I could use some input. Loading 44 magnum with Hornady 200gr XYPs. On Hodgdon’s web site is says 27.5 -28.5gr of H110, Lyman’s 48th addition says 27.7- 28.7gr. Lyman calls out the XPT where as Hodgdon calls for a Nosler HP. My question is, (that seems like a lot of powder to me). Has anyone shot a load like this? Would like to know before pulling the trigger, kinda like the fingers and face the way they are.
Thanks ahead of time for any input/advise.
Neil

Hornady 9th Edition lists 25.8-28.7gr of H110 for your 200gr bullet, that produces 1200-1500 fps.
I use 10.0gr of Unique for 240gr plated bullets, at around 1200 fps. I don't like shooting a lot of full power magnum loads very often. It's too much wear and tear on my hands and on the gun. I shoot a Ruger Super Blackhawk and have to tighten all of the screws after about 300-400 rounds.

Plus, 28 grs of powder per each round isn't very economical for me, that's roughly 250 rounds per pound of powder. Using 10.0gr of Unique per round nets me roughly 700 rounds per pound, with the prices where they are right now, I'm kinda cheap like that.

To answer the question, yes I have used loads like those listed with 200 gr XTP’s. They shoot very flat, recoil is not bad, and the fireball is tremendous.
They are safe in the gun and can have dramatic effect on live targets.

Dan

I have loaded and used such loads in my .44's. They are safe, but 296 is a slow powder, and with a 200 gr bullet, they are at their best with a long barrel, other wise a lot of blast and wasted powder for not much velocity gain. For most use, better a faster powder with the 200 gr bullet. Powders like 296 are better with 240's or heavier in the .44 mag. My usual all around load in the .44 mag is a 240 SWC at about 950 fps using Red Dot or Win-231. Economical, pleasant to shoot, and effective.

Larry

This is what a top book load of H110 looks like with a 240gr JHP bullet heading down range out of a 2.75" Redhawk. Yes it is a handful but still short of the 340gr Buffalo Bore loads.

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"Tastes just like chicken"

I have loaded 200g XTPs, in magnum brass, up to 28.5g of H110. My notes on that load state "huge recoil with a loud crack". They shot an average of 1622 fps from my 7.5" Super Redhawk. Dialing it back to 27g produced a better load, in my opinion.

200 gr Nosler, Fed 155 primer (LPM), H110 from a 4.2" Redhawk, 7,800':

27.0 gr - 1403 fps
27.5 gr - 1420 fps

I've shot that, too - a very pleasant load. More like a heavy 44 Spc or +P than bona fide magnum.

I’ve been playing with 44’s for a long time
I have only used 1 lb of h110
I’ll stick with unique for mid range and 2400 for full bore magnums
Here’s what 240 xtp’s look like around here

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I have used 296 a lot in my 50 years of shooting the 44 magnum but these days I find very little need for such power for day to day shooting. However if that is your interest just follow the manuals directions and it will be OK just be careful on development as always

A point to be made about the flash! The flash made past the end of the barrel is powder being burnt OUTSIDE the barrel which serves NO useful purpose! I have shot book max loads with 240XTPs and H110 for years! The gun used is a 29 Silhouette 10 5/8" barrel! The same load in my 3", 4", or 6" gun is useless and obnoxious(a huge flash)! Just my $.02 worth!
jcelect

W296/H110 is slow burning and by my standards more forgiving than faster burning powders.

I’ve used it almost exclusively in .44 mag for more than 35 years. I load magnum loads for most magnums that I own.

You will reach a point of diminishing returns adding more powder, but muzzle flash ain’t necessarily unburned powder. You get the big flash from super hot high pressure gases hitting the open air.

A chronograph is a very handy tool when developing loads for your particular pairings.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

It took me a number of years before the switch clicked and I "GOT IT!" and it was a handloading epiphany.

It seems to be some kind of guarded secret, not guarded on purpose, but still... those newer to the handloading game should be taught emphatically where the risks are.

When it comes to over pressure and dangerous handgun loads, the real key is WHICH powder more so than how much of it. When we are using the best powder for the job, the risk of danger is fractional than when we are using just whatever powder.

