Winchester 296 and its uses

[Phil]

Hi Bert2368,

Oops, my bad. I have been using the Speer 40 gr pointed SP. I've also used the Sierra 40 gr SP, and the Sierra 40 gr HV HP. The HV HP shoots by far the best groups in all guns tried. Seems to down small critters in Hornet ranges ok. You can't load it out to touch the rifling in the CZ and get the rounds in the magazine. Too long, so I just single loaded them. If I remember correctly, by the time you got them to magazine length you were well into the ogive of the bullet. So you would have to shorten the cases to load them through the magazine. I just load the SP bullets to "look right" as they won't come near the origin of rifling and I wanted them to feed through the magazines. I've used the Speer and Sierra SP bullets in both .223" and .224" diameters. Couldn't tell any real differences there either.

I've watched one thread here that says the Lee Bator cast bullet weighs about 50 grains ready to load. I want to order one of these molds and see how it works in the 16" twist guns. The dope on the MidSouth page shows them at 55 grains if I recall correctly but at 50 grains it may just work in the 16" pitch. Might have to make a new sprue plate with smaller holes, but thats no big job.

Cheers,

Phil

[mag44uk]

Thanks for your replies guys.
I just tried 12gns behind 170gn lead in the 32-40 Marlin. Did look like it was hiding in the bottom of the case! Any way it shot ok. I only pumped them into the backstop from 80 yards to satisfy my curiosity. Mild recoil,easy to extract and no signs of pressure from the primers.
I had a look through my older manuals and Speer no 11 list 296 for the 7.62x39.
Starting load is 19gr with any 110gn jacketed bullet.
I have also emailed Winchester about its use in this round.
Does look promising and I could be getting some cheap shooting out of it!
Regards,
Tony

[MaxJon]

I want some for my 310 cadet, I have tried it's Aus equivalent AR2205 with unburnt powder all over the shop! Thinking the same charge of w296 should solve the unburnt problem??

[rockshooter]

works well for 300 blackout, esp with 150gr bullets
Loren

[Lloyd Smale]

originaly 296 and 110 were different powders. Close in burning rates but they were different and different guns preferred one over the other. Today they are the same powder in different cans.

[iplaywithnoshoes]

works well for 300 blackout, esp with 150gr bullets
Loren

+1 on this as well. Near max loads with the bullet seated close to the lands gives great accuracy at 100yds with cheap 150gr Hornady FMJ. The barrel stays quite cool even after 25-50 rounds in fairly succession too.

Pretty much my go-to for supersonic loads in 300BLK.

shoe

[lawboy]

W296/H110 is a great powder for supersonic 300 Blackout loads. I have used it with 110, 120, 125, 130 grain bullets. You have been offered excellent information about NOT using it for reduced loads in large cases. Side stepping this advice by using fillers strikes me as unnecessary and potentially disastrous. Proper powders for other cartridges is cheap enough.