Anybody load .38 Special with Winchester 244?

H

hyena

Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2015
Messages
790
Reaction score
1,392
Location
Central Illinois
I bought one pound of Winchester 244, because I haven't been able to find Unique in forever. I only do one reload for .38, and one for .45. I was going to try Winchester 231, but they were out of it and a very knowledgeable range employee/gunsmith/reloader suggested I try the 244.

I'm using SNS coated 158gr bullets, .358" diameter.

The only place I could find data was the Hodgdon web site. It lists a starting load of 3.6 grains and a max of 4.0 grains.

So my plan later today is to load 50 with 3.6 grains and try them at the range tomorrow. I have no chronograph.

For reference, my unique load is 4.5 grains. Just a nice middle of the road load, not too light, not too heavy. I'm looking for the same with the 244.

Comments from those who use or have used 244 welcome.

Thanks!
 
Register to hide this ad
I'm using it. Accuracy has been okay. I run a full 3.9 grains on a 148 hbwc lead. I think the load data is very conservative. It meters nicely and seems to be similar to 231.
 
Last edited:
My gosh, it must be conservative. For a 148gr bullet the recommended range on the Hodgdon page is 2.5 to 2.8 grains.
 
With 3.8 grains of Win-244 and 158 grain SWC hi-tech coated bullets I get 747 fps from a S&W 66 with 2.75” barrel and 784 fps from a 686 with a 4” barrel.

Shoots easy, is fairly accurate and meters nicely. Win-244 and HP-38 are my primary powders for practice/target 38-Special.
 
Last edited:
I too tried 244 because it was all that was available, and had very favorable results. I was using 158 gr. Extreme plated flat nose bullets with an upper scale charge weight according to the Hodgdon web site.(I don't remember the actual charge, so I'm not listing one.)
 
ike1518 said:
With 3.8 grains of Win-244 and 158 grain SWC hi-tech coated bullets I get 747 fps from a S&W 66 with 2.75” barrel and 784 fps from a 686 with a 4” barrel.

Shoots easy, is fairly accurate and meters nicely. Win-244 and HP-38 are my primary powders for practice/target 38-Special.
Click to expand...

Thank you all for the replies, and especially this one, which was exactly what I was hoping for. I loaded 100 rounds last night at 3.8 grains. I also went ahead and loaded a few dozen .45 ACP rounds at 4.5 grains. (230 grain coated bullets.)

Headed to the range to see how they do. I'll take some of my Unique loads to try them back to back, see if I can tell any difference.
 
ike1518 said:
With 3.8 grains of Win-244 and 158 grain SWC hi-tech coated bullets I get 747 fps from a S&W 66 with 2.75” barrel and 784 fps from a 686 with a 4” barrel.

Shoots easy, is fairly accurate and meters nicely. Win-244 and HP-38 are my primary powders for practice/target 38-Special.
Click to expand...

Range report. The loads I made last night with W-244 shot the same as my loads using Unique. I mixed them up in my 686 and 1911, and neither I nor my shooting buddy could tell a difference. Same level of recoil and muzzle lift, same point of impact. As you said, they shoot easy. I'm satisfied.

Thanks again for sharing your data.
 
I have shots lots of 158 lead bullets out of my M19-5 6", using

w231 from 4.0 up to 5.0 grs of powder in a 38 case reaching 948fps.

I see no reason that 3.8 up to 4.5 grs would not work with the new 244 powder
that is a brother to w231, for your first tests...........

out of a K frame revolver.
 
hyena said:
Range report. The loads I made last night with W-244 shot the same as my loads using Unique. I mixed them up in my 686 and 1911, and neither I nor my shooting buddy could tell a difference. Same level of recoil and muzzle lift, same point of impact. As you said, they shoot easy. I'm satisfied.

Thanks again for sharing your data.
Click to expand...

I’m happy to hear your experience with Win 244 went well and glad to have been of some help.
 
In the .38 Special W244 is extremely similar to W231. W244 is slightly slower but it performed the same as W231 but I find it to be cleaner. The employee at the store was not telling you a story, he was truthful. Both are accurate and as you saw at the range W244 did not disappoint. I like it but I have so much W231 it will be a long while before I start buying it for steady loading... (I still have 10lbs W231)
 
Winchester 244 ... another powder to keep an eye out for .
I don't remember seeing this one in my loading manuals and it's not even listed on the burn rate chart in the Western Powders Loading Guide 7.0 edition ... it was totally under my radar but I load a LOT of cast lead and will keep an eye out for it ... with powders in short supply I use whatever I can find and W244 adds to the list of useables ...
Thanks to all who posted !
Gary
 
Last edited:
Gary

Here was the explanation from the range employee. He said 231 has been a mainstay for so long, for so many pistol shooters, that it sells out as soon as they get any. The 244 has been out for a few years - as a "cleaner" "newer" version of 231, but it flies under the radar of most reloaders because they're happy with 231, and 231 is what they've used forever.

I paid $35 for one pound. I stopped at a large local gun shop late last week, and they had the 244 for $40 for a pound. I then stopped at a pawn shop just up the street from them and they had 244 for $31 per pound, so I bought another one. Might have bought more, but I want to use it a bit more to make sure I like it.
 
How does 244 compair to 231 in............

bulk: case volume, fill
Grs: amount of powder used
Dip: ease of hand weighing (I'm old school )
w231 falls from a dip or spoon but some grs do stick to the spoon.

Glad to hear that 244 is cleaner than 231, that is a plus.
 
W244 is a reformulated W231. It's supposed to be "cleaner" than 231 but I think that refers to the manufacturing process more than the burn characteristics. Hodgdon lists it as one step faster than 231 but it's a little denser at 0.800g/cc vs 0.931g/cc for 231. Nobody knows what W244 is so it tends to sit on the shelf for weeks while the 231 sells out fast.


edit: Correction. 244 is slower than 231, not faster.
 
Last edited:
Paul in Nevada said:
W244 is a reformulated W231. It's supposed to be "cleaner" than 231 but I think that refers to the manufacturing process more than the burn characteristics. Hodgdon lists it as one step faster than 231 but it's a little denser at 0.800g/cc vs 0.931g/cc for 231. Nobody knows what W244 is so it tends to sit on the shelf for weeks while the 231 sells out fast.
Click to expand...

The "cleaner" statement refers to both the manufacturing and burn characteristics.

I think you are mistaken above the W244 burn rate. Hodgdon lists it as slightly slower, not faster than W231.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
I think you are mistaken above the W244 burn rate. Hodgdon lists it as slightly slower, not faster than W231.
Click to expand...
You are correct. In fact one chart I am looking at shows it two steps slower than W231 and right next to Unique.
 
If the burn rate is closer to Unique.................

then I guess I was wrong about the statementof being 231"s brother !!

Maybe a kin to CFE pistol powder ?

It should prove interresting as it gets loaded more and more numbers pop up.
 
I’m no powder expert but based on my experience Win244 and HP-38 (231) produce very similar velocities with similar loads. Win-244 is maybe 10-15 fps slower.
 
I just checked my records and with my Model 66 with 2.75” barrel shooting a 158 grain coated SWC in 38-Special case with 3.8 grains of HP-38 yielded 751 fps and with 3.8 grains of Win-244 it ran 747 fps. Pretty darn close if you ask me.
 
Last edited:
ike1518 said:
I just checked my records and with my Model 66 with 2.75” barrel shooting a 158 grain coated SWC in 38-Special case with 3.8 grains of HP-38 yielded 751 fps and with 3.8 grains of Win-244 it ran 747 fps. Pretty darn close if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting your numbers. You are showing that most of the posts here are correct about how similar W231 and W244 really are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

elpac3
Model 53 Jet, Unique / BE86 loading
Replies
2
Views
213
Flyingliver
F
D
357 Bunny Loads for old man
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
slickracer
S
O
38 Smith & Wesson Short 148 LWCHB seating depth
Replies
2
Views
79
Oldgunslover
O
M
Latest reloading and range report on HE 32-20 revolver.
Replies
13
Views
1K
M5741
M
J
38 Special Load w/RNP Bullet Load Data Needed
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
sniper
S

Latest posts

Back
Top