Dominion D8208BR - beware!

todbartell

todbartell

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
290   0   0
Location
BC
I see the thread on these Dominion powders isn't working, likely because Canada Ammo is no longer a supporting business member and their subforum threads are locked

I picked up a bunch of D8208BR (lot#16) a few years ago (early 2020?) and have used it only a little bit over the years in 204 Ruger (lighter loads) and some 223, and one load in 6.5 Grendel. I am aware it's definitely faster burning than the IMR 8208XBR version.

Years ago I loaded up some 308 Win with 155gr Berger VLD over D8208BR and IMR 8208XBR with the same charge weight, 42.5 grains

for reference, Hodgdon lists a 155gr Sierra HPBT over 45.3 grains IMR 8208XBR as max load and I used to shoot 8208XBR in a prior 308 rifle (42.5grs with 168gr Nosler HPBT), so I felt fairly safe with the 42.5gr charge weight with the 155gr Berger

Finally got around to shooting these yesterday, I started with the IMR version and they did 2657 fps from my 18.8" Ruger m77 Scout rifle. I then tried the Dominion 8208BR, first shot I can smell the stench of "burning metal" lol - Labradar flashes up 2851 fps - - EEK

Bolt lifted a bit hard but the case came out without any drama

a6K04HV.jpg


I will revisit this D8208BR load, at a MUCH lower charge weight :rolleyes: IF I have more of the 155gr VLD, I'll have to check on my supply. If not I will pick another 150'ish grain bullet

I know a guy blew up a rifle with D8208BR a few years ago, likely started too high like me but shot through an old weak rifle. Hopefully this helps someone out there who is wondering where to start with a jug of D8208BR

:cheers:
 
Last edited:
Damn, thanks for posting. I pierced a couple primers working with imr4320 in a 22br. Always sucks doing that, LoL. I have a jug of the d8208 unopened so I'll make a note to start super low
 
The Dominion Powder Company recommended using loads that were 10% below IMR8208xbr starting loads for any cartridge.

I'm actually surprised that they used this designation for this powder as it's much faster burning than the IMR, now Hodgdon product.

I haven't bothered to look any further on their site, after first purchasing five pounds of this powder, which should be quite versatile.

I was given a pound of it by a friend, right after CanAmm started to sell it and it worked really well for me in the 303Brit and 7.62x54R. I used light loads, appx 5% below recommended starting suggestions from one of the websites I could find with experienced information. 24hr campsite????

I actually found the shape and performance very similar to RL7 when I used it in the 7.62x39 loads for my Howa.

This isn't a regular off the shelf CANNISTER GRADE POWDER. IT'S a SPECIAL ORDER POWDER for a specific customer

Usually the only companies that will order such powders are commercial loaders. There was a time when companies like Higginson's would pick up left over lots of such powders but you had to be very careful with them.

Even the designations put on the products being sold were misleading in that the information given as to burn speed was very different from one lot to the next.

I have some powder form Tom Higginson that he picked up a few tons of very cheap. Great powder but you wouldn't know it was different from the designation. This powder is WC867, there were two different original lots and they were dangerously different as far as burn rates were concerned. Tom mixed both lots together of this fantastic ball powder and it came out very close but slightly faster than than W748.

Tom was very usually very careful to test such shipments by sending ten pound sample lots to a few different folks to develop loads with and the only info we would get, would be burn rate. He would also send us bullets, brass and primers that he wanted information on and would later publish it on newspaper form handouts that he included with any shipment of powder etc.

I strongly suggest that if a hand loader isn't willing to work up loads, they should not purchase NON CANNISTER GRADE POWDERS.

D8208br from Dominion is good and very consistent powder but IMHO, it bears the WRONG DESIGNATION. I don't know why this came about but it's the luck of the draw.

It's quite possible the original specs for the component mix were a duplicate of the specs used to mix IMR8208xbr components but when components from a different source were mixed, not everything was equal.

This is something GANDERITE is far more familiar with than I am. He's dealt with this sort of thing a lot.
 
Last edited:
I've been ok with the D4064/4895/4350, didn't buy any of the other stuff.
The 4064/4895 is pretty much bang on with the IMR versions, the 4350 is a little slower but nothing significant.
Still have a bunch of WC735 from Higginson for the smaller cases so didn't need any of the faster D powders. I have 2 lots of it, supposed to be H335 range, one lot is closer to H322, one is bang on H335, takes time to play around with and figure out, doesn't always perform the same.
 
We've discussed "unknown" powder for years here and prescribed how to determine their Burn Rates and hence loads that are "safe". Higginson's WC-735 is a good example, and so are the various Dominion powders, both of which is suggested are 5% or 10% or some other figure faster than a particular powder.

I too was fooled by the "bit faster" line and quickly learned to initially treat it as "quite a bit faster" and to test it myself in various chamberings.

With WC-735 for example (the last of mine which I think I sold to Hitzy), it was suggested that it was slightly faster than H-335. After buying it, the first thing I did was compare it to actual H-335 and to the slightly faster H-322 using a chronograph, and like Hitzy I found that it varied a bit according to Lot # but also to the cartridge in which it was used, and I used it in 223, 308, even 45-90, 500 S&W and more.

It's been explained here several times, but you load a bit below a Starting Load of the "known" powder that the "unknown" powder is reputed to be faster than, alongside an identical load of the unknown powder and run them over a chronograph. If the unknown powder load runs faster than the known, then it's faster, and you also gain an idea of how much faster it is.

The problem is almost no-one owns a chronograph and many with one aren't willing to do the work anyways, so they ask for other people to share loads which is risky as I have suggested. Those are the kinds of people who need to stick very close to known powders and load books.
 
