This ^ 60 grains of H4831 for the 130 grain and 58 grains of H4831 with the 150 grain bullet
Go to powder for .270 Winchester?
- Thread starter slicknick
- Start date
My .270 Remington model 700 wood/blued mountain rifle(1993 vintage) shoots 90, 100,130 and 140 grain bullets into groups smaller than moa with IMR 4064 from a front sandbag and tight sling........Very surprising to me, as it has the light mountain rifle barrel profile.
The rifle has been bedded and has had the trigger worked to a crisp 3 pound let off.
I also use 4064 in .243 and .222 Rem Mag with same results.
The rifle has been bedded and has had the trigger worked to a crisp 3 pound let off.
I also use 4064 in .243 and .222 Rem Mag with same results.
Last edited:
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
I get very good results with H-4831 in 257, 25-06 and 270 ... and have for nearly 50 years.
Tried several others including IMR 4895, IMR 4350, IMR 4831, Hybrid 100V, IMR 4064 etc, but rely on the H-4831.
Tried several others including IMR 4895, IMR 4350, IMR 4831, Hybrid 100V, IMR 4064 etc, but rely on the H-4831.
Yes, I have to agree, use H4831 with 130 or 150 grain bullets in the 270.
After all, it was none other than Jack O'Connor who developed that load and a whole nation of 270 shooters quickly followed his advice. When Hodgdon's got around to testing their 4831 and putting the results into loading charts, they ignored even testing H4831 and the 130 grain bullet, as they knew no one would take their advice over that of JO'C anyway!
Back in the day, the powder talked about was war surplus, pulled from, I think, 20mm canon shells. I still have some of that exact war surplus they called H4831 and have twice tested it against the "newly" made H4831 canister powder, and the old war surplus proved to give about 100 fps more velocity, in two different rifles, than was produced by the same amount of the canister powder.
The ballistic twin that many of us changed to back in the day, was Norma 205. It gave about the same, but usually a bit more velocity, than did war surplus H4831 and 60 grains would go into a 270 cartridge without compressing.
4064 is a ballistic twin to Norma 203. I'm surprised at so many on here are happy with it in the 270. I would think it was too fast to be very efficient with any bullets over 90, or maybe 110, grains in weight.
After all, it was none other than Jack O'Connor who developed that load and a whole nation of 270 shooters quickly followed his advice. When Hodgdon's got around to testing their 4831 and putting the results into loading charts, they ignored even testing H4831 and the 130 grain bullet, as they knew no one would take their advice over that of JO'C anyway!
Back in the day, the powder talked about was war surplus, pulled from, I think, 20mm canon shells. I still have some of that exact war surplus they called H4831 and have twice tested it against the "newly" made H4831 canister powder, and the old war surplus proved to give about 100 fps more velocity, in two different rifles, than was produced by the same amount of the canister powder.
The ballistic twin that many of us changed to back in the day, was Norma 205. It gave about the same, but usually a bit more velocity, than did war surplus H4831 and 60 grains would go into a 270 cartridge without compressing.
4064 is a ballistic twin to Norma 203. I'm surprised at so many on here are happy with it in the 270. I would think it was too fast to be very efficient with any bullets over 90, or maybe 110, grains in weight.
From page 147 of O'Connor's 1961 book ( Yes, I am an old guy and yes, O'Connor wrote my religion way back then) "Complete book of rifles and shotguns":
"I fired about 7000 rounds of full power handloads in various .270 rifles in an effort to determine the most accurate loads. I never could find anything better than 49.5 grains of No. 4064 behind the 130 grain and from 49.5 to 54 grains of the same behind the 100 grain bullet.
Just wondering what powder you used for the heavier 270 bullets, the 130 and 150s?
I have the same titled book, copyright 1961, but I have the eleventh edition, dated 1965, so I don't see your quote.
However, the 270 Winchester cartridge was developed in 1925, some twenty years before the war surplus powder, later named H4831, came on the market. Jack O'Connor has written that he purchased the first Model 54 Winchester rifle, which came in the new 270 calibre, on the market. He likely did all that 7,000 rounds of shooting using the very the 130 grain bullet that Winchester designed to go with the new 270 calibre. JO'C has written much about how great that bullet was and how it was responsible for the 270 (it was also loaded in their factory ammo) acquiring such great fame. In 1950 Jack wrote an article in Outdoor Life on the 25th anniversary of the 270. He highly praised the 130 grain bullet they developed for it and told of many fabulous shots he made with it and their 130 grain bullet which he handloaded. using the excellent 4064 powder. Sadly, the bullet was so costly to make, that Winchester had to abandon it. In the 25 year story of the 270 Jack stated that the 130 grain bullet they developed for it, was the best bullet he had ever used in the 270, which in 1950 included the Nosler partition and some other quality bullets.
Hello there H4831,
Thank you for the additional Jack O'Connor data. I checked, and my book is the same edition that you have. It would appear that you were just as big a Jack fan as I was back in the day. He certainly knew his stuff, and seemed to like to load his brass pretty hot.. I know without a doubt, that the reason that the .270 is my favourite caliber, is due to all the reading I did on Jack and his exploits with the .270 . I never did get to like his model 70 platform though......Could not seem to get comfortable with the Winchester model 70 safety I guess. There has been a custom mannlicher rifle by Hiptmayer, a Tikka 65 deluxe, an early tang safety Ruger 77 , a Ruger 77 RSI tang safety, two early Remington 700 BDL rifles, the odd Husqvarna, a Sako Mannlicher AV and the current Remington 700 walnut/blued Mountain Rifle.......All in .270 of course , and I may have forgotten a couple.
Back in the early to mid 60's I could read "Jack" every month when he was shooting editor of Outdoor Life Magazine. I still have a letter which he kindly took the time to write me and sign personally . It has been carefully tucked within the pages of the book we both referred to earlier since he wrote it back on March 11, 1966.
