Please refresh my memory...

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Ruger only 44 Mag? I find the book loads are adequate.

Now in 45 Colt, the Ruger only loads are eye openers. Not sure which end they hit hard on.

Watcha Looking to do Walt?
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
In a rifle I bet you could fill the case with medium AR family powders or fast 45-70 powders like 4198 or H322 and get a 250 north of 1800 . 19 gr of H322 gets a 350 to 1280 fps in a Colts case with a 16" barrel on 18kpsi ......... QL predicted 21.0 for a 21kpsi max ....... As always don't trust my numbers they were for a whole different reason .
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Dunno about 4198 in the 44 mag. I used it in the 454 for a reduced load. Shot a 240 gr bullet at 1400 fps and it was a compressed charge that took a drop tube to get it into the case.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Walter, you could try the infamous Keith load of 22 grains of 2400, under a 240 SWC, magnum primed. Shot that load for years in my Redhawk. That load was toned down, quite a bit, over the years. Supposedly, due to differences in variations of powder lots. I don't use it anymore but I'm pretty sure there are some loaded rounds around. Took my first handgun whitetail with that load. Nowadays, 18 grains is plenty.

Our 45 Colt Blackhawk, pretty much gets a steady diet of Ruger only loads. That was Cindy's hunting handgun. Recoil is about comparable to the 44 Mag Redhawk, given closely related bullet weights. Even though, the BH weighs a little less.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
The 322 wasn't much in the 7.5" BH only about 800 fps with the 350 the closed breach and 9" of barrel made quite a difference .
Conventional data for start Ruger/hot Colts gave 200-225 fps more in the carbine .
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
9.3 it was that expirance that bought a 45-70 .
It's infinitely easier and safer to make a 45-70 a 45 ACP than the other way around .

My quest was a maximum 45 ACP pressure 350 at 1000 fps it never occurred to me that the tiny space would allow for what it did with so little pressure .......
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
My dalliances with revolver magnumitis are at an end, once the diameter exceeds .400". I know that my view is heretical, and to each his or her own. A 240-255 grain SWC of .429"-.454" running 1000 FPS is as much as I will ever need from a sidearm. Heck, that old 41 Magnum "police load" (210 grain LSWC @ 950 FPS) was a peach of a round in my view. In 10mm, the 200 grain TC @ 1000 FPS tames that beast right nicely, too--and wouldn't break 1911s so readily, either.

At some point, it becomes time to leave the sidearm holstered and pick up the rifle. Yes, I enjoy the 10mm with 200 grainers running 1200 FPS+, and those are real handy if bears are about. 16 of them lined up in the Glock 20 is comforting as can be when Ursa Major is in the woods with you. But let's be real here--handguns are carried mostly as felon repellent in my world. A 200 grainer at 1000 FPS is plenty for meth monsters if directed properly, e.g. a Mozambique.
 
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Edward R Southgate

Component Hoarder Extraordiniare
Only own one Ruger .44 Mag and it's a Carbine from about 1972 . It eats 24 g of H110 in Winchester cases , usually with a Winchester 240 g HP , COL 1.605 , lit by a CCI 350 for 1886 fps . Deer don't like it .
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
That load Edward writes about is a very fine 44 Magnum recipe, it was pretty much "boiler-plate" in Ruger Super Blackhawks used for handgun silhouette toppling at the range Buckshot and I used to infest. Our moderator Rick might have some views on that load as well. That load is a bit of a handful in a S&W 29-series, but not too bad in my Redhawk or Bisley Hunter. In my Winchester (Miroku) 1892, it runs about 1850-1875 FPS and groups decently at 50 and 100 yards--about 2.75"-3.00" at the latter distance. In that 6.5# levergun, it lets you know the primers functioned. Not punishing, but you know a bullet got sent. To me (heresy alert.....), full-potential 44 Magnum loads are far better rifle chow than handgun fodder.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
What can I say. I was board the other day and was just asking. I agree my 429421 at 1000fps is going to do anything I'll ever need it to.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
BTW Walter . . . That is not an extreme load. Quite common it is. :)
 
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Rick

Moderator
Staff member
That load Edward writes about is a very fine 44 Magnum recipe, it was pretty much "boiler-plate" in Ruger Super Blackhawks used for handgun silhouette toppling at the range Buckshot and I used to infest. Our moderator Rick might have some views on that load as well. That load is a bit of a handful in a S&W 29-series, but not too bad in my Redhawk or Bisley Hunter. In my Winchester (Miroku) 1892, it runs about 1850-1875 FPS and groups decently at 50 and 100 yards--about 2.75"-3.00" at the latter distance. In that 6.5# levergun, it lets you know the primers functioned. Not punishing, but you know a bullet got sent. To me (heresy alert.....), full-potential 44 Magnum loads are far better rifle chow than handgun fodder.

Actually Al it was 23.5 gr H-110 with a 240 gr SWC bullet, mostly the Sierra. 1380 fps out of most 10 inch revolvers. Was such a common load it was known as the house load. That load won more National and International long range Master Class revolver championships than most all other loads combined. The range you speak of was The Inland Silhouette Club, now closed as is the entire handgun and rifle range, shotguns only now I've heard. In addition to the Los Angeles Silhouette Club I also ran the Inland club for a time.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
The old W-W handout loading pamphlets for their powders showed 24.0 grain of WW-296 with jacketed 240 grainers, and 25.0 grains for castings of that weight. I have always been pretty conservative with WW-296/H-110, and followed The Book very closely with that weird stuff. IIRC, the late Ken Maugle (rangemaster at Inland) originally mentioned that "House Load" you speak of, and I confirmed it with the pamphlet and some then-current loading manuals. All sources hewed pretty close to the published data, so "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

ETA--Most of my S&W 29-series revolvers have had 4" barrels. Unlike the longer tubes, the 4" guns recoil straight back into the hand rather than rolling up, so the 240 grain fast-steppers smack your hand a bit. The 24.0 x 296 loads usually clocked in the 1250-1275 FPS range from the 4" tubes, and ~1325 in the 7.5" barrels. St. Elmer was right--with his 240 grain #429421, 1200 FPS is all you need. I would add that in a 4" Model 29, it's about all you'll want as well. That bullet at 1000 FPS is well-nigh PERFECT in the 29 x 4".
 
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