H 110 or lil gun

I suggest H110 for full bore only because I have no experience with Lil gun and H110 has worked for me.

they are the same powder I'm told. so whatever is cheaper.

nix that I was thinking win 296..... sorry. lil gun will push a bullet a bit faster...

I've been using H110 for years in .357 and .44 Mag. It works very well, and runs nicely through a powder measure. It does not seem to like reduced loads.

I have gotten really impressive results from Lil Gun in my Contender barrels in .357 Max. There have been reports of excessive flame cutting when using this powder in revolvers. I have only used it in single-shot guns, so I don't have any direct experience with that.

As noted, another excellent powder is AA#9. Velocities are similar to H110, but it's more forgiving when using less than full powered loads. It's also less flashy and doesn't seem as loud.

GarrettJ said:

There have been reports of excessive flame cutting when using this powder in revolvers.
.

Click to expand...

This is why I do not use Lil' Gun in any of my revolvers anymore. Besides, other than heavy for caliber bullets, I always got better performance and accuracy from H110/W296.

I've always liked H110/W296. I've been using W296 it since 1980 or so.

It always performs well in any new-to-me cartridge that I tried it in.

I tried a pound of Lil Gun 15-20 years ago and it did not set my life on fire, so to speak. It never seemed to match the performance that I was getting with W296.

Lots of folks like it though so maybe I just did not work with it enough.

Lil’gun is hell on forcing cones - no go for me in any revolver I like. Hotter than blazing Hades. In a long gun, a guy has to worry about throat erosion still, but most guys don’t shoot enough with magnum carbines to cash out.

H110/W296, 2400, and 4227 are the only powders I consider for magnum loads, and out of those 3, it’s really only H100/W296.

adcoch1 said:

they are the same powder I'm told. so whatever is cheaper.

Click to expand...

Absolutely not true.

H110 and W296 are the same. Lil’Gun is not.

When i was out of 2400 for my 44 magnum I tried Blue Dot and was glad that I did I found it to be a great substitute for 2400
But out of the two you are asking about and you like full house loads go with the H110 / 296

I vote for h110 for the reasons above, but also because I hate the name lil' gun. What's wrong with Little? Why the backwoods or inner city abbreviation?

I never considered the 44 mag a "lil gun". I looked on my powder burn rate charge and they are right next to each other. Meaning H110 and Lil Gun. Why make a powder with two different names? I use a lot of H110 in 300 BLK and 45 Colt. I vote for it.

Varminterror said:

Lil’gun is hell on forcing cones - no go for me in any revolver I like. Hotter than blazing Hades. In a long gun, a guy has to worry about throat erosion still, but most guys don’t shoot enough with magnum carbines to cash out.

H110/W296, 2400, and 4227 are the only powders I consider for magnum loads, and out of those 3, it’s really only H100/W296.



Absolutely not true.

H110 and W296 are the same. Lil’Gun is not.

Click to expand...

Thanks for reiterating that. Big mistake!

I have about a half pound of Lil Gun. My dad used it in some of his pistols. He didn't like it so he gave it to me. I think I will put it in my fertilizer since I don't have much use for it. H110 is really a go to powder in 45 Colt. Lil Gun not so much.

dh1633pm said:

I never considered the 44 mag a "lil gun". I looked on my powder burn rate charge and they are right next to each other.

Click to expand...

Lil' Gun was originally developed for use in .410 shotgun loads......hence the name. IMHO, Burn rate is over-rated. Many powders out there with two names besides H110/W296. Kinda like why the same truck can be a GMC or a Chevy. It's all about marketing and brand loyalty.

For 44mag I am with the H110/296 crowd. Although I get better results with Lilgun in 22 Hornet.

I have a 480 Ruger that I handload for and for 355gr WNFP bullets Lil'Gun works the best. I've tried 2400,H110 and Enforcer. Other than reduced practice loads of Unique. So far Lil'Gun gets the nod for that particular gun. Don't care much for it in 44Magnum.2400 and Enforcer the are best in my 44Mags. 200&240gr XTP.

H110 for me is the best powder for heavy loads for my .44 mag - loaded close to max published data, it feels and sounds almost like my .500. Most of the time I shoot something less painful though...

I agree with a lot said above. I would choose W296/H110 too.
Nothing wrong with AA#9 either.

I also won't use Lil'Gun in a revolver, it generates way too much heat. I'm using up what I have left for loading .357 Magnum ammo using a 170/180gr bullet for use in my levergun. I probably won't replace it when empty either.

Back in the day when I ran out of 2400 I would use h110 in my 44 mag loads. All ways work well.

adcoch1 said:

Thanks for reiterating that. Big mistake!

Click to expand...

Idk what’s up with my phone lately - I’m not getting up-to-date posts within threads a lot. Didn’t mean to beat a dead horse on that one.

Varminterror said:

Idk what’s up with my phone lately - I’m not getting up-to-date posts within threads a lot. Didn’t mean to beat a dead horse on that one.

Click to expand...

My phone's been glitchy too, but that mistake needed to be pointed out. I should have deleted the post. Thanks for the catch.