H110 "idiosyncrasies"?

[Mgderf]

I'm a new reloader. I've only been at it for a few months and I've not loaded a ton of ammo.
I've stuck with handgun cartridges for now.

I just read a thread where someone mentioned the "idiosyncrasies" of H110 powder.
I've seen in the past, people saying that H110 is not for the new reloader.

I asked a friend a couple of days ago what these issues may be and he looked at me like I'd asked him what color the sky was.
He said he has no idea what people e may be referring to. Said he has had very good results using it, meters well...

So Ingo. What are the "idiosyncrasies" that folks are worried about with H110?

 

[bocefus78]

For full house mag loads, there aren't any issues.

Only real issue with it is the fact that you CAN NOT load anything but full tilt loads with it.

I'd bet good money it's the most used mag powder out there.

 

[XtremeVel]

Like said above, you don't want to back off from the upper end. H110/W296 also will need a heavy roll crimp.

They are excellent powders for full power loads like in .357 mag, .41 & .44 mags and the heavier .45 Colt loadings.

You would be fine using it as long as you stick to reliable loading data. I just prefer Alliants 2400 because I don't give up much on the upper end and can reduce if I feel the need.

 

[Mgderf]

Well one thing's for sure, it's hard to find around my area.
I've never seen it on a shelf near me...

 

[XtremeVel]

Well one thing's for sure, it's hard to find around my area.
I've never seen it on a shelf near me...

Same here... But Winchesters 296 is the same thing... Keep an eye open for either.

 

[Mgderf]

Same here... But Winchesters 296 is the same thing... Keep an eye open for either.

Good to know. Thanks for that.

 

[kludge]

Since I mentioned it... H110/W296 does not work well if the pressure is reduced below what it likes. It's a "full-house" magnum powder and doesn't do anything else.

Most sources will say to stay strictly within the start and max loads. When looking at data books, you can find data that does not seem to correlate, so it's important to use exact recipes if at all possible (case, powder, primer, bullet -- at minimum find data for THAT bullet; better if you can use the same primer too) and not to experiment. There can be confusion because one manual might say 19-20gr for a 240gr bullet and another may say 18-19gr for the same weight bullet. One load might work for an XTP and one load might work for Gold Dot... Without the pressure testing equipment of the lab, your best sticking strictly to the data for your particular bullet. The normal procedure for "start low and work up" doesn't apply to H110/W296. If the pressure is too low you can have erratic ignition, widely varying velocity, hang fires and squibs. Cold weather can be an aggravating factor too; a load that works in the hot August sun may misfire at 20 degrees in the hunting stand.

Just be smart, make sure you understand all the loading procedures well before embarking on a load with H110, understand and respect what the powder will do, and what it won't do, and you will be VERY happy with the results you get with H110.

2400 is often recommended as an alternative that is safe to use with the standard "reduce the max load by 10% and work up" advice. And 2400 works with standard primers.

 

[Classic]

I use the H110 and W296 for .357 mag, 44 mag, hot 45 colt (ruger), 30-30 (contender) and 300 blackout. Stick to the loading manual reloads, don't try to go lower and always use magnum primers and . I have had ignition problems in the bitter cold once or twice, not sure why.

 

[Seancass]

Strange. Follow the loads printed in every book ever and there aren't any idiosyncrasies.

 

[kludge]

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy

a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing

You follow the book, therefore you don't experience them.

 

[Whip_McCord]

I have always preferred 2400 or AA#9. They always said to use magnum primers for H110/296. And as others have mentioned, max loads w/o reducing the charge.

 

[87iroc]

Hrmmmm...wish I'd have seen this yesterday! I was going to load some Xtreme Plated bullets at the low end of the load for a XTP bullet and see how it worked w/H110. I also had seen many folks say 'I have never used magnum primers' so I didn't even check what primers it mentioned.

I only loaded 6 to try out. They should be below the 1500 fps limit that XTR sets. Should I just go ahead and pull them before trying to shoot them or give them a try?

I also loaded 3 with lil gun to try out as well. Lil gun appears to have a better following, though for non-XTP bullets. I found many load recipes on handloads.com for it with LSWC.

For those struggling to find it. I snagged a lb of it and lil gun a couple weeks ago at atterbury.

Thanks,

 

[bocefus78]

Well one thing's for sure, it's hard to find around my area.
I've never seen it on a shelf near me...

imr4227 or h4227 is a good powder for that application as well. You can download it somewhat (will leave some unburnt powder flakes in your gun), regular primers work or mags, and it's easier to find.

Those 2 are the same powders so consider that my reply to your other thread also.

