Winchester
Winchester 296
A magnum handgun powder for full-power revolver loads, and the recommended choice for 410-bore shotshell including Winchester AA 410 loads. Its high loading density is what Winchester credits for its velocity.
The full-power magnum revolver powder, and the same propellant as Hodgdon H110, another equivalence traced to the manufacturer rather than to rumor. In .357 and .44 Magnum with heavy jacketed bullets it is close to unbeatable, and it is the designated .410 bore powder. The trap is well known and people still fall into it: this powder does not tolerate reduced charges. Download it and you get erratic ignition, squibs and hangfires rather than a mild load, so run it at the published levels with a magnum primer and a heavy crimp or use something else.
- .44 Magnum hunting loads
- .357 Magnum full-power
- .410 bore shotshell
- heavy .45 Colt in strong guns
Who has Winchester 296 today
Checked October 10In stock at 2 stores — lowest in hand $47.93/lb (8 lb at Graf & Sons)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $345.99 | $47.93 | In stock ↗ |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 8 lb | $361.99 | $49.18 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 4 lb | $190.99 | $55.61 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 1 lb | $49.99 | $81.43 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $46.99 | $84.44 | In stock ↗ |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 8 lb | $315.95 | $43.42 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $162.95 | $48.60 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $177.99 | $53.86 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $43.95 | $75.39 est. | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Official Winchester load data →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Winchester |
|---|---|
| Product family | Winchester |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol, shotshell |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0656 cc per grain · 0.99 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Burn-rate position | 74 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 357 Magnum, 44 Remington Magnum, 410 Bore |
Grain shape
Spherical ball, degressive, and dense; that high loading density is what makes the magnum velocity possible. It meters superbly, but ball powders in this class need pressure and confinement to light off cleanly, which is the mechanical root of the no-reduced-loads rule.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Winchester canister propellants are spherical BALL POWDER products made in the USA; the round kernels meter precisely through volumetric powder measures. Hodgdon flags it as an extra-clean-burn and subsonic-capable powder, and does not list it as temperature stable. It is widely understood to be the same propellant as Hodgdon H110. Powders in this class are not suited to heavily reduced charges - follow the published minimums exactly.
Burn rate
Slow for a handgun powder — magnum revolver speed, essentially alongside Hodgdon H110.
Chart agreement: consistent; published as the same powder as Hodgdon H110 - Wolfe/LoadData lists each as the other's equivalent. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Vihtavuori N110 (position 71)
- Hodgdon Lil'Gun (position 72)
- Hodgdon H110 (position 73)
- Accurate No. 11FS (position 75)
- IMR 4227 (position 76)
- Hodgdon H4227 (position 77)
Sources
The specifications above come from Winchester's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.