Henry Rifle Forums

There's been a lot written here by owners about shooting 38 Specials in your 357 Magnum Henry, and that's kind of a mixed bag of recommendations and experiences. For me, I'll stick with reloading 357 Mag and call it good.

But I've found very little posted here about folks using 44 Specials in their 44 Magnum Henrys, either factory loads or reloaded ammo. I understand the differences in case lengths and usually a corresponding difference in bullet weights (200 vs. 240 gr, for the most part), but is there a compelling reason to reload and shoot 44 Special (or NOT to) for general plinking and target shooting?

Doesn't seem like 44 Spcls would be that much cheaper to reload (Starline charges the same for new brass for both) vs. 44 Mag, so does it come down to issues like comfort/recoil management?

Just wondering, especially since the 38 Special is written about so much, vs. almost no discussion (that I can find) about folks running 44 Specials through their 44 Mags.

As always, appreciate hearing about your experiences and pondering your opinions!

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odd coincidence. I was shopping .44 revolvers and wondering which caliber to buy. so I'm also interested in the responses that come this way.

ESquared wrote:There's been a lot written here by owners about shooting 38 Specials in your 357 Magnum Henry, and that's kind of a mixed bag of recommendations and experiences. For me, I'll stick with reloading 357 Mag and call it good.

But I've found very little posted here about folks using 44 Specials in their 44 Magnum Henrys, either factory loads or reloaded ammo. I understand the differences in case lengths and usually a corresponding difference in bullet weights (200 vs. 240 gr, for the most part), but is there a compelling reason to reload and shoot 44 Special (or NOT to) for general plinking and target shooting?

Doesn't seem like 44 Spcls would be that much cheaper to reload (Starline charges the same for new brass for both) vs. 44 Mag, so does it come down to issues like comfort/recoil management?

Just wondering, especially since the 38 Special is written about so much, vs. almost no discussion (that I can find) about folks running 44 Specials through their 44 Mags.

As always, appreciate hearing about your experiences and pondering your opinions!

Here's an interesting thread from another forum, covering both rifles and revolvers. Not sure I understand it all, but I'm processing it...

https://www.sassnet.com/forums/index.ph ... 44-magnum/

Well in my case when I take my .44 Mag carbine out I might also take along my new Ruger .44 Special Bisley Flattop.
I load the same 240 gr. bullet in either Magnum or Special and last week found the Carbine would cycle the shorter Specials just fine
as it is supposed to.
Power wise I load the Specials with 7 to 7.5 gr. of Unique which is similar to the famous Skeeter load and well within the range the Ruger can handle.
For Magnum I load them 9 to 9.5 gr. of Unique which is a nice shooting low end Magnum load. I then will shoot these also in my Ruger SBH and the Carbine.
Cost are about the same to reload but you do use 200 gr. less powder for 100 rounds with the .44 Special.

So if you already have a .44 Special revolver it gives you the option to enjoy your Henry .44 Mag rifle too.
If not just stay with loading the .44 Magnum at what level you like.

IMO... It is very easy for the reloader to make reduced loads for their quick shot needs, kids and womenz in the high speed calibers. Not so for the non-reloader. Also, the "junior" factory ammo is generally cheaper for the non-reloader. However, near free range brass+ could change the equation especially if there are both regular & magnum arms in the reloader's family.

I have seen at my LGS where .44 Special can cost the same or more than .44 Mag.
But reloading for .44 Mag is well worth the trouble when you can load it the way you want and the same for .45 Colt.

I only shoot high end magnum loads in both my .357 and .44 magnum Henry rifles. Both are sighted in at 50 yds and I have no intention of shooting lower power loads in these rifles.
It is a different story for my magnum revolvers. My favorite loads for them is somewhere between a special load and the high end magnum loads.

For Henry rifles, I mainly stick with 2400 powder and the 158 and 240 grain bullets. I only shoot jacketed bullets in these rifles.

For my magnum single six revolvers, I mainly use Unique powder and the 158 and 240 grain bullets. I shoot lead, plated, or jacketed bullets in the revolvers.

my personal preference is to fire the same load in both our 44 Mag Henry & Redhawk .... I will not fire 44 Spec brass in either for the same reason I won't use 38 Spl brass in a 357 Mag .... firing a 44 Mag in a Henry rifle and Ruger wheelgun result in a very different type and strength recoil .... from a comfort level, I find no reason to use 44 Special level ammo in a Henry .... the full power loads in a Henry are comfortable to fire .... can't say the same for our revolver .... having fired the same bullets pushed by the same powder and powder charge, I'm a bit slow in changing .... eventually I will come up with a Cowboy Action load (using the same Mag brass and the same bullets) that will move firing our Redhawk more fun and hopefully firing our Henry even more fun

I have some nice 300 gr. .44 Mag loads I would love to try in my Carbine but they are just a touch to long to feed at 1.710
so I shoot them in the Ruger SBH.
But I also read where the twist rate of the rifle doesn't work well with bullets over 265 gr.

As to why the 44 Special is more expensive than the 38 Special in terms of either reloading or factory ammo, it's a matter of popularity. The 44 Special has never been remotely as popular as the 38 or, for that matter, the 45 Auto. Even cartridges that use less in the way of brass and lead than the 38, such as the 32 Special or, one of my favorites, the 32 H&R Mag, are more expensive than the 38 and for the same reason. As always, it's a matter of the scale of operations in the manufacturing process. Far more cost effective to setup machinery and run huge lots of 38 ammo and/or brass, than for small runs for less popular cartridges.

Yep, "Supply and Demand," that famous concept we learned in Economics 101, always seems to come into play in almost every aspect of the firearms world, it seems. Gun and ammo pricing always seems to be moving.

The more I've read on this topic, the more it seems that, for a reloader, it would just make sense to stick to 44 Mag, as you can down-load it for target/plinking/recoil management (to the extent that it needs managing in the Henry) and load it back up for hunting.

ESquared wrote:Yep, "Supply and Demand," that famous concept we learned in Economics 101, always seems to come into play in almost every aspect of the firearms world, it seems. Gun and ammo pricing always seems to be moving.

The more I've read on this topic, the more it seems that, for a reloader, it would just make sense to stick to 44 Mag, as you can down-load it for target/plinking/recoil management (to the extent that it needs managing in the Henry) and load it back up for hunting.

agree

Same senario with 44 special as with 38 special. Shoot 44 special loads in 44 mag cases. Its the fire ring cleanup that will present itself from a continual firing of the shorter cases. Fortyshooter bought his Ruger in 44 special because Im sure one of his attraction to that caliber and he can shoot specials in it rather than in his 44 mag. Ive read alot about the 44 special never owned one but they are very accurate from what I read.

I my experience C.O.L. has a significant impact on reliable feeding through lever actions. If I were to purchase a lever action chambered in .44 Magnum, I would only use .44 Magnum brass for reloads. If I owned a companion handgun that would only handle .44 Special loads, I would maintain two types of brass for my lever action and handgun.

I like the .44 Magnum cartridge, but I think my next lever action will be chambered in .45 Colt for logistical reasons.