.44 Mag recipe dilema?

dsv424 · March 18, 2010, 06:36 PM

Last night I started a new 44 mag recipe using H110 powder. The bullets I am using are Hornady 240g HP/XTP. I decided to use my Hornady book for my recipe. It states for this bullet a min. of 23.6 and a max. of 25.9. So I made 15 ea. of 23.8g, 24.1g. and 24.5g. My dilema is today I started looking around for ideal recipes for this weight bullet and most opinions I found range between 22g. to a max of 24g. So my question is has anyone used over 24g of H110 with good success? I just started loading for this caliber and it seems to me there is a wide range of opinions. I have never used H110 but it appears to be one of the stronger powders for .44 mag. I just want to be safe but I also want to feel the full power of this caliber. If ya know what I mean.

BigJimP · March 18, 2010, 06:51 PM

There is a disclaimer in the Hodgdon reloading manuals ... where they list Max recipe's - if you use H110 powder, you should only reduce the Max load by 3%. Reductions of any more than 3% - may result in inconsistent ignition and a squib round..

I don't use H110 because of this issue ... but looking at my Hodgdon book ( and since they make the powder, I would use their data ) - but the only 240gr bullet they list is a NOS JHP ( but its jacketed ) - so in my opinion, the XTP bullet is comparable ... but the max load they list for H110 is 24.0 grains ... and 3% is 0.72 so the min they recommend is 23.28gr.

So some of your loads are a little too hot - by Hodgdon's recommendations in my book. You are over by about 2% ....is it safe, who knows ... I would shoot the loads at 24.0grains and then decide on whether to shoot the others or not / especially if you have a good strong gun ( but only you can make that choice )...

When I test loads like this / and find a lot of disparity ... I shoot them single fire -- just in case.

A better powder, in my opinion, is Hodgdon TiteGroup - designed to work even in cases like .44 mag where you have small volumes of powder but want consistent ignition. Hodgon TiteGroup would call for a max of 10.0gr and a min ( backing that off 10% of 9.0 gr ).

nate45 · March 18, 2010, 06:58 PM

I've tried 26 grains of H-110 with WLP primers and the cases and primers looked fine. If you stay at or below Hodgdons data you should be fine.

**Unclenick** · March 18, 2010, 07:57 PM

Yeah, Hodgdon puts up that warning, then a lot of their own recipes vary by more than 3%. I think they must mean 3% below minimum. In any case, it's a powder that will squib out an leave a bullet stuck in the bore if you load it down too far.

Back before Hodgdon starting listing load ranges, Winchester sold this same St. Marks Powder as Winchester 296. You can still buy it under that name. They originally gave 24 grains over their WLP primer as the one and only load for 240 grain JSP's and JHP's. It works fine. Unless you have a Smith model 29, which is known for shooting itself loose on a steady diet of full power loads, you can use the whole range you suggested. For the Smith I would not run bullets heavier than 240 grains and would stay at the lower end of Hodgdon's listed range.

Use magnum primers only with this powder to further insure against the problem with squibs.

Slamfire · March 18, 2010, 08:05 PM

This is what I got with a 240 JHP.

S&W M629-4 Stainless, 5" Barrel

240JHP R-P 24.0 grs H110 Midway cases WLP
9-Oct-05 T = 66 °F

Ave Vel = 1228
Std Dev = 21.47
ES = 70.16
Low = 1268
High = 1197
N= 22

Accurate big bang!

dsv424 · March 18, 2010, 08:41 PM

Thx for the advise guys. I am using WLP which state for standard and magnum loads. The gun I have is the Taurus Raging Bull. The gun appears to be very stout and should be able to handle strong loads. I will go ahead and heed BigJimP's advise and see how the gun handles each load as I increment and look for signs of over-pressure. Initially I was looking for Win 296 but when I found out that this powder and H110 were practically the same I went with H110 only because it was the first one I found. Sorry if I seem "power hungry" but I was looking for a powder for .44 mag that was an "attention getter" and this seemed to fit the bill. Since I have never fired a .44 mag revolver before 3 weeks ago I have become addicted to its feel of power and want as much as safely is achievable!

Pat T · March 18, 2010, 09:01 PM

I worked up a load last fall for my S&W 29 with the NOS JHP 240 grain bullet, using Federal large pistol magnum primers and 23.1 grains H110 yielded the best group, 1.5" for 5 shots at 25 yards sand bag rest and open sights. Heavier charges grouped larger so this is what I settled on. All bullets cleared the muzzle, believe me!

Friend of mine has loaded the 300 grain XTP and reports near one-hole groups with a scoped 629, he swears by those bullets.

totaldla · March 19, 2010, 05:59 AM

<sigh>
I don't see any reason to go above the max load and say stuff like "looking for pressure signs". By the time you see "signs", you're so far over-pressure to be dangerous. By the way, do you have a Chronograph? What are you going to do with the extra 20fps you get from overloading?

