 5.0 gr in a .44magnum toped off with a E Keith L SWC 240 gr bullet. Very soft recoil.
Accurate #7 14.6 gr in a .44 magnum toped off with a E Keith L SWC 240gr bullet. Recoil was still very nice could shoot it all day.. Next loading it with 15.1 gr of accurate #7 wit same component's.. Then will try some #9 ..

Also picked up some unique but it only lists one load for .44 magnums in there manual it's max load listed for my components is 7.0 gr. seems a bit light for .44 magnums.. it's about the same load I tested using X700 5.0gr. Why do they only list this one load for a 240 gr LSWC bullet?

 

[NikA]

That does seem low. I would do some searching for Skeeter Skelton loads for the .44 online, it seems to me that even the .44S max load is higher than 7.0 gr Unique. This might be soft load designed to avoid leading or for Cowboy Action type events.

Alliant's website lists 11 gr Unique with a 250 gr lead bullet. I'd say you're safe with a 240 gr anywhere from .44S loads up to that 11 gr.

 

[gramps]

Hello Again This leads me to ask just one more question.Going by the data Guide for the x700 powder it only lists a maximum charge for the x700 powder for the 44 Magnum with my bullet weight and that is 9.5 grains With a velocity of 1185 ft/s. I was thinking of reducing it by 10% Leaving me with 8.55 grams of powder Does this sound reasonable I think this is one of my last choices for the powders And bullet combination I have. So 14 grams Of Accurate number 7 Or should I try 8.55 grams of X700?Will they both be safe?If so I can make up 6 or 12 rounds of each and see how I like them and then go from there What do you think? Thank you for putting up with me George

It is a little bothersome to me that you go back and forth from grains to grams. DO NOT USE GRAMS OF POWDER. You will blow your gun up at the very least, at most you will lose body parts, and possibly life. Otherwise you seem on the right track.
gramps

 

[Chuck 100 yd]

The softest load I have ever fired in the .44 mag. =
Primer only,no powder, foam ear plug for the bullet.
Safe to fire in your living room.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

The softest load I have ever fired in the .44 mag. =
Primer only,no powder, foam ear plug for the bullet.
Safe to fire in your living room.

If you don't drill out the flash hole the primer backing out can jam your gun. Also there may be bits of metal coming out of the barrel. Use caution.