[texgunner]

I just started reloading for my .44 mag revolver and Marlin 1894 carbine. I also have a bunch of Hornady XTPs 240gr and Winchester 240gr JSPs. What powders are your favorites for jacketed bullets? I'm looking for plinking loads and full house boomers.

Thanks, Tex

[Hutch]

Full house = H110. Plinkers, any medium rate powder, like Unique or AA#5. Never had much luck with Universal Clays, but it's supposed to like Unique, but cleaner burning.

[ftierson]

H110 is exactly what you need, especially for a carbine...

Forrest

[brentwal]

W296

[dwave]

Another one for H110.

[jcjacobvt]

Same powder as I have used for the last 30 years for .45 ACP, .45 LC, 10mm, .44 mag, .40 S&W, .357 mag, .38 special, 9x19mm and .380 ACP. Bullseye.

[neal7250]

H-110 and never look back:D;)

[cottonmouth]

I'll cast a vote for 2400 in magnum loads and Unique for the mild ones.

J.B.

[Idano]

Yup H-110 rules for 44 mag

[ftierson]

Of course, keep in mind that H110 and W296 are the same powder...

Forrest

[depoloni]

Cast my vote for 2400.

If 50-100 extra fps (in my carbine and pistols at least) MUST be had to kill the animal for you with a LOT less flexibility and far more sensitivity, then go with H-110/W-296. It *is* my second favorite 44mag powder for full-house loads...

Oh, and second Unique as a great reduced load favorite generally. I personally like W-231 and 2400 for reduced loads but have had great success with Unique as well.

[Walkalong]

Aa #9

[Grumulkin]

I got much better accuracy with 2400 than with H110/Win. 296 in my 44 Rem. Mag.

[loadedround]

I guess I must be a little different than the rest of you guys but I have had a lot of success over the years with "Bluedot" for non maximum loads. If I were to load max, then I would defintely use W-W 296. JMHO. :)

[moxie]

Fairly light loads, Unique. Hot loads, 2400.

[Mal H]

H110 or W296 whichever is cheaper at the time when I need some more.

I've never had much need or use for plinking loads in a .44 Mag; I leave that up to "lesser" calibers.

[ATAShooter]

Herco, 12gr. pushing a 240 JHP. Puts 'em downtown for me ( 629 w/ 8 3/8" )

[gandog56]

2400

[bertus]

Vv N110

[Asherdan]

I load the XTPs as my hunting round. Same rifle as the OPs. Just below max load of 2400 runs 'em to 1750fps for me.

I've used Unique for cast and jacketed range plinkers, push em to 1350fps well under max load. Those are very easy on the shoulder and still good for 100 yard shooting. I used 'em to introduce my son to centerfire cartridges when he was ready to step up from .22lr.

I guess I like the old powders, they haven't given me reason to change.

[huntershooter]

H110 for "full house" loads.
2400/AA#9 and HS-7 for "toned down" loads.

[Hook686]

2400

[texgunner]

Thanks for all the replies. H110 & 2400 seem to be in the lead. I'll probably try both since I like to experiment. I already have some Unique & Bullseye on hand so I'll try those too.

Tex

[Snapping Twig]

I've used 2400 and BD. BD was just plain scarey and I poured it in the garden, never to darken my door again.

2400 is good, but you can get more velocity at lower pressure with heavier bullets using H110/W296, and I do.

I rarely use jacketed bullets since premium cast are easy to make and CHEAP.

So, go with H110/W296, and remember, with this powder you need a STRONG crimp, magnum primers are NOT necessary, but a consistend, strong crimp is.

[DEDON45]

I use H110 in full house loads... like another poster said, it doesn't make sense to me to create "plinking" .44 Mag loads, so I've not tried another powder...

