.44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

[balkandom]

Hello all,

Has anyone done any of the above? I was just wondering if there was any personal experience or data out there about it. I assume it's OK to load within factory spec, but has anyone done anything with warmer loads and/or bullets in the 300 grain range? I would appreciate any input you folk have to offer.

Regards,

Mike

 

[former naval person]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

WW296 or H110 are your best powders. Loading lead as I do will be more different from jacketed than you think. Go with the Sierra manual. I have found it most accurate. JMHO

 

[balkandom]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

My standby for my Model 29's is 24.7 grains of 296 behind a 240gr. JHP, I don't load lead, I had bad experiences early on.

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

The old Win 94 I used to have really liked a 240 grain JHP on top of 25.0 of IMR 4227 The chronograph I was using at the time was suspect. But the numbers I have is average of 1710 fps.

 

[DocB]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

Balkandom,

I've used 16 to 18gr. of VV N-110 with 300gr. Hornady XTP and WLR primers. Clean, functions the action in my tube magazine Ruger carbine, and less than an inch vertical spread. The VV is faster than the powders listed above, so the burn is more complete.

HTH,
DocB

 

[bohem]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">WW296 or H110 are your best powders. Loading lead as I do will be more different from jacketed than you think. Go with the Sierra manual. I have found it most accurate. JMHO </div></div>

You can't load lead in the gas system of the Ruger carbine. It gums it up and causes failures. Loading lead through it leaves lead residue in the gas system, if you send it in for any kind of work and they find lead in it, they won't do anything for you, even if it's a cracked stock.

For heavy 300 JHP's the best thing you can run is H110 and look up loads in the Hodgdon manual under "Rifle" loads.

 

[learjet]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

H110s been the ticket for my autocarbine as well... im not home, but if i remember right i used 21g w a 265fp, and 24g w a 240hp.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

My '94AE seems to like the 180's far more than heavier bullets.

More accurate and flatter shooting, but my loads are largely commercial, and mostly Rem/UMC FNSP's.

I also have a slew of Mag-Tech 240's, and consider them so-so. I guess I'm saving them for the Zombies... What they hit, stays down.

I don't target shoot with my carbine, and don't believe in doing load development for hunting. So far, I've never had to.

Greg

 

[Clark]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

I was shooting 300 gr cast in my old 44 Ruger carbine and it got leaded. I fired a 240 jacketed bullet and the muzzle split and peeled back like a banana peel.

I talked to someone who collects old Ruger 44 carbines that said he had seen quite a few carbines die from that, and Ruger no longer makes the barrels.

I found a new old stock Marlin 444 lever action barrel.
The front of 444 Marlin chamber is ~ the same as a 44 mag chamber.
The rear of the chamber was cut off, a gas hole was drilled, and a gas block was TIG welded on.
It will now shoot 0.9 moa with the same 24 gr H110 240 gr JHP handloads that never shot that well with the original barrel.
I now have the world's heaviest deerstalker.
The banana peel looking muzzle is on display in Lynnwood Guns.

Anyway... 44 mag rifle:
240 gr JHP, 24 gr H110, 1.6" over all length, heavy roll crimp, 20" barrel:
Quickload predicts 1752 fps, 31,401 psi
Chrono measures 1720, 1756 fps

 

[balkandom]

Re: .44 Magnum loads for a Ruger Carbine

Thanks for th input everyone!!