44mag and 2400

I haven't tried it that low on the range with .44 magnum, but I have with "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads.
I shoot a lot of 255 grain SWC bullets and 17 grains of 2400.
It's a good load that doesn't recoil that much. I have no chronographed it, so no help regarding velocity.
I can't imagine it not being a good soft shooting load in .44 magnum.

I've tried a 240gr coated LSWC, with 18.5gr of 2400. The results were dirty. Also not terribly accurate. My observations regarding 2400 and .44 mag is that towards max pressure gives more accurate and cleaner results. However, I've also noticed that when reducing charges below the suggested starting charge (for loads between Magnum and Special) accuracy seems to tighten up a bit, at some point on the way down. It's still dirty though. And honestly the increase in accuracy on the way down, is only a passing observation and could be in part due to reduced recoil.

Unique would be a better powder for the same velocity range.

Unless I'm cranking up the velocity, I use Unique. I save the slower powders for hotter rounds.

9-10gr of Unique works great for "not quite a magnum" 44's. Plus it's more economical since you're using 40-50% less of it.

JO JO said:

I am shooting a 7 1/2 barrel would that allow for a better burn with the lower end ,2400 loads ?
I think the only way for me to find out is to try it and Chrono it and see how it does for me
So far I have tried unique and be86 both did well
With the price of powder I will pick up a pound
Of 2400 add try it want to stay around 1000 to 1100 fps for now

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I don't know if the longer barrel will clean up the burn of a lower pressure charge of 2400, or not. But I think you should try it and let us know the results. I don't recall having a lot of kernels left behind with 18.5gr, just that it was very sooty. Far more so than Unique.

If the Unique and BE86 did what you wanted, I'm curious as to why you want to try 2400 for that 1000-1100fps velocity range? If you decide you want to go faster, but not quite top end, 2400 is a good choice.

I thought since Elmer Keith shot 44 Specials with 17.5 grains 2400 and a 250 lead bullet that I could use the same load in a 44 Magnum. And I did. The load was powerful and accurate. The classic Keith load in 44 Magnum was the 250 with 22 grains of 2400. I shot that too, it produces a much bigger bang.

I do think 8.5 grains Unique with a 240 lead will do equally well, about the same velocity. I have shot that load in the 44 Magnum and it is powerful and accurate and about the same velocity. But if you have 2400 and want to shoot it up, without the big bang of the full power load, then, it will work.

These were thrown out of my Little Dandy Powder measure. It took forever to load ammunition with a single stage press but the ammunition went bang.

Ruger Redhawk 51/2" Barrel

240 LSWC 17.9grs 2400 little dandy rotor 22 CCI primers

19-Aug-90T=100°F

AveVel=1156
StdDev=42
ES=114
Low=1114
High=1228
N=6

230 LSWC 17.9grs2400 little dandy rotor 22 CCIprimers

19-Aug-90T=100°F

AveVel=1225
StdDev=24
ES=54
Low=1203
High=1257
N=6



RugerSuperBlackhawkStainlessSteel7.5"Barrel

250 LSWC 17.9grs 2400 little dandy rotor 22 CCIprimers

25-Nov-90T=70°F

AveVel=1192
StdDev=33
ES=90
Low=1131
High=1221
N=6

250LSWC 21.9 grs 2400 little dandy rotor 26 Fedprimers
14-Jan-91T=50°F


AveVel=1355
StdDev=75
ES=186
Low=1256
High=1442
N=6

My SBH would put three 250 gr cast bullets into 2" at 50 yds using 17 gr of 2400

My all time fun load for 44 mag is the Lyman 429421 and 17.5 grains of 2400. Used it in a 29, several Supers, a Dan Wesson, and a Handi Rifle. Accurate, low leading and comfortable. Smacks pins off the table and can easily shoot da fast.

One of mine, also.............

said I, don't know how that happened.

Using cast 240g SWC bullets, I ran some loads over 21g of 2400. Win magnum primers, OAL of 1.605". 7.5" Super Redhawk, Chrono from 10' I got:

Average: 1432 fps
High: 1466 fps
Low: 1410 fps

They burnt pretty clean, unlike when I tried to use 2400 with special loads, which made a massive mess.

Sounds like my experiences with IMR4227 in pistol loads for the .41 and .45 Colt... out of the shorter pistol barrels, it was dirty and not that accurate. It’s quite possible if I ramped up the charge they might have cleaned up, but that was not the load I was looking for, I have H110 for that. Now... IMR4227 (and I suspect 2400) performs admirably in a rifle barrel with those cartridges, and that’s where I use them, and just stick with Unique for the pistols.

I recently bought 2# of 2400, and I’ll give them a test drive in the pistols, but I really don’t expect much.

My favorite mid-heavy load powder is 2400. Mostly I only load it with cast bullets with which it excels. My favorite load is 18 grains in the .44 mag, .41 mag and .45 Colt. with the .44 I get 1150 or 1200 fps depending on the revolver the load is fired in. Interestingly, I get higher velocity in my 7-1/2" Ruger .45 Colt BH than I do in the .44 SBH. A 260 grain .45 cast bullet gets a boost to 1250 fps with the same 18 grain charge as in the .44. In my .41 mag BH 6-1/2" it gives 1450 fps with a 220 grain swc. I prefer H110/296 with jacketed slugs.

JO JO said:

I use unique now at 9gr but curious on the 2400 ,

Click to expand...

7.5 gr of unique under a 248 gr cast bullet is a sweet load in my 7 1/2 SBH and 18.5 gr of 2400 is too I no longer shoot full house loads in my 44 or my 41 magnums

yes a little maybe but I'm shooting cast bullets with Lube so that don't help things but i like cleaning them

A guy here would use nothing but 2400 in .44 Magnum. Reducing it to 13 grains left a lot of fouling and gave very erratic velocity; you could hear the difference shot to shot.

I like 13 or 14 grains of 2400 in the .44Spl case... less dead space... more consistent shot to shot.

JO JO said:

for you guys loading 17 to 18.5 grains are you experiencing unburnt powder or a filthy load ?

Click to expand...

Combustion efficiency with gunpowder has never been 100% in my experience. There are always powder particles out in front, on the bench, after I shoot magnums, with slow burning powders. The way to fix this, is to run insanely high pressures and high temperatures. Powders such as Titegroup have a reputation for "clean" burning but it does so by having a sharp pressure curve and high combustion temperatures. Which is fine in target applications. I know Bullseye Pistol shooters who use a lot of Titegroup. But, their rounds will just function a 45 ACP. No one runs Titegroup at magnum velocities, at least, not twice.

Clearly too much powder in the case, could have been Titegroup.

Another good powder to try for middle of the road loads in your 44 magnum is Blue Dot

Let's just say I was goofing around with 2400 this weekend and let's just say that I got a 240g lead projectile to slightly over 1600 fps from my s.redhawk.

Let's also say that I do not plan on doing that again as my palm was less than happy about that...

Average: 1614 fps
High: 1600 fps
Low: 1634 fps

I don't think I'm going to post load data on that one...not 100% it is a safe load (although my revolver handled them just fine).