2400 is good powder!

[Abenaki]

I have shooting cast boolits for over 30 years. And the j words for about 35 years.

For all of my hand gun needs I have gotten by with Unique, Herco, or H-110.

About 2 years ago I bought a can of 2400....but never used it.

2 weeks ago I did some testing with 2400 and my 41 mag. Hot dang!!!! 2400 is good stuff!!!

Today I did some testing with my 357. Again, good stuff!!!

I wish that I had not waited 30 years to it out!!!

Take care
Abenaki

[RobS]

It's a good powder for sure..........been around a long while too. I see you are a Herco person too; I found it to replace Unique in my 45 cal revolver mid loads and heavy 45 acp. Along the lines of 2400 I now use Enforcer/AA4100 but have close to 4 lbs of 2400 that I need to do something with one of these days.

[JeffinNZ]

It's not good. It's wonderful.

[trapper9260]

I also use 2400 for loading my 410 loads besides usen it for cast bullets i love it

[Tatume]

+1 2400. Great stuff. It's no wonder Elmer Keith liked it.

[ku4hx]

For top end .44 Magnum cast loads with 230-250 grain boolits I've found no better. I suppose in my lifetime I've burned at least 30 pounds. So much so I severely eroded the forcing cone of my original Ruger Redhawk. Such is life.

[44man]

I grew up with 2400. The only reason I went to 296 was I could work loads better without the load limit of 2400. A touch more velocity with certain boolits without pressure peaking.
2400 is a great powder and will never go away.

[Arkansas Paul]

Hell yes. Cast boolits and 2400 go together like peanut butter and jelly. My favorite .45 Colt load is a 255 grain SWC and 17 grains of 2400. Very accurate and hits pretty hard too. I'm gonna try and get a whitetail with it this season.

[robg]

:razz:
Hell yes. Cast boolits and 2400 go together like peanut butter and jelly. My favorite .45 Colt load is a 255 grain SWC and 17 grains of 2400. Very accurate and hits pretty hard too. I'm gonna try and get a whitetail with it this season.

[Ed_Shot]

+1 on use in 30-06, 308 and 30-30 with Lyman data.

[dudel]

Not just a good powder; but a great powder. Was using H110 in 30 carbine and 357Mag. Switched to 2400 with great results.

[jonp]

I use it in all my mags and 45colt except for the very max loads where h110/w296 is still king.

[9w1911]

I love 2400 and IMR4227

[pdawg_shooter]

2400 and AA#5 are the only handgun powders I have used for years now.

[1Shirt]

2400 and Unique in that order are my go to powders for rifle, and Unique and 2400 are my go to powders for the larger handgun ctgs. Could probably get along with only these two for cast loading.
1Shirt!

[Rick R]

I've loaded for 30+ years and like you just "discovered" 2400. My trifecta is Unique / 2400 / Varget for just about everything in the safe. I could get higher velocity loads with W296 in my .45 Colt or .44 Mag but you can only kill a deer so dead...

[MtGun44]

Late to the party is a lot better than to miss the party entirely.

Very useful powder.

Bill

[dragon813gt]

I have a few pounds of it sitting on the shelf. I know 2400 is a little more versatile. But I can't stop using H110. I have other powders for plinking loads so I want my magnum loads to be magnums ;)

[marvelshooter]

I just bought a pound to try in some cast 30-06 loads which it works great for. Then I put 15 grains in a .357 behind a cast bullet and wow!

[357mags]

2400 is THE magnum powder! Always has been. See what you've been missin'!

[jmort]

"2400 is THE magnum powder! Always has been"

Let's not get carried away. It is not at the top of the food chain, but it is never a bad choice.

[dragon813gt]

2400 is THE magnum powder! Always has been. See what you've been missin'!

While it "is" a magnum power it is not "the" magnum powder. There are better options for full tilt loade. Of course it's firearm dependent as to which one to choose. 2400 does have the advantage of being able to be loaded at lower levels unlike the other options.

[jonp]

While it "is" a magnum power it is not "the" magnum powder. There are better options for full tilt loade. Of course it's firearm dependent as to which one to choose. 2400 does have the advantage of being able to be loaded at lower levels unlike the other options.

