I'm wondering.... My shiny new rifle arrives and I want to go about working up test loads to see what she likes.. Do I have to buy half a dozen powders in 1 lb lots only to find the load that works best in that rifle and stash the rest? Then when my next project comes around in a different caliber very few of the powders are cross compatible... Do I just end up with a couple dozen powders that are open and stored for possible future use? It would be grand if someone were selling sample packs for load work up.. Then when you settle on what works you can buy larger quantity.
Mix & match powder samples
- Thread starter HADESTOUCH
- Start date
There are so many powders available these days that it can be a bit intimidating
to a newer reloader.
However, It is good to buy 2 or 3 to try for any given chambering, since rifles can be choosy.
There are some loads that are timeless, though, and just seem to work, no matter which rifle you try them in.
One that comes to mind is the 30-06, 180 grain, with 54/55 grains of IMR4350.
I have yet to see an '06 that this did not shoot well in.
Another classic load is the 270 and the 130 grain with 60 grains of H4831.
Yet another: the 222 Remington and the 50 grain, using 19.5/20 grains of IMR4198
Regards, Eagleye.
to a newer reloader.
However, It is good to buy 2 or 3 to try for any given chambering, since rifles can be choosy.
There are some loads that are timeless, though, and just seem to work, no matter which rifle you try them in.
One that comes to mind is the 30-06, 180 grain, with 54/55 grains of IMR4350.
I have yet to see an '06 that this did not shoot well in.
Another classic load is the 270 and the 130 grain with 60 grains of H4831.
Yet another: the 222 Remington and the 50 grain, using 19.5/20 grains of IMR4198
Regards, Eagleye.
Sierra and Nosler reloading manuals offermost accurate load/most accurate powder with different bullets.
Regardless of the book, those results offer good starting points for loads.
When either of those books suggest an accurate load that does not mean to say you cannot use the data with Speer or Hornady bullets.
What are you loading? What books and manuals have you consulted?
You may stumble onto a load that performs. I have used a 160 grain Speer Mag Tip with IMR7828 powder, WW brass and MJagnum rifle primers for 10 years.
Regardless of the book, those results offer good starting points for loads.
When either of those books suggest an accurate load that does not mean to say you cannot use the data with Speer or Hornady bullets.
What are you loading? What books and manuals have you consulted?
You may stumble onto a load that performs. I have used a 160 grain Speer Mag Tip with IMR7828 powder, WW brass and MJagnum rifle primers for 10 years.
The answer is simple really. You just have to buy more rifles to find one that matches that powder. You may find that it get a bit expensive though!
I have sort of the same problem. I'm new to reloading and load for 4 different calibres/rifles. The key for me is I'm not that picky. If it shoots at about an inch or so and has decent velocity I'm good to go. The pickier you are the more powder you will have sitting on the shelf. It's also good if you have a buddy who you can swap powder with to do load developement.
G
I load for 10 different calibers and before I buy any powder I look at everyones load data and see if several of my calibers use the same powder. That way you will always use what you bought. To date I have never bought a powder that wasn't used up, which gets it used when it's the freshest it can be.
Buying many types of powder gets pricey and you can end up with a lot of shelf fillers that never get used.
For me I tend to keep it simple.
IMR 4831 for mag rounds like 7mm rm 300wm 300 wsm 300 wby and such
IMR 4064 for .308 sized rounds
With a bit of tinkering I've found good loads for just about every rifle I've owned in these catageries. However, I'm not trying to put 10 bullets through the same hole. If I can cover 5 shots with a loonie I'm more than satisfied.
As has already been stated always use data from reputable sources.
For me I tend to keep it simple.
IMR 4831 for mag rounds like 7mm rm 300wm 300 wsm 300 wby and such
IMR 4064 for .308 sized rounds
With a bit of tinkering I've found good loads for just about every rifle I've owned in these catageries. However, I'm not trying to put 10 bullets through the same hole. If I can cover 5 shots with a loonie I'm more than satisfied.
As has already been stated always use data from reputable sources.
I suppose it's good to try the more versatile powders first... But I guess you can never really have too much gun powder... If nothing else it's a good excuse to buy more rifles... So I can use up powder... Ill try that one on the wife and see how it works
- Location
- Point clark
hogdon had 4 packs maybe 8 or so years ago
In keeping with the research recommendations, before I began loading for it, I'd read several reviews that claimed R-22 was the powder of choice for 300 WM, so I tried it. If there's anything better it must be some effing sweet 
.
Anyhow after some reading you surely won't need a 1/2 doz powders. Also, its surprising how good a pound of the "also ran" powder looks when supplies are scarce and you can't get exactly what you want. "It'll keep".
.Anyhow after some reading you surely won't need a 1/2 doz powders. Also, its surprising how good a pound of the "also ran" powder looks when supplies are scarce and you can't get exactly what you want. "It'll keep".
Pathfinder
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northeast Ontario
I usually do the research for loads such as above. Very rarely have I had to go to a second powder for a bullet weight in a chambering. Now if you want to shoot light and heavy bullets its a different story.
Read as much data as you can on that cartridge, in as many different manuals as you can find. You will find that certain groups of powders work best in certain classes of case sizes, they are listed in all the manuals with that cartridge, they will be the ones you want to try to start with. There is a pattern to their usage, in certain sizes of cartridges, with certain bullet weight groups.
If you are loading for rifle cartridges remember that the powder charges are generally pretty high. For example, a 338 Win Mag will use maybe 70 grains of powder per shot and even 308s will run over 40 grains each so you're only going to get maybe 100-200 rounds per pound. Because of that I would buy a variety of one pound containers to try. At typical rifle charge weights rest assured that the powder is not going to be around for long.
Handguns are a different story. A pound of Bullseye for target loads at 2.8 grains each will yield about 2500 rounds so you might want to be sure before you buy.
Handguns are a different story. A pound of Bullseye for target loads at 2.8 grains each will yield about 2500 rounds so you might want to be sure before you buy.