 

[ryan3030]

I've loaded 357s/38s down light with H110 (10gr, 12gr, 15gr) and had no problems

140gr bullet, small magnum primers.

 

[Leadeye]

296/H110 and Lil gun are all powders that work best at full power. I've found that of that group Lil gun works better with bullets on the heavy end of the scale.

 

[spaniel]

I used to use H110. However even at full power loads in a 41Mag with magnum primers, I had 2 squibs in sub-freezing weather.

It does not make much pounding a bullet out of a revolver to sour one one a powder when there are other options.

I will run exclusively 2400 once I burn up the last of the H110...in summer weather. Plus the H110 eats the blast shield on my SW 329PD.

 

[Seancass]

I should add to my original post: EVERY powder has idiosyncrasies, or quirks as a simple folk might say. You don't compress a full case of Bullseye or unique into a rifle case and you don't try to download H110. Use the powder as intended and as directed and it will deliver stunning results.

 

[oldpink]

I use H110/W296 extensively for my most energetic .45 Colt loads, well north of 2000 rounds loaded with that powder alone.
In fact, I've used far more of it (by a ratio of at least three-to-one) than the only other two powders that I've used for that cartridge in my Ruger Blackhawk, which are Alliant Bluedot and Unique...combined.
I bought a Marlin 1894 new three years ago, also in that caliber, and all of the roughly 300 rounds fired out of it have been loaded with this powder.
For both guns, I use max or loads no less than 10% below max, as advised in the manuals, using data from the manual only reserved for "Ruger Blackhawk or T/C Contender only" because both guns have the strong actions required for these very energetic loads.
I use CCI magnum primers only, ensure that I expand and bell the necks just enough to allow the bullet to seat without overdoing it, and use a standard roll crimp to prevent the bullet from slipping.
I should also point out that neck tension is far more important to ensure proper ignition than crimp is, since crimp prevents the bullet from slipping under recoil, or under spring tension, as in the tubular magazine of my Marlin.
It's also worth saying that roll crimping should be done in a separate step from bullet seating, since the crimp ring in the seating die will be working against the seater stem pushing the bullet to its seating depth simultaneously if you allow the crimp ring to contact the case mouth during the seating operation, which will cause the case mouth to buckle.
I don't have a dedicated crimp die, so I accomplish this by just screwing in a die lock ring without its locking screw under the secured lock ring on my seater die to serve as a shim to seat bullets for all of my .45 Colt rounds, which lifts the die body enough to stop the crimping ring from engaging the case mouth for this step.
After I've seated all of the bullets, I unscrew the seater die, remove the lock ring serving as a shim, raise the seater stem all the way up to avoid contact with the bullet, then screw the seater die back down in the press, whereupon I rapidly take my seated rounds and run all of them back up to the top to apply the roll crimp only.
Obviously, this could be done more easily with a dedicated crimp die and the seater die's lock ring fastened down low enough to keep its crimp ring away from the case mouth.
I'm going into all that minute detail because I think it contributes to why I've fired somewhere around 2000 rounds loaded with this powder without a single failure to fire or squib of any sort, in all temperatures, from 90+ degree humid summer days to winter days in the single digits.
I love this powder, but it does have more stringent loading requirements than most other powders, especially the handloaders' favorite of good ol' Unique.
It's a spherical powder that meters very well through a measure, and no other powder works quite as well for getting the maximum performance possible out of the likes of .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Colt.
You shouldn't have a single problem as long as you a) strictly adhere to what the manuals recommend, b) use it strictly in strong guns able to handle its power (that rules out Colt SAA and all replicas of it, Colt New Service, S&W model 25, Taurus Judge and S&W Governor), c) use magnum primers only, d) use minimal case mouth expanding/belling, e) use normal roll crimp in a separate step from seating.
The only other thing worth mentioning is that it tends to make an impressive muzzle blast and flash.
Others at the range often notice when you fire loads charged with H110.

 

[Broom_jm]

This is a really simple concept...not sure why we need a 5-step process to explain it.

H110/W296 requires a good deal of heat/pressure to burn properly, and thus it has a fairly narrow range of suitable charge weights. If it has an idiosyncrasy, it is that you can't safely load it down like you can many other powders. To do so is truly unsafe. This powder is full-throttle or a squib, and that is most certainly not typical of other powders like 2400 or Unique, in 44RM loads.

All reloading is potentially dangerous, but if you follow the book loads to the letter, H110 is no more so than other powders. Up until a few years ago, I had never used any other powder for my 44 Mag T/C.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I use it to make brass shotshells for .410, in .44 mag and .30 carbine. I also use Winchester primers, but not magnum. We shoot all year and never a squib in thousands of rounds. Like mentioned, do not reduce. Great powder and I use it by the keg.