Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hodgdons 44 Magnum Data

I looked at Hodgdons 44 Magnum data and they used the HOT, HOT HOT Remington 2 1/2 Magnum primers and I wondered how much to increase the charges when using weak primers like CCI 300 and Federal150 primers. Maybe 4 or 5 grains?

Wow! What an intensely stupid request.

April fools!

(I hope!)

The formula is similar to the one used to determine amount of trash bags the pickup trucks with the numbers on the side can carry. That’s the cubed root (of the number divided by the number of comfy seats.). E.g 2500 series with four seats. 2500/4=625. 625n1/3=8.5 bags of trash.

For gun powder take cubed root (of more powerful primer divided by weaker) to find out grains added.
300/2.5=120. 120n1/3=4.9 grains added.

I know 'doofus is just being 'doofus, but...I like to try to get some good out of everything. His post does raise an interesting issue: What difference does a "magnum" primer really make?

Remington and Winchester both do NOT produce a separate large pistol magnum primer. Winchester's large pistol primer box even goes as far to say that it's for BOTH standard AND magnum pistol loads.



When I load any pistol round, I never sweat matching the primer in the data to what I use. I just use whatever primers I have. (Lately, for large pistol, I've used Winchesters, because during the last shortage I was able to buy about 10,000 of them at once). Obviously, I don't increase my powder charge when going to a perceived "weaker" primer, as 'doofus jokes in his post, but it makes me wonder about pressure differences if a primer is hotter than the one listed in the data.

Has anyone here ever run rounds over a chrono that, other than the primer, are otherwise identical? What was the result??

I found these pics on another site. I won't say that they mean anything, but...they did catch my attention: https://www.6mmbr.com/PrimerPix.html

I chrono'd the primer variable on a 44 mag reload last month. Using 19.5 grains of H110, Montana 300gr. cast bullet, and Winchester brass. Same loading press, same dies, same everything but the primer. CCI350 vs. WLP. The CCI350 yielded a 20fps increase in a five round sample. Statistically insignificant I'm sure. What was significant is I had two light primer strikes with the CCI. I had at least a dozen light primer strikes with CCI300's last year in 10mm reloads. I'm done with CCI, regardless of any magnum status.

Yeah, if it was a test of just a single round of each primer, 20 fps is within the normal variation of one round to the next.

Yours is the first report I have heard of CCI primers being unreliable--I'd sure like to hear if others have experienced the same!

CCI has a thicker cup if there is
any problem with firing pin length or spring tension will show as a light primer strike.

I'll add some data points. My only comment is that the CCI350 (vs other primers used) has given the highest velocity with H110/W296 in both .44 mag and .45 colt and never had any ignition issues with CCIs.

These were shot from a 4 1/4" Freedom Arms Model 97
Competion Electronics Chrono
Five shots at 68 deg F and 5 long paces from muzzle
Matts 305gr SWCGC (Saeco #454) seated to and crimped in crimp grove
22.5gr H110


CCI 350 (Mag).......... 1,137 fps ES 31 fps
Fed 155 M Match..... 1,107 fps ES 43 fps
WLP........................ 1,099 fps ES 42 fps
Fed 150 Std............ 1,104 fps ES 34 fps

While I do use Winchester WLP for 44 Mag, I use CCI for most everything else and have NEVER had one fail to light.

Every day is April Fools for GD.

Doofus you should use 15grs of bullseye and cram a loaded 9mm in there too. Use a heavy crimp.

Variable results ... gun to gun.

I have owned a LOT of .44 magnum revolvers ... mid 30s, maybe 40 ... since the 1980s. I do pretty extensive load testing with each. At the moment, my two .44s have been with me a while and I've settled on a load that works in both of them as it worked in a couple of their predecessors. One .44 I owned from the early 90s 'til about 4-5 years ago was very fussy. It would not shoot well with standard LP primers or the hot WLP primer (which is really a magnum primer), it required the Fed 155s or CCI 350s. I couldn't tell you why, only that accuracy suffered badly if I went away from those two.

I think you have to fuss around and see what your gun likes. Rule of thumb is too often rule of wrong. You can waste a lot of components being stubborn.

Tom

The only failure of ignition I have ever experienced has been with Win LP primers in the 41 mag. Those failures were frequent. As in 1/10 overall in three revolvers. Most common with a Taurus titanium tracker, occasionally in a Smith 57, and seldom in a Ruger SBH hunter.