Remember, with H110, do not reduce your loads below max by more than 3% (this is a warning printed in the Hodgdon manual; the loads shown in my Hornady Manual for this powder adhere to the same rule)... and, as another poster said, Magnum primers are not necessary... my testing has revealed that Magtech 2 1/2, Remington 2 1/2 primers are the most consistent (for me, in my gun), though magnum CCI primers do increase the fps a little. WLPs work fine too, though I found them to be the most inconsistent in my gun with my loads. I load all my .44Mag loads with Magtech primers, cheap and good. Oh, and definitely agree on the strong crimp... unless you like flame-cutting your top strap!

[texgunner]

I've never had much need or use for plinking loads in a .44 Mag; I leave that up to "lesser" calibers.

I use H110 in full house loads... like another poster said, it doesn't make sense to me to create "plinking" .44 Mag loads, so I've not tried another powder...

That actually does make sense when you think about it. I'll definitely keep that in mind. After all it is a .44 Magnum.

Tex

[DEDON45]

:evil:

Gotta Love It!

[tlen]

+1 for HERCO.

[adkpete]

Another vote for 2400

[wally]

I like Blue Dot, also good for full house loads in .357Mag & 10mm.

+1 to Unique if you don't need maximum blast loads. It'll load well for about any handgun.

--wally.

[KI.W.]

Bertus,the new member is specialist. The moust clean burning VihtaVuori N-110 is
best in the whole worl.....I must tell, don´t use it please, because it is too difficult to find it here in Finland. Use your H-110 and clean hard you guns. :uhoh: :cuss: :uhoh:

[ShunZu]

Unique for low pressure plinking loads, 2400 when I feel the need for speed.

[facedown]

2400 for full-house loads
Unique for target loads
Blue Dot for fun loads (try shooting these at night!)

[sargenv]

Something I have not seen loads for is Hodgdon Lil gun. I have 2 pounds of it and will be working up some heavy bullet loads with it when I get the time with my 657. Otherwise H110, 2400, 296, and um.. Accurate #9 are all good magnum powders. Blue Dot is a little on the high nitro content side and can possibly cause flame cutting issues (top strap) if used a lot. Don't get me wrong, I've used a fair amount of Blue Dot.

Also if you like to use non-canister grade surplus, WC 820 can be utilized but you have to work up your load between batches. It is a little bit different. I think it can be had for $9/pound for pulldown and $10/pound for new. That price is without hazmat.

[DEDON45]

Yeah, forgot... my buddy likes running #9 in max loads in his Blackhawk... they clock about what my loads with H110 do.

[Remo-99]

In Aust. we are blessed by ADI powders, they are a very clean burning and consistant powder. We do have USA powders here, but at a premium price to australian reloaders, so it's hard to look past a local product that works well. In 44mag loads i'll use ADI AP100 (a slow burning magnum pistol powder similar to Herco) for 240 grainers, ADI AR2205 (a fast burning rifle powder similar to 2400) for +300 grainers and in longer barrels like carbines etc. And for target loads i use a small charge of ADI AS30 (fast burning shotgun/pistol powder similar to Red Dot) for lead 200-240 grainers

[aerod1]

2400 is working well for me.

[GP100man]

i hunt with a Redhawk all season with a GP100 for back up (close shots) & Herco under a 200gr xtp worked so good i had to try 800x & man it was unreal accurate , but a pain to measure but for a few huntin rounds i`ll trickle each one !!!!


GP100man

[CHEVELLE427]

2400 ,h110 ,unique....:rolleyes:

[454PB]

Bluedot for midrange, Lil'Gun, H-110, WW296, and WC820 for serious M.E..

[Lashlarue]

Hogdon 110, impossible to overload in 44magnum. My hottest load uses a compressed charge of Hogdon110behind a 180 gr JHP.My book calls for 29 grains of powder, at normal bullet depths you can get 29.25 grains in the case.Be sure you keep rifle and pistol rounds separate. In a 4.75 " Uberti my son in law ended up with as nasty cut on his forehead...

[DEDON45]

I've been tinkering with H110 max loads in my Redhawk... I think LashLarue may be right... it seems to keep wanting more powder. I'm at max now (Hornady manual with the XTP, which I use, shows 24.8 as the max) ... and there seems to be more room. I may try 25.0 (working up slowly). I am using a chrono, so I'll be able to see when the velocity gain stops keeping up with the added powder... from what I understand that's a good indicator as to when you are really reaching the end... any thoughts?

