Erratic muzzle speeds in cold temperatures. Rifle is a 45 Colt / 410 H&R Survivor. Handloads are Hornady 300gr XTP HP, Remington brass, Federal #155 primers and near maximum charge of W296 according to the Hornady Handbook (strong actions).

Capable of decent accuracy but too many fliers in cold temperatures as muzzle speeds can vary by 300 fps! Any ideas on suitable powders that aren't so temperature sensitive? Maybe Blue Dot?

There are no good "near maximum" loads of 296. Go up the ladder to get the ignition and burn you want and need. I am guessing the load you have in your rifle is just not getting that done. H110/ww296 take full pressure to perform correctly.

Charge is close enough to listed max. W296 works fine in warm temperatures. It's crap in cold temperatures. Based on my results W296 can't be relied upon. Dismissed.

Good results with Blue Dot as it ignites easily and burns quite clean when used for reduced rifle cartridge loads. Going to give it a try.

Cold weather, ball powder that is harder to ignite than flake, magnum pistol primer. Since this is not a handgun and you have plenty of hammer strike force, I wonder if using a hotter rifle primer might give more consistant ignition and burn?
You would probably want to back off the load a bit to start.

Erratic pressure spike risk with W296 at low temperatures. Unreliable. Could result in a stuck case because this rifle just has a spring extractor. Then to dislodge it by poking a cleaning rod down the muzzle. Makes for a real slow to happen follow up shot if needed.

Need a powder and charge that produces uniform pressure and adequate muzzle speed (~1200 fps) at low temperatures. Blue Dot should be a good bet. Results to follow.

I've had mixed results with Lil Gun in a .22 Hornet, but it has been excellent with heavy bullets in my .45 Colt Ruger. Nineteen grains with a CCI 350 primer pushes a 300 grain Hornady XTP at 1150 fps out of a 7.5 inch revolver barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by Fury01:
There are no good "near maximum" loads of 296. Go up the ladder to get the ignition and burn you want and need. I am guessing the load you have in your rifle is just not getting that done. H110/ww296 take full pressure to perform correctly.

exactly -- it's erratic and only burns good way on up there.

power pistol is a better choice

Appreciate the input. Using Lil Gun for 22 Hornet. Also worth a try. Power Pistol if Blue Dot or Lil Gun don't work out. Power Pistol could also be used for my 44 mag autoloader.

I have found W296 in a revolver to be very temperature sensitive in cold weather. H110 is almost interchangeable with W296 and is not as sensitive in cold weather. Our usual temps for hunting is 10 to 30 degrees in November hunting season and I have found H110 reliable for many years in my Blackhawk .44.

quote:

Originally posted by bishopgrandpa:
I have found W296 in a revolver to be very temperature sensitive in cold weather. H110 is almost interchangeable with W296 and is not as sensitive in cold weather.

WW296 and H110 are the same spec powder with the same chemical composition from the same manufacturer (the St. Marks facility in Florida which has been under various ownerships through the years but makes all of the ball or "sperical" powder made in the U.S.) The difference in the two powders ends at the label. This is not to say that all lots of both powders are equal; lots vary within a certain tolerance, but H110 and WW296 are as alike as any two lots of any powder. Any difference in "temperature sensitivity" between the two labels is in the imagination.

Thanks guys. Ambient temperatures can be a bit cooler than 10 to 30 F range. Then I should rule out H110 (=W296) - at least in my rifle unstable in near/sub zero temperatures. Loading up rounds with Blue Dot and Lil Gun. Results posted soon.

Alliant 2400

Encouraging results today with Blue Dot. Ambient temperature was about 25F. Hornady Handbook 3rd edition 250gr / Blue Dot data used as reference.

Worked up 300gr XTP HP loads. Lower charges produced erratic results. Muzzle speeds stabilized at around 925 to 950 fps as charge increased.

blue dot is cold sensitive too that's why you don't see any steel shot loads for it.

4227 will do what H-110 will and does it in the cold.
it ain't so happy in the hot, but it does work in the cold.


longshot is worth looking at.

Blue Dot performed less erratic in cold temperature than W296. Except muzzle speeds are a bit low.

Hodgdon lists speeds for H4227 / 300gr as 1051 to 1202 fps from a 7-1/2 barrel (strong actions). Good suggestion. Thanks!


Or a practical time-saving approach. Factory loads. Enough dee-kars'n a-round. Hornady LeverEvolution 45 Colt ammo. R&D likely done to perform properly under seasonal temperature ranges. Next up.


https://www.hornady.com/ammuni...tx-leverevolution#!/

Power pistol

I'm wondering about 800X? Be Well, Packy.

Quite acceptable results today with Hornady 45 Colt 225gr FTX LEVERevolution ammo. Chronographed fairly constant right around 1000 fps at 5 F ambient temperature. No extraction/ejection problems.

Load development should consider seasonal temperature range uniformity. Hornady done good selecting a suitable propellant.

Their ammo claimed muzzle speed is 950 fps from a 4.75" barrel. Surprising I get only about 75 fps more from my 18.5" barrel.