Recommendation for 44mag wrist breakers

Polish-Jack

Polish-Jack

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Kelowna, B.C. Canada
I want to make a few 44 MAG wrist breaker cartridges as a "That's not a knife, this is a knife" type thing for the guests that I bring to the range that want to shoot "the big stuff". It has to be something that a six inch Smith and Wesson 629 can handle as I know the 629 is a little more delicate when compared to the Ruger revolvers that are built like tanks.

What powder and bullet combinations have you all had success with when it came to making a few punishing cartridges?
 
Polish-Jack said:
I want to make a few 44 MAG wrist breaker cartridges as a "That's not a knife, this is a knife" type thing for the guests that I bring to the range that want to shoot "the big stuff". It has to be something that a six inch Smith and Wesson 629 can handle as I know the 629 is a little more delicate when compared to the Ruger revolvers that are built like tanks.

What powder and bullet combinations have you all had success with when it came to making a few punishing cartridges?
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Unique or Blue Dot behind a 240 grain bullet can be quite hand warming.
Not a nice thing to do to a newbie however.
 
Alliant 2400 is good for full house loads, and is currently available on shelves -- it was quite hard to find for a couple of years til now.
 
Polish-Jack said:
I want to make a few 44 MAG wrist breaker cartridges as a "That's not a knife, this is a knife" type thing for the guests that I bring to the range that want to shoot "the big stuff". It has to be something that a six inch Smith and Wesson 629 can handle as I know the 629 is a little more delicate when compared to the Ruger revolvers that are built like tanks.

What powder and bullet combinations have you all had success with when it came to making a few punishing cartridges?
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I shoot 300 gr jacketed bullets and 310 Cast Gas Check bullets out of my Ruger SS SBH with a BUNCH of H110 - BUT there way to HOT for a M29 or 629 - they would seize it up ! BUT with a reduction to about 18 grs H110 they will work in yours as i have shot them in my M29 and will let your S&W live a bit longer . RJ
 
Can I suggest that this is very bad idea?

This is a very easy way to turn a potential new member off of the sport forever. It has the potential for someone to be hurt.
 
5744 is my go-to powder for magnum loads. And it can be quite educational to load a revolver with a minimal load, a factory load, and a magnum load and appreciate the difference in noise and recoil!
 
For a real noisy but still safe load. I load a 240gr XTP with 24gr of either H110 or W296. Loud out of my 6" 629. But you know you shot it.

I find that a full house 357 magnum load out of a 4", 19-5 can be a real handful. Bites the hands.

The bigger frame 629 is easier to hang onto.
 
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Most loads in a 44mag will be heavy... unless you specifically load light on purpose. H110, win296, IMR 4227, L'il Gun or their similar cousins from other manufacturers... behind a 240gr jacketed bullet loaded within published charge weights will work fine. Or buy a box of factory jacketed ammo.

Though I would caution you against thrusting it into the hands of a newbie... some will handle it fine, some will be put off by the recoil and noise probably teaching them how to flinch for life.
 
FortyFour said:
I wouldn’t call anything in 44 Mag a wrist breaker or punishing. Get yourself a 500 Mag if you want that.
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I have fired both the 500 S&W Revolver and the a 44 Mag Desert Eagle, both were loaded with "factory" ammunition. I would take the recoil off the 500 S7W any day of the week compared to the Desert Eagle. Something in the design, to me, make the recoil more manageable.
 
Polish-Jack said:
I want to make a few 44 MAG wrist breaker cartridges as a "That's not a knife, this is a knife" type thing for the guests that I bring to the range that want to shoot "the big stuff". It has to be something that a six inch Smith and Wesson 629 can handle as I know the 629 is a little more delicate when compared to the Ruger revolvers that are built like tanks.

What powder and bullet combinations have you all had success with when it came to making a few punishing cartridges?
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H-110 or WW-296 will give max velocity in bullet weights 200-300gr. range, rifle or handgun. I use 24.0gr. of either and the Hornady 240 gr. XTP.
 
Odinson said:
I have fired both the 500 S&W Revolver and the a 44 Mag Desert Eagle, both were loaded with "factory" ammunition. I would take the recoil off the 500 S7W any day of the week compared to the Desert Eagle. Something in the design, to me, make the recoil more manageable.
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I haven’t fired a Desert Eagle so I can’t comment but I own a S&W 500 with an 8 3/8” barrel and the recoil is very manageable. I actually shoot it better than my 44’s and 357’s.
 
FortyFour said:
I haven’t fired a Desert Eagle so I can’t comment but I own a S&W 500 with an 8 3/8” barrel and the recoil is very manageable. I actually shoot it better than my 44’s and 357’s.
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Longer barrel makes revolvers less "flippy", to use an imperfect but accurate description. Weight distribution makes a huge difference. A 4" bbl 44 mag with warm loads will let you know how strong your wrist is.
 
I’m quite certain the intent is not for anyone to get injured. The whole point is some people like to feel like they shot something big, and it has a meaningful impression on some people.

I fit into that group, going out of my way to try things like desert eagle, 375, 378, 458, 10 gauge, etc. Sometimes it’s nice to experience what big power feels like. The nice thing about the big guys is once you try it going back to your normal big kicker (like a 300 win mag) is peanuts to shoot good.
 
I use W296 or H110 when I'm loading for my Ruger SBH's and DE - and Longshot when I'm loading for my S&W's. If I want fairly hot, I will load towards "max", according to Hogdon's load site. You will feel a difference between the two types of powder - it's not subtle.
 
My GOTO load for guests is 24gn of H110 along with a 240gn bullet.
Every man who shot this was frankly impressed of the horsepower, didn't lose control or got injured, and still talk about the time they shot the 44 mag months/years later.

That was out of a 5'' SW 629
 
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