With the scarcity of powders today, what are some of your favorite multi caliber powders to keep in stock. I am pretty new to this but have found w748 to be very useful for several rifle calibers.
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With the scarcity of powders today, what are some of your favorite multi caliber powders to keep in stock. I am pretty new to this but have found w748 to be very useful for several rifle calibers.
IMR-4064 will cover quite a bit. I've run it in everything from a 5.56 thru 350 Remington Mag.
Favorite powder in our 250 and 300 Savage's. AA-4064 is another good one.
Varget has been my go to followed closely by IMR-8208, BL-C2, IMR-4064 and then down the line. I try to keep a dozen or more different powders in the stash. Shooting around 10K of .308 per year plus other calibers, I tend to go through my fair share. Whatta Hobby!
For me, Varget's great advantage is its temperature insensitivity - 4 fps change over a 0-125 def F. range for the same powder charge, making it an all season powder.
It is also very accurate in the rifles I use it in.
And it is a very multi-use powder.
I use it, when available, for my four .308s, for my three .223's with bullets from 60 to 77 grs, and for my two .22-250s.
VV N540, with more temperature sensitivity -100 fps change over the same 125 deg F. range, gives it a run for its money for accuracy, in the same set of rifles. But you have to load N540 for the temperature that you will be shooting in to get similar performance.
N540 actually has a slight muzzle velocity increase over Varget given identical exit times from the muzzle.
Unfortunately, Varget doesn't perform as accurately as H4350, 8 fps change over the same 125 deg range, in my three 6.5mm CMs.
If it did it would be even more multi-use.
I am another fan of Varget for my .223, .308 and 6BR.
But, I have also used IMR4166, AA4064, BLC2, and RL17 in the .308. The 6BR also likes N150 and will try N540 in it. The Garand gets a lot of 3031.
I do a lot of shooting with cast loads in the .308. For that I use IMR4198, 3031, 4895, 4064 and Varget.
Thanks for the replies! This gives me a little better idea of what to keep my eyes open for. I have seen IMR 4064 in the past at my local Bass pro shop, which is about my only retail source around me.
H110/win 296, basically the same powder. Good for .357 magnum, .44 magnum, 30 carbine, 300 BO subsonic, 458 SOCOM as well as others.
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h4064, varget, cf223
I did pick up some H110. I found it to also work for my 350 Legend.����Quote:
Originally Posted by lonestardiver
I use Unique a lot, also H4895, these 2 work in many different cartridges. Unique is especially good for cast bullet shooting in anything from smaller pistol rounds to large bore rifles, it's also useful for loading the old black powder cartridges with safe pressure levels. I have started to buy my most used powders in 8 pound jugs when I can get them. I try to use powders that have multiple applications but I still have probably at least 20 different powders at the moment. Some powders are exclusive to a single rifle, Winchester 760 for example is used only for full power loadings in my .375 H&H and it excels in that role.
H4895 will always be on my shelf. It has one of the largest charge weight/velocity windows I'm aware of. Great economy when downloaded to 60% of max for plinking and one of the only powders Im aware of that can do this. Suitable for "Youth loads" as well as full power loads and versitile across many cartridges from short action to magnum. It may not always produce the highest velocity for a given cartridge but I'm not aware of a more versitile powder on the market.
There are a bunch of other powders that can be downloaded, H4895 is the only one with web pages from the powder mfg promoting it (that I am aware of). But, Lyman has a lot of reduced loads for many powders. I do agree that it and the IMR version are great powders.
Jacketed bullets can be fired at the same reduced velocities as many of the cast bullets with a wide variety of powders. Some are more consistent than others. Many of the 'magnum' or slower burning powders can be downloaded safely but they can be a bit erratic when not loaded to higher pressures. There is also the problem with empty volume in a case with reduced loads.
H110/W296 is one where you can’t download very far. Most load tables will notate the below a certain case volume it may detonate.Quote:
Originally Posted by charlie b
I picked up a pound of H4895 mostly to download a 30-06 round that is shown in one of my manuals. Is there a particular manual that shows multiple cartridge uses for this powder?Quote:
Originally Posted by big honkin jeep
Hodgdon web site.
My eyes are opened! That is an excellent source! Thank youQuote:
Originally Posted by charlie b
For some reason all the powder mfgs offer free load data. Some of the bullet mfg require a fee for it. But, it is worth it to look at their sites as well.
For Rifle H4350 and Varget
Bullseye (although dirty) is an all around SHTF powder for pistol and shotgun.
