Any favourite/pet loads for a .44 Rem.Mag. Carbine ?

fire@will

fire@will

Regular
Super GunNutz
Rating - 100%
40   0   0
Location
Oshawa
Good day Gentlemen. I'm here to avail myself of your collective expertise.
I load for .44 pistols and revolvers (S&W, Ruger and DE) and follow the standard Hodgdon recipes. I generally use Hodgdon Longshot for milder loads and H110/W296, when I want the DE to cycle reliably.
I have a Puma lever action in .44 RemMag and will shortly be acquiring a Ruger .44 carbine.
Are there any powders/powder charges that would be more suitable for barrels that are two or three times longer than handguns barrels ? - or should I just keep loading for HG specs ?
Thank you for your time. F@W.
 
Here’s a couple of loads I’ve used. Currently for plinking I use the TiteGroup load. I’ve gotten away from the all or nothing magnum powders (such as H110). I mostly just plink with my levers, so lighter loads are easier on the gun, brass, and me. And I’ve always used plated bullets.

Henry BBS .44mag:
240gr Hornady XTP (1:20" twist)
Various brass, CCI-350 LP magnum primers, 23.5gr H-110
COAL measurement: 1.610" 1704fps +5c

Marlin 1894 & Rossi 1892 44mag:
240gr Hornady XTP & Campro 240gr
Various brass, LP magnum primers, 9.0gr TiteGroup
COAL measurement: 1.615” 1520fps +10c

(The rifles above…the Henry has a 20” barrel, the Rossi has a 24” barrel, and the Marlin has a 20” barrel.)
 
Last edited:
6MT said:
I’ve gotten away from the all or nothing magnum powders (such as H110).
Click to expand...

I've used W296 in my 16" Trapper carbine successfully in the past, but agree that I'm now trying to avoid the "all or nothing" factor.

Alliant 2400 was been a highly recommended powder for this purpose for most of a century, but availability in Canada tends to be terrible. I am currently experimenting with Accurate #9 and Blue Dot in my quest for for a versatile magnum powder.
 
Thank you for your input guys. I neglected to mention - I don't hunt, so these will just be used for poking holes in paper. That said, I do appreciate getting optimum performance from my loads - without beating the crap out of my guns.
I was just thinking that there may be a powder that has a little slower burn rate than your standard HG powders, that would benefit from a longer bore (burn time), without spiking the pressure unreasonably.
BTW BattleRife - I do have a couple of partial canisters of Hercules 2400. No idea how old it is, but it doesn't smell and appears okay. Do you have any recommended charges for this powder, for a carbine application ? I don't think the Hodgdon site lists it.
 
BattleRife said:
I've used W296 in my 16" Trapper carbine successfully in the past, but agree that I'm now trying to avoid the "all or nothing" factor.

Alliant 2400 was been a highly recommended powder for this purpose for most of a century, but availability in Canada tends to be terrible. I am currently experimenting with Accurate #9 and Blue Dot in my quest for for a versatile magnum powder.
Click to expand...

Another reason why I chose TiteGroup was a little does go a long way. Loading H110 meant using roughly 22 to 23+ grains per round for the .44mag. Using TiteGroup is 9.0gr. As well, I use TiteGroup for my .38spl, .357mag, .44spl, and .45 Colt. So the amount of powder used gets spread out and the cost savings are very decent. I shoot on average, 500 rounds a month.

And I’ve never had any problems finding TiteGroup when I’ve needed it.
 
Last edited:
I've been shooting .44 Mag for over 50 years now. A couple of M-29's, 1 Super Blackhawk, 2 629's, and an M-94. I've only ever used one load:
20 Grs 2400 under a 250 Gr Keith cast bullet, and 250 Gr home swaged JHP.
I know there are better/more economical powders available now. Back then there was only 2400, W296 IMR4227 and Unique that were available to me. I tried them all and they all worked rather well.
Pay yer money and take yer chances!!!
 
For .44 mag pistol I like 5.5-5.8, grains of Tite group under a 180/185/200gr LRN or LRFN. I find this load feels great in the hand. Might be different in a carbine

I have notice the recoil arch and how much it pushes straight into the thumb and palm vs, up and in arch varies with powder and load. This light TG load is just below subsonic and One I can fire from the hip surprisingly accurately. I find the recoil impulse to be really mellow and doesn't push straight back into the the hand. For example Trail Boss has more push and sting for same velocity.

Initially I tried to move away from this load cause you can probably fit 30grs or 5x the max charge of TG in a 44 Mag case. (Spooky) But other high volume low charge weight loads from vihtavuori ect don't feel as mild or accurate and controllable. So it is worth it to extra effort to visually confirm the charge for peace of mind.
 
1 and 18 micro groove rifling in the ruger carbine.
I tried eh faster burn rate powder ACCURATE #9 and lighter bullets. 180 XTP group very well at 100y. 1.5moa
240 shot good also with H110.
my other ruger lever isnt picky about 240's or 300 xtp but hates 180xtp.
 
My load is 180xtp and 2400. Since your saying it's just for plinking, I would suggest to not use the xtp. That bullet is widely considered the best hunting pistol caliber choice. It's pricey, so not the best choice for water jugs/spray cans/pumpkins.

Without rereading your op. I've had trouble with SWC in my rossi 92. Round nose or hollow point.
 
Last edited:
Just remember to stay away from cast bullet use in the Ruger Carbine. Slight "lead shaving" will block the gas port then a serious tear down and cleaning becomes necessary. It didn't take long on mine, it plugged in less than 15 rounds of lead bullets.
 
More good info - thank you, gentlemen.
Odinson - Pretty much never use exposed lead bullets in anything. Always use plated, or jacketed (if I get a screamin' deal on them). Spent way too many hours scraping lead splatter out of my daughters Model 10, when she use to shoot PPC.
 
A couple loads listed that I already use, H110 and2400 being my favourites. If your loading for the Ruger semi your going to find they need full power loads to function properly. One load I like in my Contender 44 is 5 grs of Unique under a cast 180gr wc which will cloverleaf at 25 if I do my part.
 
It never hurts to play with other powders but what you have will probably work best for you.
http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html
My 12" .44 gets a little better than listed here with federal 240gr and a bit better again with 240 Hornaday and h110. And after 13 to 14 inches there is not a lot to gain even a loss after 17". A 16" trapper is the sweet spot in my opinion.
 
gunlaker said:
With the Campro bullets in a Win 1892, I've used 20gr of IMR-4227 with decent results. I generally loaded the rifle pretty lightly as it's just for plinking.

Chris.
Click to expand...

that give me ~1240 fps in my 96/44 with cast to ~2" groups and virtually no leading
XTP factory loads get ~ 1600 and the group shrinks to 1"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom