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180gr. LRNFP for .44 magnum

3K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Bummer 
#1 ·
Newbie to the forum here folks. Going to start off with a question on making up some .44 magnum loads. Recently I purchased a couple hundred 180gr. lead rnfp bullets .430 diameter. Guess I should have checked my manuals before buying them because now I can't find any data on where to start my charge at. I have checked Speer #14, Lyman 48th edition and a few older Sierra manuals and the Hodgdon web site. I'm seeing data for 180gr. jacketed and I'm seeing data for 185gr. lrnfp but I've only been reloading for a few months so I'm not sure what to do. I've heard that one can use jacketed data to load lead as long as you stay with the low starting data but I don't know how true that is. I will be using either HP-38, H110 or I also have some 2400. Anybody ever loaded these 180gr. lrnfp for .44 mag before or do any of you folks have any advice?

Thanks,
Bummer
 
#3 · (Edited)
In your situation, that 185gr data on the Hodgdon site will work fine.
If you do need to err a few grains (as in a small percentage like 180 vs 185, 235 vs 240, etc) look for data that is for a heavier bullet than what you've got.

If you note the velocity difference between the cast lead and jacketed data, you'll see a big difference in fps. 1000fps vs 1500-1900fps.
A general rule is that you want to keep a cast lead load around 1000fps or slower to reduce barrel leading. There are situations where you can push a cast lead bullet faster (using either a gas check, different lead alloy, etc) but for a beginning reloader it's best to stick with those milder lead loads.

And sticking with the milder loads, HP38 will be the powder to use out of the three you've got listed. H110 and 2400 work better for heavier loads and you'll notice that Hodgdon doesn't even use those two for the cast lead loads. Those two are too slow-burning for safe/efficient use with that particular cartridge and bullet weight combination.

A 180gr cast bullet is a rather unique choice for the .44Mag...but if you can find data it is still workable. Those bullets are usually used for lower-recoiling loads (called cowboy action loads in some manuals) for smaller .44 cartridges like the .44Russian, .44Spcl, or modern .44-40.
It's more common to use a heavier bullet weights in the Magnum. 225gr, 240gr, 250gr are pretty common choices for "average" loads. You will see some loads using heavier or lighter but those three are probably the most common.

Lastly, welcome to TFF! if you've got any more questions be sure to hang around and post em up. Lots of guys here will help you down the right road.
 
#4 ·
Thanks guys, glad to be here. And thanks for the info. I'm going to go with that advice and load a few as if they were 185gr. And see how they shoot and I'm going to check for some .44special data although I believe there wasn't any for 180gr. but there may be some for 185grain.

Bummer
 
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