i"ve been handloading .44 from the lee manual, using blue dot under lead and jacketed bullets.
i"ve been creeping up past the max load by 1/2 grain at a time, just making a handful of rounds at a time. i know no-one will want to commit to saying what"s safe, and what"s not, but i"d be interested to hear what other people are loading. i"m shooting an 8 3/8 barrelled raging bull. i"m only up to 15 gr blue dot(with a 240 jfp), but i see some web sites quoting 17.5 gr of blue dot for the same bullet.
i"ve ordered up some 300 gr xtp"s and would like to stoke them up to dinosaur hunting velocity, just for fun, but i don"t want to blow my hands off doing it. the lee manual"s 300 gr xtp load for blue dot is so slow that it has less energy than the 240 gr load.
should i be looking for a new powder? i favour the "lots of slow powder" approach, rather than the "hot and fast".

Got to H-110 or W-296 for max 300 gr loads. I cannot in anyway recomend the load I'll mention, but I did find that with a 330 gr hard cast bullet, one grain over max for 300 gr data produced 1300 fps from a 4 5/8" super blackhawk, and I didn't detect any pressure signs.

Now since a raging bull is designed for 454 pressures, there is no reason a 44 couldn't be loaded to the same pressure, other then the fear of such ammo making it into a weaker 44 and disasembling it.

If the bullet left the barrel and went downrange, you just detected a pressure sign. I too have gone "over the edge" and played in the area of above listed max loads. Can't recommend to anyone to do this and I sure won't publish those loads. Just watch yourself and pay attention to things such as ambient temperature. A load that may be fine on a cool day might just be a big overload in the summer.

Nowadays, I just go to a larger caliber rather than hopping up a smaller one.

Make sure you use a mag primer of some sort. I use VV N110 with 320gr lbt bullets that run 1300 plus. You should give cast bullet a try.

A friend of mine (deceased now) would load with a lee loader using 2400 powder and cast bullets. He "had" a new Ruger 44mag super black-hawk that he loved to shoot. When it was fired it would roll back and cut him until the blood ran. I did not have this problem, but he had small hands. He got some reloads that one of his friends picked up somewhere, anyway he was shooting his 44mag with these unknown reloads and the cylinder blew up taking the top strap off. He was lucky he didn't loose his hands or eyes.

Be careful I do not know how strong a Raging Bull is compared to a Ruger.
Stay within the reloading manual loading data.
It is hard to make a living without any hands or eyes.

brass thief, buy loading manuals where the test weapon has the same barrel length as the one you are using so you can make good comparisons. Manuals published by the bullet companies will have a better variety of powders, but of course they only test with their bullets. The Lyman Pistol and Revolver manual is excellent, as it has many jacketed and cast bullets represented and a host of different powders. Also, get a chronograph. This is really the only way to approximate pressure outside of real pressure measuring equipment. If your loads are generating significantly more velocity than that listed in the reloading manual, you're probably operating in the unknown zone.

Don't rely on "pressure signs" to signal that the load is too hot. If your chambers were manufactured on the tight side the case web can't expand and sticky extraction will never occur. Check out the article by John Linebaugh and pay particular attention to the part about high pressure loads.

John Linebaugh Article

I don't think I would try to push Blue Dot very hard in any revolver, especially with heavy bullets. It is a high energy flake propellant with about 30% nitroglycerin, so it will take off when the pressure gets up to some majic point. When and if it does, the charge weight in a 44 Mag will be sufficient to litterally blow that RB to bits! If any metal comes back your way above arm level it could kill you...NO S**T!!

You have a nice long bbl, so the slower powders are better for maxing out velocity. H110, 296 and Lil'gun are ideal. These will give you fits with stuck cases and muzzle blast before going critical. However, they will still blow up your gun at some point.