There is a lot more leeway with 2400 than with h110/296 which is why 2400 is a great powder but with speccific max mag h110 does better. For general useage 2400 is better imho. I keep looking online for an 8lb jug to have to go along with the 5lbs of 296 and 15or so lbs of promo that I use in about everything target

[jonk]

As I don't have magnum handgun, I can't speak to that; however, several of my guns find that between 16 and 20 gr of 2400 is THE load for cast lead in rifles. Some prefer 4759, others prefer a case full of really slow .50 powder; but certainly 2400 is one of the best.

[Mal Paso]

296 looks good on paper but most testing is done in 8 inch sealed test barrels and performance degrades quickly with shorter barrels and cylinder gaps. I shoot 4&6 inch revolvers and get better top end performance with 2400. I don't think 44man has anything shorter than 8 inch and he's a 296 guy.

"The Magnum Powder" depends on the gun and boolit the rest is bull.

[avogunner]

My trifecta of required powders: 2400, Unique, and IMR-4895.

[ipijohn]

My trifecta of required powders: 2400, Unique, and IMR-4895.

I agree with the three above but also stock w-231 for 9 mm and Makarov.

[Rex]

I like 2400 also but haven't seen a can around here for a long time. Maybe someday it will get back on the shelves.

[Char-Gar]

2400 was the powder used in developing both the 357 and 44 Magnum rounds. The original ammo was loaded with this powder. There should be no surprise how well it works in these and like rounds.

Powder companies continue to offer new powders to create sales and grab market share, but the original powder is still the bench mark for good reasons. It works and works very well.

Bulleye is another powder used in cartridge development and loaded by factories in millions of rounds. It also is a world class powder and hard to beat.

[Ben]

Not everyone thinks of 2400 as a useful powder with cast bullets in rifles.

Well, I'm here to tell you that you could do much worse :

The rifle is a TIKKA , 30-06 with a Redfield 6 X 18 Variable scope with an A/O. The rifle is a real nail driver. I've killed several deer with this load :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Photo0182.jpg

[harley6699]

I have found the 2 powders that I use more then anything else for my hand guns.. 2400 great for the mag and fast auto's and bullseye for all my others.. nothing else needed..

[9.3X62AL]

I use a LOT of 2400 powder, between 410 shotshells--cast boolit rifle--and magnum revolver rounds. Very useful and tractable fuel.

[jackmanuk]

iv been using it in my 44 and 308 for a couple of months now and i think its great stuff , and not a bad price either

[Char-Gar]

[QUOTE=Ben;2316025]Not everyone thinks of 2400 as a useful powder with cast bullets in rifles.

Well, I'm here to tell you that you could do much worse :"

Yep, count me in as a fan of 2400 in rifles or magnum handguns with cast bullets..a very big fan.

[helice]

C.E. Harris got me started on Hercules/Alliant 2400. I wanted a powder for the 308 that was not position sensitive, thus needing no filler. He stated that 16 grains was a universal load. I have no-wheres near the experience he has, but I must admit that 16 grains worked very well for me. Like Ben I like the fat 311284, especially with this load. Though I have not used this load for harvesting game, I am quite certain that it would perform quite well with soft boolits at reasonable range.

[big dale]

Like you I started with 2400 in the 41 mag back in the mid 60"s. I also shoot a lot of it in 44 mags also. I have used up a lot of Herco in my 41 and 44's thru the years. You might also want to try a can of 4227 for the same uses as 2400.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[Char-Gar]

C.E. Harris got me started on Hercules/Alliant 2400. I wanted a powder for the 308 that was not position sensitive, thus needing no filler. He stated that 16 grains was a universal load. I have no-wheres near the experience he has, but I must admit that 16 grains worked very well for me. Like Ben I like the fat 311284, especially with this load. Though I have not used this load for harvesting game, I am quite certain that it would perform quite well with soft boolits at reasonable range.

Anything Ed Harris writes/says/posts can be taken with utmost seriousness, for he does not shoot from the hip. Everything is backed up with long and deep experience.

[Dale in Louisiana]

First cast boolits I ever shot were Lee 180 gr. in front of 16 grains of 2400 in a military bolt rifle match.

It makes a thrifty and accurate load for 200 yards for my M1903A3.

dale in Louisiana

[fresch]

My trifecta of required powders: 2400, Unique, and IMR-4895.
Me too!!! all I have ever used.

[Outpost75]

Ed Harris lives within convenient driving distance of me and we both use the ranges at the Peacemaker National Training Center in WV. He will blend in fine with ghe locals in his beat up truck and Cartharts. A regular guy.

Over coffee at the Waffle House he confided that 12 grs. of #2400 is the go-to load for plainbased bullets in anything from a .30-30 to .30-'06 and that 15-16 was a good start load for GCs for an any .30 from the 7.62x39 to '06.

Has always workered for me!

[Char-Gar]

Ed Harris lives within convenient driving distance of me and we both use the ranges at the Peacemaker National Training Center in WV. He will blend in fine with ghe locals in his beat up truck and Cartharts. A regular guy.

Over coffee at the Waffle House he confided that 12 grs. of #2400 is the go-to load for plainbased bullets in anything from a .30-30 to .30-'06 and that 15-16 was a good start load for GCs for an any .30 from the 7.62x39 to '06.

Has always workered for me!
I thought you might show up due to how close you and Ed are. Tell him the coffee is fine but don't order the waffles more than once a month. They can be deadly when slathered with butter and sweet stuff. Good but deadly...

[9.3X62AL]

C.E. Harris has been a long-time mentor-in-print for me. Bless his heart, for all the great info he has passed along for so many years.

[MGySgt]

2400 - I use it in 3 44 mags, 45 colt, 5 357s, 308 and 223.

For heavy 44 Mags I tried H110 - Yes I got more velocity but the accuracy wasn't any better.

What I didn't like about H110:

Costs more per pound - hence more per round
Gums up my powder measures - Lyman 55 (2 each) Dillion. Have to clean them (hence loosing my settings in the Lyman) quit using it in the Dillion in one try.
Gums up my powder trickler.

Nope for me I am sticking with 2400 for Cast rifle and Magnum handgun.

[Wadestep]

I'm fairly new to casting, but my .45 colt blackhawk loves 2400 with 330 grain Miha boolits.

[Outpost75]

I thought you might show up due to how close you and Ed are. Tell him the coffee is fine but don't order the waffles more than once a month. They can be deadly when slathered with butter and sweet stuff. Good but deadly...

Ed doesn't do pancakes or waffles. He's a steak & eggs guy. Usually the small ribeye with a scrambled egg on it, topped by a small order of hashbrowns "All the way" with a splash of Chalula or Texas Pete, washed down with black coffee.

[mroliver77]

C.E. Harris has been a long-time mentor-in-print for me. Bless his heart, for all the great info he has passed along for so many years.

+1
Jay

[Char-Gar]

Ed doesn't do pancakes or waffles. He's a steak & eggs guy. Usually the small ribeye with a scrambled egg on it, topped by a small order of hashbrowns "All the way" with a splash of Chalula or Texas Pete, washed down with black coffee.

Sounds like Ed is a "hearty eater", with good taste. However he would be SOL down here with me in Deep South Texas a stone's throw from Mexico. You could not find a place with his favorite on the menu. Everything down here is Tex-Mex of some stripe and most stuff on a breakfast menu is unknown much north of San Antonio. I am talking stuff like "Migas" and "Chiliquillas" and so forth. I was raised on this stuff, so I love it, but the Eds of this world are in deep trouble with a breakfast menu in these parts.

Orale vatos, vamanos!

[Donor8x56r]

I'm a fan of Red Dot /Promo but there some boolits that work so much better with 2400.

I don't really need any other powders...

[Catshooter]

110/296 will usually give more velocity. But 2400 is much more versatile and useful.


Cat

[Prospector Howard]

Been using it for 30 plus years for cast in all my 30 cal and larger rifles. What's not to like. Inexpensive and accurate plinking. Really works great in my K98 with cast out of my cheapo Lee 8mm mold.

[hickfu]

I like 2400 so much I have 24lbs of it sitting on my shelf for my 44 mag rounds and some of my 45-70 rounds, cant wait to try it with more calibers.


Doc

[Mal Paso]

I like 2400 so much I have 24lbs of it sitting on my shelf for my 44 mag rounds and some of my 45-70 rounds, cant wait to try it with more calibers.


Doc

I get nervous when I get down to 24 pounds.[smilie=l:

[9.3X62AL]

I get nervous when I get down to 24 pounds.[smilie=l:

OK, THAT brought a smile. I don't keep quite that much 2400 in stock, but I do hunt up another 8# caddy when the current one gets down to 1/2 full.

