You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
2400 vs h110-44mag?
- Thread starter axis223
- Start date
Pathfinder45
New member
I prefer AA-9 over 2400; and 4227 over H-110.
black mamba
New member
Accurate 4100 is slower than #9, so would be even better for rifle length barrels. Very clean burning, meters great, with great accuracy and velocity, if you can find some try it.
NoSecondBest
New member
Your first priority is to find the load that shoots the best out of your gun. There are many powders that will work very well in this caliber in a long gun or a handgun. They don't all produce the same results on a target. Any of them are more than adequate for deer hunting and none of them are going to make it a flat shooting varmit round. The advantage of 2400 is that it can be used over a wider range than 296/110. The use of 296/110 requires using a max or nearly max powder charge for this powder to work properly....check this out in any loading manual for verification. I've had excellent results with both but some guns shot one a bit better than the other. I've killed an awful lot of deer with a handgun, and more than a few with a 44mag. Most of the ones I've killed were killed with a 357mag in a handgun. I can guarantee you that any 44mag load will out perform the 357mag and the 357mag has worked well for me on over fifty whitetails to date (well over forty years of use with the handgun). Just get some of both and find your best load.
I'll second what NoSecondBest said about the powders. 2400 downloads better, H110/W296 is best run @ nearly to full throttle. Find which one your gun likes best with your chosen bullet.
Of course there are other suitable powders to choose from too: 4227, AA#9, AA4100 just to name 3.
Of course there are other suitable powders to choose from too: 4227, AA#9, AA4100 just to name 3.
buck460XVR
New member
If you are loading for a rifle only, I'd suggest trying some IMR4227. Like 2400 it can be safely downloaded if wanted, but performs better for me than 2400 at legitimate hunting velocities.
I liked the versatility of slightly faster powders over H110/W296, 2400 being my favorite, and I loaded a lot with Blue Dot and Unique. Also, after I got over my "Magnumitis", I found no need to try and squeeze a few extra fps outta any load. Any good, accurate loaded 240-250 gr LSWC traveling at around 1,000 fps out od a short rifle will dispatch any deer shot at .44 Magnum distances...
Axis223, what gun are you loading for?
Lever, Bolt or semi?
Lever action I use a heavy lead and stay under 100 yards. The Penn thunder head that I load for a friend is very accurate and devastating on white tail’s. https://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html. We use 4227 for it.
For my Ruger 77/44 bolt I gave up on the Hornady FTX otherwise known as the leverlution. The loaded ammo might be OK but they are very difficult to load the bullet into a case without deforming the FLEX tip and the jacket.
The XTP on the other hand is very accurate in my Ruger but needs to be near the top of the pressure curve. But the best bullet for mine is the Penn 240 TCBB
https://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html
Over all I am a firm believer in lead bullets for hunting when using pistol caliber rifles like the 44. With Jacketed bullets running from 35 to 50 cents per and very high end lead running at 10 cents a round you can shoot a lot more lead. I don’t hunt anymore (married an animal rights lady)
(my gain) but I do help others work up loads. I can share loads but they are meaningless in an unknown gun. Any of the powders H110, 4227 and others that were suggested are good powders but you need to try them in your gun to really make a rational decision on what works best for you.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=421367&highlight=77+44
The following is some information on loading the thunderhead for the 45 and gives a very good account for the bullet.
https://www.pennbullets.com/45/45270tndrhd-review.htm
Lever, Bolt or semi?
Lever action I use a heavy lead and stay under 100 yards. The Penn thunder head that I load for a friend is very accurate and devastating on white tail’s. https://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html. We use 4227 for it.
For my Ruger 77/44 bolt I gave up on the Hornady FTX otherwise known as the leverlution. The loaded ammo might be OK but they are very difficult to load the bullet into a case without deforming the FLEX tip and the jacket.
The XTP on the other hand is very accurate in my Ruger but needs to be near the top of the pressure curve. But the best bullet for mine is the Penn 240 TCBB
https://www.pennbullets.com/44/44-caliber.html
Over all I am a firm believer in lead bullets for hunting when using pistol caliber rifles like the 44. With Jacketed bullets running from 35 to 50 cents per and very high end lead running at 10 cents a round you can shoot a lot more lead. I don’t hunt anymore (married an animal rights lady)
(my gain) but I do help others work up loads. I can share loads but they are meaningless in an unknown gun. Any of the powders H110, 4227 and others that were suggested are good powders but you need to try them in your gun to really make a rational decision on what works best for you.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=421367&highlight=77+44
The following is some information on loading the thunderhead for the 45 and gives a very good account for the bullet.
https://www.pennbullets.com/45/45270tndrhd-review.htm
buck460XVR
New member
gentleman at the reloading store said stay away from h110 because I'm new to reloading.
That's B.S. H110/W296, while having very narrow parameters, is very safe within those parameters. It measures like a dream and is impossible to double charge a .44 case with it. When I stared reloading, the old guy that mentored me recommended it, just for those reasons. If one can't follow directions and refuses to follow published loads, any powder is dangerous. I still use a lot of it in .44 mag hunting loads for my revolvers. IMR4227 just performs better in my carbines.
That said, odds are you will not be disappointed with IMR4227. Just stick with bullets weighing 240 gr or more.
I shot both 110 and 2400 years ago.
I hated the 110, nasty blast, fast hard smack.
2400 seemed smoother and better shooting even at max velocity (which was where I was.
So my bias it to 2400, lots of people like H110, I sure didn't.
