Need some help with a load

[helice]

I apologize early for making a long post here but I find that I need your help. I have been given a quantity of military powder. It is referred to as a ballpowder from River Valley Ordnance produced for 30-06 M2. It is further identified as lot number BAJ47289. This powder has been identified to me as being WC852. equivalent to H450, a powder with a similar burn rates too H4831, some lots being slower and some lots faster. I want to use this power in a 350 Remington Magnum. I am seeking to load a 240 grain LBT castbullet and a 250 grain Herter’s RNSP. I have been unable to find any listings for the use of this power for the 350 or even the 35 Whelen.

According to the Handloaders Digest the 350 Remington Magnum has a case capacity of 62 grains of water. 350 case capacity is therefore nearly identical to all of the cases derived from the 30-06 and also the 284 Winchester. I have been able to go to Hodgdon’s old 24^th edition to determine load data using H450 for all of these cases. I have specifically looked at the load data of these cartridges using their heaviest bullet. Hodgdon’s charges for these ’06 based cartridges range from 50 grains to 57 grains the average of which is 54 grains. River Valley Ordnance also recommended charges for most of these cartridges. Charges range from 53.2 to 58.0, the average being 54.7.
All of this may be useless information but it is the only approach I could come up with. I am aware that I am using a heavier bullet, that the diameter of said bullet is greater, powder placement will be different in a Holland & Holland case and so will the case’s rim diameter. I would like your input on how these factors would affect loading. You men have been my go-to guys in the past so I seek your best educated approach to my problem.

[BCB]

I am shooting lot # 47287 and when I use QuickLoad, I use H-4831 as the powder I enter…

It calculates the velocities of various loads to within 25-40 fps of the actual chronographed load…

So, my particular lot is very near the burn rate of H-4831…

I do notice that your lot # is different so this post may be worthless. I have heard it to be as fast as the 4350’s, but I don’t know the lot # for such information…

It is a pretty good powder and was highly sought after when it was available…

Good-luck…BCB

[helice]

BBC,
Thank you for your response. I too have an old copy of Q.L. but it is new enough to have omitted H450 from its powder data profiles. I was informed earlier (by swheeler, I believe) that my lot was one of the really slow burning lots possibly slower than H4831. Hodgdon's #24th does give one max load for H4831 in the 350 RM for each bullet weight listed. For the 250 grain bullet it is 59 grains and probably represents a full case. However it is somewhat above top charges in the '06 family of cases and way above average.
If pressures for the WC852/H450 are the same as those for the H4831 it seems that there would be little danger in using the H4831 data. When I consider Hodgdon's loads, and the pressures they produce-- none of them get up to 35Kcup. It seems one cannot get enough powder into the 350 Rem Mag case to get the pressures up above 35Kcup.
What think you?

[runfiverun]

rl-19 is the 'replacement' for H-450.
if it looks to be faster than 4831 in your application I would use it's data for your start point.
I have some older H-450 here and I use the rl-19 data to start when I can't find direct data.
H-450 was a ball powder, and I'd be pretty sure you have a milsurp lot of it.
now whether it's a slightly fast or slightly slow lot is for you to determine.

[Hardcast416taylor]

You just reminded about a deal from Hodgon quite a few years back. If you sent them a certain number of the inner seals from their powders they would send you a free can of H450. I seem to recall I eventually got (3) 1 lb. cans of it before the offer quit.Robert

[helice]

R5R
Thanks for the RE19 tip. This was new to me and warmly received. It is one more avenue to approach the problem.
Hardcast,
I remember it well.
Thanks to all for your help.

[dougader]

I also got a free bottle of H450 back in the late 80s. I used Lyman 46th data to load for my 30-06, but no such data is listed for the 350 Rem mag.

As H4895 is listed as a compressed charge in the 350 RM, I'm thinking you won't be able to get enough of the H450 in the case to cause a problem. You could use the faster listed powders as a starting point, I guess.

[helice]

Dougader,
This is the sort of confirmation I was looking for. I don't have the Lyman book but the Lee manual shows IMR-4350 (faster than ReL-19 or H4831) with 55 grains (probably a full case, and at least similar to the average H450 load for the 30-'06 cases) developing 29.6K cup. H-4831 shows 59 grains developing 32.4K cup. My thoughts are like yours. It seems like it would be hard to get enough powder in the case to cause any pressure difficulty. It seems to me that the larger base diameter of the H&H case would somehow factor in here too, reducing the bolt thrust. ???? I was hoping that those who understand this bolt thrust concept might join in with their knowledge.
I have a good bit of this powder. It seems like a good match for gently launching the 240 WLN LBT, Edd's modified 358315, and the Ranch Dog 190. I have pretty much decided to use the Herter's 250 RNSPs with faster powder to push towards 2400 foot seconds. Any way, Thanks for your input. I appreciate your help.
Karl