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Favorite Loads Hot off the Press .44 S&W Special
By Lane Pearce
The .44 Special was introduced in about 1907 and is an extremely accurate cartridge. However, as factory loaded with a 246-grain lead roundnose bullet at approximately 750 fps muzzle velocity, the .44 Spl. does not engender a reputation as a “hot” cartridge.
That changed when Elmer Keith and the other .44 Associates of the 1920s and 1930s began handloading it to its maximum potential; then, the .44 Spl. could legitimately claim top gun performance. Even the potent .357 Magnum delivers less muzzle energy than a 240/250-grain cast SWC on top of a case full of 2400 or 4227.
Of course, the situation changed when S&W introduced the .44 Magnum 50+ years ago. Since then, even the .44 Magnum’s performance has been eclipsed by several bigger bore and more powerful handgun cartridges. But there are limits to the bigger-is-better scenario, based upon your tolerance to recoil.
My experience shooting those behemoths suggests they exceed my limit.
The handloads listed on this page encompass a suitable range of performance from plinking to personal protection.
Lanes Favorite .44 Special Handloads |
|---|
| Bullet |
Powder (Type/ Grs.) |
Velocity (fps) |
| Hornady 180-gr. JHP-XTP |
Power Pistol/ 8.8 |
1015 |
| Clements 200-gr. Cast SWC |
Unique/ 8.0 |
1086 |
| Clements 200-gr. Cast SWC |
Univesal/ 8.1 |
1135 |
| Lyman No. 429421 240-gr. Cast FP |
AA Plus/ 5.1 |
805 |
| Magnus 240-gr. Cast SWC |
2400/ 15.3 |
1028 |
| Magnus 240-gr. Cast SWC |
AA Plus/ 5.1 |
815 |
| Magnus 240-gr. Cast SWC |
Titegroup/ 4.8 |
815 |
| Magnus 240-gr. Cast SWC |
Trail Boss/ 5.5 |
776 |
| Magnus 240-gr. Cast SWC |
W231/ 5.8 |
843 |
| Keith-style 250-gr. Cast SWC |
2400/ 15.8 |
1096 |
| Keith-style 250-gr. Cast SWC |
IMR-4227/ 16.5 |
947 |
| Keith-style 250-gr. Cast SWC |
Unique/ 7.7 |
941 |
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