open17 Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 In an article in the July/August Front Sight magazine, Guy Neill experimented a bit with Alliant 2400 in 38 Super, with favorable results. Has anybody tried it in 9 Major? Specifically, under a 124/125 gr bullet, loaded short (1.140)? Thought I would ask here before I ran out and bought a pound. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paradox Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I don't have any personal experience, but I think you will find 2400 burns too slowly for that application. Depending on which burn rate chart you look at, it falls somewhere around Accurate #9 and N110. Works great in my .357 / .44mags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Neill Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 I have not tried 2400 in a 9mm. It is likely you will run out of case before reaching the desired velocity. It is a fairly full case in the Super. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Guy, any chance you'd clue us in to the neighborhood of your working .38 Super loads, and whether or not they were compressed? Judging by the data on Alliant's website for 147XTP (10.2gr for a 178PF), I'm guessing you're in the 11gr range?? 2400 is cheaper than even 7625 on a per # basis, but is slightly more expensive on a per load basis - but still cheaper than my current 3N38 by the same amount (again, per load basis). Curious to try it out, but wondering if it's worth it??? What were your impressions of the powder against your 3N37 loads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Neill Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 Yes, that is the load range with the 125gr bullets I'm using. You would need to tune it to your gun and components. I used an early 2400 load some time back at a local steel match. No problems. Everything functioned well, and I have not noticed any significant amount of residue. I had planned to use 2400 in the local match this weekend, but everything has worked against my getting the ammnition loaded, so it may (probably won't) happen this weekend. I have not shot my older 3N37 load side by side with the 2400 load as yet, but the general empression is that they are similar overall. I do intend to work further with 2400, as time permits. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 (edited) I have not shot my older 3N37 load side by side with the 2400 load as yet, but the general empression is that they are similar overall. I do intend to work further with 2400, as time permits. Let us know how it goes BTW - are you compressed at that level?? I've been told double base powders can be a bit squirrely once you start compressing them - ie, they tend to get non-linear. Edited July 7, 2006 by XRe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Neill Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 There is some compression. As shown in hte Front Sight piece, the velocity tracked well. I can't measure pressures, but I don't expect the pressure to be as bad as some based on the initial Alliant 147gr data. Many 357 Magnum loads using 2400 are compressed (at least older ones), so I don't think there should be any real probelm with 2400 in a compressed format. In general, pressures are not as linear as velocities (with respect to charge weight), but the relatively small ranges of charge weights used in reloading can see fairly predictable changes. We used linear regression at both Hornady and Speer when I was there and loads included in the books were normally linear at 90% or better on both pressure and velocity (with a few exceptions). Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmon Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 cant get enough 2400 in a 9mm case to make major...barely gets minor. I think its still a pretty cool load...something to look into for the super shooters out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I just tried some today. I'm having an issue w/ getting really poor ignition on this powder. Lots of unburned stuff everywhere, trying loads from 10.2 up to 11.4. Using WSR, loaded to 1.240" w/ a 125gr HAP, same crimp as the other stuff I load, which is reasonably heavy (forget the dimension off the top of my head). The powder is very dense - 11.4 gr. is only a little bit compressed. I can fit 14.something in a case... By my numbers, with the efficiency I'm seeing right now, it'll take me something like 13.5gr to make Major!!!! Guy, have any thoughts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Neill Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Chamber size, throat and bore obturation will all affect the efficiency of burning. I would not go as high as 13.5gr, and this would seem to indicate the above three elements are on the loose side for that barrel. Of course, the bullet diameter will also affect obturation. For a long or worn throat, a faster burning powder may work better, bumping the bullet diameter up sooner to obturate the bore. A slower burning powder may see powder gases by-passing the bullet before obturation is accomplished. The gun I tested with has a Nowlin barrel. I believe the Nowlin bores tend to the tight side. I'll retest in the future with my older Open gun. It has a Barsto barrel. With my being in Idaho Falls, and the family being in Clarkston, WA, with most of my "stuff" means it will be a little while before I can retest as I did not think to bring the older gun back with me during the Fourth, when I was back there. Different guns will show such differences. A prime reason to always start low and work up in the specific gun. More as we make further progress. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Lots of unburned stuff everywhere, trying loads from 10.2 up to 11.4. Including on my chrono about 15 feet in front of the muzzle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Including on my chrono about 15 feet in front of the muzzle! That was pretty funny I talked to Guy about it offline, and have a couple of ideas... More report later. We think it might be due to my gun being a hybrid, and I'm uncorking the pressure too soon. I'm going to try a magnum small rifle primer, and also work towards a higher charge (which should cause a higher initial pressure, and maybe combust things more fully). Worst case is I can load the rest out for some messy steel loads... it's damn soft in my gun at 130PF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz1 Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 I just tried some today. I'm having an issue w/ getting really poor ignition on this powder. Lots of unburned stuff everywhere, trying loads from 10.2 up to 11.4. Using WSR, loaded to 1.240" w/ a 125gr HAP, same crimp as the other stuff I load, which is reasonably heavy (forget the dimension off the top of my head). The powder is very dense - 11.4 gr. is only a little bit compressed. I can fit 14.something in a case... By my numbers, with the efficiency I'm seeing right now, it'll take me something like 13.5gr to make Major!!!! Guy, have any thoughts?? 2400 is great for 44 mag and 357 mag but requires high bullet pull (friction) crimp to fully ignite. if you get it to work you'll probably have an issue with unburned powder jamming up the works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dream Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Experimented with 2400 a few years ago. The big problem I had was the residue, and unburnt powder when making major.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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