[gofastman]

I like AA9 more, but 2400 is starting to grow on me

[Unsub]

2400 was the powder used in developing both the 357 and 44 Magnum rounds. The original ammo was loaded with this powder. There should be no surprise how well it works in these and like rounds.

Powder companies continue to offer new powders to create sales and grab market share, but the original powder is still the bench mark for good reasons. It works and works very well.

Bulleye is another powder used in cartridge development and loaded by factories in millions of rounds. It also is a world class powder and hard to beat.
These are the only 2 I use. Being new to reloading it would seem I have good taste

[jackmanuk]

2400 - I use it in 3 44 mags, 45 colt, 5 357s, 308 and 223.

For heavy 44 Mags I tried H110 - Yes I got more velocity but the accuracy wasn't any better.

What I didn't like about H110:

Costs more per pound - hence more per round
Gums up my powder measures - Lyman 55 (2 each) Dillion. Have to clean them (hence loosing my settings in the Lyman) quit using it in the Dillion in one try.
Gums up my powder trickler.

Nope for me I am sticking with 2400 for Cast rifle and Magnum handgun.


how many grains do you use in your 308 iv been using 24 and it seems good for 100 yards abut starts getting alot of drop off at 300 or more

[casterofboolits]

2400 was my "go to" powder for 357, 41 mag and 44 mag.

[MGySgt]

how many grains do you use in your 308 iv been using 24 and it seems good for 100 yards abut starts getting alot of drop off at 300 or more

Right now it is 24 grains, but I am using Mil Spec LC brass. I believe that If I go to a commercial brass I can drop the charge weight down and still get sub 1.5 MOA.

[Dale in Louisiana]

Not bad reviews for a powder that rolled out in 1932.

Others of similar age or older:

Unique - 1900
Red Dot - 1932
Bullseye - 1937
4227 - 1935
4320 - 1935
4198 - 1935
4064 - 1935
3031 - 1934

( from Complete Guide to Handloading - Philip B. Sharpe

While I appreciate the metering qualities of modern ball powders, these oldsters still get the job done quite nicely.

dale in Louisiana

[L Erie Caster]

Not bad reviews for a powder that rolled out in 1932.

Others of similar age or older:

Unique - 1900
Red Dot - 1932
Bullseye - 1937
4227 - 1935
4320 - 1935
4198 - 1935
4064 - 1935
3031 - 1934

( from Complete Guide to Handloading - Philip B. Sharpe

While I appreciate the metering qualities of modern ball powders, these oldsters still get the job done quite nicely.

dale in Louisiana

Any powder that gets that old has got to be good stuff or it would have died out long ago.

[jonp]

Not bad reviews for a powder that rolled out in 1932.

Others of similar age or older:

Unique - 1900
Red Dot - 1932
Bullseye - 1937
4227 - 1935
4320 - 1935
4198 - 1935
4064 - 1935
3031 - 1934

( from Complete Guide to Handloading - Philip B. Sharpe

While I appreciate the metering qualities of modern ball powders, these oldsters still get the job done quite nicely.

dale in Louisiana
I use more of the first 2 on the list than anything else. At this point with powder hard to find versitility trumps about everything else for me.
Promo, unique, 2400 and h110/w296 can get most anything done

[lead chucker]

14.5 gr 2400 with a 310 gr lee boolit in my 77/44 is the sweet spot.

[Newtire]

25 gr. 2400 with a 250 grain SWC GC 429244 is a great load in .444 Marlin but cheaper to use 20.5 grains of Blue Dot in this round for me. Still, Amazing powder. Like my 4350, I watch it when I get low.

[Mal Paso]

Yes! Use Blue Dot! 2400 is Filthy powder that will jam your gun and erode the throat . Everybody knows H110 is better. AA9 and 4227 great too. Thank goodness I'm running low on 2400.

You do NOT want to buy this powder!







"Everybody Knows" is used under license from O'Bummer who is solely responsible for any change of mind you may have.

[1bluehorse]

25 gr. 2400 with a 250 grain SWC GC 429244 is a great load but cheaper to use 20.5 grains of Blue Dot in this round for me. Still, Amazing powder. Like my 4350, I watch it when I get low.