BlueDot is a good med-slow burner for upper end medium loads. For top perf. in the magnums, go to H110 or W296, especially w/ the 300gr & up.

brass theif, try Acurate Arms #9, its very accurate,good velocitys and burns 100%. The .44 mag was made for slow burning powders, be sure to use mag primers and crimp your bullets to obtain consistency. Charlie

CSH, I hope everyone here reads the Linebaugh article. I have had a lot of heated discussions here with guys wanting to load to or over max to match advertised velocities. I have always advocated the most accurate loads and they are always below max. This article is an eye opener and I hope it wakes people up.

just read that article. it was sobering and made some good points, well worth reading.
at the end of the day, any gun will only do so much. many of the "old guys", giants of the big bore revolver world, will know more about performance than i"ll ever find out by blowing up an expensive gun!

I shoot 44 Mag, 445 Supermag, and 45 Winmag.

I won't do a Linebaugh load in my winmag, but it will ALMOST go there...anything out there needing more thumping than that, then I go to a rifle caliber. I am paraphrasing here, but he pretty much said you should know your firearms limitations, and be happy within them. I know he badmouths my contenders, but oh well.

any hog in texas will fall from my 44, 45 or 45-70 loads...go to bears...and I won't use anything less than my 45 or 45-70...go to somthing really nasty...and I will be gettin' my 308 and some fail-safes...

Darrell

Yes, go to 296 or H-110 for the heavy loads. You could use 2400 with your 240's.
I used to shoot a 330gn hard cast at around 1500fps from my 7.5" SRH 44mag. I understand the affliction for more and bigger, but an accurate load in a reasonable power level is much more enjoyable.
Is your RB 44 a 5 shot? I have the RB 454 and have loaded it way past where I should have been. 405's at 1550!! Dont't go there, I shouldn't have. But the gun survived without any noticible after effects. If it's a 5 shot, I'd say you should be able to load in the 50k range safely. I could email you some quickload data if you want. But you'll be on your own as if you want to try and go there.

FWIW from Quickload
44 mag 10" simulated length
240 Speer TMJ 1.61 OAL
15gns Blue Dot 1360fps @ 25ksi
17.5gns Blue Dot 1550fps @ 36.3ksi

19.5gns 2400 1560fps @ 34.5ksi

24.5gns H-110 1575fps @ 33.6ksi

Really, if you want more power, then buy a more powerful gun. I honestly think the answer is larger caliber and more bullet weight, not more powder and more speed in a 44.

I sold my 44 and got a 480, and couldn't be happier. With a 400 gr bullet @ 1200 fps, I have roughly 30% more power then a 44, based on bullet dia and bullet weight. I can even load to the same case capacity as a 475 linebaugh, and hence theoretically can load it up to 475 levels, but you know what?, I never have. My gun is both scary accurate and shootable with 400's @ 1200 fps, so why should I compromise my ability to hit a target by loading hotter?

I've been fortunate to fire many 475 and 500 linebaughs, and I can't handle that level of recoil. I get alot more satisfaction of being able to accurately shoot a powerful handgun, vs beating up my hands firing the most powerful handguns. That and the hottest 500 revolver loads are popgun level loads in my 500 Jeffrey rifle.

I can only concur with the other when they say don't push the limit with Blue Dot. The pressure curve with Winchester 296 and H110 (which are the same powder)is such you will really have to work to damage a gun. They are also the only powders that do not show pressure sighs with top loads in my S&W handguns. With any other powder if I develop a warm load in a Ruger it will stick in a S&W. Top loads using H110/296 shoot safely in any gun..at least they do for me. I now only use one primer for all large pistol loads...the WWLP...supposed to be used for Magnum and Standard loads. It leaves no unburned powder with H110/WW296 as long as you go to at least 90% loading density. My loads in the .41 Magnum are all 100% so that the base of the bullet just sits on the top of the powder charge or very lightly compresses it. No flattened primers, no sticking cases, excellent accuracy and top velocities...what else can one ask for.

It doen't appear that you own a chronograph....they can be had for $100-150 and are a lifetime investment. If you are a serious loader going for top velocity or accuracy you have to have one....mine is from Competition Electronics and was $100 I think. Easy to set up and use and very compact.

Bob