The only time I would go above the book max is when Hodgdon settled on a low-pressure load as "best" - and they do this with some powders & bullets (lead).

My advice: stick to the book.

Shorthair · March 19, 2010, 01:08 PM

I shoot a Ruger Redhawk, stainless with 5.5 inch barrel. My handloads are 23.5 grains of H110, a Hornady 240 XTP, CCI 350 (large pistol magnum) primers and Remington or Federal cases. This is my "full house" load, its accurate and very stout in this revolver.

I have also found a couple of other loads you might like, once the fun of riding a fire breathing dragon has worn off a bit.
Using a 240 grain LSWC, I shoot 13 grains of AA number 5 for a middle-high velocity load, and the same bullet over 7 grains of HP38 for a lighter target load, both with standard CCI 300 primers.

dsv424 · March 19, 2010, 01:34 PM

Thx for the info Shorthair. You're probably right about "once the fire breathing dragon wearing off" I'll settle into medium type loads. But as you understand its like getting a new car, you want to see what it can do.

BTW totaldla, sorry to make you SIGH but you simply don't understand. I was "sticking to the Book" only the book seemed to appear above max and I wanted to be sure what the book said was reliable. Just as I stated in my first post. Thanks for everyone else understanding what I was trying to acheive in a safe manner.

dsv424 · March 19, 2010, 06:46 PM

Yikes! I mis-read my Hornady manual. The recipes I initially quoted were from the .44 Mag (T/C) section. As i re-read it I just couldn't believe the discrepency of what other reloaders recommended and what I saw in my Hornady manual. So as I was about to make another recipe for this caliber I caught my mistake. What I stated in my first post is correct but for T/C. Since then I have pulled the bullets I made and am re-doing my rounds using the correct part of the manual which do state a desirable range of 22 to 24 grains H110 powder. Sorry for the brain fart on my part!

WESHOOT2 · March 20, 2010, 10:13 AM

Don't break your Taurus by hoping it acts like a Ruger; suggest working up in your testing; don't start with your heaviest loads first......

March 18, 2010, 06:36 PM	#1
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	.44 Mag recipe dilema? Last night I started a new 44 mag recipe using H110 powder. The bullets I am using are Hornady 240g HP/XTP. I decided to use my Hornady book for my recipe. It states for this bullet a min. of 23.6 and a max. of 25.9. So I made 15 ea. of 23.8g, 24.1g. and 24.5g. My dilema is today I started looking around for ideal recipes for this weight bullet and most opinions I found range between 22g. to a max of 24g. So my question is has anyone used over 24g of H110 with good success? I just started loading for this caliber and it seems to me there is a wide range of opinions. I have never used H110 but it appears to be one of the stronger powders for .44 mag. I just want to be safe but I also want to feel the full power of this caliber. If ya know what I mean.

March 18, 2010, 06:58 PM	#3
nate45 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,746	I've tried 26 grains of H-110 with WLP primers and the cases and primers looked fine. If you stay at or below Hodgdons data you should be fine. __________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."- Thomas Jefferson ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (>_<)

March 18, 2010, 07:57 PM	#4
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Yeah, Hodgdon puts up that warning, then a lot of their own recipes vary by more than 3%. I think they must mean 3% below minimum. In any case, it's a powder that will squib out an leave a bullet stuck in the bore if you load it down too far. Back before Hodgdon starting listing load ranges, Winchester sold this same St. Marks Powder as Winchester 296. You can still buy it under that name. They originally gave 24 grains over their WLP primer as the one and only load for 240 grain JSP's and JHP's. It works fine. Unless you have a Smith model 29, which is known for shooting itself loose on a steady diet of full power loads, you can use the whole range you suggested. For the Smith I would not run bullets heavier than 240 grains and would stay at the lower end of Hodgdon's listed range. Use magnum primers only with this powder to further insure against the problem with squibs. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

March 19, 2010, 05:59 AM	#8
totaldla Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2009 Location: SW Idaho Posts: 1,297	<sigh> I don't see any reason to go above the max load and say stuff like "looking for pressure signs". By the time you see "signs", you're so far over-pressure to be dangerous. By the way, do you have a Chronograph? What are you going to do with the extra 20fps you get from overloading? The only time I would go above the book max is when Hodgdon settled on a low-pressure load as "best" - and they do this with some powders & bullets (lead). My advice: stick to the book. __________________ Lee Auto Bench Prime Castor Oil Case Lube

March 19, 2010, 01:08 PM	#9
Shorthair Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 348	I shoot a Ruger Redhawk, stainless with 5.5 inch barrel. My handloads are 23.5 grains of H110, a Hornady 240 XTP, CCI 350 (large pistol magnum) primers and Remington or Federal cases. This is my "full house" load, its accurate and very stout in this revolver. I have also found a couple of other loads you might like, once the fun of riding a fire breathing dragon has worn off a bit. Using a 240 grain LSWC, I shoot 13 grains of AA number 5 for a middle-high velocity load, and the same bullet over 7 grains of HP38 for a lighter target load, both with standard CCI 300 primers. __________________ Earth First! We can hunt the other planets later.

March 18, 2010, 06:51 PM	#2
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	There is a disclaimer in the Hodgdon reloading manuals ... where they list Max recipe's - if you use H110 powder, you should only reduce the Max load by 3%. Reductions of any more than 3% - may result in inconsistent ignition and a squib round.. I don't use H110 because of this issue ... but looking at my Hodgdon book ( and since they make the powder, I would use their data ) - but the only 240gr bullet they list is a NOS JHP ( but its jacketed ) - so in my opinion, the XTP bullet is comparable ... but the max load they list for H110 is 24.0 grains ... and 3% is 0.72 so the min they recommend is 23.28gr. So some of your loads are a little too hot - by Hodgdon's recommendations in my book. You are over by about 2% ....is it safe, who knows ... I would shoot the loads at 24.0grains and then decide on whether to shoot the others or not / especially if you have a good strong gun ( but only you can make that choice )... When I test loads like this / and find a lot of disparity ... I shoot them single fire -- just in case. A better powder, in my opinion, is Hodgdon TiteGroup - designed to work even in cases like .44 mag where you have small volumes of powder but want consistent ignition. Hodgon TiteGroup would call for a max of 10.0gr and a min ( backing that off 10% of 9.0 gr ).

March 18, 2010, 08:05 PM	#5
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	This is what I got with a 240 JHP. S&W M629-4 Stainless, 5" Barrel 240JHP R-P 24.0 grs H110 Midway cases WLP 9-Oct-05 T = 66 °F Ave Vel = 1228 Std Dev = 21.47 ES = 70.16 Low = 1268 High = 1197 N= 22 Accurate big bang!

March 18, 2010, 08:41 PM	#6
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Thx for the advise guys. I am using WLP which state for standard and magnum loads. The gun I have is the Taurus Raging Bull. The gun appears to be very stout and should be able to handle strong loads. I will go ahead and heed BigJimP's advise and see how the gun handles each load as I increment and look for signs of over-pressure. Initially I was looking for Win 296 but when I found out that this powder and H110 were practically the same I went with H110 only because it was the first one I found. Sorry if I seem "power hungry" but I was looking for a powder for .44 mag that was an "attention getter" and this seemed to fit the bill. Since I have never fired a .44 mag revolver before 3 weeks ago I have become addicted to its feel of power and want as much as safely is achievable!

March 18, 2010, 09:01 PM	#7
Pat T Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2009 Location: NW PA Posts: 108	I worked up a load last fall for my S&W 29 with the NOS JHP 240 grain bullet, using Federal large pistol magnum primers and 23.1 grains H110 yielded the best group, 1.5" for 5 shots at 25 yards sand bag rest and open sights. Heavier charges grouped larger so this is what I settled on. All bullets cleared the muzzle, believe me! Friend of mine has loaded the 300 grain XTP and reports near one-hole groups with a scoped 629, he swears by those bullets.

March 19, 2010, 01:34 PM	#10
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Thx for the info Shorthair. You're probably right about "once the fire breathing dragon wearing off" I'll settle into medium type loads. But as you understand its like getting a new car, you want to see what it can do. BTW totaldla, sorry to make you SIGH but you simply don't understand. I was "sticking to the Book" only the book seemed to appear above max and I wanted to be sure what the book said was reliable. Just as I stated in my first post. Thanks for everyone else understanding what I was trying to acheive in a safe manner.

March 19, 2010, 06:46 PM	#11
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	Yikes! I mis-read my Hornady manual. The recipes I initially quoted were from the .44 Mag (T/C) section. As i re-read it I just couldn't believe the discrepency of what other reloaders recommended and what I saw in my Hornady manual. So as I was about to make another recipe for this caliber I caught my mistake. What I stated in my first post is correct but for T/C. Since then I have pulled the bullets I made and am re-doing my rounds using the correct part of the manual which do state a desirable range of 22 to 24 grains H110 powder. Sorry for the brain fart on my part!

March 20, 2010, 10:13 AM	#12
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	don't Don't break your Taurus by hoping it acts like a Ruger; suggest working up in your testing; don't start with your heaviest loads first...... __________________ . "all my ammo is mostly retired factory ammo"