Win 244 & 45 ACP

[Stats Shooter]

I have been experimenting with Win 244 making a hard ball 45 ACP load. There isn't a lot of info on this powder out there so I thought I would share my results.

The pistols I tested it in are a Dan Wesson Heritage 1911, Government...And a Dan Wesson VBob
I was at an indoor 30yard range using a Labradar.

Components include:
1x fired Remington LP brass
WLP Primers
Berry's 230 grain Plated bullets
Win 244 powder

Seated to an OAL of 1.255" with a moderate crimp

Here I will just give you the results of the Government sized gun.

I first fired some Win Brown Box Military ball ammo to see what the Labradar found the speed to be. It reported an actual muzzle velocity average of 880fps with an SD of 11.4 fps. This is about 15 fps higher than what the box says =865 fps. Could be the gun, or my distance from the radar not quite right. Either way I call it close.


CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.


Starting at 5.0gr of 244:
25 Rounds
Avg: 761 Fps
SD: 28 FPS

5.3 gr 244
24 Rounds
Average: 791 fps
SD; 25 fps

5.5 gr 244
25 Rounds
Average: 843 fps
SD: 16 fps

5.6 gr 244
25 Rounds
Average: 861 fps
SD: 11 fps

5.7 gr 244
20 Rounds
Average 889 fps
SD: 10 fps


I stopped there. Hodgdon only has 2 bullets for this powder, neither of them are jacketed round nose, though they do list the FN hornady 230 grain bullet.

Obviously use this information at your own risk, and work up slowly, but perhaps this will give folks some place to start if you are loading 45 ACP with this powder and using the old 230 grain bullet.

One other comment, this powder is very clean. My muzzle was nearly spotless and the interior was very clean as compared to some of the older standard 45 powders.

As far as accuracy, my groups were tighter in the 860 fps range than any other including the Win brown box ball ammo.....at 30 yards.

[k4swb]

I'm just starting to use W244 for loading multiple weight bullets in .45ACP and 9mm.
A darn nasty bout of some kind of eppizooty bug plus crappy weather has slowed it way down.

I doubt I'll do any chrono testing unless the wife talks me into it just so she can experience that aspect. If I do, it will be after the 1st of the year and much better weather.

I really appreciate this info and have saved it down.

[TX Nimrod]

Actually, Hodgdon has a jacketed 230-grain Hornady bullet with W244 data. Their max load in a 5” barrel - 5.6 grains @ 885 fps.


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[Stats Shooter]

Actually, Hodgdon has a jacketed 230-grain Hornady bullet with W244 data. Their max load in a 5” barrel - 5.6 grains @ 885 fps

yes it's a flat nose bullet....perhaps with a different length bearing surface, I'm not sure . Moreover, seating depth plays a central role as well.

[Unclenick]

Yes. That bullet has been discontinued by Hornady. Too bad. Jeff Cooper liked the Nosler version and that shape, in general, owing to effectiveness reports from the field. Both gone now. I'm down to my last 2500 in the Enclosed (ENC) version. Their length is about 0.626", so the seating depth, at 1.200" COL, is 0.324" in a 0.898" case. The ENC RN's I still have are about 0.643" and at Hornady's recommended 1.210" COL, the seating depth is about 0.331" in that same case. Not enough difference to sweat much.

An impressive aspect of 244 is how close to SAAMI maximum the maximum pressures listed for it are. This indicates, as explained in Hodgdon's print manual, that the pressure variations are small, which is why the SD's are as well. Given the cleanliness report, I look forward to trying this powder out!

Thanks for the report, Statshooter.