Glad I did this... saved some money too!

[Col. Harrumph]

I was all set to drive over an hour to Kittery Trading Post tomorrow to pick up some 2400, the "go to" powder for 357 Mag (at least, that's what all you experts say). But with time on my hands today I entered some numbers from Lyman's reloading bible, 49th edition, and made a scatter plot. Looks like the pressure:velocity relationship really favors H110, doesn't it? And I have plenty of that on hand. (Yay!)

EDIT: as AJC noted below, the Y axis should be CUP not PSI.

 

[bfalcon00]

I would run more sources than just the one manual. That being said, I don't think you could go wrong with H110. Though I use 2400 myself, both have a good reputation in the straight wall magnums.

 

[PapaG]

2400 has been my go to since about 1958. 357, 44, even 45 Colt plus cast in 22 Hornet, 30-30, and 30-06 and occasionally 45-70. I see no reason to change. Many ground hogs, deer and jugs of water killed. Don't need mag primers and often not even gas checks. Keep your H110/296.

 

[AJC1]

I was all set to drive over an hour to Kittery Trading Post tomorrow to pick up some 2400, the "go to" powder for 357 Mag (at least, that's what all you experts say). But with time on my hands today I entered some numbers from Lyman's reloading bible, 49th edition, and made a scatter plot. Looks like the pressure:velocity relationship really favors H110, doesn't it? And I have plenty of that on hand. (Yay!)
View attachment 1201579

I'm confused the graph is in.psi and the data is in cup. If speed vs pressure is king then lil gun wins

 

[Charlie98]

(at least, that's what all you experts say)

That's not what I would say... but I'm not an expert. You found the answer I would have given you... H110/W296.

 

[shoebox1.1]

I’m taking notes….ive got prolly 150 .357 cases that need a workout.

 

[ericuda]

I enjoy h110 for full power loads and jacketed bullets. Have not played enough with it in lead or coated which I prefer to shoot and use 2400 or unique as not always after highest velocity.

 

[Col. Harrumph]

I'm confused the graph is in.psi and the data is in cup. If speed vs pressure is king then lil gun winsCUP

CUP! I'm embarrassed to see you're right.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

CUP! I'm embarrassed to see you're right.

W296 is a very popular choice for the wheel gun magnums. Mostly because it’s a high nitroglycerin double base ball powder - that means it flows nicely through a mechanical volumetric charge dropper.

The caveat is, it’s a very hot burning powder. It heats a barrel quickly and if you overheat it you can damage the internal structure of the forcing cone where the barrel is thinnest. A little common sense will go a long way.

I shot some older .357 this past Sunday that I loaded with W296 and some old-school 158gr Speer JHP bullets. Mid-2000’s ammo. I shot too many too close together and overheated the barrel to the point where the front sight desoldered itself and I lost it in the tall grass.

I know better but I was having fun and the Pietta I was shooting is a real hoot. It’s going to cost me $20 for a new blade. Worth it!

2400 has better burn rate inhibitors than W296, which is why it downloads nicely and W296 doesn’t.

 

[Show Me]

2400 makes my mag primers last longer. Also HD 38's are historically interesting.

 

[Soonerpesek]

2400 makes my mag primers last longer. Also HD 38's are historically interesting.

Am I reading that correct that you use standard primers with 2400....?
I currently have some loaded with 2400/smp------but if it isn't warranted...............guess I don't know what else I would use 'em for....

 

[bfalcon00]

Yeah that is one of the nice things about 2400. I've never found the need for a magnum primer. It downloads well too.

Downside these days is if you are chasing max velocity, there are better performers. I've never really been one to chase max velocity though so it works well for me.

 

[Show Me]

Am I reading that correct that you use standard primers with 2400....?
I currently have some loaded with 2400/smp------but if it isn't warranted...............guess I don't know what else I would use 'em for....

Ha, I wondered if I'd get a comment. A smarty pants one from you is awesome. Yes the only powder I use mag primers for is 296 h110. Speer shows no mag needed for 2400 in my books. But started that back when I first bought some RCBS molds and their data showed 2400 uses standard on the molds i bought. Not all but mine. So that's what I've done in volume with great success with all bullets. Also no mag primers for HD38 .357 nor any rifle loads. So read up and further your education.

