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Need a little help

789 views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  mikld 
#1 ·
I am new to the reloading scene and am looking for some help. I want to reload some 44 magnum. I went on line and bought some 44 magnum 240 grain FP bullets, but am unable to find reloading data for this bullet.

I have found several brands/types of powder that identify that they are for reloading 44 magnum, but none for this bullet type. Is there a major difference between the FP and JFP?
What is a good bullet to start loading the 44 mag with?
I have looked all over the internet and have yet to find anyone with powder in stock. Where is the best place to buy powder?
I am sure that I will have more reloading questions, but thanks in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Welcome to The Firearms Forum.

The bullet you mention is a very good bullet to start loading .44 mag with. Evidently, you do not own a printed reloading manual. I say that because every manual I have has several different loads for a 240 grain bullet. There is really no difference in a Flat Point and a Jacketed Flat Point. You can even use reloading data for a Jacketed Hollow Point as long as you stay with the 240 grain.

If you had a manual to look at, you could then keep a list of powders that are usable for the 240 grain bullet. I really can't say it enough, you really need to get a manual, if you don't have one. Check with you local gun shops for powder, to me that is the best place to buy it. If you buy one pound from the internet you still have to pay the full haz-mat fees for that one pound.

We are always willing to answer questions. I hesitate to give reloading "recipes" over the internet even though I have done so.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the quick responses. For the past several weeks, I have done a lot of reading on line in regards to reloading. Took me 3-4 weeks of press research to figure out which press to get. I do intend to get a reloading manual before I put the first bullet in the case. I am a bit nervous, but anxious as well. Again, Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Ditto what gm said on the manuals, get more than 1, I recommend one from each projectile maker, and all the major ones from press makers .. At a minimum, speer, sierra, hornady, and Lyman, if $ left over, lee and some powder maker data books
 
#8 ·
Its common for there to be multiple different powder possibilities for a specific weight projectile and yes, not uncommon to see a few % variation in starting and max. That's why a few sources of ref are good, lets you pick a safe start, remember, not good to reduce start loads unless it tells you too, stay in ranges listed
 
#9 · (Edited)
I just bought the lyman 49th edition. I will look into getting some more. So, I am hearing that there are disparities between some manuals...what advice do you have if you see two or three different powder recommendations from different books?
Let's say you are shooting Hornady 240 grain bullets and you are using H110 powder.

You have the Lyman #49 that says the minimum load is 22.5 grains and the maximum is 23.5 grains of powder.

You have a Hornady #9 manual that says the minimum load is 23.6 grains and the maximum is 25.9 grains of powder.

In that particular circumstance, I would trust the Hornady manual because they test every combination that they print in their manual and should know what is a safe minimum/maximum for their bullet.
 
#10 ·
I just bought the lyman 49th edition. I will look into getting some more. So, I am hearing that there are disparities between some manuals...what advice do you have if you see two or three different powder recommendations from different books?
Not "disparities", just different results from different equipment, powder lots, primer lots, etc. Each test lab will be using different equipment; some will have an actual gun, some will use a universal receiver, some barrels will be worn, some brand new. The results are from the use of their equipment with their components and will prolly differ from another lab's results. The data isn't hard fast formula, just results of a specific lab's testing...
 
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