Those of you that use 2400 for magnum pistol applications.....

[Ben Shepherd]

Another thread has me curious-

Do you use magnum or standard primers with this powder?
Why?

 

[The Bushmaster]

I have always used magnum primers with 2400. Either CCI-550 or WSPM.

 

[Bula]

I've only used WLP on 44 mag and WSP on 357 with good results.

 

[Bacchus]

I use Wincester large primers for loads with 2400, no magnum primers. Haven't really found the need for magnum primers yet.

 

[m0ntels]

Another for regular large and small Winchester primers here. I've used the 2400 in 41mag, 357, and 38 special.

The Winchester larges are technically magnum anyway according to them, and the Win line of primers is supposedly on the hotter side to begin with. They've always worked for me, and it cuts down on the risk of grabbing magnum primers instead of standard.

Randy

 

[Steve C]

Years ago I was using magnum primers w/ 2400 just like the Speer #10 listed. While working my loads up in the .357 mag w/ 158gr jacketed bullets I was seeing pressure signs, pierced and cratered primers, at charges below the maximum. If I remember correctly the pressure signs where apearing at 13.5grs so for many years my 2400 load was 13.0 grs with 158gr JHP/JSP bullets leaving me rather confused as to why the manuals listed 14 to 14.5grs as maximum. Chrono's where not available at the time so I'd never found out what the velocity was but they kicked like factory 158's to the assumption was they where close to facotory. I was using CCI mag primers at that time.

A couple years ago I purchased a Speer #13 manual and they specifically said to use only standard primers with 2400 and that you would get high pressure with magnums. Well I switched to standard primers and now with a chrono I found 14.0grs of 2400 and CCI300 standard primers pushes the Winchester158gr JHP's over the chrono at 1,243 fps from my 4" M66 about right at what the factory balistics list. Speer says you can go to 14.5grs but my goal for the most part is to match factory balistics so I'm happy at 14.0grs.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

My pet load for 357 is beyond that with 2400. It's listed in older books, and works wonderfully in my rugers. But even with the soft federal magnum small primers I get no pressure signs running enough 2400 to hit 1550 with an oregon trail or home cast 158 HCSWC. Very consistant velocity over the chrono as well. Accuracy is top-notch. No to minimal leading.

Magnum primers have worked well for years for me in 357, 41, and 44 mags with 2400. It was specifically the speer #13 that caused me to ponder this.

So that's why I started this thread, I wanted to get other folks experiences.

Anyone ever load an identical charge weight with standard and magnum primers just to see the difference?

 

[Wil Terry]

HERCULES/ALLIANT HAS STATED FOR DECADES 2400 DOES NOT REQUIRE MAGNUM PRIMERS.

And I assure you it does not.
Winchester's WLP primers are MAGNUM primers as they are the 7M-111F W-W primers from days gone by. When winchester went with the letter designations WSP,WLR etc etc they dropped their standard large pistol primer and went exclusively with the WLP as it worked just fine in the 45ACP or the 44MAG, and all the others concerned.

 

[molonlabe]

Steve, You just explained why my primers blew out (hole where the firing pin hit) on 13 gr since it was below max. I switched to 296 years ago because of that in spite of everyone raving about 2400.

 

[Brian Williams]

I just use regular primers for both 2400 and Lil'gun. I do not use either 296 or 110.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Mr. Terry,

I understand that winchester does the *one-size-fits all* thing with thiers. But what about federal, remington, etc, as they have both? My preference is federal. Should I consider something else?

You guys up there building all that high end hot-rod stuff don't use magnum primers with 2400 then?

 

[BruceB]

Going all the way back to Saint Elmer, we find that he also recommended standard-type (not magnum) primers in his almost-legendary .44 loads with 2400.

Even in Arctic conditions (Canadian Arctic, that is), standard primers gave me 100%-reliable performance with 2400 over many years.

This is yet another reason I use 2400, beside the fact that I use a great deal of it in cast-bullet rifle loads and it's always on hand in large quantities. GOOD stuff! I have a close friend who swears that he puts it on his oatmeal every morning. He's past 70 years now, spry as the dickens....maybe he has something there!

 

[kludge]

I recently loaded some .454 Casull with 240 and 300gr XTP-M. I used the start load (per Hornady) and WSR primers. The tray says "for standard and magnum loads" or some such.

The primers came out flat. I was surprised. The primers of some Magtech ammo I also purchased were not flat. If I were to go for max loads (I'm not), I would definitely use magnum primers in the future.

 

[MCgunner]

Years ago I was using magnum primers w/ 2400 just like the Speer #10 listed. While working my loads up in the .357 mag w/ 158gr jacketed bullets I was seeing pressure signs, pierced and cratered primers, at charges below the maximum. If I remember correctly the pressure signs where apearing at 13.5grs so for many years my 2400 load was 13.0 grs with 158gr JHP/JSP bullets leaving me rather confused as to why the manuals listed 14 to 14.5grs as maximum.

I had the same experience. I use Winchester WSP in .357 now and get no high pressure signs with 14.5 grains 2400 behind a Lee gas checked 158 SWC. It's hot, has killed deer, and is accurate in my Ruger Blackhawk and pretty accurate in my two Taurus revolvers. I limit the round count in the Taurus revolvers, but it extracts smooth, no stickiness, no stretched primer pockets, no cratering of the primer or holing like I was getting with the magnum primers. It's an outdoor carry load, so I kept it hot.

I even use standard large pistol primers in my .30-30 with IMR 3031! Works great! I can't seem to get rifle primers to cap consistently with it in my Contender, lots of light primer hits. Large pistol primers work 100 percent and I've seen 1.5 moa with 'em in that gun and good shot string standard deviations. Funny thing, the thing shoots factory loads just fine. Go figure. It's not high primers, either, because I made sure of that.

 

[roo_ster]

Standard primers with 2400 in .357...magnum primers with Trail Boss in .357.

 

[YodaVader]

Anyone ever load an identical charge weight with standard and magnum primers just to see the difference?

Yep - see attachment shot with 686 357 Mag. These days I almost always use 296 , H110 and an old lot of AA#9 and it is not too difficult to get results like the right hand target. Shot 25 yards with bags and scope. The standard primer group is closer to the groups I usually see at 50 yards.

For 44 mag loads using 2400 I use Winchester Std or Mag primer (WLP).

 

[GaryL]

Yep - see attachment shot with 686 357 Mag.

Having recently picked up some 2400 fairly cheap, I'm liking the looks of that target on the right.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Yoda- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me you ran those groups over a chrono?

As far as accuracy, that's WHY I run magnum primers. They seem more accurate in my guns. But speers current manual says they get better results with standard primers.

So how to I get better groups with magnums if I'm getting poorer ingnition characteristics with them?

Back when I was trying standard primers, I didn't own a chrono. So I never ran them for velocity difference, I just went with the more accurate combo. And I've stayed with it since.

 

[huntershooter]

I've always used CCI Standard LP (I think they are 300's) with 2400 in .41 & .44 Mag. My pistols were more accurate with the CCI's than Win. LP with same powder charge/bullet.

 

[Hook686]

I use 2400, for .44 magnum, where I use WLP primers, simply because the manual so indicated, and it works. I've continued using WLP primers, even when magnum primers, CCI, or Federal, were indicated. The WLP seem to indicate, for standard and magnum application. I've had no problems.

For .357 I use the WSP primer for my 2400 loads. At first, this was simply because that is what I had (for the .357magnum, pre .44 magnum, I was using Unique ... still do ... and the Unique reloads did not call for magnum primers). I've experienced no problems, using the standard primer, so I continue to use the 2400 and WSP primers, when reloading for my .357 magnum.

 

[bakert]

I've always used WLP primers with no problems in all big bores, but I too had problems with Win small magnum primers flattening with 2400 in .357. Never a problem with CCIs. In fact some years ago when the was a primer shortage in my area I used the CCI small magnum primer in everything I loaded, 9MM, .38Sp, and .357 mag because they were all I had at the time. Accurate Arms has a warning in their manual Number Two about using the Win Small magnum pistol primers with with their powders because they are hotter than others..

 

[YodaVader]

Yoda- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me you ran those groups over a chrono?

In my 18 years of reloading a chrono is something that I am still without! It might be something I will get one of these days , especially now that I am reloading a lot of .223 rifle.

The 2400 load I used was pretty much right in the middle of the load range. Hornady listed the Winchester WSPM (magnum) primer for use in their 357 mag data.