2400 vs #9

[Newtire]

2400 dirty?

I use 2400 in heavy handgun loads, .410 shotgun loads and medium cast bullet loads in rifles and don't find it to be the least bit dirty. I guess " dirty" might be a relative term. I just never have thought of it as being dirty. Now, the old AL8 is what I would call dirty!

 

[ddixie884]

Easy, when he was loading his ammo there was nothing other than 2400 available. Now there are many good choices, some may even be better than 2400!

Blasphemy!

 

[daverich4]

Don't know if this matters to you but I load on a progressive press and AA #9 meters better for me than 2400. It also has less flash and drama compared to 2400.

 

[daverich4]

Lately I've been migrating my high end 357 loads to 300MP.

I've tried loading 300MP but it fills the .44 cases so full it's hard to keep all of it in the case on a progressive press.

 

[68Dave]

ok ok..I am getting a couple of pounds of each...

I wish it was still that easy. Just swing by the LGS and get a couple pounds of both..

I did recently pick up a pound of number 9 because I haven't seen 2400 in a long time.

David.

 

[S&WIowegan]

One thing you need to mention is your barrel length. If you're shooting 3 to 5" barrels there's no point in loading slow powders like H110/W296 because a large amount of powder will burn outside the barrel.

The other key point is amount of powder in the case. These slow powders DO NOT perform well at less than near full case levels. If you want medium velocity Unique is very good and many other powders fall into the same level. Depends on what you've got on hand.

Have fun!

 

[Green Frog]

For some people "flash and drama" are two of the biggest attractions to the 44 Mag. Don't discount them out of hand!

OTOH, the bench rest crowd seemed to really like those fine ball powders for consistent metering. I liked it (or at least its non-canister equivalent) when I was shooting cast bullets in a custom single shot rifle (for "Schuetzen"j. I would assume it would be quite useful with the 44 Mag and cast bullets as well, based on its performance there.

Froggie

 

[BillBro]

A9 is one of my go to 10mm powders. 12.5gr under a 200gr Gold Dot will give me 1340fps, SDs in the single digits, low single digits and fantastical accuracy, and that's why I buy lots of it. I have loaded some 44 mag stuff with it and it performed fine but not like it does in the 10mm. 1343fpf, 7fps ES and 3fps SD with a 2.2" 8 shot group at 20yds is pretty fine in my book.
2400 I am completely unfamiliar with sadly. I have found that many of the oldies are still goodies, I just cant ever find any Alliant powders in stock anywhere. Must be a reason for that.

 

[Rifleman200-10X]

While it's true that the old 2400 was kinda dirty, the new stuff seems to burn pretty clean. And again, as in another post about 4895, it's one of just a few powders I buy in 4 or 8lb jugs. I bought my first 44 Mag in 1977, my Mom had to go buy it, I wasn't old enough, it was a Ruger Super Blackhawk that I still have. 2400 has always been my first choice, I have a RCBS "Keith" style mold that throws a roughly 245gr bullet with my alloy. The 2400 has always been my "go-to" powder, but that revolver has digested large amounts of #9, 231, H100, Blue Dot, and a few others with no complaints. I've shot lots of small and large game with the gun, have yet to hear any complaints from the critters about my powder choice. (If you need to see where you're going in the woods after dark, the H110 is an excellent choice, fire a shot in the air every now and then, you'll be able to see where you're going, quite the muzzle flash!) But it also seems to achieve peak velocity, if that's what you're after. All in all, enjoy your 44Mag, it seems to me one of the most forgiving, and versatile handgun cartridges ever. It will digest pretty much any halfway appropriate powder you can find. It won't care in the least. Mine seems to shoot pretty much anything accurately, from reduced loads with Trail Boss or Unique that barely clear the muzzle, to full throttle holy cr_p H110 loads that sting your hand.

 

[mtgianni]

I shoot a lot of AA9/WC820 and for me it likes heavy bullets, 240+ in the 44, and a strong crimp.