For my shooting I got better results out of 2400, 3 different guns.
I would not rule out H110 but it sure was not my cup of tea.
I hated the 110, nasty blast, fast hard smack.
2400 seemed smoother and better shooting even at max velocity (which was where I was.
So my bias it to 2400, lots of people like H110, I sure didn't.
For my shooting I got better results out of 2400, 3 different guns.
I would not rule out H110 but it sure was not my cup of tea.
.gentleman at the reloading store said stay away from h110 because I'm new to reloading and go with 4227. easier to work with he said just like some of you guys. although I forgot to pick up a lbs when I was there
Well, this time he wasn't too far off, but and FWIW; I pay very little attention (no) to any forum expert, gun counter clerk, pet loads website, range rat, or gun shop guru whe it pertains to load data and often choosing powders. I get 99% of my load data from my published reloading manuals (each of my manuals also as a section on powders where each powder gets a short description, and "normal" usage). My only reason for no longer using H110/W296 is that it's a full out Magnum powder, not advised to down load. Once I got over my "Magnumitis" I found slightly faster powders, that can be loaded to less than wrist breaking recoil, hot loads. For a new .44 Magnum reloader there's nothing wrong with Unique (after all Unique is the "classic celebrity" load. Kieth's 10 gr. under a 250 gr. LSWC).
Do a bit of reading/research in your reloading manual(s) and research powder manufacturer's websites. Go slow, double check everything, and most important have fun...
buck460XVR
New member
I pay very little attention (no) to any forum expert, gun counter clerk, pet loads website, range rat, or gun shop guru whe it pertains to load data and often choosing powders. I get 99% of my load data from my published reloading manuals (each of my manuals also as a section on powders where each powder gets a short description, and "normal" usage).
While I always verify info gleaned from " forum experts, gun counter clerks, pet loads websites, range rats, or gun shop gurus" with published load manuals, I pay attention when I hear from a majority of them that their opinion of something is similar. This is what mentors and reloading forums are all about......getting info. But there is a big difference between fact and opinion. Your and the "gentleman at the reloading store" have a similar opinion about H110/W296, but the facts are, it is just as safe and easy for new reloaders to use as any powder and in many cases, better. Where folks get into trouble with H110/W296 is when they don't follow directions. H110/W296 will not blow up a .44 mag, even when used with a full case of powder. This is not true of faster burning powders. Where folks get into trouble with H110/W296 is going below published min loads and sticking a bullet in the barrel....and then following up with another shot.
My only reason for no longer using H110/W296 is that it's a full out Magnum powder, not advised to down load. Once I got over my "Magnumitis" I found slightly faster powders, that can be loaded to less than wrist breaking recoil, hot loads.
H110/W296 is and always has been touted as a "full out magnum powder" and for good reason. It and other similar powders are what puts the "Magnum" in a .44 Mag. While downloading .44 mag with faster powders may make for a more pleasant range experience for some shooters, for hunting deer with a rifle, my opinion is one really should load the cartridge to it's potential. One owes that to their quarry. Recoil is not an issue with a .44 carbine, even with legitimate .44 mag loads.
For a new .44 Magnum reloader there's nothing wrong with Unique (after all Unique is the "classic celebrity" load. Kieth's 10 gr. under a 250 gr. LSWC).
Unique is a very versatile powder and I use a lot of it. Every reloader should have a jug of it on their shelf. Still, because of it's tendency to be very inconsistent when thrown from a powder measure, it can be very frustrating for new reloaders and even experienced reloaders that are used to consistent weights. One only needs to search "measuring Unique" to see how common this is. Hard to convince many that .1-.2gr of difference makes for very little difference in performance and then tell them in the next sentence that .1-.2gr of another powder(bullseye for example) is a big no-no. I generally shy new reloaders away from Unique because there are many other options out there that perform just as well, but measure more easily and throw more consistently. Exception would be those newbies using scoops and measuring by volume only and not by weight. That is where Unique really shies, when charged by volume, and why it was preferred back in the day when most folks used a scoop.
Do a bit of reading/research in your reloading manual(s) and research powder manufacturer's websites. Go slow, double check everything, and most important have fun...
....on this, I totally agree. I will add tho, one should always use at least three sources of published info to verify a starting point when developing new loads. What is min in some manuals is over max in others. Having three sources makes so you can throw out the high and low extremes(even if they are proven safe) and start somewhere on similar ground.
Ive been using 4227 in my 629, with my load of a 255 grain cast keith I was ringing a 2' gong at 160 yards yesterday. Put that in a carbine and you've got a wicked deer round. Im not as experienced as my above but so far I have very little to complain about with 4227. I do wish I were just a hair cleaner burning, cause then there would be almost no clean up.
Ive also used a small charge of titegroup to load up plinkers, but in all honesty I think this load would be plenty for small bodied deer of the south.
Ive also used a small charge of titegroup to load up plinkers, but in all honesty I think this load would be plenty for small bodied deer of the south.
When shooting rounds like the 44 in a carbine with >16 inch barrels you want a slow powder like H110 or 2400 or 4227 so you can get the full use of the powder."Magnumitis" I found slightly faster powders, that can be loaded to less than wrist breaking recoil, hot loads.
Wrist breaking? Yes my Ruger 77/44 with upper end H110 loads does have a sharp recoil, I believe that is the point. You want as much energy as you can get as long as its a safe accurate load. And since your hunting who care about recoil even if its a hand gun since your not shooting that many rounds.