Hey guys,
After shooting my cousin's 357 Mag revolver, my 11 y/o has decided he wants to start shooting some of my big bore handguns. I've got a number of different modern revolvers in 44 Spec., 44 Mag, and 45 Colt. In years past, I've mostly used Unique and Red Dot for my plinking loads. When I got ready to load up some of these for my son, I found I was completely out of these powders. I've also got some Bullseye, 70X, and 231, but these didn't work as well for me as the Unique/RD. Planning on using 200-240 gr cast bullets at 750-950 fps. I also have some Blue Dot and have seen some of the reloading manuels listing BD (all velocity ranges) in the 44 Spec section. I'd like to keep my powder inventory to a minimum. In your experience is BD a reasonable choice for reduced loads like this? I could just by some more Unique and RD, but on the other hand, there may be some new powders I'm not aware of that have come out in the last years that are much better than the Unique and RD. Should I replace the Unique and RD w/ some newer/better powders? Gary T.

SR4759 is a good cast bullet powder for reduced...and not so reduced loads in the .44 Mag. Very bulky, good accuracy in my gun with 300 grain lead.

I like Unique & Universal in the big cases for reduced loads. BD is still pretty slow for reduced load uuse.

For reduced loads in 44 mag I have used Unique, Bullseye, and a new powder called Trailboss.
I really like the Trailboss powder. Its bulkier so the light loads fill the case better. It also seems to be a little cleaner than some of the other powders i have tried. But at any rate, good luck.

There ain't no reduced load that can't be made with Unique.

For an 11 year old, I would start out with lead balls and just a primer. If the ball is pushed down in the case on top of the primer, it will go through several layers of plywood and make lots of noise. Recoil is nothing.

Then work up a grain at a time with Unique to see what load the kid likes.

my favorite load is with unique , reduced , is 8.2 grians , but for blue dot it is a starting load , and shoots very well , 12 grains bd and any 250 grain or lighter bullet .

Try TiteGroup. I am getting better results with it than TrailBoss or the others in my revolvers and it meters very well. Check Hogden's web site for loads.
C.G.B.

I've had six year olds shooting this load, it acctualy has less recoil than a .32 mag.

200 grain RNFP loaded upside down over 5 grains of American Select with a WLP. Crimp the bullet on the flat between the lube groove and the base. I have used this load for years cometativly in Cowboy action shooting and have won three state titles with it. It is also VERY accurate in every revolver I have tried it in. Your 11 year old will love it.