2400 & H110 in Magnums

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Rodentman

Rodentman

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I have new Remington 44 mag brass, H110, 2400, Fed LP Mag primers, and Speer 240g GDHP bullets. How much leeway do I have with the powder loads?

I have read that with H110 you can't cut it back much if at all. With 2400 you still need 90% cartridge fill for proper ignition. I am aware that overcharging is dangerous, but now I learn that undercharging is as well especially with these powders.

I know to RTFM but I am looking for some experienced views on this matter. I was told to follow the manual exactly as to brand of primer, brass, and bullet. Don't I have some leeway with brands in those areas?

Any advice is welcomed. I won't be loading any .44 mags until I feel confident that I am on solid footing. I am not afraid to fire full house loads. I'm not looking to wimp out, but can't I go a bit below max?
 
You need to really pay attention to the 296/H110 data. You reduce 3 percent and work back up. It is a great powder for high velocity 44 Magnum loads. Go crosscheck the data at the Hodgdon web site. If you are loading 2400 then consult the Speer 14th, or look at the data online at the Alliant web site for cross checking.
 
OK I have Speer 14. Page 952 shows a start load of 22.0g of H110 with the bullets I have and LP mag primers.

Guess it's that simple. Backing off 3% would be 21.34g. I can start with that. Hodgdon lists 23.0 g H110 and warns against backing off more than 3%. Maybe I'll start with 22.0g as that seems to be consistent with the 2 sources.
 
You should be fine. I load 23.5 grains of H110 under a 240 grain bullet for hunting. For bowling pins, I back off a half a grain to 23. Both shoot well outta my PC 629 with no signs of excess pressure. I use the WLP primers that are good for standard and magnum loads.
 
Ive had great success with Alliant 2400 in .44 Mag. It's been around forever, and still has a huge following. I don't care for H110 as much because its not as versatile as far as lighter loads go, and a "magnum" primer is required for proper ignition. You can use a "standard" primer with 2400 with absolutely no problems.
 
+1 for the 2400 im using it for my hunting loads. In my guns 20 grn under 240 grn pill 22 under 200grn pill with no problems the 240grn are running 1250rpm out of a super blackhawk 71/2 barrel. I havent checked the 200grn yet. with CCI Large pistole primers. and mixed brass.
 
Ive had great success with Alliant 2400 in .44 Mag. It's been around forever, and still has a huge following. I don't care for H110 as much because its not as versatile as far as lighter loads go, and a "magnum" primer is required for proper ignition. You can use a "standard" primer with 2400 with absolutely no problems.
Click to expand...

Alot of people feel this way and I can certainly appreciate that. That said, I load with H110.

LGB
 
I have read that with H110 you can't cut it back much if at all. With 2400 you still need 90% cartridge fill for proper ignition. I am aware that overcharging is dangerous, but now I learn that undercharging is as well especially with these powders.

I know to RTFM but I am looking for some experienced views on this matter. I was told to follow the manual exactly as to brand of primer, brass, and bullet. Don't I have some leeway with brands in those areas?

I'm not looking to wimp out, but can't I go a bit below max?
Click to expand...

H110/Win. 296 is the powder I use for 44 Mag. loads. You can use large pistol or large pistol magnum primers. Unless you're up toward the maximum published load, you can use any brand of brass or primers that you like. If you stay at or above the published minimum load you will do fine; if you go lower than that you may get hang fires. I've never gone lower than minimum recommend loads so I don't know if hang fires really happen and don't really want to know. You can also use any bullet you like as long as the weight is the same and construction is similar.

Of course, all the usual precautions about evaluating pressure in your gun apply and unless you're a very experienced handloader NEVER go above published maximum loads. If you get sticky ejection or pierced primers, your load is too hot. If there is a lot of powder residue in the barrel after firing, the load is probably pretty mild.
 
Rodentman am I reading your reply#3 correctly.You are going to back off the start load by 3%.

The 3% rule for W296 & H110 is for max.load listings.The suggested start is exactly that and not to be reduced.
 
When using H110/W296 I don't go below any published loads. Don't back off of the start loads. When only a max load is listed don't reduce it by more than 3%.

Use a heavy crimp with this powder no matter which load you pick.
 
OK I understand not to go below the minimum. Thanks for the correction. I will follow the manuals and the advice.....
 
I used 22.0g H110 with the Speer 240g bullets and mg primers.

Had great fun at the range with no problems. May go up to 22.5g. Speer lists 22-24 as the range.

Met a guy at the range who was curious what I was shooting saying he had never fired a revolver before. He has now and was duly impressed.
 
Rodentman welcome aboard sir these range encounters will become more common place as you progress in this"hobby".

Now as to your 2400 powder you may find that Alliant powders light quite readily and may be better lite with a standard primer.
 
The only mistake I made was firing some lead .44 sp yesterday. Took me 2 hours to get the lead out of the barrel. I think I am done with lead bullets.
 
2400 is a much more forgiving powder than H110/296 and more consistent velocities from my experiences.
I've loaded as low as 17gr of 2400 with no ill effects.

But as of late I've done quite a bit of experimentation, and in 44 Mag if I want to load any level below a full house load I'm going to use Bullseye. Very consistent and clean burning at high pressures and none more accurate.
I found some Lee data that lists 9.8gr as max. I tried 9.4gr and got over 1300fps. I didn't want to go any further. I've settled on my target/plinking load as 7.5gr. Just under 1,000fps. As accurate a load of any caliber I've ever seen. Very nice to shoot but still enough punch to let you know you're shooting a 44.

Also 240gr SWC cast lead bullets is all I use in 44 Mag with no leading even at max. I buy them $60 per 1000 plus shipping.
 
Last edited:
From Rodentman
The only mistake I made was firing some lead .44 sp yesterday. Took me 2 hours to get the lead out of the barrel. I think I am done with lead bullets
Click to expand...

That's a pity, I've shot nearly a thousand Lyman 429421 through a Ruger Super Black Hawk and a TC contender 14, all loaded to fit somewhere into the gray area between 44 Special & 44 Mag. with nary a bit of trouble with leading.

OTOH, I did (first) briefly try (un-named) swaged lead bullets with MISERABLE results. Recently I've heard that the (un-named) manufacturer had switched to a much better lube and fixed the problem. So I wouldn't completely dismiss swaged lead bullets.
 
Well, I've got at least 1k lead bullets (Cowboy #5 from MO bullets) so I won't give up yet. Maybe 8g Unique is too much.

I ordered a Lewis lead cleaning kit and if that cuts the cleaning time, I'm OK with the lead. I'll cut the powder if necessary, but I thought I'd have less leading.
 
Cowboy load bullets from Missouri Bullets are made from very soft lead and only meant to be shot around 600-750fps. You might get by with a little more but not much.
 
Yeah, you're right. I should have ordered the Brinnel 18 instead of the cowboy at 12. Well, they're cheap enough, but I have 1,500 of the cowboy...
 
FWIW Elmer Keith designed the 44 magnum round around 22 grains of 2400 and a ~250gr bullet. I use 2400 for my big magnum rounds and I really like it in all my 44 mag revolvers.

If you use lower charges it's a very dirty powder. I've used it on 240gr bullets as low as 15 grains but had lots of unburned powder. I like 2400 partly because of the higher velocities, but it also lights up the range and shakes the ground.

As an added bonus for clean burning use a firm roll crimp on your rounds.

-MW
 
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