New to reloading and have some powder questions

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dand883

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After looking at the RCBS deal at prophet river for what seems like ages i finally decided to take the plunge and ordered the kit, but as i start to look at what people use for powders the choices seem endless, so i am wondering if i am going to need different ones for each caliber or is there a "general rifle powder" that works for just about anything?
For some background i am not a competition or bench rest shooter and i literally just ordered the kit, so i haven't even had a chance to read through the book yet. I am really looking for hunting accuracy and to plink at the range, so i'm not looking for the absolute 100% best combination for each load, but rather something that will work in the 90% range (in terms of accuracy) accross a variety of loads.
The main calibers i shoot are, 308, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, 303 british, 223 and 22-250.
I kind of assume that the first four, being larger calibers will generally work with a similar powder and that i may need something else for the two smaller rounds, so i am looking for what you guys have found to work or not work across that range.
Any must read books or other comments for an admittedly very green beginner are welcome as well.
 
There are a couple of powders that come up more often like varget but for the most part you will want a different powder for each caliber. PS I thought the same when I got my kit and now I got three different powders for some guns to find the best one:D get a book like hornady reloading or nosler or barnes that will give the best info. Also google hodgdon reloading data get free service the get a starting point for loads and powders.
 
The main calibers i shoot are, 308, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, 303 british, 223 and 22-250.
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Welcome to handloading dand883.
Those cal's. ^ will shoot well with Hodgdon Varget, or 4895, which are stick powders. Normally, each charge would be individually weighed out on your scale.
Ball powders are often used to speed up the loading process, as it meters accurately through a powder measure. Charges (not maximum) can be dumped from a good quality powder measure directly into the case. The measure is carefully adjusted with a scale prior to dropping charges, and then periodically checked while in use to confirm it's setting.
Hodgdon Ball C2 or H380 should work for you.



Any must read books or other comments for an admittedly very green beginner are welcome as well.
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Have a look at the Hodgdon reloading manual, it lists data for other brands of powder as well, and most importantly gives pressure data with the load.
For educational purposes, I recommend the 2 volume Hornady manual ... and read it cover to cover.
Take your time, pay attention, avoid distractions while loading, and you will soon be cranking out the best ammo you've ever shot.
 
I like to keep it simple, so I use one powder for pistols (W231) and for my .303's and .308 I use Varget.
 
Since you aren't chasing dime-sized groups at 1000yds with each weapon, there is a powder that will serve you well to start. It is cheap, works great in all the cartridges you listed and at $20 per pound or less, you can buy it in large enough volumes for a beginner to shoot lots.

I shoot the same cartridges you shoot except the .22-250 and with a few more added in. I also shoot .30-06, 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser), and .243.


The powder I am referring to is WC735. It is a military surplus powder available from Higginson Powders. When I was a beginner, I was told that each and every cartridge/ bullet/ rifle combination required a different powder for best results, most guys had 10 or more powders on their bench for every combination, so, so did I. After years of doing this I realized that the differences between them were minuscule for my purposes (hunting and plinking with milsurp rifles) and no matter how finely tuned I made my ammo, it was never going to break that sub-MOA I was seeking. So I went with one powder. Did the same for pistol and shotgun. Now there are only 2 powders on my bench and you CAN'T screw them up. One is a flake and the WC735 is a ball.
I got satisfactory hunting groups in all my rifles (then it was only 2 Lee Enfields, a Gewehr Mauser converted to .30-06, and a Yugo M48) all 3" groups or better. Finally, 4 years ago, kids grown up, out of school, divorce paid for, child support done, I decided to get a "factory" rifle. Still a rather parsimonious person, I swapped out some of my collection (which had grown in militaria) for a Mossberg 100ATR in .30-06. Lots of people here look down on this rifle but I like it. With my hand loads, it shoots sub-MOA from the bench (5/8"-3/4") and in the field I will confidently put rounds where I want them. I then bought a Mossberg 100ATR in the "Nighttrain" config for a varmint rifle. Using hand loads for coyotes, it will group the same, or better. Then my wife started hunting, so I got her a Savage 111combo package in .243. She shoots hand loads in that into just over 3/4".
I am not sure what more expensive powders will do, gut the animal, and haul it out of the woods? Only thing I will get is mo velocity, less pressure, but I don't chase max V, I only hunt and plink.


