One powder simplicity

My primary use for 4064 was for my Whelen. I have tried all the popular powders for it and 4064 does what I need it to do. I also load for .303 Brit and 7.62x54r. I think I will find loads for them using 4064 as well. Currently they are just plinkers, but if I get loads for one powder, that would simplify things for me and I can buy larger containers of powder and save a few bucks as well.
 
Only really need 2 imr 4895 223,22250 7mm 08 308 imr 7828 7mm rem 7mmstw 338rum keep trying others but those 2 are all I really need
 
I have simplified it, at the cost of no large-case cartridges or magnums (which doesn't bother me anyway, .30-06 is all I will need). I have a lot of WC735 and use it for .223, .243, .30-30, 7.62x39mm, .303Br, .308, .303Epps, and the .30-06. I have said this before, wringing out the nth degree of performance isn't needed for hunting. Both my freezer and my belly is filled every year.
I also have one powder for shotgun and handgun. 800X.
So, two powders, adequate quantities, adequate performance, can't mistake them for each other... That's a win for me. Not for everyone, but for me.
 
IMR4064 and Varget are nearly identical in burn rate, load density, and application. Data for the two is often 1 grain or less apart; sometimes identical for the same cartridge and bullet. I'm not saying they are the same powder (IMR is made by General Dynamics in Canada, Varget is made by ADI in Australia) or that they are interchangeable (they are sometimes though); just that having both when you're trying to limit the number of powders you keep on hand is kind of redundant.

Distilling your reloading down to one powder would require a collection only consisting of firearms that shoot similar cartridges (similar pressure curves and max pressures within a certain range; allowing them to use similar powders). Even going down to 2 powders for me would be practically impossible because of the large range of different cartridges I reload for.

Going to one powder for all reloading would be like going to one grade of gasoline for all your vehicles. If you only have vehicles that have similar compression ratios that can all use the same grade of gas, it all works. But if you have a car that takes premium, a truck that takes regular, a lawn mower that needs a 50:1 mix, and an older motorcycle that can't have any ethanol, it isn't going to work.

I'm not saying going down to 1 powder is a bad thing or it's a bad objective to try to have. I'm just saying it shouldn't be everyone's objective as it doesn't suit everyone.

I probably have 12-15 different powders on hand; mostly in small quantities for testing (1-3lbs of each).
The powders I try to keep a lot of on hand are Trail Boss, Titegroup, H110/W296, H4198, H4895, Varget, H4831, and Bluedot. Several of these can't be replaced by one of the others very well if at all. The first 4 are pretty much fixed as there isn't any suitable overlap between them. The H4895/Varget/H4831 could sorta be rolled into H4895 or Varget but my rifles that want slower powders will suffer (6.5x55mm, .300WM, and heavy bullets in 7.62x54R).
Bluedot being near impossible to find for several years has moved me to HS-6 and Longshot for slug and buck 12ga reloading.
I also keep Goex FFg and FFFg on hand but don't stock up because of the more limited shelf life of real black powder. Usually just 2-3lbs of each on hand (a 12-18 month supply).

So yeah, I could distill my 12-15 powders on hand down to 6 if I really had to in a pinch but ideally, closer to 8 powders (counting H110 and W296 as one since they're the same).
I guess it depends on what you use firearms for. 99.99% of my shooting is target, benchrest, or experimental; not hunting. That means I have more specific desired characteristics in powder I guess.
 
I have been all over the map in terms of powder; always wanting to try something new or what I just read about. However, as I get older, simplicity is an increasingly desirable goal. In terms of rifle powder, I am looking at 5 that I use all the time. H4895, 8208 because RL15 is now manufactured from unobtainium), H4831 for my Model 70 in '06 because it is a load that I found worked well after much experimentation and I don't want to look for another, H4198 for .223 and .45-70, and 4064(because it's what I have always loaded for my Garand).
 
Because I mostly shoot milsurps, most my loading can be done with Varget. Add Unique and Trailboss for pistol and reduced loads and that will cover most everything for me. Unfortunately, with both of the latter unavailable I'll have to work on alternatives. I have 3kg of TinStar, hopefully it can do most of which Trailboss does,
 
For most part in use IMR4350 pretty conversely
Use in 270, 3006, 308,303,
But in general depending on what your shooting in
Like my 4570 and 43.mauser, wouldn't be much gd with 4350
So ill keep some SR4759 OR IMR4198
At any given time, I have 6 or 7 types.of powder
As I also load shotshell
 
I've found the one powder that fits it all.......BLACK!
25-10
30-30
38 spl
.41 LC
44 mag
45-70
10 ga
12 ga

I haven't found a cal it doesn't work with, but I'm old and out of date though!
 
Rob, I have ended up same as you for pretty much same reasons. Am only shooting 3 center fire cartridges now( 222 rem mag,243 ,270 ), but all use IMR 4064. It is the only powder that I plan to purchase as long as I am able to find it.
All 3 calibers shoot MOA or better with IMR 4064.
 
I load for 204R , 222 , 223 , 6BR , 260 , and 308 . I have about 12 types of powder on hand , but am in the process
of paring it down to 6 temperature insensitive powders , IMR 8208xbr , H4895 , H322 , H4350 , Varget , and Benchrest .
I also use N-133 and IMR 4198 but they are temperature sensitive . I don't shoot any magnum calibres though .
 
Been using Varget for 303, 308, 30-06
And Tite Group for 45 and 357

They seem to work well for me, and have a few other powders for doing more unique/eccentric loads in the 303 and for the 357's
 
For the past 25 years, 98% of my loading 13 different handgun and rifle cartridges calibers I have used only IMR 4895, W231 & Unique successfully in all my shooting. About 2-3 years ago I started to shoot in cast bullet pre 1912 military rifle matches and all of a sudden the number of powders in my lock up escalated dramatically trying to find loads that would give me the long range accuracy out of cast lead bullets. I've finally found some IMR 4227 that works but I am surprised how much powder I now have to use up!
 
BigUglyMan said:
When you reload everything from 219 Donaldson Wasp to 470 Nitro Express there is no such thing as one powder.
Click to expand...

Side issue, and curious as I have one, what do you have in 219 Donaldson Wasp?? Here's mine, an old custom Winchester Highwall with a matching era 10X J.UNERTL scope.





And, as luck would have it, this rig set-up ;)seems to have a fondness for 50gr Hornady V MAX :d.



 
I load for .223,243,6.5x55,7.62x39,7.5x55,.308,30'06,8x57,.303brit. If you took the .243/6.5/x39 out no problem using Varget or RL15 with great results in all those.
Small bore/large case need slower powders for optimum results so the .243/6.5 can share the same powder, H4831sc for example.
X39 needs faster powders, H335 speed is needed for that.
You could get away with one powder in a lot of cases, until you get into over bore cartridges, or short fat cases that behave more like pistol rounds, then you need to diversify for best results.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Side issue, and curious as I have one, what do you have in 219 Donaldson Wasp?? Here's mine, an old custom Winchester Highwall with a matching era 10X J.UNERTL scope.
Click to expand...

It's dad's old Pre-War M70 which was rebarreled and converted to a bling mag by a fellow named Ian Dingwall who was a gunsmith in Vancouver at the Hudsons Bay store and then later on went into his own shop. I haven't got it in hand, still out at the farm, but I've shot lots of gophers and crows with it over the years. It originally had a Unertl that I believe was 12x or 16x but Dad took it off a few years ago and gave it to a friend. I've got first refusal should he decide to get rid of it and I think it should go back on that old rifle. It doesn't look right to my eye with the 15x weaver on it. Kinda like a steam locomotive with a satellite dish!
 
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