In this article, we’re looking at a powder we use all the time here at Ultimate Reloader, one that lives in two different worlds: Hodgdon H110. We’ll cover magnum handgun loads, subsonic rifle loads, other applications, and how H110 compares to CFE BLK. Watch or read on!

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Why H110?

H110 is one of those powders we just keep coming back to. We do a lot of loading and a lot of shooting with it, and the reason is its versatility. If I’m looking for a magnum handgun powder that will give me maximum velocity (and yes, maximum recoil as well), I go to H110. We’ve used it in 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum and 500 S&W Magnum. But there’s a whole other world it likes to live in, and that’s cartridges like 300 AAC Blackout.

H110 Basics

• Designed for: Straight-wall loads, near max
• Load window: Not a huge window between min and max; it likes to run at max or just under
• Primer: Magnum primer

Hodgdon cautions you not to go very far below max, because the burn just gets unstable.

On the primer side, that means small pistol magnum primers for 357 Magnum and large pistol magnum primers for 44 Magnum. When you step up to 500 S&W Magnum, though, you’re really loading for a rifle, and the primer is no exception. The H110 load I looked up for a 400 grain projectile specifies a large rifle magnum primer. That is a potent setup: top velocity, heavy recoil and one heck of a fireball. If you’re shooting at night, it really lights things up.

Magnum Handgun Loads

Here are a few of the H110 handgun loads that I and Guy Miner have shown in various stories.

44 Magnum

23.5 to 24 grains of H110 behind a 240 grain projectile is an absolutely classic 44 Magnum load. It’s a canonical load, proven to be very accurate and to push really high velocities. Check out a couple of the loads Guy Miner produced great numbers with in his Ruger Bisley with a 7.5-inch barrel:

Bullet	H110 Charge	Avg. Velocity	SD
240 gr Hornady XTP	23.5 gr	1,389 fps	3 fps
Berry’s 240 gr Target Hollow Point	23.5 gr	1,330 fps	11 fps

An SD of 3 is a number I’d be really happy with in a precision rifle load! That’s the kind of performance we’ve come to depend on with H110: heavy-hitting and very consistent, as long as you’re using a magnum primer and you’re up near max.

357 Magnum: Revolver vs. Lever Gun

We’ve also had interesting results comparing H110 performance in a S&W 586 and in our Henry lever gun, using 15.5 grains of H110 behind a Berry’s 158 grain Flat Point Thick Plate:

Firearm	Avg. Velocity
S&W 586	1,120 fps
Henry, 20-inch barrel	1,622 fps

H110 can do really well in a variety of configurations with magnum handgun cartridges, and that’s just one of the reasons we tend toward H110 for magnum handgun applications.

Subsonic Rifle Applications

There’s a formula for subsonic rifles: the heavy bullet, the small charge and the large case volume. H110 works well for subsonic heavy-bullet applications in this context, and also for supersonic, lighter-bullet 300 Blackout applications. Its fast burn rate builds working pressure.

Again, you definitely need magnum primers. That’s kind of a theme here. Magnum primers give you lower SDs and more reliable ignition, and with H110 being a bit more particular about ignition and burn variables, it’s worth it to step up to the magnum primer.

For these applications, I have a CMMG Dissent, which is a shorter-barreled configuration, and a 16-inch carbine-length AR-15.

Cycling and Velocity Targets

One thing you’ll want to pay careful attention to across the board with ARs, but especially with subsonics or when switching between supersonic and subsonic loads, is the cycling of the action. There are a bunch of configuration options there, but the load itself can make a big difference in how the action cycles and functions.

We typically target 1,050 fps, because it gets us far enough below supersonic that we have a little bit of fudge factor. What you don’t want is an 1,150 fps round causing a crack if you’re not using hearing protection. We talked about this window in one of our recent videos on how to use subsonic load data, and it’s a really important consideration.

Our SDs have landed somewhere between 8.5 and 15 fps, depending on the load. As we increased charges toward max, that’s when we saw the 8.5 fps numbers. It goes to show that the window is a little smaller with H110, and that’s something you really want to pay attention to.

Plated Bullets

If you’re using plated bullets, be aware of velocity. There’s typically a maximum velocity for plated bullets, and if you move a load over to a lever gun, you might go beyond it. You might start to blow the plating off the bullet, which can impact your accuracy, and if you’re using a suppressor, that’s obviously not good.

Troubleshooting Function

If you’re encountering issues, which are more likely on compact AR platforms or other semi-auto platforms, look at your buffer, your spring and, if you have one, your adjustable gas block. All of those together help with functioning and performance.

Subsonic Load Testing

Two cartridges that have done really well with H110 over the years are 300 Blackout and 7.62×39.