 

[DMW1116]

Sometime you just use what you’ve got. I use 2400 and HS6 for magnum loads in 357. I also use HS6 in 9mm with heavier bullets. I’m half heartedly looking for a replacement for 2400 since it’s rare and pricey now. I don’t shoot it in high volume so I have some left but when it’s gone I’ll see how some other powders stack up. It is accurate, among the best in my Blackhawk. I use standard primers with it as well.

 

[Hartkopf]

A member here once told me that Enforcer is a forgiving version of H110. (We were talking 44MAG at the time). Supposedly Enforcer can get the same velocity but also can be downloaded more and is more forgiving. Last I checked it was WAY cheaper too. I haven’t looked lately though.

 

[JDeere]

H110 is fine for full house loads but does not like being loaded down. H110 also likes magnum primers better. 2400 I can tailor my loads and use regular SPPs which can be found anywhere. I used H110 and SRPs during the plandemic because I ran out of 2400 but I'm good now. I'll reserve my H110 for my my full house .44 mag loads...

 

[Jim Watson]

H110 is fine for full house loads but does not like being loaded down.

Right.
In olden times, the starting load for H110 was -3%. Winchester said not to download 296 at all, use the one top load they published. Including their bullet, brass, and primer.

Now it is -10% like most others.
Did they test and find that was ok, or arbitrarily decide? Did St Marks change the formulation such that you are getting a different powder under the same label?

No 2400 is more flexible and has been used from .38 +P to .357 Atomic. But you can take it too far. A guy here wanted light loads to try CAS, and rather than change powders, just put a LOT less 2400 in his .44 and .45. Ammo was audibly erratic.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Ha, I wondered if I'd get a comment. A smarty pants one from you is awesome. Yes the only powder I use mag primers for is 296 h110. Speer shows no mag needed for 2400 in my books. But started that back when I first bought some RCBS molds and their data showed 2400 uses standard on the molds i bought. Not all but mine. So that's what I've done in volume with great success with all bullets. Also no mag primers for HD38 .357 nor any rifle loads. So read up and further your education.

Uhhhhh……..Thanks…….I guess……

 

[Varminterror]

I shot some older .357 this past Sunday that I loaded with W296 and some old-school 158gr Speer JHP bullets. Mid-2000’s ammo. I shot too many too close together and overheated the barrel to the point where the front sight desoldered itself and I lost it in the tall grass.

Common lead solder melts at over 350F, and silver solder commonly used for gunsights melts over 1150F. Human skin will have injurious burns instantly over 150F, and full thickness skin burns within 30seconds of contact with 130F.

Pretty safe bet the front sight just wasn’t properly soldered from factory, and warming the barrel to less than half of its melting point didn’t cause the sight to fall off.

 

[Starter52]

I wish I still lived within an hour drive of Kittery Trading Post........

 

[Show Me]

I wish I still lived within an hour drive of Kittery Trading Post........

We have a driver go by graffs weekly. Very handy

 

[Charlie98]

General rule of thumb is, if you want max velocity, H110/W296 would be your huckleberry. They don’t download, and Magnum primers are recommended. If you want some breathing room, better powders would be 2400, IMR4227, Enforcer, and probably something like AA#7, or even BlueDot. 2400 and IMR4227 don’t require Magnum primers, but they can help clean up the burn on less than full charges (in my experience.). I don’t know about the other powders… I’m sure it spells it out in the data.

 

[PapaG]

Pros and cons to any powder. LilGun burns much hotter than others. True or not, Freedom Arms expressly warns against it in their expensive revolvers. What I like about 2400 is normal primers, versatility, metering, and you can load midrange with it.

 

[DMW1116]

You can download 2400 a little, but there is a hard floor from what I've found. Trying to push 125 and 158 grain bullets didn't really shape up until the mid-range loads and higher. When I was testing 158 JHP, the more powder I put in, the better it shot. I stopped 0.2 grains short of the Hornady max (for their XTP bullets) because I just didn't want to run with the recoil. Until recently, that was the best shooting load I had in a handgun that didn't involve hollow base wadcutters.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

H110 produces some really accurate loads for me.
I like 2400 for cast bullets and H110/W296 for jacketed stuff.

2400 and IMR4227 don’t require Magnum primers, but they can help clean up the burn on less than full charges (in my experience.

I've gotten some good results with IMR4227, but noticed unburned powder a lot.
I did what you said, and tried it with a magnum primer. It does seem to help.