Lot to Lot variation H4350 for 260 REM with 140 Amax

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countyboy

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Hi All

I apologize in advance if this should be in the reloading forum.

I recently switched lots of H4350 and noticed quite a change in MV for the same charge. I have been loading with Varget for years but H4350 and 260 are somewhat new to me. I have a rem 700 chambered in 260 REM with a Shilen Select Match Contour 7 27" barrel. I am using Lapua brass.

All components other than powder were consistent. Ojive was 2.18" which is a bit of jump.

Back on August 6 2012 with my original lot of H4350 and 140 AMAX's, I was only geting 2713 AVG FPS at 25c with 42.6 gr. With 42.9 I was getting 2743 FPS. No pressure issues that I could tel. 3.75 MOA elevation at 300y

On Sunday, Oct 6 2012 with my new lot of H4350 and 140 AMAX's, I was getting 2850 FPS at 7-10c with 42.6 gr. With 43.2 I was getting 2890. No pressure issues that I could tell. 3.50 MOA at 300y.

The groups were fairly consistent between both lots. The ES and SD were pretty consistent also.

I know Varget can have significant lot to lot variation but I was surprised to see such variation with H4350.

Anyone else experience this with H4350?

Thanks
 
how many rounds were through the barrel with the first "lot"? second lot? Could be that your barrel is finally "breaking in" and you have an increase in speeds as you shoot in your barrel... You change your scale from lot to lot?
 
This post is the perfect rationale for, once you've found 'The Load', you should buy a sh**load of projectiles, and powder, from the same lot...
To be more specific,figure out, roughly, how many rounds (accurate) that you're going to get out that particular barrel...do a little math...and lay in enough 'provisions' to feed it until it's only use is for staking tomatoes.
It's all about controlling as many variables as you can, and learning to deal with the ones you can't (wind, temperature, etc.)
 
About 200 rounds through the first lot with some 123 Scenars and Varget in the mix. Now with the new lot about 225 rounds. I had not thought of the barrel breaking in causing the increase in FPS.

I now try to buy as much of a component as I can.

Just got a big pile of JLK 130's from Jerry.
 
Foxbat speaks wisdom.

ALL powders vary form lot to lot. 4831, 4350 and Varget are all bad. Moreso in recent years. I buy 8 pound jugs at a time and as many bullets as I can afford.
 
Lot variances aside. If you are getting 3.5 moa at 300yds you need to do more load development and find a load that shoots better.

Yes....all powders will have lot to lot variances, this is why whenver you change ANY component (including different lots of same components, mainly bullets and powder) you should start over with your load tests.

Buy as much of each product as you can possibly afford to ensure consistency. I personally buy powder by the 8lb keg and bullets by the 1000 or 2000 (most of my barrels have a minimum 2000 rnd life span, this ensures I have the same bullets for the life of the barrel).

I recently ran out of my lot of 105grn VLD bullets for my 6BR and had to get a new lot......loaded the new bullets to seat into the lands the same as the old bullets, but it did not come together for me....much vertical from 300-600yds in match that I travelled 2800KM to attend. :( I, unfortunately, did not have enough time to work up a new load and hoped that it would just work......sadly it did not.
 
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CyaN1de said:
Lot variances aside. If you are getting 3.5 moa at 300yds you need to do more load development and find a load that shoots better.
Click to expand...

i dont think he maent group size, he was saying he needed to adjust his elevation up 3.75 moa to hit center of target with one lot and 3.5 moa up with the other lot. the second load that was slightly faster and was hitting .25 moa higher at 300 yards.
 
had a great conversation with some Aussie shooters at the US Nats. They had to load while in the US and were horrified when their pet loads were no where close given domestic products.

the powders looked differently, acted differently and fouled differently - this with powder what was supposed to come from Australia. Yes, all the hodgdon extreme powders originate from Aus..... maybe :)

SOOOO, assume nothing, treat every new component as a new load work up, expect that what was may not be again.

Buy as much of whatever components you just finished load tuning to save yourself the headache of changing stuff. Lots can vary.... PERIOD.

By the way, there are 3 (THREE) Aussie powders that we get here as VARGET..... then whatever gets done before we open our bottles.

Start low and work up.

Jerry
 
aheppner said:
i dont think he maent group size, he was saying he needed to adjust his elevation up 3.75 moa to hit center of target with one lot and 3.5 moa up with the other lot. the second load that was slightly faster and was hitting .25 moa higher at 300 yards.
Click to expand...

I see now... ;-)
 
I also had a bad experience with H4350, I had worked up a modestly hot (but safe) load for my 6.5-47, ran out of my first lot of powder and since I was at the end of the season bought I new jug, wound up with pierced primers and had to disassemble the bolt an clean the trigger, I have used dozens of powders but never had this much of a difference between lots.
 
There is another variable. Perhaps the biggest. The jug of powder we use dries out over the days, weeks, months (whatever it takes) to use it up. As the powder dries out from sitting in the thrower, from being poured back into the jug, etc, it changes speed.

When we open the new jug, it has all the water and solvents in it that had dried up out of the old jug.

I decant my powder into 1 and 2 pound containers, so that most of it is not disturbed while some is being used up.
 
Some of the powders are made in Canada some in the USA and some over seas, look at the back of the can and see where it was made and compare old lot to new lot

More than a Year ago I found my old can of 4227 was different from the new can of 4227 (made in a different country/factory) so load data/ results is different

Sub 1 inch to shot gun pattern with the same weight charge just by changing jugs
 
Have three one pound cans of H4895 from different lots that differ in color, light green, silver, and charcoal black. Its back to IMR 4895 for me. Load data that I recorded in the 80's with IMR powders is extremely close to repeat loads with recently purchased IMR. When I started loading ammo Hodgdon powders were sold in wax cardboard cans with plastic stopper type caps while IMR was in sealed tin cans. The IMR cans were full, Hodgdon cans half full. The IMR powders are made in one facility, Hodgdon is made wherever, perhaps the lowest bid syndrome has caught up with them. The counterfeit blues have caught up to Hodgdon.
 
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