Data for out of production powders x2924, 47SB, WC845, AL5, AL7

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Tim249

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Good day, I'm acquiring some surplus powder in a deal, but since it's all out of production, I'd like to see if anyone has data for the following powders. For reference, I reload 303, 308, 8x57, 38-55, 45LC, 44-40, 357, 40S&W, and 9MM.

The powders, and the basic info I have are:

AL-7
AL-5
47-S-B (similar to Win760)
X2924 (similar to Win748)
OLIN WC845 (H335 type)

Any help or pointers is greatly appreciated. In general, I'm a "gun go bang" type plinker, and I'm not trying win competitions with my reloads. Just looking for safe and economic loads, with the exception of the 308 which is for hunting.
 
Last time I phoned Andrew Higginson he wasn't really sure on the WC852 I had because there were two variations his dad sold. He wouldn't look into it either. List some of your powders in your title and people will drop in to help you out. Its easy to edit and will pay off.
 
Alcan 5 and Alcan 7 were shotshell powders going way back. I might have a can around still ….maybe because I’ve been throwing out some old stuff that has gone ‘bad’…. If you open up a container and it looks like a rusty colour and there is a super fine dust in the air then throw it out, it will produce ‘bloopers’. Keep the empty can, its vintage and might be worth a few bucks to a collector.

I’ve been given old powders from estates and 25% of them are worthless.
 
For the Alcan powders, look at the old Lyman & Speer manuals for handgun or cast loads.

WC845 MAX loads are H335 [aka WC844] start loads.

47SB, aka H414SL aka WC760 SL #10 use W760 / H414 & go up til you get pressure signs or your case is full to the bottom of the bullet when seated. Do NOT compress.

I have found that x2924, at least in my loads in 303, 8x57, 9.3x57 is not like BLC2; it is more like H380.
 
jamesharrison said:
For the Alcan powders, look at the old Lyman & Speer manuals for handgun or cast loads.
Click to expand...
^^^ Yes.
I know for sure that Speer #8 have some. I have an extensive collection of old manuals for this purpose of using out of production powders.
If you wish, contact me and I'll look up some loads.

A guy in NS, right now has some Alcan powders for sale, and I'd buy them to load for the nostalgia. But the ad made the guy sound like the type that wouldn't just drop it in the mail as a sensible person would do.
 
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jamesharrison said:
For the Alcan powders, look at the old Lyman & Speer manuals for handgun or cast loads.

WC845 MAX loads are H335 [aka WC844] start loads.

47SB, aka H414SL aka WC760 SL #10 use W760 / H414 & go up til you get pressure signs or your case is full to the bottom of the bullet when seated. Do NOT compress.

I have found that x2924, at least in my loads in 303, 8x57, 9.3x57 is not like BLC2; it is more like H380.
Click to expand...
What loads do you use for your x2924 if you don't mind sharing?
 
Mr Bill said:
Alcan 5 and Alcan 7 were shotshell powders going way back. I might have a can around still ….maybe because I’ve been throwing out some old stuff that has gone ‘bad’…. If you open up a container and it looks like a rusty colour and there is a super fine dust in the air then throw it out, it will produce ‘bloopers’. Keep the empty can, its vintage and might be worth a few bucks to a collector.

I’ve been given old powders from estates and 25% of them are worthless.
Click to expand...
Hopefully that's not the case for me. Thanks for the tip though.
 
Tim249 said:
Good day, I'm acquiring some surplus powder in a deal, but since it's all out of production, I'd like to see if anyone has data for the following powders. For reference, I reload 303, 308, 8x57, 38-55, 45LC, 44-40, 357, 40S&W, and 9MM.

The powders, and the basic info I have are:

AL-7
AL-5
47-S-B (similar to Win760)
X2924 (similar to Win748)
OLIN WC845 (H335 type)

Any help or pointers is greatly appreciated. In general, I'm a "gun go bang" type plinker, and I'm not trying win competitions with my reloads. Just looking for safe and economic loads, with the exception of the 308 which is for hunting.
Click to expand...
Andrew at Higginson might have some old Ammo Mart loading info, his grandfather ran this company prior to the change in name. They sold the powders that you mentioned in bulk, great times back then, $12.00 and up per pound, it was and still is a great company.
 
Tim249

One thing you definitely need to take into consideration with those powders.

They're all a couple of decades old or older.

Their burn rates may be slightly faster or slower than the charts show.

I don't know of any surplus powders sold by AmmoMart or now Higginson's that didn't have at least two, and usually up to half a dozen different lots with the same description number.

Under most circumstances, the lots weren't blended, but in some instances, they were because Tom got several small lots with the same number, but from different manufacturing runs. Their burn rates were close enough, so Tom dumped them all together to make one big "saleable lot."

Olin X2924 came in several large lots, so he sold them as they were. Each lot is different from the other.

JamesHarrison is telling you the burn rate of the lot he has, or had. Some are slower and some are faster.

So when you go to use these powders, make sure to load a few rounds with the suggested starting loads of the equivalent powder suggested.

I've seen X2924 give close to maximum pressures using starting loads suggested for H380 when used in surplus military cases.

I would suggest you type into your search engine the powder descriptions and go from there.

There are a couple of sites where discussions on all of the powders, including variants, give good starting loads.

Most of the good folks replying to your query may have experience with one lot, but not with all of the lots offered.

Take their advice on a given load with caution.
 
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