Winchester 473AA

[uscra112]

A discontinued ball powder. Per my old Winchester loading handbooks, it's for shotguns - no other data shown.

One rate chart source suggests it's somewhere in the speed range of Herco. Ramshots burn rate chart puts it faster than Unique.

Quickload doesn't recognize it.

Since I inherited a full can, and since I do not have any truck with shotguns, I'm wondering if there's anyone who has data or experience with using it in handgun cartridges - .38 Spl or .357 for example.

Not that I'm short of alternatives, but with powder at $20 a pound, I hate to just use it for fertilizer.

[Ford SD]

I checked the free copy of the Winchester 10 edition i have

Did not find any HG load data for your powder

I does not mean there is not some out there

Find some one that you can trade with for some powder you can use

[lylejb]

What boolits / bullet are you interested in?

Speer #11 does have some data for it

From speer #11 (1987)

38 spec.

148gr BBWC 4.3 867 4.9 933
158gr SWC 4.4 762 4.8 864

110gr JHP 5.8 997 6.5 +P 1098
125gr JHP 4.3 877 5.1 +P 968
158gr JHP 5.2 837 5.8 +P 918


357 mag

140gr JHP 8.8 1151 9.8 1239
158gr JHP 8.3 1092 8.8 1136

Also lists 45 acp data if your interested.

I personally have not used this powder, this is just what was listed in the book.
As always, use at your own risk, stay safe, work up loads.

[sargenv]

Since this was meant as a 20 gauge powder, I wonder if this is equiv to the old HS-5 that hodgdon used to sell back in the day.. by the time I got into reloading, HS-5 was already obsolete.. and trap 100 and 452AA were equiv powders at the time.. 540 = HS6 and 571 = HS7... it would lead me to believe that HS5 was equiv to 473AA... but I am only theorizing here.. I believe that Winchester Super field was the direct replacement for 473AA.. when it went the way of the Dodo...

[bobthenailer]

WSF is the replacement for 473 but im not sure of the differences ? in the past i also used 452 & 473 in handgun loads
Im now useing WSF in the 9mm & 38super and WSL ( which may be disconued ) in the 45 acp with great results ! i bought kegs of these powders years ago !

[Rocky Raab]

If it were my keg, I'd look at the data lyle so kindly presented above and do a loads comparison. In doing so, it would seem that 473 is in the same general area as Unique/Universal. I'd use data for those and work up, comparing actual velocity per charge - and it would be even more valid if you could test a few loads with Unique/Universal in the same gun. Compare the velocities of identical loads using 473 and Unique, for example.

[wiljen]

473 was replaced in the Winchester powder line by Super Field. You should be able to start with minimum loads for WSF or maybe 5% under that. It is one of the Win powders that had no Hodgdon equivalent so finding handgun data is pretty limited. I have several kegs of WSF I bought for little or nothing when a store closed and even for it, handgun data is pretty scarce.

[Tom-ADC]

Used to be my favorite powder for 20 ga. duplicated the winchester AA 20 ga skeet load, I just checked to see if I still had a old Winchester manual but don't must have given them away.

[uscra112]

@lylejb - Excellent. that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks !

[zxcvbob]

You won't find any data for revolver cartridges using WSF powder -- and I don't know why, it works great for that application. I use Herco data, but don't get too aggressive with it in case it's not a perfect match. (chronograph seems to think they are exactly the same, but Herco is *much* bulkier so the substitution will fall apart at some point)

Of course we are assuming WSF and 473AA are close...

I have an old Winchester Western load book at home; I'll see if there's any useful data in there tonight.

[zxcvbob]

A few WSF revolver loads that I like. Please excuse the use of the j-word in a couple of the loads:

.357 Magnum
8.0 grains, 158 grain SWC.

9.5 grains, 125 grain JHP

7.0 grains, 148 grain DEWC bullet, .357 or .38 brass, load to 1.35 or 1.36" overall length. (even if you use .38 Special brass, they are too long to chamber in a .38)

.38 Special +P
Just recently tried: 7.0 grains WSF, 125 grain JHP (this is a hot load, about like the 110 grain +P+ "Treasury load" but with a little heavier bullet.) I will back off to 6.5 grains next time I load a box. I'm shooting these in a .357 revolver, but if they accidentally end up in a .38 it shouldnt hurt anything.

.45 Colt +P
12.0 grains WSF, 255 grain SWC or RNFP. This is a "Ruger Only" load, between 25000 and 30000 psi (probably closer to 26k.) If I recall correctly, it gave 1300 fps from a 7.5" revolver.

[wiljen]

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Fre...hester1997.pdf

[uscra112]

Better and better. I load 158 SWC to about 1150 fps in the .357 for my weekly trip to the range, but also 125 JHP as a PD load, which I try to practice with once a month or so. So that's useful info, zxcvbob. What with this WW473 being useful, my reloading costs just went down a notch. Good thing for this old pensioner! Now to get the old Chrony to work properly again.

OTOH my only .38 is a very, very good Officer's Model, so only mild wadcutter loads get loaded in .38 Spl. cases. I actually have avoided getting anything that might induce me to load +P rounds for .38 Spl., for fear that some might get into the O.M.

[xringdave]

Looked in all my winchester data books 1st,5th,6th.7th,9th and tenth only list shotshell data.

[secondshooter]

i have been using it for years in 9mm and .357/38, i have never had any problems, i was given a tin of it and tried using it in my 12ga, i had so many squib rounds in the first batch i never tried it again. the tin sat for a few years untill i found a speer book with pistol load data, loaded it up and had a ball, since then i have been given 2 more tins(seems most people dont know what to do with it) and havnt had to buy pistol powder!

[felipito]

HI, i have around 10 pounds of each 452AA and 473AA in jars that are not the original case for these powders.
So now i am confused in which is which.
Does someone have a picture of either of this powders so i can compare it to mine.

Please i need help...

[TCLouis]

The chart I have has it on line with AA#5 and 800X.

felipito

If you mean glass when you say jars, I would start looking for alternatives.
Known materials in the alternatives, not just any metal or plastic container

[felipito]

thanks TCLouis...i want to see a picture of both actual powders so i can compare it to mine.
when you say you have it has it online...what do you mean?

also i have it in plastic containers that are not the original containers...

[uscra112]

Hoooboy - trying to identify powder by visual inspection is fraught with peril.

I can tell you that my 473AA is a fine silvery-colored ball powder, if that's any help.

Have no 452AA to compare it to.

[Poygan]

One of my favorites in the .44 magnum.