 

[BillBro]

My holy **** load, I I do mean HOLY ****!!! load is 17.4gr of H800x and a Hornady 200gr XTP. I've never experienced anything like that in any handgun that I've fired. The pressure wave actually distorted space and time. Made my ears ring behind the earplugs and muffs and scared the **** out of me and everyone else there that day. It also is quite accurate and as always using H800x, single digit SDs and low ES. I know the vast majority of folks dont like it because it meters like cornflakes and they have to trickle up each charge. I say big freaking deal, what's the hurry? I have had outstanding results all around with it, especially in 10mm and 44mag. Seems theyve discontinued it and that's too bad. I'm glad I still have 12 more lbs of it.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Factory Hornady 44 Magnum 300gr XTP claims 1,150 fps.

That "17.4gr of H800-X and a Hornady 300gr XTP" looks to be a (one of two possible) typo: 13.4gr of 800-X looks more like it...?

For 800-X, Hodgdons shows, for example, 15.2gr MAX for a 200gr JHP, and 14.2gr MAX (@ 39,600 cup) for a 240gr JHP: adding 25% more bullet weight and 3+ grains more powder just doesn't seem logical (or safe?) to me.

If it was meant to be a 200gr XTP (vs. 300gr) OR 13.4gr (vs. 17.4gr) 800-X powder, well...?

Cheers!

P.S. BillBro: Please advise me if I'm way off base here! Not trying to be a know-it-all.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

How could you load a .44 magnum cartridge with a Keith bullet and not use Elmer's favorite, 2400?

True. My standard .44 mag load is my cast 250 gr SWC pushed by 20 grains of 2400) Elmer's bullet was 250 gr SWC with 3 equal sized square driving bands.
Not many molds out there that cast a true Elmer bullet. Cuz the square lube groves and square driving band are sometimes hard to eject from the mold.
Therefore the mold makers rounded of all the square corners and their front driving band is smaller than the other 2.

 

[rwsmith]

I wouldn't say 'dirty'....

...but when I shoot a lot of 2400 my gun has a lot of golden yellow powder (like pine pollen) all over it.

At least it's a purty color.

 

[Nevada Ed]

post #32..... 800x ;

800-x powder is a sleeper.

It has been listed as a pistol powder but it also started out in the early stages of developing Steel pellet loads for duck hunting when the pressures were brand new to everyone trying to develope a fast load that also safe.

After finding out it was good for just average loads that would bring home ducks and not maximum fps, I saved it for my pistols, with
the new improved Alliant "Steel" power available with data for steel loads.

In my J frame 38 special I found out that a 125 gr JHP did around....
Red Dot ......... 903 fps
Green dot ...... 903
Unique .......... 938
800-x ............ 952

I ran out of it shortly after this testing and never bought it again, since I
finally got some BE-86 and CFE-p to try out.

It will work if you still have some and are not in a hurry to load your ammo.

 

[dla]

I use 2400 in heavy handgun loads, .410 shotgun loads and medium cast bullet loads in rifles and don't find it to be the least bit dirty. I guess " dirty" might be a relative term. I just never have thought of it as being dirty. Now, the old AL8 is what I would call dirty!

You like 9yr old threads I see.

 

[Univibe]

AA#9 is said to be THE powder for spec 10mm loads. Works very well for me with 180 grain hardcast. There may be powders that equal its 10mm performance, but none are touted to exceed.

In 10mm, a faster powder, e.g. AA#5 or Unique, can do FBI-lite level loads well.

 

[Rogeronimo]

800-X has perhaps the most forgiving pressure curve I've ever worked with, and the velocities are staggering. If I wasn't already using no. 9 in the 45 Win Mag, I'd try it there. I've never loaded with 2400, which is odd since I love the 'push' from a case full of flakes.

 

[stansdds]

 

[Rockets]

AA#9 is said to be THE powder for spec 10mm loads. Works very well for me with 180 grain hardcast. There may be powders that equal its 10mm performance, but none are touted to exceed.

In 10mm, a faster powder, e.g. AA#5 or Unique, can do FBI-lite level loads well.

It is indeed. Also my go to in 357magnum as well. Clean burning excellent accuracy. Better get me some more, I'm running low