Check my .50ae load.

[Kayser]

Official load data for this cartridge is rather hard to obtain. My huge Hornady tomes contain all kinds of obscure stuff, but not .50 ae. So, I did a little digging on the good ol' internet (how the heck did you guys reload before we had it?) and assembled data from various sources. I found a few curious discrepancies which I figured I'd run by the experts

Note: my primary interest here is using W296 since I have plenty of it around for .44 mag loads. However, I wouldn't be opposed to using H110 since a jug of that would be usable for me for several calibers. Anyway, here's the loads I've found for 325 gr bullets, sorted by W296 and H110 :

edit: I would also prefer to use 300 gr bullets instead of 325's, because they're about 1/3 cheaper from Midway.

W296
------
(Speer)
300gr JHP, 33.5 - 34.5 gr, CCI Magnum primer, 1.58" OAL

(MDSmith, misc internet)
325gr JHP, 29.5 - 32.7 gr, "magnum primers", no OAL listed



H110
------
(Speer)
300gr JHP, 33.5 - 34.5gr, CCI Magnum primer, 1.58" OAL

(MDSmith, misc internet)
325gr JHP, 29.4 - 32.6 gr, "magnum primers", no OAL listed

(Hodgdon)
325gr JHP, 32.5 gr, CCI 350 primer, 1.575" OAL

(handloads.com)
325gr JHP, 29.3 - 32.5 gr, CCI 350 primer, 1.575" OAL

(Lee die set manual)
325gr JHP, 29.0 - 32.5 gr, no primer listed, 1.575" OAL


The only thing that really sticks out to me is that the Speer loads are WAY hot compared to the others. Their starting loads are above max loads for all other data. Is the difference between 300gr and 325gr bullets enough to justify this?

However, there's plenty of agreement on the H110 loads, so I'm figuring to start with

325 JHP, 29.3 - 32.5gr H110, CCI350, 1.575" OAL.

Sound reasonable?

[Jbar4Ranch]

Speer's 325 grain factory load is generally believed to be 32.5 grains of H110, and their recommended max load for the 300 grainers is 34.5 grains of either H110 or W296.

I've broken down the Speer 325 grainer and it does indeed weigh in at 32.5-32.6 grains and under magnification the powder appears identical to H110. That's not to say that it actually is H110, but it appears to be, and the charge weight is in line with Speer load data.

[BigSlick]

I know you have the W296, but if you *might* be interested, take a hard look at H4227.

I use it in 50AE and 500SW and have to say it is proving to be a real favorite.

It doesn't have the muzzle flash of H110, meters like a dream and is a bit more economical than H110 (but not by much).

It is part of the Hodgdon 'Extreme' powders, which claim great stability and consistency under adverse conditions. It is VERY accurate, burns clean and the recoil seems a bit milder than other powders I've tried (2400, W296, H110 and AA#9)

BigSlick