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What's your opinion regarding 2400 for hand loads in 357mag?

Speer manual said not to use magnum primers when using 2400 in the 357mag and to use magnum primers only with ball powder.

Whereas other manuals seem to use magnum primers in the 357mag regardless of powder.

How does 2400 compare to either H110/Win296 as far burning cleaner, recoil, etc?

Thank you for any feedback and advice you can give!

Leo

2400 powder has been used in the 357 magnum cartridge since it was invented. In short barreled guns, 4 inches or shorter, it gives a bright muzzle flash even in day light and this is particularly noticeable with the lighter bullets. It will allow reloaders to reach maximum velocity in the cartridge using standard primers because 2400 is easy to fire up. I perfer it to the other powders you mentioned, but that is a personal choice. The other powders also work well in the cartridge.

Ditto, and you do not need to use magnum primers with 2400.

I keep a fairly high inventory of primers because it doesn't matter how much powder or bullets you have if you don't have primers. One way I do that is to use standard primers so I don't have to have two kinds in inventory. I want 10,000 LP primers instead of 5000 LP and 5000 magnum. For that reason, I don't use the coated powders like 296 that need a hotter magnum primer. Those powders require that coating to control their burn rate. As far as I am concerned, that is too much sugar for a nickle. It is a solution to a nonexistant problem.

The thing I've found with the .357 is that the case has relatively small capacity compared to the larger bore magnums and hence std primers seem to give the best accuracy with ball powders.

While I've burned several pounds of 2400 through my .357, I seem to get better accuracy with H-110.

Maybe it's just my perception but 296 seems to give slightly less recoil than 2400 at same-same velocities. I think because it is a tad slower than 2400 the recoil impulse is spread out over a few more milliseconds.

I have a couple pounds of 2400 and it is still my go-to powder for the .357, 14.0 grains with a 160 WFNGC being my standard load. Plus you can load it down a fair amount if you want to and still maintain good accuracy.

Thank you to all who replied.

Like BobWills, one of the reasons I picked 2400 was due to not having to use magnum primers so that I could stock up on one type of primers.

I wasn't aware of the flash with 2400. I will be using 158gr bullets or heavier in 4" barrel Ruger GP100.

By using old standard powders like Bullseye, Unique, 2400, 4227, 4198, 3031, 4064, 4350 and using standard large and small pistol primers and large and small rifle primers, you can keep a good inventory of reloading supplies that can be used to load dang near any handgun or rifle cartridge. When you keep one pound cans of a half dozen different powders, all you have is one pound of powder and that will not go very far.

You are on the right track by sticking with what has worked for the last hundred years and keeping up a good supply of it. You will be shooting when the next big shortage of supplies comes along and all these guys who are using many different powders are going to be whining because they can't find powder or primers like they did the last time there was a shortage. Heck, some of them are STILL whining about it.

Standardize and stock up so you won't get caught in the next reloading supply shortage. It sounds like that is your plan and it is a good one. All the best.

Like Bob, I don't use W296/H110, not only for the magnum primer factor, but also because you can't use reduced charges of it. Listen to what Bob says and standardize and stock up. Us old guys have been thru these politically inspired shortages since when Hillary's husband was getting it on the side in the White House.

Don

If you want peak performance and likely peak accuracy with heavy for caliber bullets in magnum handgun cartridges, then IMHO H-110/W-296 is the best powder. No it can't be downloaded, but it's the best for that use.

What about brass? Just keep 357mag brass and download it? Or also keep 38spec brass on stock as well?

BTW, I a have a lot of Unique. Use it to load my 45acp. Figure can also use it in 38spec/357mag.

How do you figure that when 2400 will give you the same energy and velocity with similar bullet weights as either of the powders you mentioned? What can those powders do that 2400 cannot? The correct answer is NOTHING. But It's a free country and you are entitled to your opinions, however wrong they might be.



I have both types of cases, but you can load down 357 cases to make 38 special power loads with no problems as long as you shoot them in a 357 gun. Keep a lookout for deals on once fired brass that comes up every now and then and buy as much as you can afford or need. Those of us who have been reloading for a long time have brass stashed all over the place and every time I clean up the loading room I find another bunch of it that I didn't know I had.

Get yourself some reloading buddies. A lot of stuff like brass cases I have was given to me my friends who for whatever reason, quit reloading. Some got divorced. Some died. Some just quit shooting and reloading. After awhile, you'll start finding stuff stashed away that you didn't know you had. I love it when that happens.

You seemed to glean over the word accuracy in my post. I've shot enough 180-200 gr in the .357, 300-320 gr in the 44 mag and 400-460 gr in the 480 to conclude H-110/W-296 can rarely be beaten in terms of accuracy and velocity in magnum handgun rounds. And I don't download the heavy for caliber cast bullets, that's where the lighter bullets and Unique or similar powders shine.

So why would I use 2400 when my groups open up? And opinions are like [bleep], and you seem to be one.

Okay, you know more about accuracy than I do 458 and I don't want to get into a pissing contest with you over your favorite 357 loads because the OP didn't ask what your favorite loads are. I have only been casting, loading, and shooting 357 magnums since 1958, so my 55 years of experience with them is somewhat limited. However, in my defense, I offer the following photo's taken in my loading room just a few minutes ago:






Back in another lifetime, I was a Lieutenant on the Jones County, Mississippi Sheriff's Office pistol team. As a result of that experience, I became interested in combat and 2700 bullseye shooting and went on to earn an NRA Master Class Shooter Classification which I kept for 13 years and won the throphies in the photo. I had others, but gave them to nephews and neighbor's kids over the years as we had shooting contest on my range while they learned to shoot. Every kid in the neighborhood had at least one.

After reading your comments, I'm sure that you know all about what a Master Class Classification means, but in case you do not, it means I know something about being able to shoot accurately.

I am going to continue to try to answer leomort's questions, and I shall ignore your attempts to deflect the thread into what loads you like best for the 357.

Bob the reloading room looks good.. Wish mine were that organized!!! I am a piker when it comes to pistols.. Have loaded for all three.. My go to pistol powders are Unique and 2400.. Enjoy your posts and stories..

2400 does not do that, in my experience, in any of the magnum revolver cartridges I've used it in (357, 44, 45C, 454). I've always been able to reach higher velocity with H110.

For mild to mid-range loads, Unique will give the same velocity as 2400, but with less flash and less recoil.

2400 is a popular old powder, and it meters well, but I haven't found any loads that can't be done better with either H110 or Unique. Since I'm not a guy to own just one powder, 2400 doesn't seem to have any clear advantages, in my experience.

Where have you been hunter? We have missed you on the Bullet Casting forum.

As far as being a handgun shooter, you know a lot more about me than any of these other guys do or ever will.

Bob, we were visiting relatives for three weeks in July. Just got home in time to pickup my Stepdaughter and her son for a visit.. We have been having a blast.. They caught their first trout, Jake shot his first prairie dogs and gophers.. More fishing and shooting on tap for the next week..

I usually check this thread out, but have little to add.. But it sure is interesting..

Well somebody should tell Lyman that 2400 will not do that because their loading manuals have been saying that it will for the past 50 years or more, and my chronograph says it will, regardless of your experience. Unique will not come close to the same velocities as 2400 and anyone who has any experience at all knows that.

I am going to continue to try to answer leomort's questions, and I shall ignore the attempts to deflect this thread into what loads you like or what your experience has been.

I have to go with 458Lott and Yonderling on this one Bob.

Love your avatar, suits you to a Tee.