44 Mag Reloading Question

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f4iguy

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Hi,
I'm just starting to reload 44 mag and have only been reloading everything else (9mm, 45acp, 45 colt, 357, 223, 308) for a year now. I purchased some Winchester 210gr Hollow Point Silver Tips and W296 powder but had a hard time finding load data for them. There was nothing in my Spear 14 manual but I did find this on the net that I think is from Lyman:



I also found this from Hodgdon:



Different projectile manufacturer in the second picture but my problem is the difference in velocities between the two. I loaded up 6 rounds with the min load of 26.6gr of W296 and chronographed just above 1500fps which is much higher than the 1279fps published by Lyman. The Hodgdon data's speed seems to be a lot closer to the speeds I'm getting but why the big difference?

Without having the book the Lyman data came from I'm not sure what barrel length they tested through. The Hodgdon Data is 8.275" which is very close to my 8" barrel. Could that be the difference?

I'm new to shooting 44 mag so I'm not 100% sure how much recoil I should feel, I just want to make sure I'm not loading my rounds too hot so any recommendations for this bullet/powder combo would be greatly appreciated!!
 
The longer barrel does make a big difference. In my 6.5" S&W's I use 26.8gr of H110 with both the 210 gr Winchester STHP or Speer GDHP
Both perform well but I have a hard time wasting a 75 cent bullet on a paper target so have only fired about 130 of them. The Speers are a fair bit cheaper but still pricey for poking holes in paper.
Winchester 296 and Hodgdon H110 are the same powder but watch the lot numbers as I have found some density variations from batch to batch.
Also this from a Winchester loading manual -
* Note: 296 powder is considered to be one of the best powders for use in magnum handgun cartridges. Please refer to page 6
for recommended primer and use a very heavy crimp. Failure to follow this procedure could result in poor ignition and/or squib
loads under extreme circumstances, particularly in loads where less than 90% of the available powder space is being used
(low loading density).
 
Do not reduce charges with 296 powder as it can lead to nasty problems. 296/H110 work within a relatively small pressure range and need pressure to burn cleanly and thoroughly, and always use a magnum primer and a good heavy roll crimp. Do not worry about your velocity as I have attained 1500 fps from a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 5 1/2" barrel and 300 gn Barnes bullets using 296, I was experimenting and using an old unfluted SBH. If your cases fall out easily don't worry about it, but do not drop charges below min recommendations, this is NOT a powder for reduced or medium loads, it was designed for full bore, fire breathing, maximum magnum performance.
 
c-fbmi said:
Do not reduce charges with 296 powder as it can lead to nasty problems. 296/H110 work within a relatively small pressure range and need pressure to burn cleanly and thoroughly, and always use a magnum primer and a good heavy roll crimp. Do not worry about your velocity as I have attained 1500 fps from a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 5 1/2" barrel and 300 gn Barnes bullets using 296, I was experimenting and using an old unfluted SBH. If your cases fall out easily don't worry about it, but do not drop charges below min recommendations, this is NOT a powder for reduced or medium loads, it was designed for full bore, fire breathing, maximum magnum performance.
Click to expand...

Right you are, this is the good stuff! I've used Winchester LP primers that say that they are suitable for standard or magnum loads. And now I'm going to go and buy some more of them and build some all Winchester rounds.

- picked up 2 bricks of primers (WSS on sale) and then found out that I used up the last of my W296 powder on the last batch. :( So it's going to have to be 3/4 Winchester loads. (primer, case and bullet)
 
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Thanks guys! The fact that Lyman was based on a 4" barrel makes sense. I'm only using Mag primers (been using them for all LP Primers since it' all I can find) and a heavy crimp. They are expensive and were a bit of an impulse buy as I didn't want to wait to find something else. Going to try some heavier lead rounds over 231 next time and try to save my limited supply of 296 for the full house loads:d
 
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