Hellooo you fellows! I've got a couple 7400's in 308 and 30-06 I'd like to load for, as well as a 742 in 308. I've heard that things can get squirrelly without specific powders? Need some help please? I'm interested in ARCOMP from alliant for the 308's but I have varget and heard it'll work fine. But what about the 30-06?
Reloading for a couple semi hunting guns need powder advice
- Thread starter trapoholic
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About 25 years ago,I reloaded 3006 ammo for a friends 7400.We both worked together on load development and finally settled on IMR 4064.The other powders tried were IMR 4831 and IMR 4350.Not much of a cross section of powder choices ( they were powders that I was using for my own rifles in a variety of calibers ) but the quicker burn rate of the 4064 seem to offer the best accuracy and perhaps the pressure curve ( if that means anything ) was a better match for the gas action of the 7400.
Yes to 4064! Loaded hundreds of rounds over the years for my BAR hunting rifle and Garand. 165 gr Hornady SP's in both. Same powder in my Norinco M14 with 150 gr Hornady FMJ's. Tried some 4895 and 748 but settled on 4064. Used about 40lbs over 35 years.
Varget for the 30-06 too? That'd be mighty slow with a heavy ball, especially out of a gas gun. I'll stick with varget for now in the 308's the heaviest bullets they're gonna fire are 165 grain.
I've heard 4064 is likely the most universal powder ever made. I'm really looking for something temperature stable though. I use RL-16 for my 30-06 pump, what's the verdict on that for a semi 30-06?
TheNatural21
CGN Regular
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- Fort Nelson, BC
A vote for H4895 in the 308 semis. Was excellent in my M305 and works well in Stag10 too.
Jeezuuus guys... You gonna make me get more powder? Really?!
That vitahvouri powder is way to rich for my blood
If your shooting bulk TAC is cheapest, it's the right speed of powder, it's fairly temp. stable in 308, it meters fantastic.
The VV powders are great if your not shooting high volume.
Very LOW and consistent ES,SD numbers using N140.
The reason I got into VV powders is I found some Sako Hammerhead factory ammo that shot sub MOA groups out of Bar 308.
So I deconstructed the ammo and weighed the charges and found out it was N135 but have also had great results out of N140.
I just about fell off my dinosaur laughing at that.
ES-SD?
How are the VV powders for temp stability? Definitely won't be high volume shooting. Enough to find the best load then make a bunch for upcoming seasons.
Also, haven't really experimented with it. But will the poi or accuracy change in 2, 3, 5 times loaded case vs a new never fired case? All specs being identical to the first load of coarse. I've got a sweet load for my 30-06 right now in virgin brass, just wondering if and how bad it will change once I load up the once fired cases. Already killed a bear and biggest buck of my life this deer season with my first reloads!
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ES is pretty simple, it is the extremes of values of a set of data or numbers. As it applies to ammunition, it almost always refers to either the velocities or pressures produced by a sample of ammunition. Let's say we test 20 rounds of ammunition and measured the pressure and velocity of each round. The ES of pressure would be the difference between the highest and lowest pressure. Likewise, the ES of velocity would be the difference between the highest and lowest velocity. As it turns out, with ammunition, the pressure and velocity ES go hand in hand. What one does the other will mirror. You're going to get small pressure ES with a small velocity ES and vice versa. The more consistent the components of the ammunition are and the more consistently they are loaded the lower the ES you would expect.
SD is not as straight forward a concept. To be technically correct and to satisfy all the math majors out there, let's start off with the mathematical definition of SD. The SD of a random variable, statistical population, data set, or probability distribution is the square root of its variance. Wow, what does that mean? Put in terms those of us that are math challenged can understand, SD is a measure of how spread out numbers, data or whatever we are sampling is from the average. The smaller the SD, the less variation there is of the data from the average. The bigger the SD, is the bigger the variation there is of the data points from the average.
N135,N140 are extruded similar to Hodgdon Extreme, but the granules are smaller so they meter better.
I am not sure if they would match H4350 in temp stability but they will be close.
As far as a Rem 7400 semi auto I don't think temp. stability will ever change the P.O.I enough to make a difference?
SD is not as straight forward a concept. To be technically correct and to satisfy all the math majors out there, let's start off with the mathematical definition of SD. The SD of a random variable, statistical population, data set, or probability distribution is the square root of its variance. Wow, what does that mean? Put in terms those of us that are math challenged can understand, SD is a measure of how spread out numbers, data or whatever we are sampling is from the average. The smaller the SD, the less variation there is of the data from the average. The bigger the SD, is the bigger the variation there is of the data points from the average.
N135,N140 are extruded similar to Hodgdon Extreme, but the granules are smaller so they meter better.
I am not sure if they would match H4350 in temp stability but they will be close.
As far as a Rem 7400 semi auto I don't think temp. stability will ever change the P.O.I enough to make a difference?
Well you've pretty well got me talked into giving VV a go. Don't ever mention H4350 again! I spit at the very mention of it! Damn that stuff straight to hell! It cost me ALOT of money trying to make a load with different brass, bullet and primer combinations cause it was apparently "the" 30-06 powder... My 30-06 highly disagreed.
Thanks for explaining everything, I retained a bit of it.
When I asked about changing of accuracy and poi. I meant will a case shoot to the same poi after I've reloaded the fired brass for the first time? My 280 does, but my 30-06 has been such a fuss to reload for until I found R-16 that honestly... I'm weary as hell of any change whatsoever at this point in time. I mean I got a really awesome shooting load worked up for the new brass, I just don't wanna load up the once fired and try it then run into a major poi or overall accuracy change and have to go back to the drawing board.
Yes, after all the trouble and time I went through with H4350 I'm THAT worried about loading a once fired case with the exact specs that it was loaded with as a virgin case. How many loads could I get out of it before it gives up accuracy?
Oh I haven't even fired the semis yet. The 30-06 is my pump gun. My 280 is a pump gun. Some of the brass is on it's 4th loading it hasn't changed poi from new at all.
A Remington pump is very accurate. A bolt action with a free floating barrel. My 308 and 35 Whelan delivered groups close to a minute, without doing any load development.
A Remington semi, OTOH is not an accurate rifle. I would be happy to get 2 minute groups with reliable ammo.
A Remington semi, OTOH is not an accurate rifle. I would be happy to get 2 minute groups with reliable ammo.
I know the pumps are ridiculously accurate. I've had my 30-06 for 12 years it's the only rifle I use to hunt with. I just started reloading last winter for it and it with H4350. A fellow on here suggested R-16, 5 shots touching each other with 55 grains of powder and the scope on, 1/4" groups with the peep sights back on when I do my part. But that's with virgin brass. Now I've got a bunch of once fired from all that virgin brass I gotta prep and load up. Honestly from past trouble with H4350 it stresses me out thinking it's gonna send accuracy to hell or change point of impact for some reason with the same load.
