.44 Magnum-Conflicting load data. I'm confused.

[Darkhorse]

Loaded up a few .44 mags this week. These rounds are for my Ruger .44 auto carbine. The bullet was the Speer Gold dot soft point, 240 gr. Powder was to be 2400.
So I got out my Hornady manual, Fourth edition. This one has loads for both the SBH and the Ruger Carbine. Max loads for the pistol was 19.8 grs. Max loads for the rifle were 23. grs. Both for 240 gr. jacketed bullets.
I loaded a batch of 23. grs. I already had some 19.8 loaded, both with Magnum primers.
A few days later I saw in another book a max load of 19. grs 2400 which got me to looking closer. Alliants 2014 guide shows 21. grs. max. I have found data from 19 to 23 grs. max which is a lot for max loads.
So I looked at W296 and found loads from 23 to 24 grs. max. Years back 23 grs. was max and that was my carbine load for many years.
I think to be safe, that I'll just load some with W296 at either 23 or 24 grs. for hunting with the carbine.
I'll most likely pull the bullets on the 23 gr. 2400 charge. But, and here's what bothers me, as an older guy I remember when 23 grs was THE load for 2400. Wonder what's changed?
Not sure what I'll load for the Pistol this year.
Just be aware if you have some older manuals that there is possibly dangerous discrepancy between published loads.

 

[RiverRider]

I think Alliant changed up 2400 sometime in the last 10 or 15 years, maybe before that. I remember posting about the great results I had seen loading the .41 Mag with 18.0 grains of 2400 under a Lyman #410610 in another forum seven or eight years ago, and being told my load was way too hot. At that time the powder I was using was a couple or three pounds of Hercules 2400 from the middle 90s. I believe the newer lots of Alliant 2400 are just a little faster burning than the old Hercules 2400. That Hornady 4th Edition is fairly dated.

 

[HeathSexton]

With 240's a charge of 20grs of 2400 has been accurate in every 44 I have shot it in.


RR has it right that the new stuff is a touch quicker.

 

[Darkhorse]

Hornady 4th edition is outdated. I have 2014 loading guides from Alliant and Hodgdon. I should have used those. I'll chalk this up as a learning experience because even though I've been loading the 44 mag since 1979, things can and do, change.

I've done several hours or research on 2400 yesterday and early this morning and finally saw the big picture. You just have to ask Google the right questions when your digging down.
It seems as though a lot of shooters have been asking the same questions concerning 2400 and some tests have been run using modern pressure testing equipment. There have also been numerous inquiries to Alliant asking about the change to 2400 since they bought out Hercules. Alliant says they haven't changed the formula and the pressure tests seem to bear this out. So I'm convinced the new 2400 is also the old 2400.
What has changed is the pressure testing methods used by the bullet manufacturers. As time passes everything has gotten more sophisticated and this new knowledge and equipment suggests the old max loads were actually a little hot, even over the new max in most cases.
I guess this applies to 296 also as I have early winchester data that shows 22 or 23 grains max. Now the max as listed by Hodgdon is 24 grains.

I haven't loaded for the 44 carbine seriously in about 20 years. All the old data says to shoot max loads or the rifle won't cycle. That's why I loaded 23 grs of 2400. But I did load a handful a few years ago with 19.8 of 2400 and the rifle cycles fine with that load. The major thing about these old rifles is that the gas port must be cleaned on a regular basis. Mine is, many weren't as it's a job.
My old load was 23 grs of W296 and we killed a pile of deer and hogs with this load, so I think I'll just load up the same thing. This is a short range combo as I'll have a Aimpoint SC9000 red dot sight instead of magnification.
FWIW this is how I see it.