SJC
There are a lot of good multi use powders out there, HODGON, tho I prefer their powders VARGET, H4895, I have also found Some of the ACCURATE to be good alternatives, like A2495, A2460, A2520, TAC, they may not be as temp stable as the H-powders, but most people don't need that or will use these types of powders under conditions or distances to notice any difference, if it gives you the accuracy you need at the ranges you shoot that's all you need, these powders are good from 223rem to the 3006 and probably more, The accurate powders costs a lot less than the H powders or Alliant powders, Alliant powders have skyrocketed in price, $460 for a 8# of RL16, AR Comp! These prices of powder have forced me to look for alternatives, Like, replacing RL16 at $460+ to 6.5Staball at $ 300 for an 8# I've also found A2495 at $325 for 8# is a decent replacement for H4895 at $400+ if you can find it? JMO
The info is in a couple pdf files on Hodgdons web site.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tmar
H4895 "This works only where H4895 is listed. DO NOT use in a cartridge where H4895 is not shown."
My primary use for H4895 is with 240gr Campro Plated bullets @ 1975-2000fps in the 444Marlin's. Great round for some regular trigger time gong ringing.
https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/h4895-reduced-rifle-loads-2.pdf
TrailBoss. For reduced loads, I get better results using TrailBoss in the 45-70Gov. I had positional accuracy problems with the low case fill reduced loads in the 45-70Gov using H4895.
https://hodgdonpowderco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/trail-boss-reduced-loads-2018-2.pdf
Sure would be nice to find either powder on the shelf at the Local Gun Store.
If you need to download there are numerous other powders that work. Some are better than others, but, the IMR and Hodgdon stick powders will almost all work at reduced levels.
I really like the way the Hogdon site is set up. I had no idea that there were so many powders that worked well for a variety of cartridges. Before studying that site, I was limited to the 4 different manuals that I had accumulated. Some of them don’t even list H4895. I guess they are mostly directed to the powders popular at the time of the tests. As of right now, I am only loading for deer hunting type cartridges for the woods where 100+ yard shots are rare. (30-06, 308, 30-30, 35 rem, 7.62x39, 350 legend, 270 and 223) Long range accuracy isn’t in my wheelhouse YET. Just learning at my ripe age of 59. I appreciate all the info on this site.
Don't forget the other powder mfgs/distributors. Alliant, Vihtivouri, etc.
And, yes, for 'normal' shooting there are probably 10 powders that will work in any given cartridge. And most powders will work in a variety of cartridges. The combination might not be the most efficient or accurate, but, for most situations they work.
Some powders seem to hit a sweet spot. 2400 is almost a universal pistol powder that can also be used in a lot of lower pressure rifle loads. OTOH powders like H110/W296 are 'one trick ponies' that only do well in a specific application, eg, heavy magnum pistol loads.
Just so its been said, be very careful downloading below any powder manufacturers published minimums. All kinds of crazy anomolys can cause pressure spikes. These include bullets that start then lodge in the lands
and then the powder fully ignites behind them causing overpressure. Powder inside the case burning with more surface area top to bottom instead of in a column rear to front causing over pressure. Bullets lodging in the lands causing obstructions, hang fires where the primer is struck then 1,2,3 KABOOM whenever it gets ready to , And other crazy conditions that may not be readily forseeable, anticipated or even make sense to by the average reloader.
Published minimums arent just lawyer speak but are most often based on actual science and known hazards.
Stay safe
Yep, weird things can and do happen. Rarely do any of them result in dangerous pressures, mainly just inconsistent ignition. At reduced loads a pressure spike is rarely up to the rated pressure of the cartridge. Several folks have documented this stuff 'scientifically' with pressure trace equipment.
Some that can be an issue involve using fillers and/or wads in the case. Incorrectly used they can create something like a barrel obstruction.
But...any who are not comfortable working 'outside the zone' of published data, then don't.
Varget stinks. Deadly accurate but it stinks!! Never liked cutting kernels so I don't use it much anymore.
I get one powder, work it till I can't work it anymore THEN work it some more.
Used AA 2230 C till they quit making it. Went thru something like 50 pounds @ $65.00 a 8 pound jug. (M1As and Mimi 14s eat lots of powder) :cool::cool:
When AA 2230C wasn't available anymore, switched over to AA 2230.
Use it in just about everything I load for.
20 MGM Wildcat, .221 Fireball, .223, 20 VT, 20 VT "short", 20 BR, 22 BR, 6mmBR, 6.8 BR, 6.8 SPC, .308 and a few others I can't think of.
Each and every one will shoot bug holes.
The thing that gets me? Someone will say XXXX powder shot GREAT for me and "everybody" jumps on the bandwagon. So pretty soon folks end up with 10 to 15 different powders sitting on the shelf but don't realize most of them would really work if they just spent time finding out.
If all you could get was ONE powder, bet you would learn just how good it would work. ;)
I appreciate all the replies. This has been an enlightening thread. I am sure more questions will be in my near future ��
My favorite all around powder, although it’s mainly my top choice for 223, is BL-(C)2 Great thing is I could use it in both my 223Rem & 260AI if I had nothing nothing else.
4895 in rifles. Works about any where.
4064 has surprised me. Especially for the 270 win.
I use CFE Pistol and HP-38 in many different non-magnum handgun loads and H110 or 2400 for magnum loads..