Win 296 or H110 & Dillon powder measure?

[Special Ed]

I know the Dillon powder measure sometimes will lock up when using fine powders. Anyone had any problems using 296 or H110 in one?
I'm trying to get an accuracy improvement with my 44mag Contender & just wanted to save myself a headache if the powders won't  work reliably.

Thanks
Ed

[Questor]

A lot of guys use Win 760 in their Dillons and it works fine. The grains look just like 296.  If Bullseye counts as a fine grained powder, I've never had a problem with it.

[Steve P]

My dillon powder measures are usually + or - .1 grain.  I would say this is true with the 296 also, but it is not.  It is usually EXACT!  Whatever I set it for, it throws it.  Once in a while, the charge bar may start to hang up.  Just double pump the press handle and it will release.  This takes a little extra time, but 250 vs 300 rounds in an hour is no big deal.   I use the 296 in my 300 whisper and 357 mag for silhouette shooting.  If it didn't load well, I wouldn't use it.

Steve  

[Special Ed]

Thanks guys.
I still don't know for sure which powder I'll go with, but there shouldn't be any problems.

Ed

[crackerjack]

I recently loaded some H110 on my 550b .it was very consistent in fact it was on the money almost all the time.
Frank

[jrhen]

I like the "bang" H110 gives my 44 mag, I use the Dillion 550 b press, I place two return springs on my powder measure and haven't had any challeges.  If you live in the Phoenix area and go to Dillion they will give you the spring for  :-D  free.  Of course you will spend another hundred bucks(s) just looking around.

[Catfish]

I`ve been loading on a 550 Dillon since the 1980`s and in that time I`ve probibly went through 25 lbs. of Win. 296. It`s the only powder I use in mag. handgun rounds. I load for .357, .40 S&W, .44 mag., .45 Colt, .454 and .500 S&W. H-110 is the same powder, but I buy in large volume containers and the 296 is cheaper. If you find the H-110 cheaper use it.

[Special Ed]

I got some H110 on Friday & worked up a load over the weekend. No problems with the powder feeder.
Ended up at 26 grains behind a 200gr XTP. It really brought my 14" 44 mag Contender to life. Last 3 shot group at 50 yards had all shots touching.  :grin:  I'll move out to 100 yards this week.

Ed

[dave375hh]

Ed,
The powder jaming you heard of was the older style powder measure, and yes it jammed really bad. The newer powder measures say 1995 and later were changed to prevent those problems. I didn't have problems with anyother ball powders just 296 & H-110. I just switched to 2400 and never did get the newer measure.

Come to think of it 296 jammed in my MEC650 .410 loader also. Iguess they are just too fine grained for some measures. 296 and H-110 are the same powder made in the same factory in Fla. as are all the ball powders for both companys,ie H-380=Win.748, H-414=Win 760, HS-6 = Win 540, HS-7 = Win.571. The different powder wts amount to different lots #'s of production used to generate the data.

[Special Ed]

Dave,
I thought I remembered something about it.
Both of my 550's are pre 95. One is so old the instruction manual is typewritten, photocopied & stapled together! It also has an apology for not having the printed & illustrated one ready at the time of sale.

Ed

[warf73]

I've been watching this post and couldn't figure out what the problem was. I've used H335, H480, 2400 with 0 problems with jamming or with the charge jumping all over the place. With the ball powders once the powder charge is set its NORMALY right on the money until I change it again.

But the problem is with the older droppers?
That’s good info to have, I buy allot of stuff for my Dillon off of Ebay so I'll watch for that.

Thanks Warf