.44 Magnum is the quick and easy example. There is load data for Titegroup, Bullseye, Red Dot, AA#2, w231, etc etc on and on.

Newer handloaders see a two-way victory in using these powders in .44 Magnum. "Wow, this keeps me from having to buy a second powder since I'm using Bullseye in .38 Special anyway!" and also "this is even better, I can use half as much powder if I use Bullseye instead of 2400, fantastic!"

But you are picking the wrong powder. <--- now long time handloaders will want to attack this bold statement, but long time and well practiced and astute old handloaders and brand new handloaders are not the same thing. A veteran handloader understands how the pressure curve works and how it peaks depending on their powder choice. The new handloaders haven't figured that out yet.

Fast forward to the bottom line:
If you want to blow a .44 Magnum revolver apart, you can't do it with H-110. Assuming you are only seating one bullet of normal weight and no obstruction, there isn't nearly enough room in the cartridge case for the CORRECT powder to wreck a gun.

If you want to blow up a .44 Magnum revolver with Titegroup or Bullseye, it's simple and there's plenty of space and you don't even need to use all the space with those powders because you can blow it apart with a double charge and still have space for a triple charge.

If you don't understand this -- you aren't alone. I would venture a guess that damn near all new handloaders have no idea that this is true.

For folks that are inclined to cherry pick that post ^^

Yes, you can make safe loads in .44 Mag using Bullseye or Titegroup or w231 or AA#2 or Red Dot. What you cannot do is make a proper, full-spec load that gives you the performance, noise, blast, recoil or bullet speed of a proper, full-spec and typical .44 Magnum load using those powders. You cannot do it and if you attempt to do it, you can wreck a handgun.

And if you were able to dig through all the recorded and reported events of top-straps blown off and cylinders popped like a bloomin' onion, you will find that none of them were done with 2400, H-110, AA#9, etc.

Because they were all done with Titegroup, Bullseye and other ultra-fast burning powders.

The other thing about using the fast burning powders in a magnum is the sharp, painful recoil. The slower powders give more of a hard shove than a sharp jab. My favorite magnum powder for .357 and .44 is IMR or H 4227.

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protocalldesign.com

And then there are those of us who never load their .44 Magnums with anything beyond 8 grains of Unique because they don't enjoy the muzzle blast and recoil, and don't intend to ever fire a shot at a T. Rex.

Trouble with 296 or 110 is the next 1/2 gr added , when working up, can spike pressures & do damage to a 29-2 S&W. IMR 4227 is more forgiving.

My homecast 250 lswc & 10 grs Unique, WLP is much more user frendly.

I use AA#5 and 240 grain hardcast to make moderate loads at around 1000 fps. Easy shooting, accurate and fun.

And then there are those of us who would reply that you are exercising a joy of handloading, the ability to load exactly what you seek. Other would question why anyone needs to bring a T-Rex in to the conversation, the .44 Magnum was built to a particular spec and there are plenty of folks who enjoy loading and using that full range and they don’t need an extinct creature as impetus for that. The more caustic posters might sneer at the idea of owning a revolver that has a 240gr at 1,400 fps capability and never going anywhere near that.

However at some point it might occur to all combatants (even the narrator using artistic license) that none of all that nonsense is really helpful to the conversation at hand… which is safely using slow burning powders in magnum loads.

But these conversations are organic. Often predictable, but organic.

Sir you are 100% correct and we are saying the same thing! "hot high pressure gases" is what propels the projectile! For combustion to occur you need 3 things, fuel, high temp, & oxygen! When the hot high pressure gasses and/or unburnt powder reach the end of the barrel it receives an increase in oxygen. We then SEE the flames(combustion) outside the barrel it is no longer propelling the projectile, useless waste of energy & powder!
jcelect

I hafta agree with the above. More folks damage their guns using too little H110/W296 than too much. While Unique is a great pwoder for mid level loads, it will never match the performance of H110/W296. For folks who want legitimate "magnum" loads in their .44s and want to feel very safe about it, IMR4227 will fit the bill. It is impossible to get too much powder under a bullet to be a dangerous load. While it will not quite give you the velocity of H110/W296, is is very accurate and unlike H110/W296, can be downloaded safely. It i hard to find and relativwely expensive compared to H110/W296.