Those are very stiff loads....where did you get them?? Seems to me (IIRC) that 17.5gr of BD is pretty much a 100% density load and a Max load to boot...also seems to me Larry Gibson did a test using BD in the 44mag a few years ago and the results above 17-17.5 gr. loads were "interesting"....

[Newtire]

Those are very stiff loads....where did you get them?? Seems to me (IIRC) that 17.5gr of BD is pretty much a 100% density load and a Max load to boot...also seems to me Larry Gibson did a test using BD in the 44mag a few years ago and the results above 17-17.5 gr. loads were "interesting"....

Sorry bluehorse, this is a load that I use in my .444 Marlin, not a .44 magnum! It gives right at 1700 fps out of a 24" barrel.

[groovy mike]

Tried 2400 in my 45-70 last night. Good heavens, I need more of this powder!

[greywuuf]

only thing you DON'T want to do with 2400 is duplex it with unique on accident. ( powder measure full of unique got dumped into a can of 2400 and subsequently used very luckily in a contender with a.256 win mag barrel on it). I also shoot a lot of 2400 in .357 mag and .45 colt, it IS however not the cleanest powder out there.

[onehousecat]

The only pistol powder I've shot more of than 2400 is Unique. I love the versatility of 2400. You can make some pretty stiff magnum loads with it, or throttle it back and make the loads more pleasant to shoot. It is a great powder.

[popper]

A pound of unique & 2400 followed me home today, but no hodgdon stuff here yet.

[MGySgt]

The only pistol powder I've shot more of than 2400 is Unique. I love the versatility of 2400. You can make some pretty stiff magnum loads with it, or throttle it back and make the loads more pleasant to shoot. It is a great powder.

Most of us that grew up with Unique and 2400 feel the same way. I am still trying to get my AR to shoot 2400 with J's. Just not enough burn time!

[1bluehorse]

Sorry bluehorse, this is a load that I use in my .444 Marlin, not a .44 magnum! It gives right at 1700 fps out of a 24" barrel.

My apologys, if I'd learn to read a post correctly I wouldn't make dumb ***-umptions...you said very clearly in you post 444Marlin, I just blew right by it...:oops:

[GP100man]

IF shtf 2400 would be the first powder in the go bag , not a perfect fit all , but ya can make it work in ALOT of calibers!!

I get kinda nervous when I get under 2# .

[Newtire]

My apologys, if I'd learn to read a post correctly I wouldn't make dumb ***-umptions...you said very clearly in you post 444Marlin, I just blew right by it...:oops: I'm the one to be apologizing. I edited my post afterwards. Thanks for catching it! I'd hate to see someone trying to stuff that much powder in there and then blowing themselves up.

[MGySgt]

IF shtf 2400 would be the first powder in the go bag , not a perfect fit all , but ya can make it work in ALOT of calibers!!

I get kinda nervous when I get under 2# .

I get nervous when I am under a 4 pound pony keg!

[jonp]

IF shtf 2400 would be the first powder in the go bag , not a perfect fit all , but ya can make it work in ALOT of calibers!!

I get kinda nervous when I get under 2# .

idk, Unique would be a close second for sure.

[Elkins45]

2400 has some real advantages over H-110/296 in my mind in that you can use it safely in reduced loads. 16 grains of 2400 is pretty much my starting load in testing a new boolit in almost any caliber.

Other great properties are its position insensitivity, good metering, easy ignition and versatility. Very few other powders can be used satisfactorily in such a wide range of both handgun and rifle cartridges. As I use up the remainder of my H-110 stock I'm not sure I will be replacing it because I think I can just use 2400 for all the same applications except perhaps 300 AAC because of the higher density of the ball powder.

[jonp]

I have to agree on the comparison to H110/296. 2400 is far more flexible. I have H110 on hand for top end loads in my .357mag carbines and 44mag, but that pretty much ends its usefulness for my purposes.

I have 5lbs of H110/296. I keep it for the top, top end loads. 2400 is more versatile and better for all around use but for this one application H110 is hard to beat.

[Newtire]

For me, H110/296 gets first place in M-1 carbine loads, Modern Rifle Only .32-20, and .410 shotgun.

[Jjed]

me too use it for most of my cast rifle loads, shoots great in everything from 4570 to 357. here are some 7.62x54 targets cast with 2400 @ 100 yds.