300 Blackout (16-inch AR)

H110 Charge	Avg. Velocity	SD
9.0 gr	977 fps	15.6 fps
10.0 gr	[VERIFY: 1,14x] fps	8.5 fps

Just one grain more got us a lot more velocity and a much tighter SD. We might want to back that 10-grain load off ever so slightly to get down to about 1,050 fps, but it shows you that the window approaching max charge is really where you want to focus your attention and do your fine-tuning.

7.62×39

With 7.62×39, we saw similar results but a little higher SD, using 10.7 grains of H110 behind a [VERIFY: Berry’s 220 grain] bullet. That bullet is slightly under nominal diameter for the .311 AK platform, but it still works great for plinking.

Firearm	H110 Charge	Avg. Velocity	SD
PSA KS-47, 8.5-inch barrel	10.7 gr	938 fps	18 fps
Full-size AK-47	10.7 gr	1,076 fps	18.7 fps

Interestingly, the same load produced about the same SD, but obviously different velocity based on barrel length.

Probably the most important takeaway from that whole project was that the full-size AK-47 will eat anything, just as its reputation dictates. It’s known as the garbage disposal of ammo. The KS-47 required much more attention to load specifics and to all the setup variables I mentioned for the AR platform: buffer weight, spring weight and adjustable gas block. It didn’t happen to have an adjustable gas block, but it was more finicky with ammo, and that’s just something you have to be aware of.

Other H110 Applications

500 S&W Magnum

Our biggest H110 application is the 500 S&W Magnum. I have it set up to load on our RCBS Pro Chucker 5, with the powder measure labeled H110. We always keep blue tape on our powder kegs, and when we fill a measure, we put blue tape on the powder reservoir too, so we don’t get them mixed up. I have a great video on this.

I also still have my shims from a 38/357-style trick I did with 500 S&W Special and 500 S&W Magnum, where we pop the dies up and down by the appropriate distance using shims. That worked really well, and H110 is a great performer in the 500.

More Cartridges

• 454 Casull
• 475 Linebaugh
• 460 S&W Magnum
• 30 Carbine
• .410 bore shotshells

30 Carbine is an interesting one. I don’t have anything chambered in it, so if you have experience with H110 in 30 Carbine, let me know in the comments how it’s performed for you.

We also frequently see crossover between pistol and shotshell applications. It’s kind of an interesting thing, but there’s definite overlap there in powder burn rate.

Also, a reminder: Winchester 296 is the same powder as H110, just labeled under a different brand.

H110 vs. CFE BLK

Under the Microscope

From our prior CFE BLK story, here’s a look at a few powders under the microscope:

• CFE BLK: True spherical powder
• CFE Pistol: Flattened ball
• H110: Also flattened ball, but less flat
• Varget: Short stick powder

The thing to note is that H110 and CFE BLK will meter phenomenally on a progressive press with a rotating drum powder measure, because of the shape of the granules and how consistently they meter.

Key Differences

If you’ve been loading or researching subsonic ammunition, you’ve probably noticed both of these powders. They have some overlap, but also some key differences. We have a complete tested story on CFE BLK and multiple reloading stories on 7.62×39 and 300 Blackout comparing these powders, but here are the quick CliffsNotes:

• Design intent: CFE BLK was engineered for heavy subsonic applications, like 200-ish grain bullets in 300 Blackout. H110 was engineered for basically maximum performance in a magnum handgun.
• Heavy subsonics: You’ll probably see slightly better performance with CFE BLK.
• Supersonic 300 Blackout: H110 might give you the edge.
• AR cycling: CFE BLK might have a slight advantage, because of the way it builds and sustains gas pressure.
• Copper fouling: CFE BLK has a copper fouling eliminator (that’s what “CFE” stands for). H110 does not.

My Recommendation

If you have both powders on your bench, develop loads for both, get out your chronograph, and test with any configurations that matter to you. If I’m loading 300 Blackout, I’ve got the short-barreled Dissent and the 16-inch carbine, so I’m going to test with both. Same with the KS-47 and AK-47: if I plan to shoot a load in both, I’ll test in both.

I’ll look at average velocity, and in this case, maximum velocity too. It’s the only case where I actually care about max velocity, because I want to see if I’m pushing over that 1,100 to 1,150 fps threshold. I’m also going to look at SD to see how consistent the velocity is. Sometimes you’ll see first-round differences with a cold bore and a cold suppressor, which is something I’ve been noting as well. All of these things can help you decide between CFE BLK and H110.

Conclusion

H110 is consistent across cartridges, but not necessarily across charges. Again, it wants to be pushed to the max.

• Magnum handgun: Near max only, with a magnum primer
• Subsonic rifle: Typically a lighter charge, tuned for function with all of the AR variables we talked about

It’s great for handgun hunting, great for target work and great for subsonic applications.

Get the Gear

Hodgdon H110 (Save 10% with code UR10.)

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Thanks,
Gavin Gear