Hi,

I reload .44 Colt (the modern version - shortened .44 Special) with cast bullets often, for both smokeless and black powder. I'm shooting an 1872 Open Top - modern produciton, Uberti.

For our local indoor range, I'd like to use plated and jacketed bullets, for no-smoke loads. All the listed data seems to be for cast.

I can guess a load.. but does anyone have some experience with this?

I have one of these and only shoot lead bullets; I wouldn't bother at the low velocities. Just use a powder that smokes the least. Never noticed that the lead produced smoke.
A shortened 44 special is the 44 Russian, depending on how short you make it; the Colt has a much smaller rim. My revolver will shoot both.

It’s not the lead which smokes, it’s the lube. I don’t know which lubes smokes the least. I also don’t know if jacketed bullets are safe to use in the OP’s revolver. Probably, but......



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I've used Hodgdon "Clays" powder with 200 grain bullets, both plated and jacketed, in my .44 Colt Uberti '72s, and find it burns extremely clean. Mostly though, these days I use .44 Russian cases full of black with soft lead bullets.

Ah, and one more thing - if you have a copy of the Hodgdon "Cowboy Action Data" pamphlet, there's a serious error in the .44 Colt data for 240 grain bullets, at least through the 5th edition. The Clays loads for 240s in the pamphlet read 4.0 to 4.7 grains; they should probably read 3.0 to 3.7 grains.

Unfortunately Clays has been missing from the shelves for some time now, though it's supposed to be back in production.

Also, at least in my experience, plated bullets work well with the same loads as for cast bullets; jacketed bullets need a bit more oomph to make sure they clear the barrel.

I have a pair of consec. ser.# model 1860 Richard/Mason conversions chambered in .44 Colt. The .44 Russian is interchangeable.

I never notice more or less smoke. I figure that hard blue and red lube is the one that would not smoke. But I also like shooting my ancient lots of Unique which is basically like black powder.
But, I can say, (being on the BOD of a modern, state of the art, EPA approved range), that if your range is EPA certified, neither the bullets nor the powder will make any difference as the air flow required by them will remove everything from the range, including black powder. I have also fired on ranges that were not EPA compliant and you could taste the lead after shooting; that is bad.
Anyway, I am sure you can shoot the plated bullets as they are still soft; I would not shoot jacketed bullets as that might loosen up the wedge. OTOH, hard cast bullets are harder than most plated ones too. Or it might not......

Agreed it's the vaporized bullet lube that is producing the smoke. I would guess that plated bullets are the way to go - I'm not trying to drive .429'at 44 Mag velocity, after all.

The Open Top also chambers .44 Special, I may just go with those since non-cast data is available. I'll experiment a bit and post the results here.

On some further thought, I'm thinking there is no way the lawyers at Uberti will permit a gun rollmarked '44 Special' to be sold and not have it be safe with off-the-shelf cartridges from the sporting good store.

Of course, if I really wanted performance, I'd get a Blackhawk in .44 Mag.

I was never concerned about safety. Italian revolvers are proof tested to very strict standards.

your working yourself up over nothing.
plated bullets take cast bullet data.
throw a little titegroup in there put the bullet on top and go have fun.