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August 24th, 2021, 08:25 AM #1Senior Member
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Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
Picked up a great little Handi-Rifle new old stock in the box from a great guy just over the DMZ in New York recently! Shoots lights out with Federal 240 gr hollow points. Loaded up some XTreme and Berry's flat-point 240's using IMR4227 and H110. Accuracy even to 100 yds was great but holy-crap those powders are filthy. I have Unique and TiteGroup also but was wondering how everyone else with a long barreled 44mag did with these powders and plated bullets? I used 22g of each with a light roll crimp.
It could just be the barrel since it's new and needs cleaned early and often but kind of curious what others have to say. My silhouette Ruger BH 10.5" barrel was also pretty dirty firing some of these loads and that gun is well broken-in.Engineers make things idiot proof! Evolution makes better idiots!
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August 24th, 2021, 08:56 AM #2
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
Most would advise a heavier roll crimp with those powders. Didn't mention primer, but mag. primer is advised.
I've found with Unique, std. primer, that too light of a charge gets dirty. A decent charge for medium loads with a firm crimp is the ticket for me.
Using a Marlin 1894 with 245 gr Keith SWC's.It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.
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August 24th, 2021, 09:02 AM #3
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
Without looking up the loads your using, are you close to max for those powders? Sounds like unburnt powder, which is weird for a long barrel. I've never used those for 44mag, I usually stick to 2400 in my pistols. It's usually a little dirtier than factory, but not anything that would effect accuracy over a couple hundred rounds.
Also, with the plated bullets, are you using "cast" or "jacketed" load data? I've only played with those once in loading 44mag and I stuck with my cast data.
Just spitballing here, hopefully someone else with more experience with your loads will chime in.
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August 24th, 2021, 10:30 AM #4
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
Note, the H&R's rifles* are usually bored/grooved to RIFLE .44mag diameters. .431"
HANDGUN .44mag is .429".
If you're running .429" bullets, that .002" might make a difference, allowing some blow-by which can dirty the barrel. If you're running lead bullets, you might get some flame-cutting of the bullet which will put a lot of lead into the grooves.
* most rifles for that matter in .44mag chambering.RIP: SFN, 1861, twoeggsup, Lambo, jamesjo, JayBell, 32 Magnum, Pro2A, mrwildroot, dregan, Frenchy, Fragger, ungawa, Mtn Jack, Grapeshot, R.W.J., PennsyPlinker, Statkowski, Deanimator, roland, aubie515
Don't end up in my signature!
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August 24th, 2021, 01:25 PM #5
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
knight,
Can you give me some info on this ( link or load manual ).
My BIL is using a .44 mag rifle ( unknown mfg) for bear this season.
His son in law is putting some 300 gr loads together for him.
i'll ask him what his data is but my load books ( Sierra, Speer, Nosler and an old NRA book) do not differentiate between rifle and handgun bullets and list only .429 or .4295 projectiles.
I just gave him a couple hundred LMP primers for his loads.
No hurry but I'd like to see the source.
Thanks,
27Opinions are like anal apertures. They all stink but mine.
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August 24th, 2021, 04:17 PM #6
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
RIP: SFN, 1861, twoeggsup, Lambo, jamesjo, JayBell, 32 Magnum, Pro2A, mrwildroot, dregan, Frenchy, Fragger, ungawa, Mtn Jack, Grapeshot, R.W.J., PennsyPlinker, Statkowski, Deanimator, roland, aubie515
Don't end up in my signature!
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August 24th, 2021, 04:18 PM #7
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
For any rifle chambered in .44mag, you should measure the bore/groove diameters. Some manufacturers go with the handgun dimensions, others go with rifle dimensions. H&R is known for going with the rifle dimension.
RIP: SFN, 1861, twoeggsup, Lambo, jamesjo, JayBell, 32 Magnum, Pro2A, mrwildroot, dregan, Frenchy, Fragger, ungawa, Mtn Jack, Grapeshot, R.W.J., PennsyPlinker, Statkowski, Deanimator, roland, aubie515
Don't end up in my signature!
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August 24th, 2021, 04:56 PM #8Senior Member
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Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
Thanks for the replies and some great info. The plated Berry's Bullets I'm using are .429" and I never thought about the bore differences in 44. I would bet this is what I'm seeing in the rifle. I also saw it in my 1980's Blackhawk though. It does have the 10.5" silhouette barrel so I'll have to measure the bore/groove on each. I think Knight is right with the H&R using the rifle spec. I've seen it before on written specs going back years ago to the "Topper" days.
To the question asked by RLS, I used jacketed verses lead data per what Berry's recommends on their web site. I took jacketed data from published loads and started just below half of their min-max data. This assures me at staying way under the 1850fps max velocity of the plated bullet in the longer barrel.
I used the published primers for the loads which were the Remington two and a half Large Pistol Primer. The cases were probably at 85% to 90% capacity with each. A magnum primer may help and would be needed for Unique loadings. Unique is so fluffy that I may no get much velocity from it even in the long barrel.
Again great information and a big thanks for everyone who chimed in!!Engineers make things idiot proof! Evolution makes better idiots!
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August 24th, 2021, 06:03 PM #9Grand Member
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Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
What are your loads and where did you get them?? H110 /W296 need to be loaded at max and the older manuals had a special warning to start at 3% under max (not 10%) because it needs to reach a certain pressure to burn safely. No reduced loads! Interestingly most of the new manuals show loads that are are well under 10% (of the loads they told you not to reduce).
If you are getting dirty loads with H110 you are way under max. You need a full to preferably slightly compressed load of H110. Basically (famous last words) I don't think you can ever put too much H110/ W296 in a straight walled pistol cartridge. I often have problems reaching the old books loads in my hot loaded 45 Colt.
But what do I know........Do some research on the loads that were standard for the last 50 years. Keith data?.
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August 24th, 2021, 06:37 PM #10
Re: Reloading 44Mag for a H&R Handi-Rifle
This is good stuff.
Thanks for posting the links knight.Opinions are like anal apertures. They all stink but mine.
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