Lil'gun

CzyHorse

CzyHorse

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
SW Ontario
Whats good or bad about using Lil'gun in 357Mag & 44Mag rifle rounds?

I've been playing around with the numbers in GRT(Gordon's Reloading Tool), the pressures and the velocities look better than H110.

Is there a reason Hodgdon doesn't show very many rifle loads using Lil'gun?
Hodgdon's 44Mag on-line data, only has one rifle load listed and it's for the short brass 225gn 44Mag 225gn FTX.
 
Lil Gun I've found has more shock to the brass. When you have a case that's say, half full of powder, there is a shock to the brass before the projectile pushes out of the chamber. Weak brass splits.

Good brass like Starline this is ok, but cheap stuff like Fiocchi (head stamped as GFL) you can bet it's got a 50/50 chance of splitting with Lil Gun. H110 doesn't seem to be so rough on the brass.

This is all in my purely unscientific opinion and observations anyways. Doesn't stop me from using Lil Gun, it's easier to find than H110 these days.
 
Lil'Gun puts out an incredible amount of heat. Semi-autos in .300BLK can get ridiculous in a single (30 round) magazine. It's been blamed for fast and significant erosion in revolvers but that is not something I have any experience with. It does provide absolutely top speeds for some cartridges though, like the Blackout.
 
From the reading I've done, it works well in rifles and that's what I use it in. In revolvers, the high flame temperature can result in top strap erosion / cutting. It doesn't seem to be a problem in rifles though. It is the correct powder to use for maximum power .357 mag and .44 mag in rifles, just a bit more velocity with less pressure than H110/ W296. Like H110, it's also not very good for reduced loads. Less than nearly full charges can spike pressure / cause erratic ignition. ( see Ridersfan comment above) Use magnum primers. It is not friendly to plain base lead bullets, requires a gas check or jacketed bullet.
 
I have seen a lot of claims that it did/can burn out the forcing cone too. A bit of cutting at the top stap is one thing but geez. Altogether I read enough against it in revolvers I will likely never bother. If you can find it MP-300 is a powder that also gives exceptional.speeds in .357, probably .44. Significantly more that H110 with excellent accuracy in my testing. Too bad I only ever found a single pound of it.
 
Lil Gun, H110, and 296 are almost the exact same burn rate. I'll buy either or. Follow the charts as calculated for Min and Max
 
Longwalker said:
From the reading I've done, it works well in rifles and that's what I use it in. In revolvers, the high flame temperature can result in top strap erosion / cutting. It doesn't seem to be a problem in rifles though. It is the correct powder to use for maximum power .357 mag and .44 mag in rifles, just a bit more velocity with less pressure than H110/ W296. Like H110, it's also not very good for reduced loads. Less than nearly full charges can spike pressure / cause erratic ignition. ( see Ridersfan comment above) Use magnum primers. It is not friendly to plain base lead bullets, requires a gas check or jacketed bullet.
Click to expand...
This right here.
 
Freedomarms used to say and post on their website that using it in their revolvers would void the warranty.

Stainless doesn't release heat as well as carbon steel.
 
kg said:
Freedomarms used to say and post on their website that using it in their revolvers would void the warranty.

Stainless doesn't release heat as well as carbon steel.
Click to expand...

I hadn't read that before, interesting. The material seems irrelevant. It cuts carbon guns badly as well.
 
Thanks for the info. Since there's a potential to damaging one of my rifles, I'm going to err on the side of caution and stick with the devil I know and have on the shelf, H110.
 
Lil gun turned my 218 bee into a laser beam. That’s how much the performance improved in my bee and hornets. Traditionally I was using a stick powder and would have my fair share of Un burnt powder. Lil gun changed that over night. I further use it for heavy cast loads in my 44 mag rifle. If you can get it’s an amazing powder
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom