[dubious]

Hi guys, I've been playing with this grizzly load in my Redhawk:

310 GR Trueshot Hardcast with H110 powder 18.0gr (1.18cc) 1266fps

It's the lightest charge Hodgon recommends... but it's still too much for me to control, plus I've been getting flat primers. I want to back off the charge a bit. Is there any reason why going under the minimum charge could be dangerous?

[1KPerDay]

Only if the bear eats you...

[44and45]

Warning to all handgunners who encounter bears wearing smokey hats, they are not warning you about preventing forest fires...they just want to look cute as they knock the .44 magnum out of your trembling hands, then make bear poop out of you.

Jim

[mavracer]

It's the lightest charge Hodgon recommends... but it's still too much for me to control, plus I've been getting flat primers. I want to back off the charge a bit. Is there any reason why going under the minimum charge could be dangerous?
yes H110 and ww296 don't take kindly to airspace most loading manuels say don't reduce charges with these powders.

[dubious]

Har Har... it's not REALLY for Grizzlys, I just call it that cuz it's a BEAST. :evil:

Also it's the lightest charge Hogdon recommends for THAT size bullet. There are lighter charges.

[PaulTX]

Try 2400 - you can go lighter with it.

Paul

[zxcvbob]

Use Herco or 2400 powder. They are both good for heavy cast bullet loads, and you can adjust them up and down -- unlike H110 and 296 that must always be used full-throttle.

[Sunray]

"...why going under the minimum charge could be dangerous?..." The pressures get weird and the powder can actually detonate as opposed to the powder burning.
"...too much for me to control..." That'd be reason enough not to use that bullet weight. Use a lighter bullet with a different powder.

[campbell]

Like others have said, H110 does not work well when reduced.

In addition to 2400, AA#9 is also a faster powder that can be used with reduced loads.

http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/Accurate%20v322%20web%20publication.pdf

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree 2400 would be a better choice if you want to reduce the load. The bonus with 2400, you don't need a Magnum primer like with W296/H110.

[Hank Dodge]

Yep....22 grains of 2400 under a 240-250 grain slug w/ a std. large pistol primer works quite well. Very consistant, plenty of power, and not that bad to hold onto.

[ArchAngelCD]

Yep....22 grains of 2400 under a 240-250 grain slug w/ a std. large pistol primer works quite well. Very consistant, plenty of power, and not that bad to hold onto.
Hank,
He's loading a 310gr Hard Cast Lead bullet, not a 240/250gr bullet. The charge you recommended is at the upper end of the scale and will have a heavy felt recoil but he's looking for a lighter load, not a heavy load.

dubious,
Start with a charge of 12.5gr 2400 and work your way up to ~14gr 2400 and see how they feel to you and how accurate the different loads are. I'm guessing you are going to find that 13.0 to 13.2gr 2400 will make a really nice woods carry load that will be accurate and not too stout.

If you have any Hodgdon HS-6 on hand that powder will also do a good job, especially with a lead bullet. It's also a low flash powder when compared to most of the powders on the market. I use HS-6 a lot now for lead rounds and find it to be a very accurate powder.

Always double check any load data you get from people you don't know over the Internet. Even though I'm careful when posting load data mistakes when typing can and do happen. Even if they mean well a typo is always possible so double check for yourself before using the data.

[DEDON45]

I run 19gr of H110 under a 300gr. bullet, actually less felt recoil than my 240gr load.

[cmidkiff]

Another vote for 2400. You can vary it quite a bit, but if you go too low with it, you'll get unburned powder.

If you need to go really low recoil in a .44, try trail boss.

If that big bullet is too much for you, you can reduce the recoil by reducing bullet weight just as easily as you can by reducing pressure. A 240g slug at a similar velocity to what you are loading now should feel better in the hand, and will retain plenty of penetration.

There's something remarkable about reloading for revolvers... you can take a single gun and make it suitable for all sorts of different uses.

[Hank Dodge]

"He's loading a 310gr Hard Cast Lead bullet, not a 240/250gr bullet. The charge you recommended is at the upper end of the scale and will have a heavy felt recoil but he's looking for a lighter load, not a heavy load."



Didn't mean to confuse the issue. I thought that a 310 grain slug is just too heavy to be useful in daily application and much prefer the 250 grain slug as an overall general round. He was looking for something solid, yet with less thump than the load he was using; so, I thought that I'd toss out a good 250 grain load for him to try.


Hank

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

I have had good results using Lilgun with my .454 I checked Hodgdon website and could only find data for the 44mag using either 300 jacketed or 325 grain cast 1 i would think that the data for the 325 grain cast would be safe with a 310 grain bullet ! that would be a charge of 17 -20 grains of LilGun ! Lilgun is a little bulier than h-110 so it should fill the case well ! Kevin

[Harley Quinn]

I would try 2400 also, a max load and compressed at that is mostly what I shot out of 44 using a 240 bullet.

Here is a load page for the bullet and various powders:

http://www.reloadammo.com/44loads.htm

Hope it helps.:)

[Shoney]

dubious posted this:
Har Har... it's not REALLY for Grizzlys, I just call it that cuz it's a BEAST.Great! Lucky you! Now you won't have to file off your front site.

Another vote for 2400.

[Clark]

H110 will work with reduced loads, especially with heavy bullets, if given a good roll crimp.

In "Speer 8" the 44 special loads cut 10 grains off the 44 mag loads with H110.

I have had trouble with H110:
45 Colt 25 gr H110 250 gr XTP kicks like a mule.
45 Colt 20 gr H110 250 gr XTP works with a good roll crimp.
45 Colt 21 gr H110 250 gr XTP powder does not ignite, bullet lodges in forcing cone and jams revolver.

[Sport45]

If you want to load those bullets at less-than-magnum velocity for more controllability try Unique. You may be able to find a Trail Boss load as well.

I tried Trail Boss in my .45C, but went back to Unique for 255gr loads. Never tried the 300+ grain bullets that would be closer to what you're shooting.

[Harley Quinn]

Unique, Herco and 2400 are all good powders, some like them for different reasons. You could get a double load of "Unique" in the cartridge if not careful, why I like 2400. When ever I loaded close to max I always weigh each load. If you are not close to max than it is not really that important.

But I would test every once in a while to see they are the same in a 50 round load up. Maybe first then middle and last. When working up a good load I never loaded more than 5 for testing and made sure of my product.

Another link that might help:

http://www.reloadammo.com/rel-powd.htm

:)

[ArchAngelCD]

Didn't mean to confuse the issue. I thought that a 310 grain slug is just too heavy to be useful in daily application and much prefer the 250 grain slug as an overall general round. He was looking for something solid, yet with less thump than the load he was using; so, I thought that I'd toss out a good 250 grain load for him to try.
Hank,
Sorry I didn't know what you meant in your first post. That makes a lot of sense and will probably help.