Do yourself a favour, buy the WC735.
 
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I am a BL-C (2) fanboy. You can use it to load ALL OF THE ABOVE calibers. It meters wonderfully in a measure, can be trickled to .01 gr, and produces similar speeds with lower pressures than the old standby's 4895 and 3031. I load absolutely everything that i own with BL-C(2), and Red Dot for shotgun and pistol.
 
mwjones said:
I am a BL-C (2) fanboy. You can use it to load ALL OF THE ABOVE calibers. It meters wonderfully in a measure, can be trickled to .01 gr, and produces similar speeds with lower pressures than the old standby's 4895 and 3031. I load absolutely everything that i own with BL-C(2), and Red Dot for shotgun and pistol.
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See, another highly enlightened "two-powder" man although my pistol/shotgun powder went from Unique to Red Dot due to local availability and then to 800x when a buddy shotgunner got posted and gave me 20 lbs of it.

I am willing to bet my loads match yours since most of my results have been closer to BL-C2 than to H335 like they say.
 
rookie wildcat said:
Since you aren't chasing dime-sized groups at 1000yds with each weapon, there is a powder that will serve you well to start. It is cheap, works great in all the cartridges you listed and at $20 per pound or less, you can buy it in large enough volumes for a beginner to shoot lots.

I shoot the same cartridges you shoot except the .22-250 and with a few more added in. I also shoot .30-06, 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser), and .243.


The powder I am referring to is WC735. It is a military surplus powder available from Higginson Powders. When I was a beginner, I was told that each and every cartridge/ bullet/ rifle combination required a different powder for best results, most guys had 10 or more powders on their bench for every combination, so, so did I. After years of doing this I realized that the differences between them were minuscule for my purposes (hunting and plinking with milsurp rifles) and no matter how finely tuned I made my ammo, it was never going to break that sub-MOA I was seeking. So I went with one powder. Did the same for pistol and shotgun. Now there are only 2 powders on my bench and you CAN'T screw them up. One is a flake and the WC735 is a ball.
I got satisfactory hunting groups in all my rifles (then it was only 2 Lee Enfields, a Gewehr Mauser converted to .30-06, and a Yugo M48) all 3" groups or better. Finally, 4 years ago, kids grown up, out of school, divorce paid for, child support done, I decided to get a "factory" rifle. Still a rather parsimonious person, I swapped out some of my collection (which had grown in militaria) for a Mossberg 100ATR in .30-06. Lots of people here look down on this rifle but I like it. With my hand loads, it shoots sub-MOA from the bench (5/8"-3/4") and in the field I will confidently put rounds where I want them. I then bought a Mossberg 100ATR in the "Nighttrain" config for a varmint rifle. Using hand loads for coyotes, it will group the same, or better. Then my wife started hunting, so I got her a Savage 111combo package in .243. She shoots hand loads in that into just over 3/4".
I am not sure what more expensive powders will do, gut the animal, and haul it out of the woods? Only thing I will get is mo velocity, less pressure, but I don't chase max V, I only hunt and plink.


Do yourself a favour, buy the WC735.
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I read a bit today about ball vs stick powders and some comments were that ball reacts differently depending on the temperature, but that stick was more consistent over a wider range of temps. How do you find the ball powder for temp differences?
 
How do you find the ball powder for temp differences?
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Each powder/load combo/firearm is a rule unto itself. There are generalities and probabilities to predict a variables effect on results, but no hard and fast certainties. Start low and work back up when any change is made ... is the golden rule.

If you develop a full on max load with most any rifle powder in cool/cold temps., then shoot that same load in summer heat, more pressure is almost certain. Danger lurks here. I've seen comfortable cold temp max pressure, go redline into ejector mark pressure territory with a 40C temp increase. This with R22, a double base(contains nitroglycerine)stick powder.

More moderate loads don't seem to be as effected by temp change. Accuracy nodes(where your gun/load groups best)are commonly about a half grain worth of powder charge wide. Major temp changes can affect the load enough to see your accuracy fall off the sweet spot.
I've had more consistent results with ball powder using magnum primers year round.
 
rookie wildcat said:
Never noticed it with the .243 or the .308 as much, but absolutely with .303 and larger cases.
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:cheers:

We've seen .308's hangfire (click..bang) at -20C and below. This with 155 Amax/46gr. varget/CCIBR2's. A switch to Fed GM215M's cured that cold weather hiccup. Ignition, groups and POI returned to normal.
Same situation with 6.5x55, 6.5/06, .375 H&H, using mostly R22 and WC852(ball).
Those 215 Mag. Match primers are used year round in most of my cals. these days. The charge gets dropped a half grain or so to stay on node in summers heat.

Handloading is a life long learning curve, OP. :)
 
vviking said:
:cheers:

We've seen .308's hangfire (click..bang) at -20C and below. :)
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This isn't a powder problem and is therfore off topic. However, I have never had any primer go click because it was below -20C. And I hunt at -30C. The rounds have always gone BANG! My Problems have been with firing pins, not hand loads primers.
 
Yes, well, firing pins are also off topic.
If the bolt interior is properly degreased and dry-lubed, extreme cold will have little effect on striker fall.

That same extreme cold can and sometimes will make powder more difficult to ignite. Some primers have more brisance than others.
 
Where can I get more info on the WC735? - I don't see it in either or my reloading data books and very little about it on google.

- Who is the manufacturer? [website?]
- where did you get your reloading data for it?

Found Higginson's easily enough: http://www.higginsonpowders.com/

-sean




rookie wildcat said:
Since you aren't chasing dime-sized groups at 1000yds with each weapon, there is a powder that will serve you well to start. It is cheap, works great in all the cartridges you listed and at $20 per pound or less, you can buy it in large enough volumes for a beginner to shoot lots.

I shoot the same cartridges you shoot except the .22-250 and with a few more added in. I also shoot .30-06, 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser), and .243.


The powder I am referring to is WC735. It is a military surplus powder available from Higginson Powders. When I was a beginner, I was told that each and every cartridge/ bullet/ rifle combination required a different powder for best results, most guys had 10 or more powders on their bench for every combination, so, so did I. After years of doing this I realized that the differences between them were minuscule for my purposes (hunting and plinking with milsurp rifles) and no matter how finely tuned I made my ammo, it was never going to break that sub-MOA I was seeking. So I went with one powder. Did the same for pistol and shotgun. Now there are only 2 powders on my bench and you CAN'T screw them up. One is a flake and the WC735 is a ball.
I got satisfactory hunting groups in all my rifles (then it was only 2 Lee Enfields, a Gewehr Mauser converted to .30-06, and a Yugo M48) all 3" groups or better. Finally, 4 years ago, kids grown up, out of school, divorce paid for, child support done, I decided to get a "factory" rifle. Still a rather parsimonious person, I swapped out some of my collection (which had grown in militaria) for a Mossberg 100ATR in .30-06. Lots of people here look down on this rifle but I like it. With my hand loads, it shoots sub-MOA from the bench (5/8"-3/4") and in the field I will confidently put rounds where I want them. I then bought a Mossberg 100ATR in the "Nighttrain" config for a varmint rifle. Using hand loads for coyotes, it will group the same, or better. Then my wife started hunting, so I got her a Savage 111combo package in .243. She shoots hand loads in that into just over 3/4".
I am not sure what more expensive powders will do, gut the animal, and haul it out of the woods? Only thing I will get is mo velocity, less pressure, but I don't chase max V, I only hunt and plink.


Do yourself a favour, buy the WC735.
Click to expand...
 
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