Assist with lite target loads using Alliant 2400

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On recommendation, I recently purchased Alliant 2400 for reloading .44 mag casings using 240 grain (Keith style) SWC only to discover I could find little data for this bullet. Lyman Cast Bullet Manual, 4th Edition, stated a starting load of 18.5 grains, but it was too spicy for my arthritic hands to be any fun shooting paper. Hoping for suggestions to lighten this load for fun comfortable target practice without the worry of squibs.

Similar request for data relative to a .357 mag casings using 158 grain (Keith style) SWC with the 2400 powder.

Thanks folks!
 
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I found 2400 to get dirty pretty quick as I down loaded it. CFE-P and HS-6 are mid range favorites of mine. There's lots of powders in that burn range that will do the job.
 
44 Mag

Check this Alliant site.

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

44 Mag with arthritic hands is tough. Looks like you have a lot of leeway. Shooting for fun may just be a couple grains over minimum or just stay at minimum. You my try shooting .44 special load should be a lot easier on the arthritis.

I've shot a lot of 158 LSWC .357 with 12 gr of 2400 it's bad enough to let you know it's a magnum and you are on the bottom of the scale pretty accurate too.

Dan :)
 
Save the 2400 for the more powerful magnum loadings. Unique is the powder that you should be using for mid range loads. I use 8.5 to 10.0 grains of Unique under the Keith 240 grain LSWC for pleasant to shoot target loads. Use standard primers with this powder.
 
I've been really liking BE86 in light .44 target loads. Even at lower pressures it burns pretty clean. It's right at Unique's burn rate but the smaller flakes meter better.
 
Look at the data for 44 Special. Lyman #4 shows a 240 grain bullet and 2400 with a starting load of 11.2 grains @ 698 fps and a maximum load of 13.2 grains @ 803 fps. Now these loads are in 44 special cases but you can try them in 44 magnum cases and see if satisfactory .
You could always load these in 44 special cases so the different loads would be easy to distinguish from magnum loads.
As several have said , Unique might be the more suitable powder.
Gary
 
I never had success with less than 12 grains of 2400 in any case. You won't find data for such in the 357 Mag.

However, any .44 Special load is certainly OK in your .44 Magnum, and Alliant online currently recommends 13 grains 2400 under a 250Keith in the .44 Special....I'd load that in the .44 Mag cases.

As others have stated, there are at least a half-dozen medium burning powders that are better suited to light loads in a variety of cartridges. Get you some Alliant Unique or Win 231 and you'll find plinking happiness.
 
Trail Boss works well in reduced "target" loads but can be somewhat expensive per round.
Just about any fast to medium shotgun or pistol powder can be made to work in the 44.
As a couple of examples:
One of my lowest power accurate loads is 4.5 grains of PB (now discontinued) with the case then filled up with Grex shotgun buffer and a 240 SWC.
I get around 675 fps.
6.5-7 grains Unique will get you into the mid to high 700's fps
A nice medium power load in the 44 magnum is 8 grains of Unique or Universal and that 240 SWC.
That runs around 800-900 fps.
As has been mentioned the online and print manuals have many low power loads listed in the 44 special.
Load them in the 44 magnum brass and add .5 grain to make up for the bigger case.
Save the 2400 for full magnum loads.
My fave is 18-19 grains 2400 under a Cast Perf 260 grain WFNGC.
I vary that load depending on the brass used.

I too have some arthritis especially in my thumb joints.
A heavier gun helps a LOT with recoil and control.
A full underlug also helps with muzzle rise.
I have a 4" 629 Mountain Revolver with a light barrel that is the only gun I have ever had ported.
The ports helped immensely with the extreme muzzle rise but porting is not everyone's cuppa tea.
 
OP I feel your pain. I have experimented with lighter loads in .44 mag
with 2400 and have settled on 16.6gr of 2400 with a 240gr XTP.
It is pleasant enough for my in bad shape hands and shoots minute of plate at 25yds. Recoil is comfortable and I have suffered none of the negatives with this load stated in this thread with reduced 2400 loads. It runs around 1150 fps in my 629 Classic,6.5 inch bbl.
As for a light 240gr cast load for light target work, 7gr of 231 works very well. That one runs about 850 fps in the same revolver.
Jim
 
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Yes, 2400 is better suited to heavy loads in handguns. Suggest you try Unique, AA#5, Power Pistol or Universal. I've used all of these with good results in my .44 Spls.

Larry
 
I've found that HP38/Win231 is great for light loads in 44 Mag. Cheap to load and easy on the wrists. 6.5 - 7.0 grains makes for a real nice, soft shooting load with 240 grain SWC bullets.

And yes, 2400 isn't a powder you want to shoot if the recoil tears your wrists and hands up. That's more suited for magnum level loads.
 
You mentioned " light target loads " ? 2400 is definitely not the powder to use . Yes , you can down load it some but accuracy will probably drop off and you will have unburnt powder caused by too low of pressure .
For light target loads , I wouldn't even start with any of the medium burn rate powders like Unique , Universal , Power Pistol etc . I would go either to Trail Boss , Red Dot , or nothing any slower than W231/ HP38 , Ramshot Zip etc . I believe Alliant has just come out with a new powder called " Sport Pistol " , supposedly in the burn rate comparable to W231 .
These powders will give you a nice light accurate target load w/o a lot of pain while shooting . Also , going to a lighter bullet weight definitely reduces recoil / pain in your hands . Hope this helps , good luck
 
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As mentioned, try some 44 Special loads in your 44 Mag cases & go up from there if you want.

Add about .75grs to the 44 Special receipe to offset use in the (~6%) larger 44 Mag case. 2400 is very forgiving & easily down loaded. Use regular primers.

Light loads of 2400 will be dirtier (no biggie) but in your case I think you'll notice (and like) that the slower powder gives a noticeably easier recoil impulse compared to similar power levels of fast powder. It also reduces any tendency toward leading vs. a fast powder too, if things aren't optimal between your gun & your lead bullets.

17gr/2400 & 240gr L-SWC are very accurate.

Since you already bought it, try it.

.
 
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As mentioned 2400 is a magnum powder but 13grs of powder is not all that much.

Then again there is;
Bullseye at 5 grs
Red Dot at 7 grs
Unique at 8 grs

but who's counting ?
 
Just the wrong powder for light loads. About 16gr with a mag primer is about as low as i would go, leaves too much unburned powder below thar. You need a medium burner like unique, wsf, be86 for lighter loads, std primers work fine.
 
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Thanks to all of you kind folks for the rapid responses. I'll experiment with the 2400 in .44 Mag cases loaded to .44 Special specs starting at approx. 11.2 grains with that 240 gr. SWC as stated in the Lyman manual. Glad I only purchased 1 lb., and I'll save the remaining previous loaded "hot" rounds for range "friends" to shoot :)

Thanks again!
 
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