My 629PC, shoot mostly 180gr at close to full loads, blast away all day.
44 magnum
- Thread starter KiwiJoe
- Start date
Out of the desert eagle i am getting a flame about 2 feet long. 
Full power loads all the way!
44 mag in not really bad in a DE. The light revolver loads are funny, and very noticeably different through it as well.
Full power loads all the way!
44 mag in not really bad in a DE. The light revolver loads are funny, and very noticeably different through it as well.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
what gave you the idea that a .44 mag was a good first gun. thats gonna give you all kind of bad habits. light loads are gonna be the best idea. good luck.
My first firearm was a 686 in 357 magnum. It had a 2 1/2" barrel. With full house loads it was more difficult to shoot than any 44 magnum I've personally handled. I suspect that's because the 44 comes in strong heavy revolvers.
I suspect my negative impression of the 460 and 500 comes from the ported barrels.
I personally hate porting and muzzle breaks in any form, and believe shooters develop a flinch more from muzzle blast than recoil. That said, of course all of these give you a good slap in the hand, but with a decent grip they are certainly manageable.
This year I've taken a number of first time female shooters to the range. Without exception, they've all liked the rifles, shotguns and 22s, and LOVED the 44 mag in my good friend's 629. That particular handgun is scary accurate too.
I suspect my negative impression of the 460 and 500 comes from the ported barrels.
I personally hate porting and muzzle breaks in any form, and believe shooters develop a flinch more from muzzle blast than recoil. That said, of course all of these give you a good slap in the hand, but with a decent grip they are certainly manageable.
This year I've taken a number of first time female shooters to the range. Without exception, they've all liked the rifles, shotguns and 22s, and LOVED the 44 mag in my good friend's 629. That particular handgun is scary accurate too.
Thanks for the tips guys I bought the 29 after spending several afternoons at a Spokane range shooting magnum factory loads tru a rented 629. I have also shot the 500 and found it to be just outside my comfort zone for more than 10 rounds.
I haven't reloaded before. Is there a significant set up cost?
I haven't reloaded before. Is there a significant set up cost?
Yes.
It will be well worth it in the end though. Or find someone you know who reloads and ask them to reload for you.
Thanks TOYBUILDER!Welcom to the .44 club. The initial cost of buying reloading equipment and components will be quickly recovered even if you shoot only a moderate amount say 100 rounds a week. If you are on a tight budget, Lee Precision makes the least expensive equipment. While some may call it junk, it does work and will get you loaded and to the range. With the exception of their progressive presses, the equipment should last many years and pay for itself rather quickly.
.44 Magnum
My first .44 Mag was a S&W Model 29 with 6" pipe. Factory ammo was/is always expensive. And quite stout in recoil.
The only way to go is to reload for it. That way you can have lots of fun, accurate, plinking loads and then a few barn-burners to clean out your barrel and rattle a few fillings in your dental work whenever you like.
If you are really lucky you will discover the Model 57 .41 Magnum, as I eventually did, and sell off your .44 and never look back....lol...
NAA.
Dirty Harry said:
My first .44 Mag was a S&W Model 29 with 6" pipe. Factory ammo was/is always expensive. And quite stout in recoil.
The only way to go is to reload for it. That way you can have lots of fun, accurate, plinking loads and then a few barn-burners to clean out your barrel and rattle a few fillings in your dental work whenever you like.
If you are really lucky you will discover the Model 57 .41 Magnum, as I eventually did, and sell off your .44 and never look back....lol...
NAA.
Even shooting 20 to 50 a MONTH will soon pay for the equipment. What's .44Mag factory go for these days? A buck a round after taxes? You can reload for about 1/4 of that in bullet, powder and primer so if it costs you $300 total for a modest non progresive Lee setup it's only 300/.75 (the difference per round) or 400 rounds before the reloading equipment is paid for and you're shooting for just the cost of the reloading supplies. Add to this the flexibility of tailoring your own bullet and powder loads and you've got a no-brainer decision on your hands. Reloading for this big stuff is the ONLY way that makes sense either from a financial standpoint or from an enjoyment standpoint in terms of what the reloads can be tailored to feel like.
And as long as you're into the whole .44Magnum thing look around for a Marlin lever gun chambered in .44Mag. I've shot a buddy's 16 inch barrel carbine version and it's a really nice rifle for plinking or even for semi close in hunting if you hunt.
And as long as you're into the whole .44Magnum thing look around for a Marlin lever gun chambered in .44Mag. I've shot a buddy's 16 inch barrel carbine version and it's a really nice rifle for plinking or even for semi close in hunting if you hunt.
Get yourself a good progressive press: Dillon, RCBS, or Hornady. Lee progressives aren't very good. I guarantee that you will want a progressive for loading pistol ammo if you do much shooting at all. If you find operating the press a little intimidating at first, run one case at a time through it, as if it were a turret press.
A good .22, like an S&W Model 17, is something else you might want to consider as an inexpensive to shoot understudy to your .44.
A good .22, like an S&W Model 17, is something else you might want to consider as an inexpensive to shoot understudy to your .44.
Yes.
It will be well worth it in the end though. Or find someone you know who reloads and ask them to reload for you.
If you have someone willing to load for you then that of course will cost less without the initial investment. But if you want to shoot more then likely the person loading for you will want to be adequately compensated.
A progressive press is desirable but it can be pricey if you get a better quality press. While I have a number of progressive presses I still use a Lee turret (non-progressive) press for loading for 44 magnum. A little slower but not much. And the cost is lower than a full progressive press.
