Win 244 for a 40 S&W 2011

[jimbullet]

Im looking for some info on those who have used Win244. 

 

I understand it's close to a Win231 (which is my go to) and it is supposed to replace the Win231 being cleaner they say. TBH, dont care about it being cleaner but what I want to know if it has a good ED/SD and can reach major PF without excessive pressures and be as accurate as the Win231. 

 

Load data is mostly for the short 40 S&W but given we standard/ limited shooters load the 40 longer, I was wondering if that impacts adversely the powder. I would expect velocity will slightly drop and I can increase the powder charge but does that affect accuracy, consistent SD/ED. How is the recoil impulse - sharp or soft (which I know can be relative)

 

Open to all of your experience and inputs on using this powder. Good or bad for 40S&W 180gr FMJ seeking to achieve 980 fps and maybe 1000 fps

[Joe4d]

Seems a couple new latest greatest powders hit the market about the same time. 244, Sport pistol, and Cleanshot.
Cleanshot was basically AA2, and while 244 may perform similar to 231 it doesnt appear to be very similar.
I looked at it and it is a high density powder, IE doesnt take up much room in the case, That led me to believe it may not be the best for larger cases. ALthough tight group is a pretty dense powder and surprisingly seems to do ok. Personally I like the bulkier powders makes a double charge alot easier to see. 
SPort pistol seems to check alot of boxes for minor 9 major 40, but I still have enough tight group, WST and AA2 to take me into my twighlight years.

[Farmer]

Not a 40 but I’ve loaded some 244 in my 10mm with 165 coated with good success. I have found that it gives good accuracy in my 327 FM too. Velocity is good but recoil seems a little sharper than other powders but I haven’t compared it on an equal velocity basis. It does give the same velocity than 231 with less powder

[jimbullet]

2 minutes ago, Farmer said:

Not a 40 but I’ve loaded some 244 in my 10mm with 165 coated with good success. I have found that it gives good accuracy in my 327 FM too. Velocity is good but recoil seems a little sharper than other powders but I haven’t compared it on an equal velocity basis. It does give the same velocity than 231 with less powder

Looks promising then for my intended 40 load, thanks. 

[Guy Neill]

Without referring to my notes at the moment, my recollection is that 244 charges weights are comparable to 231, but velocities are higher.

 

[Guy Neill]

 

It does not look as if I tested 244 in the 40, but in 9mm it gave about 40% more velocity compared to equivalent 231 charges,

 

[jimbullet]

8 hours ago, Guy Neill said:

 

It does not look as if I tested 244 in the 40, but in 9mm it gave about 40% more velocity compared to equivalent 231 charges,

 

How do you think the 244 performs compared to the 231? Was the recoil more snappier? The Lyman book which I referred to previously (can't recall the edition) designates 231 to be highly accurate at its maximum velocity and when I used that, true enough it was hitting really accurately at distance at that. Does the 244 have any load specs that designates it potentially most accurate load/ charge?

[Guy Neill]

Comparing Hodgdon data between 231 and 244, they did not show the velocity increase I obtained, but 244 generally did show higher velocities than 231.

 

I've not seen any accray results published. In my testing I was looking at the velocities and did not delve into accuracy. Acccuracy is highly dependent on the gun (and te shooter) but I expect  244 to be capable. It's a matter of seeing what each does in your gun.

 

[Farmer]

FWIW I couldn’t get 90g Sierras to shoot worth a darn in my 327. I tried every powder I had and 244 was like magic in this case. I loaded .4 under listed max and it was like night and day. I didn’t chrono them to check the actual speed because the accuracy was what I wanted. When you go from 3-4” groups to them almost all touching that’s the one. I did notice in the 10mm and 45 auto if you try to load too light it will get a bit sooty like 231 but that’s kinda normal. In the back of my mind I’m thinking it will eventually replace 231 being’s it’s eco-friendly and that’s the direction things are going. There’s all those new and improved powders out now that are very similar to the old standbys and are also priced less so I’m thinking they’re going to be phasing out the old ones. Just my 2 cents. 

[meistermash]

Dear old dad still uses 231 as a universal pistol powder.

I opted to try some 244 for my 45 colt replicas.

My usual loads consist of a 250 gr flat nose over 8 or 8.5 gr of Unique.

Now I can't remember the powder charge but the loads I tried using 244 were cleaner and a bit snappy.

These replicas are what you would expect, fixed sited 6 guns, mostly of the Colt style variety, so accuracy was minute of plate. 

244 seems to available so I will be using it more often.