Best Powder

[Deerhunter]

What are the best powders to use in the 44 magnum with standard bbl?

[Surly]

I've been using max loads of Blue Dot with 240gr Reineers and mine seems to like it.

[Sean]

Hey!

New user here too!

I just found the link to this site from another forum....

Blue Dot seemed a little fast cycling in my 44 six Mk 19 so I went a little slower with 2400.

Man, I had beefed up some hot loads once with BD.

The lightest heads I could find brought me through the Chron at over 1885 fps!

Don't tell the factory common smile

[Hard Chrome]

H110 has been good to me in the 44 and the 50AE!

[Mark Ducati]

I've been using H110 for my 50AE reloads... 300gr bullet SPEER DCHP with 33.5gr H110.

I like this because I use a balance beam scale. One time putting the scale up, I moved the first bar from 30 to 40 by accident and didn't zero the scale... so the next day, I'm thinking did I really load all those 50
s with 43.5gr of powder? I pulled a couple random bullets, checked the powder and I was 33.5gr correct.

So, I weighed out 43.5gr of powder, tossed it in a case and it was almost full.... no room to seat the bullet completely.

So for me, H110 is a safe powder to use for a noob like me...

[Rodentman]

I use 34.0g H-110 with 300g Speer bullets. Good result.

Just ordered 1,000 IWI 300g bullets. Can't wait!

[Mark Ducati]

I've reloaded about 600 rounds of .50 AE with 33.5gr of H110...

I was all excited about reloading and got carried away... YES, I did reload about a dozen rounds first, shot them to "try them out", loaded another dozen of Starline brass and tried them out too... 33.5gr of H110 worked great :)

I've shot a about a 100 rounds of this ammo so far out of my new US made Desert Eagle... not a one hiccup or FTF as long as I use a FIRM grip (I use the push with my gun hand and pull with my off hand technique).

THEN, I started loaded them with 34.5 grains (max recommended) and found that not only does accuracy increase, but so does the reliability.

Anybody else have a similar experience?

[svxwilson]

For the .44 mag My Hornady 8th edidtion reload book has test results from way below what Hodgdon has on the bottle and on their website (both bottle and hodgdon website matched) for H110. I have CCI large magnum pistol primers. Hodgdon warns you not to use less than 23g with a 240g jhp for fear of the powder not igniting properly and having the bullet lodge in the barrel. Hornady book has data with that same bullet down to 20g of H110..... Hornady book also has max loads at 24.8 and max load for same bullet from Hodgdon is 24..... My question what is the best data for it? I am going to fire my 25 first test bullets. I have 5 that have 23g, 5 with 23.2g, 5 with 23.4g, 5 with 23.6, and 5 with 23.8... I am going to inspect the cases after I fire these but I am curious if anyone has any more detailed info about there different results with their reload data including amounts, bullets, cases, primers.

[svxwilson]

ok I made 50 more. 15 were max loads of 24g, and 15 extra of 23.8and 23.6, and 5 extra of 23.4 So I got a total of 80 rounds to try out. I will post my findings after I inspect cases and primers.

[50AE]

Awesome bro.

Please let us know how you make out!

[svxwilson]

well they all shot just fine. I didnt shoot all of them though. I recently went through the DE and cleaned it as thourally as I could. Hand scrubbing and sonic cleaner... Including all the parts such as springs and piston etc. Re oiled and assembled for my shooting. I shot tests of 5 of each set up. As the loads got closer to max load it became more accurate and when it ejected the brass correctly it sometimes would beam me right in the forehead. I recomend max loads for it. So I am going to reload mine to 23.8-24 g with a 240g bullet. But I had jamming issues with all the rounds I shot so I ordered the spring update kit. I also lubed the rounds before I shot them with hornady one shot case lube. I believe this may have added to the problem. So next time no lubed cases. I think the extractor was grabing them and then slipping off. Cases had nasty mark from where extractor slipped off. I realize that the lubing the cases is very possibly a newb mistake in a semi auto...... :clap:... But the gun was new in 2003 and may very well have factory original springs.... So I think the kit may solve alot of the problems I have been having. I have adjusted the way I shoot the gun, made sure it was properly cleaned and lubed, brand new mag that bullets seat in ( less gap from casing to lips on mag)much better than the one I had, the only thing I have yet to check out is to replace all the springs and small ruber springs, and that kit is on its way... Hopefully this solves this guns story. Any other ideas or tips??

[Rodentman]

I shot a bunch of .44's out of my DE and had several cases where the slide would not go into battery. The loads were 24g H110 with 240 JHP. This is a good full house load. Perhaps the springs are tuned for the .50, but once the slide goes back to allow ejection, I don't know why it would not go fully forward.

I would suggest keeping the bolt cams both on the bolt and the barrel very clean and well lubed. I would not lube the cases.

[Hard Chrome]

Are you talking about the slide stopping short of home by about 1/8".

Where you have to tap the back of slide home with your weak hand?

It's pretty common with some pistols when they are brand new.

I had two of mine do it, then both guns cleared up after about after about five hundred rounds and three or four cleanings.

[50AE]

Are you talking about the slide stopping short of home by about 1/8".

Where you have to tap the back of slide home with your weak hand?

It's pretty common with some pistols when they are brand new.

I had two of mine do it, then both guns cleared up after about after about five hundred rounds and three or four cleanings.


My pistol was doing the same thing when new.

When I took it out the 2nd time I was running Blue Dot instead of 110.

It didn't do it once, I contribute that to the quicker snappier recoil.

Just a guess :dizzy:

[Rodentman]

«Are you talking about the slide stopping short of home by about 1/8".

Where you have to tap the back of slide home with your weak hand?»

Yeppers, that was the issue. I can see how a new auto could need to be broken in. Actually I avoid the problem by shooting .50's in the DE. I have other guns I prefer to use for the .44 mag, most notably a Freedom Arms 83 and a Smith 329 NG.