@pete-hoffert That old data is WAY too hot. Kent Lomont was an expert but a bit of a madman and he wrote articles publishing data as high as 29.0 grains (!) of 296 for the 240 grain bullets. He almost offhandedly mentioned that you might occasionally suffer a bolt blowing up!
The only responsible data I trust is that generated by Speer in their No.7 manual, and Hornady in their current manual.
Speer lists 22.0 to 23.3 grains, while Hornady lists 19.4 to 23.8 grains. Remember that WW296 and H110 are literally the SAME powder (not just similar, but instead, exactly the same, just sold in two different packages). Load data differences between the two either are because they were slightly different back in the 1970s, or because of lot-to-lot variation today.
I have used 23.5 grains of 296 with Hornady 240gr XTP hollow points and I feel it’s too hot for an original gun. It functions well but I have had several small failures including a broken rear sight adjustment screw, and a vent rib that broke away from the barrel. I will be toning it down in the future as a result.
I have faith that the new guns will be stronger and should tolerate full-power ammo much better. FWIW I believe SBR ammo uses 23.0 or 23.5 grains of 296/110 with the Hornady 240 gr XTP. I once pulled a round and measured it, but I can’t remember exactly what it was. I do remember that it was right at the top of the range however.
@pantera-mike I had no intention of trying to replicate the loads shown, I just found it quite interesting. As a rule I don't 100% trust any load data, no matter what the source, especially after I found a very faulty load table in a lyman reloading manual some years ago.
@pete-hoffert Yes, I found very faulty 9mm data in the latest Speer handbook too. Trust but verify, and cross check with multiple soirées if able.
But I have faith in the data I referenced above. It seems responsible, and not outrageous.
Lee Jurras published a load of 26.0 gr W296 under a 240gr bullet. I guess they loved to push the limits of the new guns/cartridge back then and see what happened.
I believe I'll be sticking to my 22.5 gr H110
Anyone have a source for dies in this day and age? Even the Hornady ones seem to be sold out everywhere.
@magnum-otto eBay is the place to go. Lately demand has been strong and they are selling for very big bucks, likely to new owners. But with no commercial Ammo available, if you want to shoot your new gun now and not a year from now, you pay whatever it takes. Until recently they were only $150-200 but now they are five times that!
@magnum-otto eBay is the place to go. Lately demand has been strong and they are selling for very big bucks, likely to new owners. But with no commercial Ammo available, if you want to shoot your new gun now and not a year from now, you pay whatever it takes. Until recently they were only $150-200 but now they are five times that!
I just saw that, the last dies have been selling in the $1000 range. Makes me think I should load up all my brass for now and sell mine. I’ll be wanting to buy a set of RCBS carbide dies as soon as they are available anyway.
@lane-freeman I wouldn’t get rid of your old ones before the new ones are in-hand. Who knows how long it will take RCBS to get their act together?
@pantera-mike you have a valid point there. Even though RCBS says the carbide will be available in the spring, I think we have all learned from past experience that nothing is a guarantee. Items scheduled to be released in a few months can easily end up taking years. I think I have about $135 invested in my set of dies and even with a set of carbides they may be worth hanging on to
I consider myself very lucky, in that I was able to obtain an old RCBS set a few weeks ago for a fair price. Thanks again Mike for helping me out. They work great.
@pete-hoffert glad it worked out! Who knew they were actually worth a thousand bucks these days? 😜
I’m glad they went to a good home at a fair price!
Recently, while I was searching the web for more reloading data, I came across an article from Handloader magazine from 1974, on handloading for the 44 amp cartridge. I found it interesting that the loading data that was published was a lot hotter than any of the recent data that I could find. For instance they show a load of 25 gr of w296 for a 240 gr bullet.
Could be many reasons for that - slight changes in powder over the years as one example. I've also read that there were many original Automags damaged by loads that were too hot - Maybe this is an example of just that issue!
@william-weeks some of the powders used in the article, were 2400, W296, And H110. The author also talked about needing to use loads that generated over 40,000 lbs of pressure to reliably cycle the pistol. Some of the loads and pressures they were quoting made me cringe. I also remember reading articles back in the 70s that stated that they got 1700 fps out of a 6.5 barrel. I would never dream of trying to push things as far as they did back then.
If I can cut down brass in my lathe as well as ream .429, is the only thing I need a sizing die?
I reload 44 mag and have all the stuff for it, have a ton of 308 cases but I can't find any ammo or dies.
Has anyone ever opened a die that is close to 44 mag specs?? i was thinking reaming a 308 FL die to the base diameter.
Lots of 44 AMP die sets on eBay right now. The laws of supply and demand have increased the supply and prices have dropped quite a bit. I wouldn’t assume anything except the expander from a 44 magnum (revolver) die set would work for 44 AMP.
