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Hodgdon Universal & H110 Questions
floorguy24
Member Posts: 1,343 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm currently using Hodgdon Universal for my 44 Magnum & 44 Special pistol loads and have noticed more smoke than other factory loads I've shot.
I'm OK with it, but want to know if anyone else has noticed it as well? Maybe it's just me, and I'm seeing things.
I'm also looking at getting the Hodgdon H110 for the 44 Magnum loads only. Is this a good powder?
Currently, I'm trying to go with Hodgdon powders simply due their availability at the nearby Bass Pro Shops. Otherwise, I'd try other powders.
I'm OK with it, but want to know if anyone else has noticed it as well? Maybe it's just me, and I'm seeing things.
I'm also looking at getting the Hodgdon H110 for the 44 Magnum loads only. Is this a good powder?
Currently, I'm trying to go with Hodgdon powders simply due their availability at the nearby Bass Pro Shops. Otherwise, I'd try other powders.
Comments
Most smoke is from smoldering bullet lube on cast bullets.
Jacketed bullets show only the smoke from the powder itself. Which is not much with any powder I have loaded with.
Universal is a great powder for light to medium loads. H110 is a full-throttle powder that is not safe to reduce from maximum charge. So H110(W296) is a one-trick pony.
Works very good. There is only about a 1.0-2.0gr. range in the Hodgdon load data for use with all bullet weights.
Stick with that data and you will be OK.
What bullets?
Most smoke is from smoldering bullet lube on cast bullets.
Jacketed bullets show only the smoke from the powder itself. Which is not much with any powder I have loaded with.
I'm loading plain lead round nose, 240 grain. Carbide dies, so no lube at all.
Maybe it's just me, maybe the smoke is the same as others.
The lube he means is on the lead bullet. And he is correct: that's what is making the smoke.
Makes sense to me. Thanks. [^]
Thanks to all of you for the help. This forum is like school. [:p]
H110 is great with jacketed bullets with 44mag...DO NOT reduce loads with this powder or 296
What about non jacketed lead round nose? I'm not at all interested in reducing the loads, just not sure if the H110 is for jacketed only.
Any load for H110 with jacketed bullets will probably drive the lead bullets too fast and lead the barell. The H110 window is small so near max loads are the norm.The universal is more for a plinkng load and can be played with a lot more.
Thank you, that makes sense. Learning here almost daily.
I also use H110/W296 in .357 magnum gas check bullets in both revolvers and rifles. If I had a .44 g/c mold, I'd probably do the same.
I prefer lead bullets vs. jacketed bullets unless there's compelling reasons for the jacketed bullet (and there are, of course).
But....why clean the lube off the bullet? The lube is there for several purposes, all of which are more important than smoke. I think I finally (well, I'm slow) realized the value of lube when breaking in a couple of revolvers and a .357 rifle. After I got over the shock/dismay of looking at what appeared to be dirty/ugly/skanky barrels, when I cleaned them, the end result were pristine, lovely broken-in barrels, with no copper, no lead and lands as smooth as a baby's bottom.
Obviously, you can (and I have) leave on too much bullet lube when sizing cast bullets. But that's different from using commercial lead bullets. Most I've used have the right amount and you'd chance leading your barrel if you remove it.
W296 was designed expressly by Winchester for .357 Magnum cartridges, while H110 was marketed initially as a .410 shotgun load, and, incidentally, as a .44 Magnum load. They've always been almost identical, and since Hodgdon now produces Winchester powders, they're now absolutely identical (subject to batch variances).
So go ahead and use H110 for your .44 Magnum. I don't use it for my .44 Special, mostly because I've never seen any data for same, and I'd just rather not blow up my very nice Model 21.....
W296/H110 is intended as a full-throttle magnum powder. It really has few if any normal cast-bullet uses because those bullets are not very compatible with such use. They can be used that way, but only with special methods; even then, the results may not be satisfactory.
It's not a big deal, it just seems to dirty up the gun pretty good after 100 rounds. Maybe that's normal. Now that I'm reloading, I'm shooting more rounds than before. [:p]