Ammomart 46N powder

kjohn

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I have a decent amount of 46N powder purchased years back from Ammomart. On the bottle is also marked Nobel No.1. What little info I can find leads me to think this is Nobel No.1 Rifle Powder. It is stick powder and the info would have come directly off the package it came in.

Anyone here have this powder and or can shed some light on it? I did find on thread with a scanned page out of a reloading book, loads for .223:

46N a x.jpg
 

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Interesting reading some of the load manual offerings. Some people would fall over backwards at some of the data. The data I posted above for the .223 is one example.

The data that was scanned came from this manual:

Nick Harvey Manual a x.jpg
 

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I never bought any of that particular powder when it was available.

If memory serves, it was offered while Tom was still alive.

I have the next number 47N on hand, which is similar to IMR4350 and N160, great powder.

I helped work out safe loads for Tom on several occaisions. I turned down the opportunity on this one, because I was going offshore for a three month job.

I believe he told me that he had a Nobel powder, that was similar to 4198. Nobel is or was a subsidiary of Bofors. A mid range powder suitable for small cases up to 30-06.

That would be inline with your chart.

You're savvy enough to start with a light load.

My suggestion to you would be a 4198 start load and work up from there.

Tom sold a lot of useful surplus powders in those days. A lot of them were one offs.

He had a deal going with Bruce Hodgdon when these lots of powder became available. I first met Tom at a Hodgdon storage facility, in the early seventies.

He introduced me to Bruce Hodgdon. Hodgdon became a distant acquaintence, because of distance and the small amount of business I did with them, nice guy.

Tom and I remained friends up until his death, he was diagnosed with Cancer a few years after I was. There was 35 years difference in our ages, but we go along well for over 30 years and he was a bit of a mentor for me, when it came to handloading. Very up front and to the point. I liked him a lot.

WC846 had a similar burn rate, but it's a ball powder, intended for the same range of cartridges and a kissing cousin of BLC or BLC-2 but a lot more consistent.
 
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I’m on my last pound of Ammomart NRP104. Labeled as similar to IMR4350, start 2gr lower. Is that the 47N ? Works lovely in .270 and 30-06
 
bearhunter: Thanks for sharing. I only spoke with Mr. Higginson once on the phone. A very pleasant and direct man, I still remember that conversation, many years later. I placed a large order (for the times) on behalf of three or four of us.

People like him played a large part in my love affair of 55+ years of reloading, shooting, collecting and just plain enjoyment of being involved in the world of guns.
 
I’m on my last pound of Ammomart NRP104. Labeled as similar to IMR4350, start 2gr lower. Is that the 47N ? Works lovely in .270 and 30-06

No, but it's very similar.

Most of us that picked up the 47N had issues with it after about ten years of storage. It broke down and had to be thrown out.

Tom sent me 21 pounds of it, along with the components needed to build up ''safe'' loads in different rifles and I really liked it. IMHO, it was N160 and I found that the loads were directly interchangeable.

I ordered another 21 pounds and Tom sent me 30 pounds in one big bag in a heavy cardboard drum. It was around $8/lb shipped.

Excellent powder, extremely consistent and gave some of the best accuracy and velocities in everything from 243Win to my 338-06 rifles. It was very good with medium weight to heavy bullets. Best with heavy for caliber bullets.

I still have a couple of pounds left, that for some reason didn't deteriorate.

I was a bit worried about it and almost threw it out.

Still I was curious and set it aside in the magazine and forgot about it.

I noticed it last spring, after putting together an 8x57 and looking for some powder to fireform some cases.

It gave 2500fps out of a 23.5 inch bbl with 200grn Nosler partions, over 57.0 grains and CCI250 primers

I didn't stick with it, because it works so well in the 338-06 that I'm saving it for.

I went with H414SL10, which is also a Higginson surplus powder that was excellent and is a bit slower burning than W760/H414 but more consistent and not nearly as temperatue sensitive.
 
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Ahh! Good old 47SB. Three of us ordered some from Ammomart and used in our 8x57 military Mausers. I’m not at my shop so I can’t check to see what we loaded at. Great stuff. I still have some too.
 
I still have a couple lb of 47SB, do you know how it fit into the line up?

I shot up two or 3 - 7 pounders of 47SB. IIRC, It was also a Winchester 760 slow lot. I used it in the 30-06 a lot with 165 gran bullets.
I still have about 5 lbs of another spherical - WC760 SL 131 It is a tad slower than 47SB or H414 SL 10 Dave.
 
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So, I did a little digging around, and found an old Canadian Handloader magazine, with a bunch of reloading data in it.
This was from Thomas himself, and was developed by Benny Bachner, a reloading consultant.

46N shows up, but not for the 223 Remington. It first shows in the 22-250 with a 55 grain bullet at 37.5 grains max load for 3700 fps

Also load given for the 243 and a 70 grain bullet - 43.5 grains max for 3400 fps; 308 Winchester with a 165 grainer - 47.5 grains for 2700.
30-06 with a 150 grainer - 57.0 grains of 46N for 3000; 30-06 With the 165 grain bullet - 55.5 grains for 2900.

Also a load with the 8x57JS with a 170 grain bullet 53.5 grains for 2700 fps, and the 220 grainer, 44.5 grains for 2250 fps.

Don't know if any of this helps, but it can give some idea of where 46N stands in relation to known powders today. Dave.
 
Eagleye: Thanks for posting that info on the 46N. Helps a lot with my data bank of loads, especially for obscure powders.

Marci cho!
 
Nobel #1 is their slow powder, i think. Similar to 4350.

#3 is the fast one. I am going by memory here that the Nobel system seemed backwards.

Then there is the story about the guy who was trying to buy Rifle #1, but they were out of stock. So he bought Pistol #1....
 
Nobel #1 is their slow powder, i think. Similar to 4350.

#3 is the fast one. I am going by memory here that the Nobel system seemed backwards.

Then there is the story about the guy who was trying to buy Rifle #1, but they were out of stock. So he bought Pistol #1....

I think that happened at Wholesale Sports.

Auggie D.
 
Interesting reading some of the load manual offerings. Some people would fall over backwards at some of the data. The data I posted above for the .223 is one example.

The data that was scanned came from this manual:

View attachment 538333

I have a Nick Harvey manual, a lot of good data. Can't recall which edition it is though. - dan
 
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