What are your pet smokeless .44-40 Spencer loads?

[Tuolumne Lawman]

OK .44-40 Spencer owners, what are the smokeless loads you have tried in your Spencer?  Anyone use any of the Marlin/1892 Winchester class hot loads in them?  I have loaded the .44-40 off and on for 18 years, though most of that time was black powder.

So far I have used the following smokeless loads in the .44-40 Spencer:

Black Hills factory
Ultramax factory
Hornady or Bear Creek 200 grain bullet with either 7.1 grains of WW-231or 14.7-15 grains of Alliant 2400.

[Trailrider]

[Disclaimer: I assume NO responsibility for the use of the below-listed data in guns other than my own!]

I haven't actually loaded for a .44-40 Spencer, but I have used the following loads in a Navy Arms M1860 Army for over 3,000 rounds, with no detectable increase in headspace or other problems.  The same load is used in my OMV's, but haven't tried them in .44-40 Colt's as I don't own any.  The load is 8.0 gr Hodgdon's UNIVERSAL behind a 213.5 gr commercial cast bullet.  MV in the 24-in. barrel is around 1200 ft/sec. From the 7-1/2 in. Ruger with very tight chamber throats around 950 ft/sec. If the Henry will handle this loads, I don't see why a Spencer, with modern materials, wouldn't handle it.  The old standby of 8.0 gr. of Unique ought to perform about the same. Of course, you could always reduce these loads somewhat.

[Preston County Rider]

Lawman - smokeless? SMOKELESS!!?? Don't you realize that is a passing fad? If you keep using them in a Spencer, well, who knows what will happen!?! I use BP in my 44-40 Navy Arms Henry for CAS and it works just fine (except when the wind stops blowing....) I know you are a BP kinda guy so....smokeless? What have we become........

PCR

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Well, since the move back to California, our tight living arrangements in our one room studio apartment (until we finish buying a house), leaves no room for messing with loading and cleaning BP (to include casting big lube bullets and lubing, etc.). I'm lucky to find enough room to use my portable loading stand with the LEE turret press and a box of Bear Creek bullets.  After I move into a house and have a man cave again, I suspect I will load BP again.  After all, I shot holy black (and triple 7) for 10 or 12 years.