Andy said:
We've discussed "unknown" powder for years here and prescribed how to determine their Burn Rates and hence loads that are "safe". Higginson's WC-735 is a good example, and so are the various Dominion powders, both of which is suggested are 5% or 10% or some other figure faster than a particular powder.

I too was fooled by the "bit faster" line and quickly learned to initially treat it as "quite a bit faster" and to test it myself in various chamberings.

With WC-735 for example (the last of mine which I think I sold to Hitzy), it was suggested that it was slightly faster than H-335. After buying it, the first thing I did was compare it to actual H-335 and to the slightly faster H-322 using a chronograph, and like Hitzy I found that it varied a bit according to Lot # but also to the cartridge in which it was used, and I used it in 223, 308, even 45-90, 500 S&W and more.

It's been explained here several times, but you load a bit below a Starting Load of the "known" powder that the "unknown" powder is reputed to be faster than, alongside an identical load of the unknown powder and run them over a chronograph. If the unknown powder load runs faster than the known, then it's faster, and you also gain an idea of how much faster it is.

The problem is almost no-one owns a chronograph and many with one aren't willing to do the work anyways, so they ask for other people to share loads which is risky as I have suggested. Those are the kinds of people who need to stick very close to known powders and load books.
Click to expand...

I've loaded a pile of cartridges with the WC735, from 222 up to 30'06, could never get me a real accurate load with it, I mean decent but not impressive, always flyers, mostly used it for blasting in semi auto's in 223/308 and fire forming other cartridges with new brass. 7$/lb was hard to beat lol.
Then I got a 7.62x39 and 30-30, tried it in that and got me a good target load for each. Seems to shine in small case/larger bores with full case of powder and moderate pressure. Glad I got bunch of it left.
 
Hitzy, you've made a discovery about WC735 or at least the particular lot you have, when, from trial and error you deduced that this powder is excellent for use and consistency in cartridges such as the 7.62x39 and 30-30, which are also medium pressure range cartridges in their original loadings.

When commercial loaders order powder lots, they give the manufacturer some parameters to work within.

I certainly don't know all of the details but the chemists and engineers figure out how to stay within those parameters as cheaply as possible and still deliver a good product.

Such lots of powder are ONE OFFS and only useful to people with the knowledge and tools to figure out where they shine, IF they have enough on hand to make the effort worthwhile.

For people that purchase one pound or less of powder, one box of bullets and a 100 count primer packet, as Andy says, these are not powders you should be using.
 
308 Win
Ruger m77 Gunsite scout, 18.8" barrel

155gr Berger VLD
Hornady brass
Dominion large rifle primer (Canada ammo russian primer)
D8208BR powder

Velocity measured by Labradar


  • 40.1grs 2716 fps
  • 39.7grs - no reading
  • 39.3grs - 2648 fps (approx 65k psi as per Quickload software) [42.5grs IMR 8208xbr makes 2657 fps]
  • 38.9grs - no reading
  • 38.5grs - no reading
  • 38.1grs 2605 fps
  • 37.7grs 2564 fps
  • 37.3grs - no reading
  • 36.9grs 2518 fps
Factory 150gr Hornady ammodoes 2650 fps for reference

 
I was surprised just how fast the D800 was too.
Ended up taking apart most of a box of 44mag and dropping the charge another couple grains after first using what I thought was a pretty mild load.
 
Cheapest magnum powder I could find around here was Accurate Magpro...$370 for 8lbs.
Hodgdon and IMR are $500+ but never in stock.
 
todbartell said:
I see the thread on these Dominion powders isn't working, likely because Canada Ammo is no longer a supporting business member and their subforum threads are locked

I picked up a bunch of D8208BR a few years ago (early 2020?) and have used it only a little bit over the years in 204 Ruger (lighter loads) and some 223, and one load in 6.5 Grendel. I am aware it's definitely faster burning than the IMR 8208XBR version.

Years ago I loaded up some 308 Win with 155gr Berger VLD over D8208BR and IMR 8208XBR with the same charge weight, 42.5 grains

for reference, Hodgdon lists a 155gr Sierra HPBT over 45.3 grains IMR 8208XBR as max load and I used to shoot 8208XBR in a prior 308 rifle (42.5grs with 168gr Nosler HPBT), so I felt fairly safe with the 42.5gr charge weight with the 155gr Berger

Finally got around to shooting these yesterday, I started with the IMR version and they did 2657 fps from my 18.8" Ruger m77 Scout rifle. I then tried the Dominion 8208BR, first shot I can smell the stench of "burning metal" lol - Labradar flashes up 2851 fps - - EEK

Bolt lifted a bit hard but the case came out without any drama

a6K04HV.jpg


I will revisit this D8208BR load, at a MUCH lower charge weight :rolleyes: IF I have more of the 155gr VLD, I'll have to check on my supply. If not I will pick another 150'ish grain bullet

I know a guy blew up a rifle with D8208BR a few years ago, likely started too high like me but shot through an old weak rifle. Hopefully this helps someone out there who is wondering where to start with a jug of D8208BR

:cheers:
Click to expand...

Is there a lot number on your D8208 powder jug?
 
jethunter said:
Is there a lot number on your D8208 powder jug?
Click to expand...
The reason i ask about the lot# is that D4350 and possibly some other Dominion powders were sold with different lot numbers - because they were different "batches" from the same manufactuer. Keeping in mind that these are not cannister powders, different lot numbers of the same D###X powder may or may not be similar to the other differet lot numbers in the same powder. If you talk about D###X powders it matters to include the lot#.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom