[TexasRepublic]

I used to load up some "monster" loads in my .44Mag, where I pretty much filled the case with WW296 and put the bullet on, giving me a 180gr JHP load, moving at about 1800fps. The muzzle blast was ENORMOUS, as was the blast coming out of the cylinder gap.

Those ball powders can produce a wicked fireball. I tried some Hodgdon H110 powder in a .44 Magnum with spectacular visual effects. I hope you worked up your loads SLOWLY from the low end of the scale -- ball powder pressures can rise unpredictably when working up toward maximum loads. I started with Hodgdon's minimum load and was flattening primers! That was enough powder for me. I have no doubt that the gap flash from a large magnum could flame-cut off a thumb.

[MarkL]

Those ball powders can produce a wicked fireball. I tried some Hodgdon H110 powder in a .44 Magnum with spectacular visual effects. I hope you worked up your loads SLOWLY from the low end of the scale -- ball powder pressures can rise unpredictably when working up toward maximum loads. I started with Hodgdon's minimum load and was flattening primers! That was enough powder for me. I have no doubt that the gap flash from a large magnum could flame-cut off a thumb.

Hodgdon H110 and Winchester 296 are nearly interchangeable... And they are a bit tricky to work with. First off, reduced loads are NOT recommended, because they can lead to the high pressures you mentioned. IIRC, Winchester recommends starting out at 10% less than their max load... It's been years, so I don't remember for sure. There's very little leaway, but the slow burning powder is really spectacular in short barrels and revolvers, isn't it?

Actually, I stopped using 296 and went to H110, for the simple reason that I also used WW231 for my .45 loads, and the packaging looked too similar. Imagine the disaster of loading up a .44Mag load with 29gr of 231, rather than 296! Can you say "KABOOM?"

Mark