Did I mess up? 200grn LRN for .44 mag?

[jclayto]

I finally ponied up the money for the .44 mag conversion kit for my press so that I could start shooting my .44 a bit more. I have a 4lb jug of Alliant 2400 just begging to be used and had planned to use that. When placing my midway order yesterday I found an acceptable deal on some 200grn LRN .429's and picked those up as well..

My problem - I am not seeing load data for that bullet powder combination anywhere. I see 2400 used in the .44 often, I see 2400 used with 200grn jacketed round nose and with 230grn LRN. Am I missing some big reason that bullet and powder combination should not go together?

My manuals are a few years old, but I checked a few of the free online load data sites as well with no luck.

Speaking of that - I've been thinking of subscribing to one of the paid load data sites. Are any of them worth it?

[Jimro]

No, you are fine. If there is a load for a 230 gr LRN bullet I doubt that a 15% reduction in weight is going to cause any problems.

Do a normal load workup, use the starting data for the 200 gr JRN bullet and watch for leading. It might turn out to be a bad powder/bullet combination for your gun, but you won't know until you try.

It could also turn out to be an awesome powder/bullet combo for your gun.

Jimro

[Sevens]

I can tell you that 2400 is much more at home in true magnum loads and is meant to run heavy bullets at high speed. Running a light-for-caliber bullet at a low to midrange speed is not the forte of 2400. For that, you'd likely use Unique, Universal or something a little more medium rate.

That's not to say that you can't TRY 2400. I think you'll find that it doesn't offer great performance in that role and you may experience some unburnt powder in your handgun.

[mavracer]

Am I missing some big reason that bullet and powder combination should not go together?

2400 is a slower powder and will work best for the heavier loads in 44 mag your problems will come when in order to use enough 2400 to get a consistant burn you might exceed the velocity that a hard cast bullet will take without leading badly. But like Jimro said won't hurt much to try.

[FrankenMauser]

Note the complete lack of magnum powders here:

Bullet Weight (Gr.)	Manufacturer	Powder	Bullet Diam.	C.O.L.	Grs.	Vel. (ft/s)	Pressure	Grs.	Vel. (ft/s)	Pressure	  	  
200 GR. LRNFP CAST 	Hodgdon 	Universal 	.430" 	1.570" 	6.8 	1065 	10,500 CUP 	7.8 	1209 	15,400 CUP 	  	  
200 GR. LRNFP CAST 	Hodgdon 	HP-38 	         .430" 	1.570" 	5.8 	1004 	10,800 CUP 	7.4 	1197 	16,700 CUP 	  	  
200 GR. LRNFP CAST 	Hodgdon 	Titegroup 	.430" 	1.570" 	5.0 	1004 	11,000 CUP 	6.6 	1217 	17,300 CUP 	  	  
200 GR. LRNFP CAST 	Hodgdon 	Clays 	         .430" 	1.570" 	4.2 	874 	8,500 CUP 	6.4 	1172 	20,200 CUP

Hodgdon data.
Case: Winchester
Barrel Length: 20"
Twist: 1:38"
Trim Length: 1.280"
Primer: Remington 2 1/2


Save the 2400 for jacketed loads.

[jclayto]

Thanks everyone! It looks like in short maybe I did mess up for my intended use. I have a good supply of titegroup as well so I can put the bullets to use, just not with that full magnum bang that I was looking for. Perhaps I can use these to work up some .44 special loads.

I'll try to find some heavier jacketed bullets to get rid of the 2400.

[mikld]

As an aside; You may get leading in your barrel from .429" bullets. I wouldn't want you to get a bad idea about lead bullets in your Magnum but shooting undersize lead from a commercial caster is almost guarnteed to lead your barrel...

[jclayto]

Is .429 not standard for .44 ?

[Sevens]

to get rid of the 2400.

I have a few powders I really like, but 2400 is one of a couple powders that I absolutely LOVE.

I feel like I'm saddled with 3/4 of a pound of Unique. Probably end up sparking a camp fire with it when I'm sick of looking at that crap.

But 2400? It's my go-to powder in .30 Carbine Blackhawk loads, it's my main squeeze in jacketed .44 Mag loads, it's my favorite in 125gr and 158gr .357 Magnum boomers and I also use it to great effect in .327 Federal Magnum. Currently, I'm also using a crapload of it to make terrific 240 grain loads in a .460 S&W Magnum, and I'll hope I'm around 1,900 FPS with it. (a chrono is in my future)

I haven't yet tried it in 10mm, but I plan on it.

2400 is not a powder you need to "get rid of", 2400 is a GREAT powder!

[black mamba]

Lead bullets typically deposit lead in barrels because they didn't properly seal the bore against powder gas "blow by". The hardness of your alloy should ideally be matched against the velocity/pressure they will be fired at.

There is a formula for optimum bullet hardness, BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) as follows:
Optimum BHN = Pressure in CUP ÷ 1280

Because you can't always pick your perfect BHN, cast bullet shooters usually fire bullets that are .001-.002" larger than the bore diameter to ensure a good seal. This gives the best accuracy and the least barrel leading.

2400 is used in many medium and light cast bullet loads in rifles, so there is nothing unsafe about less than "full house" loads in the .44 mag with lighter bullets. Make sure you have plenty of neck tension and use a good roll crimp to help eliminate unburned powder residue.

[mikld]

Yep, .429" is the "standard " diameter of a .44 Magnum bullet. What your gun cylinder throats and groove diameter are is another story. Manufacturing tolerances, and what the manufacturer thinks is best will get you anything from .428" to .432" as .44 Magnum dimensions. I have 5 .44 magnums, three have groove diameters of .429", one is .430" and one is .432". Fortunately my revolvers have .430" - .431" cylinder throats and the .432" bore is my Puma carbine. In my opinion proper fit is the key to shooting lead bullets without depositing lead in the barrel. Bullets sized the the same size as the cylinder throats (which will normally be larger than groove diameter) shoot great in all my revolvers, w/o leading even at magnum velocities, and for my single shot and my Puma I go for at least .001" over groove diameter, a bit more if I can (some bullets drop from my molds at just .431"). So, slug the barrel of your gun and either slug your cylinder throats or use pin gauges to find your throat diameter. Some info on how to measure your gun... http://www.lasc.us/Brennan_2-1_Measu...Dimensions.htm

[jclayto]

Thank you! Good information.