[MAUSER88]

H110 & Blue dot for me.

[71Commander]

H110 & 2400 for full throttle work and max Blue Dot for a display of pure power.:)

[Lazuris]

2400 for all magnums up to 44. h110 for everything after that.

[lgbloader]

I like H110 with my 357 and 44 mags...They are a blast to shoot with the stuff.

[countryrebel]

240 xtp with 23.5grains of H110 is my load for my marlin and SRH.

[macman38SPL]

VV N110 and N350

[wanderinwalker]

For full-throttle .44 Magnum loads, I've always used and been happy with Winchester 296 powder. Light it with either CCI-350 (Magnum) or standard WLP primers.

For reduced loads for summer fun, I switch to W-231 and whatever cast bullets I feel like buying.

My 629 will shoot 240gr LSWCs @ 950-fps to about the same POI/POA as the full-power loads, at 25 yards. My Marlin 1894 requires a windage change, but no elevation adjustment, at 50 yards, and you'd best shade high at 100 when plinking!

Actually, I think that's half of the fun of shooting the .44. And so far I've only stumbled upon one really bad load (light dose of 231 in a .44 Special case, absolutely terrible accuracy).

Edited: Forgot, my standby jacketed bullet is the 240gr Hornady XTP. I got a box of Nosler 240gr JHPs a few weeks ago and so far have been impressed by their accuracy and lower cost.

[ArchAngelCD]

H110/W296, 2400, Lil'Gun, True Blue and AA#9 are all good powders for Magnum handgun rounds. Some guns will shoot better with one than the other so pick one and see if you get good results. If you do stick with it, if not try another.

Longshot or HS-6 aren't a bad choices for mid-range loads for practice.

I like HS-6 and W296/H110 best in the .44 Magnum...

[achildofthesky]

H110 for jacketed, Unique for cast/lead

Be safe

Patty

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Ditto achildofthesky

[Floppy_D]

I like 2400 and Unique. Haven't tried the H110 yet, but it looks like I might need to.

[lil ski]

Blue dot for hunting and H110 for wrist breaking loads.

[ndh87]

I reload for my Marlin 1894 SS. H-110 has worked pretty well for me.

[ArchAngelCD]

For those who have never used W296/H110 there are a few things you need to know. Both are hard powders to ignite so a Magnum primer is high;y recommended. A very firm is also necessary because they are slow powders. Also, neither reacts well to being downloaded. You should stay up near the top end for the best results. Actually, the less air space in the case the better with W296/H110.

Hodgdon's load data for the .357 Magnum using a 158gr Jacketed bullet and H110 is 16.7gr Max. When I filled a .357 Magnum case with H110 to where the bottom of the bullet would be when seated correctly the charge weighed 16.8gr. I would say that's very close to what Hodgdon is telling you the Max charge is, no?

[DEDON45]

FloppyD, yeah, you'll get a grin on your face with the H110 loads... as ArchAngelCD says, you need to keep the case pretty full with H110; Hodgdon does not recommend that you load anything with H110 (same goes for W296, it's the same powder) more than 3% below max...

As to the primer needed to ignite the H110; I did some testing a while back when the claims that a Magnum primer was necessary (some books use it in their recipes, some don't) to ignite H110. My findings (posted somewhere in this forum) were that everything I tried worked fine. I tried Magtech Large Pistol Primers (these were the most consistent in my gun, with my brass and 240gr XTP bullets--surprising, yes, as the Magtechs were less expensive), CCI Magnum, CCI Standard, and WLP primers. All worked OK, with WLP being the least consistent. I did get like 20fps more with the CCI Magnum primer. I tried putting the gun in a cooler (in a sealed bag, and it's stainless, which I cleaned well after the test), along with some test ammo and a bunch of ice for an hour or two before going to the range the second time... all fired OK, velocities were a little lower (normal, given that the first time I shot in near 100 degree temps), no hangfires. I say test 'em all, see what works good for you. A chronograph is a necessity in figuring out this mystery.