You can get some good deals buying used but I would suggest not buying a Lee press that looks like it has had a lot of use. They can be quirky sometimes and require a little more attention than some other presses.
Best to ask around and get a number of opinions and decide what route works best for you.
Reloading for 44mag, is by far the easiest cartridge I'm loading for. Straight walled case, revolver, so no feeding issues. Just size/deprime the case, flare the mouth the minimum to get the bullet in. Add a primer and powder. Seat the bullet to the crimp groove, then crimp. I use bulk hard cast bullets from Wholesale sports, bought a lifetime of brass from Smacdonald, a dealer on the site here.
Here's a thread I started, where I got a lot of good advice from H4831 (Bruce).
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=349199
I actually started the thread specifically hoping he'd drop in and share some of his experience with the cartridge.
Here's a thread I started, where I got a lot of good advice from H4831 (Bruce).
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=349199
I actually started the thread specifically hoping he'd drop in and share some of his experience with the cartridge.
I agree with Rudy H. The Lee turret press is one of the most versatile units around. The Classic Turret press is significantly stronger then the deluxe turret press and will last a lifetime. If you check cabelas in the US or midway they have a Classic Turret Press kit that has just about everything you need at a reasonable price. And the Lyman manual would be ideal for your purposes.
Have fun as the more you reload the more you will shoot!
Have fun as the more you reload the more you will shoot!
I thought it was a lot to learn at first too. But I started out with a bit of reading and at first I got set up to do just one operation at a time with a very basic one position press. I first set up the sizing/decapping and got them all that far. Then I ran them through the flaring die which would NORMALLY be set up with a powder delivery hopper as well. But I just used it for flaring the mouths slightly. I then used a hand primer to prime the cases. This will come in handy for later when you're doing rifle reloads even if you move on to a progressive press for the hand gun stuff. Then I drilled up a block of wood to hold 30'ish cases at a time. I used that to hold the cases while I measured out the powder and charged the cases. Finally I set up the last die and used that to seat the bullets and lightly crimp the cases.
Oh, did I mention that my first ever reloading was done with .500S&W? Nothing like starting out big, eh?
It just worked out that way because I managed to get all the supplies for this caliber while waiting on stuff for the rifle cases I also wanted to reload.Anyhow, done in this manner it's a more deliberate and sure set of steps and very easy to double check yourself as you go. It's much less intimadating to break it down into easy to understand single actions like this. It also helps keep the cost down to about that $300 for all the stuff you need. Meanwhile a Dillon 550 press alone starts at around $450 and you still need a powder scale and dies and a few other goodies.
Doing all the steps separatly doesn't need to be all that slow either. Once you get going and have run through all the steps the first time around you can easily load around 100 to 150 an hour even with this really rudimentary setup. And for something like a .44Magnum I really don't see anyone shooting hundreds of rounds per session. It's just not that sort of handgun.
Once you get into reloading try some H110 powder. It makes for a really big fireball round that's super showy and impressive. Extreme fun....
I find my 29 very accurate. i don't think i have ever shot factory ammo in it. I have some factory ammo that has sat on my shelf for 35 years.
I have shot my Blackhawk a bit with factory, and the novelty wears off pretty quick. It would be a great way to develop a horrific flinch, i think.
I load a very mild load (same load works well in my 44 Spl, too) 6.0 gr of 7625 under a 240 gr LSWC.
You can make great ammo with a cheap single stage press. Just do each function (size, falre, seat) in batches. A turret would be better.
The loading manuals have good "How to" sections. Better yet would be to invite a reloader to visit your place and help you set up and show you how it is done.
Standard fee for this service is a cold 2-4.
As for your original question, Wolf Ammo makes good reloads at about half the price of factory. But it is almsot full power. If you email him and order 1000 rounds, you could specify a milder, plinking load that would be more fun to shoot.
I have shot my Blackhawk a bit with factory, and the novelty wears off pretty quick. It would be a great way to develop a horrific flinch, i think.
I load a very mild load (same load works well in my 44 Spl, too) 6.0 gr of 7625 under a 240 gr LSWC.
You can make great ammo with a cheap single stage press. Just do each function (size, falre, seat) in batches. A turret would be better.
The loading manuals have good "How to" sections. Better yet would be to invite a reloader to visit your place and help you set up and show you how it is done.
Standard fee for this service is a cold 2-4.
As for your original question, Wolf Ammo makes good reloads at about half the price of factory. But it is almsot full power. If you email him and order 1000 rounds, you could specify a milder, plinking load that would be more fun to shoot.
I am a model 29 nut. I have all the variations of the 29/629 (12 in total) except two, the 4" Nickel and the 50th anniversary edition.
6-8 Grains of Unique pushing a 240 lswc bullet, very nice and mild and you can shoot it all day, even my 17 year old daughter can shoot it but she hates the weight of the "big revolver".
I stay away from max loads in all my 29's and keep the hairy stuff for my Super BlackHawk/Redhawk's, 22 grn of 2400 and the same bullet and you will know you have pulled the trigger,lol.
6-8 Grains of Unique pushing a 240 lswc bullet, very nice and mild and you can shoot it all day, even my 17 year old daughter can shoot it but she hates the weight of the "big revolver".
I stay away from max loads in all my 29's and keep the hairy stuff for my Super BlackHawk/Redhawk's, 22 grn of 2400 and the same bullet and you will know you have pulled the trigger,lol.
