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Thread: River Valley Ordnance .30 Cal. Carbine Powder

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
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    River Valley Ordnance .30 Cal. Carbine Powder

    I bought a 8 lb. "clorox bottle" of River Valley Ordnance .30 Cal. M1 Carbine gunpowder at a gunshow 2 weeks ago for $45.00. The only info I got with it is "Carbine Powder WC820 - similar to 2400 in .44 Mag". Has anyone have any experience with this powder? I want to use it in M1 Carbine [long gun], .41Mag & .44 Mag. pistol.

  2. #2
    Boolit Mold
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    If this powder is indeed WC820, and lot number unknown, use Accurate Arms #9 data. Begin with starting loads, and work from there.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master 308Jeff's Avatar
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    $45.00? That's awesome!

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    #9 is just a bit faster than 2400.
    I'd use the AA-#9 data to start out.

  5. #5
    Boolit Bub
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    I should add - the seller had 2 clorox bottles still for sale late Saturday afternoon at the gunshow. 1 jug of carbine powder and 1 jug of .30-06 powder. I first bought a 8lb clorox bottle of River Valley Ordnance "Surplus Powder for .30-06" Lot # 47287 for $50 on Saturday. I was thinking later that night - Boy was I a Dummy! I could use the .30 Carbine powder in my magnum pistols!! I scooted over to the seller early Sunday and grabbed the .30 Carbine powder. Now I have enough powder for 2,664 .44 Magnum reloads and 928 .30-06 reloads. [that is - if I don't spill much !!]

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy fivefang's Avatar
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    WC 820 is a great powder for the.44 mag., just be sure not to use reduced loads!!! secondary explosions have happened, if you cannot tolerate a minimum of 21.0gr. with a 215gr.gc. bullet, trade it or sell it, I have used it for over 20yrs. Fivefang

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    I thought the surplus was H110 or 296 for the carbine??? Or is my memory shot as my back?

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    Quote Originally Posted by tomme boy View Post
    I thought the surplus was H110 or 296 for the carbine??? Or is my memory shot as my back?
    There was some with that burn rate, bunt most is AA9 burn rate

  9. #9
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    If full snort .44 mag. loads get tedious, 12 grains in .44 Special cases with a 240-250 grain boolit are accurate and pleasant to shoot.
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  10. #10
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    my hands down favorite magnum load handgun powder. You stole it at that price. I would run not walk back there and buy that other jug.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    Surplus Powder for .30-06"
    I have about 4 pounds of this left from the 16 I bought in 1992. I am very, very stingy in its use. I simply have never found a more accurate powder for 270 with 130 grain bullets. It's essentially H4831, and if you got a full jug for $50 it was a steal!

    It will be a sad day when I finally run out, and RVOW is long since defunct.
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by pan957 View Post
    1 jug of .30-06 powder. I first bought a 8lb clorox bottle of River Valley Ordnance "Surplus Powder for .30-06" Lot # 47287 for $50 on Saturday.
    I still have some WC852 powder I bought from Jeff Bartlett in the late 90's that has that lot number. Did they have any "Use Like" info with it, and is it a ball powder?

    ..............Buckshot
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  13. #13
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    Rick I thought that stuff was 'like' 4831.
    I always thought it was Accurates [western back then I guess] 3100 in 'commercial-government' form.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by pan957 View Post
    I should add - the seller had 2 clorox bottles still for sale late Saturday afternoon at the gunshow. 1 jug of carbine powder and 1 jug of .30-06 powder. I first bought a 8lb clorox bottle of River Valley Ordnance "Surplus Powder for .30-06" Lot # 47287 for $50 on Saturday. I was thinking later that night - Boy was I a Dummy! I could use the .30 Carbine powder in my magnum pistols!! I scooted over to the seller early Sunday and grabbed the .30 Carbine powder. Now I have enough powder for 2,664 .44 Magnum reloads and 928 .30-06 reloads. [that is - if I don't spill much !!]
    That WC852 "slow lot" will come in handy and you paid just what it was going for in mid 1990's. Lot BAJ 47287 was 4831 speed and marketed by Hodgdon as H450 many years earlier

    think 785 Winchester
    Last edited by swheeler; 02-22-2017 at 01:51 AM.
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  15. #15
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    I used rl-19 data for the H-450 I have.
    in some cases it was more like fill it up to where the base of the bullet will be.
    it's fluffy stuff for a ball powder.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by swheeler View Post
    That WC852 "slow lot" will come in handy and you paid just what it was going for in mid 1990's. Lot BAJ 47287 was 4831 speed and marketed by Hodgdon as H450 many years earlier

    think 785 Winchester
    ...............The slow lot of WC852 was a wondrous powder I have maybe 2 lbs left. No bad habits and very benign stuff. I was using it to try and reach 2300 fps with a 240gr cast slug in a 24" barreled 8x57 Turk Mauser. Each charge increase would net right around 50 fps velocity increase, right up to the point where the GC was slightly compressing the powder (and I DID get that 2300 fps speed too ) Also a great heavy slug powder in the 7x57 and 6.5x55 too.

    .............Buckshot
    Father Grand Caster watches over you my brother. Go now and pour yourself a hot one. May the Sacred Silver Stream be with you always

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  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    This was the info sheet that came with my two jugs of "30-06 powder." I taped it to the jug so I wouldn't lose it.

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  18. #18
    Boolit Master Maven's Avatar
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    I had the same powder as Elkins, but found it wasn't well suited to CB loads. OTOH, it was superbly accurate with various jacketed bullets in the .243Win. -> 8 x 57mm Mau. In fact, the best group I ever got from my Ruger #1 (26" bbl.) was with a scoop of "Surplus .30-06" (~42gr.) + Hornady's 87gr. BTHP loaded and resized wi. a Lee Loader...at the range! Primers were WLR and the group (witnessed) was 10 in a U.S. nickel @ 100 yd. from a rest, of course.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master

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    I have used a lot of WC 820 over the past 30 years still have about 20lb left, , works just as good as 296 & H110 with equal velocity & accuracy . my lots are a little slower than #9 but faster than 296/H110.
    I have used it alot in , 30/20 , 357 mag, 44 mag & 454 casull and some in 22 hornet , 30 carbine & 38 super. " Use mag primers "

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    I've got about 32 pounds left of the WC820. Turns out that, at least with my lot, 14.5 grains and a standard primer give me 1970 fps with the standard carbine 110-gr bullet. So, according to the books, it's just a tiny bit slower than H110/296.

    If I ever get back to shooting revolvers, I'll use it for .44 Mag and .357 Mag.

    And, yes, at that price, you stole it.

    Cheers,
    Richard

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check