Special .44 300 gr. load for .44 Mag lever rifle.......

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Mus408

Hunter
Joined
Apr 30, 2011
Messages
2,333
Location
Va.
A load I'm trying to work up for heavy plinking in my Henry .44 Mag carbine is
using the shorter .44 Special case with the 300 gr. Missouri Bullets coated Hammer.

When loaded in the Magnum case the COL at 1.700 is too long to cycle and chamber.
Made up a dummy round using the .44 Special case and that results in a 1.550 COL and it
cycles/chambers fine.
The length of bullet in case is the same as the Missouri 240 gr bullet.

Would like to get 800-900 FPS out the 16 inch rifle barrel while keeping pressures
in the mid Magnum range given the shorter .44 Special case.

Have read of some using 9.5 grain of Alliant 2400 when shooing a 300 gr. bullet in .44 Special revolvers.
Looking in Lyman 49th I see a similar 300 gr. hard cast bullet load starting at 14.0 up to 15.7 gr. of 2400 but this in the Magnum case length.
So might 10 gr. to 12 be a safe point?
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mikld

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
947
Location
Oregon
There is 300 and 310 bullet rifle load data available for 44 Magnum and I usually do not recommend "extrapolating" load data, but I might try finding a starting load for the bullets in 44 Mag. brass and reduce that by at least 10%.

Personally I would just go with a 265 gr. Ranch Dog design. Works extremely well in my Puma...
 
Joined
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missouri
"I usually do not recommend "extrapolating" load data, but I might try finding a starting load for the bullets in 44 Mag. brass and reduce that by at least 10%."
This might work as long as you're careful with powder selection. Have you looked at AA#9 as an option? I switched from H110 to this powder for some "less than max" loads.
 

Mus408

Hunter
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Apr 30, 2011
Messages
2,333
Location
Va.
I have Lyman data for 210 and 255 gr. hard cast using 2400 powder as a guide.
They list 210 gr. #2 alloy as 13.0-14.5 with 14.5 showing a 14,000 CUP.
A 255 gr. #2 alloy as 10.5 to 12.3 gr. with a 12,700 CUP @ 12.3 load and both bullets Keith style which
is what mine are.
Was thinking from this range 10 gr. of 2400 as a safe place to start in a .44 Mag Henry rifle and also
a .44 Mag SBH with 7.5 barrel as a test.
Don't need shorter Special case for the SBH since I shoot those 300 gr. bullets in Magnum case with
14 gr. of 2400 powder at a 960- 1000 FPS.

If target test show key hole issues using 300 gr. bullet at 50 yds. thru my Henry rifle then
that would be the end of such loading.
 

jgt

Buckeye
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
1,000
Location
coleman texas
It is not the case that is the problem here. It is the bullet. If you insist on using a Keith style bullet, you are going to have feed problems. If you switch to a bullet designed by J.D. Jones, Veral Smith@LBT, ranch dog, or any number of others without the Keith style driving band, you will have a better chance of reaching your goal. Or, you can have the throat cut to accommodate a Keith style bullet.
 

Jimbo357mag

Hawkeye
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
10,350
Location
So. Florida
When you start experimenting like that there is really no good way to measure the pressure you are developing in the chamber.

I tried a similar project with heavy and long bullets in the 357mag levergun and got some pretty good loads but you just can't be sure what is happening exactly. Better to be safe than sorry. Don't try and push them too hard.
 
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