At any rate, H110 is a lot of fun to load up in the .44 Mag. I'm probably going to try AA#9 to see if I can go any hotter, but I think I've hit the wall with the .44 Mag... If I feel the need for more power, I can always get a .460... that thing is a cannon... a dude fired that at the range the other day, and I swear it was louder than an AR or .300 Mag rifle with a muzzle brake!

[MAGNUM44]

unique & herco for mid range loads & blue dot or 110 & 2400 for cast loads canyou guys post your loads for midrange and full house loads and the bullets that you are using

[dmazur]

H110. (Believe it or not, also recommended for .410 shotgun...)

[counterclockwise]

.
Speer 240 gr. GDSP (jacketed) over 22 gr. IMR4227;
CC350 mag pistol primer, case trimmed to 1.265;
bullet seated for c.o.l. 1.570; moderate roll crimp;
R-P casings.

[Ala Dan]

Its hard too beat Hodgdon's H-110 for heavy .44 magnum handloads.
I use to think that the old Hercules 2400 was "the king"; until I tried
the H-110~! :scrutiny: ;)

[GJgo]

I use Lil' Gun in my 7" 629 w/ 240gr XTP. Same speed as H110 with less pressure in my gun.

[coolbarrelbill]

W296

[gtim88]

I recently got a 44 mag Marlin 1894ss w/pentax gameseeker 3x9x40 (I think it has the Ballard Riffling). I've tried imr4227, unique, and wc820 in the last 4 range sessions. I water drop wheel weights from a lyman Keith mold (I'm Not sure of the mold number) lubed with LAR 2500. The best results so far have been from wc820; 18gr = 1" to 1.5" @ 60 yds. I'm pretty sure it was moving at over 1450fps. I'll check for MOA white tail come November.

Wc820 is a military surplus powder very close to H110. I don't have any
H110, so I don't know how close it is. Pats reloading say's reduce wc820 by 10% comparred to H110. It is a ball powder and seems to burn more completely with magnum primers.

Info on LAR lubes and surplus powders can be found at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/.

I've only shot paper with cast. If I don't like cast vs's white tail, I have plenty hornady xtp's.

[280shooter]

296 for the 44 mag,
240 gn bullets

[reloader223]

2400 ,Elmer Keiths load.

[ants]

According to this web site http://www.sixguns.com/range/elmersloads.htm
Elmer Keith's 44 mag load for Alliant 2400 powder:

"44 MAGNUM: Keith early settled on 22.0 grains of #2400 with his #429421 bullet for 1225 fps. out of a 4" Smith, 1400+ fps out of a 6 1/2" Smith or 7 1/2" Ruger. These are hunting handloads pure and simple, with this load taking big game all over the world."

Lyman Pistol & Revolver list 18.5 to 20.6 grains max for 2400 under that same bullet at 1.710"oal, at 1248fps from 4-inch barrel universal receiver.

I like H-110 but it only works well for full-house loads in my 7.5" Ruger. It's full-house or nothing.
2400 is much, much more flexible for me, and more accurate than I am.

[parisite]

I just got a good deal on some 800X. Has anybody tried it with cast 240gr bullets?

[High Desert Hunter]

H110 for full house, and Unique for mid-range stuff, I have other calibers for plinking.

Dave

[rockhound758]

I started with 2400 and still like it, but I DIG H110!

[evan price]

Titegroup for poppers.

Accurate #9 for thumpers.

Winchester JSP 240-gr, moderate to firm roll crimp on range brass, CCI Mag LP primer, and 24.0 grains of #9... this is over max, usual warnings apply, try it in a Super Ruger or T/C only!

[MADDOG]

Red Dot---6.5grs. pushing an OT laser cast 200gr. RNFP right at 1000fps. Very accurate.

[pbearperry]

I like 231 for all handgun cartridges.

[243winxb]

W296

[atlanticfire]

H110:evil: