Best powder for 44 mag

[Nathan]

I’m in a pretty specific situation here. I’d like to run a 240gr cast SWC at 1200 fps. 5” revolver. I’d like a clean load. I think I’m doing this with Enforcer now.

I’m wondering if another common powder has larger kernels and is a touch cleaner. I find this often means running at a higher pressure.

Maybe CFEPistol? What else?

[black mamba]

Several of the Vihtavuori powders would work, and they are the cleanest burning I've found. N350 and 3N37 and 3N38 will all give your 1200 fps at well below max pressure.

[totaldla]

If Enforcer us not clean - why? Is it powder zombies? I ask because 1200fps from a 5" is a mild load.
You drop down to a faster powder like AA9 or 2400(if you can find it) and do a little better.

By the way, I'm assuming you know to use CCI350 primers with AA9,Enforcer,H110/W296, LilGun, etc.

You can also get there with a very fast powder like TiteGroup - but you gotta have your reloading act together.

Or you could just quit worrying about "clean" and gonahooting

[Nathan]

Why cci 350 over Winchester with enforcer?

[gwpercle]

Looking at the RCBS Cast Bullet Manual they list the following powders that will do what you want ... imr4227 , 296 , H110 , 2400 , Blue Dot , Unique .

Lyman Cast bullet Handbook #4 adds ... 800X , Accurate #9 and N110 to the list of suitable powders .

I might be inclined to try Accurate #9 .
I have been working with Accurate #2 and #5 with cast bullets in 38 spcl. / 357 mag. and rather like them ...
Accurate #9 might be just the ticket in the 44 mag / cast bullet loads .
Gary

[Shadow9mm]

I would steer clear of H110 is a cross between sand and glitter, gets everywhere and you can never seem to get it all cleaned out.

CFE pistol has reasonably large "kernels"

Unique would also be a viable choice, maxes out around 1200 and is a nice flake powder

[bamaranger]

Ya'know, the traditional answer for 50 years has been 2400. Except that now, reportedly, 2400 is not available into the unforeseen future due to nitrocellulose shortages. I can't intelligently advise a substitute.

Unique and 2400 have been my go to pistol powders for an entire lifetime. I'm in search of new magnum pistol powders myself.

[ammo.crafter]

I was under the impression that Blue Dot was a no-no for
.41 mag and/or .44 mag.

[ballardw]

Originally Posted by ammo.crafter

I was under the impression that Blue Dot was a no-no for
.41 mag and/or .44 mag.

Just .41 mag for never sufficiently stated reasons (IMHO).

Interesting enough I didn't get the word until after I shot up the last of my Blue Dot in .41 magnum using data published before the word came down.

[44 AMP]

I’d like to run a 240gr cast SWC at 1200 fps. 5” revolver. I’d like a clean load.

I don't know about the new powder coated stuff, never used any, but conventional cast bullets and clean generally don't go together.

[Pumpkin]

As 44 AMP responded, if your after a clean, I’m assuming gun and brass, why use a cast bullet?

In my 357 Max WW296 with a Speer Hot Core 180gr has always impressed me with how clean the fired cases are. Some say H110 is identical, not sure of that but it also leaves little residue, in my experience with magnums.

I don’t know about any of the newer powders available now, I would think they are probably better than the older standbys.

[totaldla]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Why cci 350 over Winchester with enforcer?

The CCI350 and WLP have the same "hotness", which you need with true ball powder, but WLP are known to crack as their cups are thinner.
So I don't recommend WLP for anything beyond put-put loads.

[Mike / Tx]

It isn't sn overly popular powder but I've used a whole bunch of it in the past 20+ years, especially when shooting cast. Might give HS-6 a try. Seems to burn about as clean as anything for loadsbin the range you're looking for.

That is my Redhawk 45 Colt barrel with close to 200 rounds through, using HS-6 and 260'ish to 280gr bullets. Same load just different molds.

[reddog81]

Are you running a lubed lead SWC? If so that is going to cause more crud build up than any small differences in powder.

[TX Nimrod]

Looking at the RCBS Cast Bullet Manual they list the following powders that will do what you want ... imr4227 , 296 , H110 , 2400 , Blue Dot , Unique...

H110 (and W296) would be a no-no for the velocity the OP wants to use. According to Hodgdon they should not be loaded below 97% of the maximum listed load. And 2400 is a terribly dirty powder at lower than max pressures.

The OP's biggest "dirty" issue may be the cast bullets themselves. If I were he and I needed to use powders currently available, I'd try AA7, AA9 or W231. The latter will be the cleanest but have a higher pressure for the velocity.

[Unclenick]

CAUTION: The following post (or a page linked to) includes or discusses loading data not covered by currently published sources of tested data for this cartridge (QuickLOAD or Gordon's Reloading Tool data is not professionally tested). USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assumes any liability for any damage or injury resulting from the use of this information.

Nathan,

I've found the whole line of Hodgdon Clays technology powders (Clays, Universal, and Longshot) to be clean burning, in large part because they don't use graphite as a coating. I shoot a lot of Universal and Clays in target loads and am pretty happy with the fouling level. Longshot is something they promote for shotgun loads, but it is in the right burn rate range and has the right technology for what you are trying to do. I ran two different simulators, and they don't agree on the charge you need. One thinks 12 grains would get you the velocity you want, and the other thinks it will take 15 grains. Both, however, agree that this powder will burn completely in the gun and that the peak pressure will be in the low to mid-20s of thousands of psi when 1200 fps is reached. So, in your shoes, I would get a pound to try, start with about 10 grains and measure velocity, then start working up in 0.3-grain steps, watching for pressure signs and checking the velocity. As you get near 1200 fps, make the steps 0.2 grains, and if you go over the target velocity, then you can back down. In general, as long as your velocity is below what the calculators say it should be, you are below the pressure they predict. The more conservative program thinks you go over peak pressure when you pass about 14.5 grains, while the other says it won't happen until 19 grains. Part of the disagreement is because the latter software, GRT, has bullet jump and barrel/cylinder gap modeling, while the conservative one, QuickLOAD, does not. Since you are using a revolver, there is a good chance of being closer to the higher charge weight predictions of GRT, but prudence says to test the lower charge QL charge recommendations first in case differences in powder lots tested are a significant part of the problem.

Good luck with what you are attempting.

[totaldla]

From experience with LongShot, 12gr behind a 240gr lswc will only do ~1100fps from a 4" barrel, and it will burn a bit dirty. I never bothered going beyond 12gr as I could do better with faster powders. I stayed within Hodgkin's load data and I've no idea what their goal was, but I've never used a Nosler 240gr JHP.

I really like LongShot when you can get the pressure up. It is THE powder for 40sw, an OK 9mm powder, and a terrible 45acp powder (but it shines when you go 45 super and beyond).

I also really like it for high performance 20ga lead shot loads.

[Unclenick]

I don't recall the fouling issue with Longshot, but it's been a long time since I had occasion to buy any. If the current product takes that much extra pressure to burn cleanly, there should be room to work the charge up a bit. The cast bullets might need to go to a gas check design if the bore is a little rough, though.

[Jack Ryan]

I use a lot of Blue Dot.

[flyer898]

I go back aways. I started reloading in 1980, and there are many newer powders I have not tried. However, my stand by powders for the .44 magnum are Hercules Unique for milder loads and WW 296 for heavy loads.

[disseminator]

Win 296, H-110, Alliant 300-MP, Accurate No11FS.

All the same powder, the last two have a flash suppressant added but are otherwise the same.

They are hard to beat imo, good for most magnum handgun cartridges and 300 BLKOUT among others.

[bluetopper]

If I wanted to keep my gun clean I wouldn't shoot it. It takes just as much trouble to clean a somewhat dirty gun as it does a filthy one.

[radom]

Here Unique or 2400 and have to clean it after shooting so I do not worry on how dirty it gets.

[Unclenick]

Well, it's a matter of magnitude. I ran some low pressure 2400 loads in a 44 Special revolver one time and got so much unburned powder blowing out through the barrel/cylinder gap that it actually blocked cylinder rotation on the second cylinder full. Powders have pressure ranges they are suited for.

[Old 454]

Little late in the conversation.
I have been casting 300 grain hollow points from the MP 44/444 300 mold and with gas checks and lube they are 300 on the nose and the WFN are 310 …. I been experimenting with Enforcer for my cast bullets, please work up your own load but I use 18.5 grains of enforcer COAL 1.600 and out of my 8” Anaconda I am getting an average of 1350 fps … burns clean and I clean my revolver after all range session to check for how clean the powder is burning and if the is any lead deposits, and I have yet to find any leading, barrel is very clean. bullets are sized to .430, so as far as it burning clean and good velocity and Enforcer is one drop lower on the burn chart then 2400, that’s the good now the Cons
I believe Enforcer is very temp sensitive one 6 shot group had 100+ fps extream spread temp that day was 58 degrees so now the weather is warming up and I still have more of these to test.
I really want to like this powder so I am going to start doing ladders with it and see what’s what