Load tests with .44 Henry Carbine and Magneto Speed Trap.

[fortyshooter]

Well today was a test to compare my .44 Mag 180 XTP loaded with 24.5 of 2400 powder and Standard WLP primers vs. 24 gr. of 2400 with CCI 350 Magnum primers. Also first time I had setup my new Magneto Speed unit on a rifle.
Have read lots of info. on using Magnum primers with Alliant 2400 powder....some against it's use and others using it with some load reduction.
Due to the primer shortage Magnums are what I have to use for a while along with 100 of my normal Winchester LP primers.

So I started off with a mild .44 Mag load of 240 MB coated bullet with 9.4 of Unique to see if the Magna Speed unit was working correctly.
got a read of 1319 FPS Average with High of 1326 and Low of 1309.
Next up was my 180 gr. XTP load with 24.5 gr. 2400 and my standard Winchester WLP primers and got a High of 2090 FPS and low of 2018 FPS.
The Shoulder Meter indicated yes these are a hot one!

Finally the same 180 XTP bullet with the load down to 24 gr. of 2400 but with the CCI 350 LP Mag primers. Results were slightly slower at a High of 2008 FPS and a Low of 2000 FPS...a very tight spread!
Case extraction didn't seem to be any tighter max case dia. was measured at .459 about the same as the WLP primer.

One thing I did find was when bullet spead gets into the 1900-2000 range I had to turn down the Speed unit one click in sensitivity to the Regular setting. With the milder 240 gr. MB load at 1300's and when checking pistol bullet speeds it needs to set at next click higher.

So if I need to load using the CCI 350 primer it looks to be safe.

[Team Roper]

Nice report fourty. If we get some nice days out, I may take my chrono back out and do a similar test with my 2400 and the bullets that I use in the 44 mag. I'll most likely use the same load I used before with 18.5 grains of 2400 but using both the 300 and the 350 primers and my 245 gr. SWC to see exactly how much variation in velocity there actually is between the two primers.

[Headhog]

This is good information and good work. It doesn't appear that the magnum primers did much to change the velocity, but they may be providing better ignition for the powder. What would be interesting is to see a comparison of 24 gr. of 2400 with standard and those with magnum primers. That would tell a lot more on the direct change (or not) caused by the magnum primers.

Paul

[Sir Henry]

Well today was a test to compare my .44 Mag 180 XTP loaded with 24.5 of 2400 powder and Standard WLP primers vs. 24 gr. of 2400 with CCI 350 Magnum primers. Also first time I had setup my new Magneto Speed unit on a rifle.
Have read lots of info. on using Magnum primers with Alliant 2400 powder....some against it's use and others using it with some load reduction.
Due to the primer shortage Magnums are what I have to use for a while along with 100 of my normal Winchester LP primers.

So I started off with a mild .44 Mag load of 240 MB coated bullet with 9.4 of Unique to see if the Magna Speed unit was working correctly.
got a read of 1319 FPS Average with High of 1326 and Low of 1309.
Next up was my 180 gr. XTP load with 24.5 gr. 2400 and my standard Winchester WLP primers and got a High of 2090 FPS and low of 2018 FPS.
The Shoulder Meter indicated yes these are a hot one!

Finally the same 180 XTP bullet with the load down to 24 gr. of 2400 but with the CCI 350 LP Mag primers. Results were slightly slower at a High of 2008 FPS and a Low of 2000 FPS...a very tight spread!
Case extraction didn't seem to be any tighter max case dia. was measured at .459 about the same as the WLP primer.

One thing I did find was when bullet spead gets into the 1900-2000 range I had to turn down the Speed unit one click in sensitivity to the Regular setting. With the milder 240 gr. MB load at 1300's and when checking pistol bullet speeds it needs to set at next click higher.

So if I need to load using the CCI 350 primer it looks to be safe.

I showed this post to a non-shooting neighbor and he had no idea what you were talking about. His best guess was some sort of chemical science test. It wasn’t until he read the last two paragraphs that he figured it was about firearms.

[fortyshooter]

Well yes it is somewhat of a chemistry expierment! I dropped the load down a bit as maybe a safety factor but I may load a couple with WLP primer just to check.

[JEBar]

our chrony shows our 240 gr Nosler JHP's pushed by 23.8 gr of W296 or H110 with CCI large pistol magnum primers with a muzzle velocity of 1720 +/- fps .... we been using this load since the mid '60's and have found them to be very accurate in both our 44 Mag rifles and Revolvers ....