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Thread: H320 questions

  1. #1
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    H320 questions

    I just acquired some H320. It is old surplus that was bought in bulk and split up among shooting buddies, dated 12/69. It is good powder, that has been kept in sealed cans inside. The powder looks and smells like it was made yesterday.
    I can't find any data on it. I suspect it was a predecessor to H322. I also suspect it was originally made for military 7.62 Nato. I have emailed Hodgen, but haven't received a reply yet.
    Does anyone here have experience with it?
    I can carefully work it up and figure it out, but hoping someone here knows something, it would save me some time and powder.
    Thanks in advance. Dan

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    My memory is a little fuzzy about the details, but I think it was one of three batches of powder used in early testing of 5.56 ammo for the military. The powders were in 10,000 pounds lots and were labeled 320, 322 and 325. After testing all three batches were rejected and what ever remained was sold to Hodgdon, who sold it to the public. H322 didn't meet the velocity/pressure requirements for the military, but Hodgdon notice it produced very small groups. They decided to keep it in the powder line-up. It does make 1/4 inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards when used with 52 grain match bullets in my .223 Remington 700 with a sporter contour barrel. Hodgdon may still have load data for the H320....give them a call.
    Last edited by loaderdewd; 03-13-2019 at 01:18 PM.

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    Thank you loaderdewd. Your information is interesting. I did receive a reply from Hodgdon...
    "The only information we have about H-320 is that it is about 60 year old military surplus powder. We have no recorded data for it and can not recommend using it."
    I am hoping someone else chimes in here with any more information. I am going to play with it, carefully. I have over 10 lbs of it, so if I can find a use for it, even for one load, it would be a success.
    Thanks, Dan

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    h322=aa2230 h320=aa2200. It was all just surplus military powders. One bit of warning though some lots of surplus were lots that didn't meet burning rates specs and were rejected so allways start on the bottom end and work up carefully. aa2200 is still coveted by bench rest shooters.

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    Thank you Lloyd, I appreciate your insight.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lloyd Smale View Post
    h322=aa2230 h320=aa2200. It was all just surplus military powders. One bit of warning though some lots of surplus were lots that didn't meet burning rates specs and were rejected so allways start on the bottom end and work up carefully. aa2200 is still coveted by bench rest shooters.
    H322 was originally a repack surplus powder but it was not the ball powder Accurate 2230. H322 was surplus IMR 8208 an extruded stick powder from 5.56. When surplus ran out I believe Hodgdon had a replacement made in Scotland for a while.
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    Thank you.

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    I bought 32lbs of 322 at at a gun shop years ago and it was in jugs marked 322 and the jugs had the typical tape seal on them and it was a ball powder that burned identical to 2230. I bought 4 8lb jugs of it. back then ALL accurate arms powders were repackaged surplus. Is wasn't till about 20 years ago that they ran out and started ordering powder like everyone else. You are right in that H332 that is sold today is a very fine cut extruded powder that has kurnels no bigger then ball powder. Kind of flattend ball powder for lack of a better description. meters as well as ball and burns about identical to 2230 and exterminator and 320 so I guess I just lump it in with the rest of them.
    Quote Originally Posted by swheeler View Post
    H322 was originally a repack surplus powder but it was not the ball powder Accurate 2230. H322 was surplus IMR 8208 an extruded stick powder from 5.56. When surplus ran out I believe Hodgdon had a replacement made in Scotland for a while.
    Last edited by Lloyd Smale; 03-24-2019 at 10:12 AM.

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    I never used H322 until about 1974 or 1975 but it was an extruded powder then and 45 years later still is. I have no idea what the 322 marked on your jugs meant(could they actually been marked 223;=)), but know they sold gallon jugs of a surplus powder MR 223 and 223.

    I just opened a couple Hodgdon powder manuals to powder profiles-
    #25 (1988 31 years ago) H322 "An extruded powder"
    #22(1974 45 years ago) H322 " A new extruded benchrest powder"
    Last edited by swheeler; 03-24-2019 at 03:26 PM. Reason: 411 from Hodgdon
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    So...still not coming up with any load data for H320.
    So Loyd (or anyone else), if H320 is similar to AA2200, is this similar to DP2200, as mentioned in Accurate Arms data? Click on this pdf:
    http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-con.../04/DP2200.pdf
    I wish I could find an old burn rate chart that listed it.
    Again, thanks for all imput. Dan

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    I have never heard of it and was commenting on H322 the extruded powder. Is it ball or extruded powder just curious.
    Last edited by swheeler; 03-25-2019 at 10:06 AM.
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    The original H322 (an extruded powder) WAS IMR8208M that was made here in Canada at the DuPont / IMR plant in Valleyfield, Quebec, the ONLY extruded powder plant in North America. The same place where Accurate LT-32 is made.

    When that supply was exhausted, Hodgdon did have some more made at the Nobel plant in Glasgow, Scotland, which was referred to as N322.

    WC735 was/is the DP2200 / AA2200 powder, which is also known as SMP735. It is made in the old Olin Western Powder plant in St. Marks, Florida.

    There were only three lots of 8208 bought by Thunderbird. One lot proved better for BR cartridges than the other two. That lot was re-named T-322. Hodgdon objected to this since they already had H322 on the market. The name was changed to T-32 and it remained that. The other two lots were sold as T8208, WITH the Lot#. Thunderbird also sold T-2202 (WC844) & T-2208 (WC846), as well as a half-dozen or so other powders.

    Some of my old data sheets from Ammomart (Canada's Hodgdon importer) showed Hodgdon H108, H116 (W680), H240, H320, H375, H820 (WC820), H570 (IMR7013), H870 (WC870), H5010 (IMR5010).

    If it is a spherical (ball) powder, my guess would be that it is actually H820, a VERY different powder than H322!!!!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by history@mts.net View Post
    The original H322 (an extruded powder) WAS IMR8208M that was made here in Canada at the DuPont / IMR plant in Valleyfield, Quebec, the ONLY extruded powder plant in North America. The same place where Accurate LT-32 is made.

    When that supply was exhausted, Hodgdon did have some more made at the Nobel plant in Glasgow, Scotland, which was referred to as N322.

    WC735 was/is the DP2200 / AA2200 powder, which is also known as SMP735. It is made in the old Olin Western Powder plant in St. Marks, Florida.

    There were only three lots of 8208 bought by Thunderbird. One lot proved better for BR cartridges than the other two. That lot was re-named T-322. Hodgdon objected to this since they already had H322 on the market. The name was changed to T-32 and it remained that. The other two lots were sold as T8208, WITH the Lot#. Thunderbird also sold T-2202 (WC844) & T-2208 (WC846), as well as a half-dozen or so other powders.

    Some of my old data sheets from Ammomart (Canada's Hodgdon importer) showed Hodgdon H108, H116 (W680), H240, H320, H375, H820 (WC820), H570 (IMR7013), H870 (WC870), H5010 (IMR5010).

    If it is a spherical (ball) powder, my guess would be that it is actually H820, a VERY different powder than H322!!!!!
    Good info and glad I was correct about H322 being surplus IMR 8208. The last surplus was from Dan at HiTech about 1995 if I remember correctly, at $64.00 for 8 pound jug not unreasonable. The lot he was selling was right on par with the H322 product of Scotland I was shooting at the time, current jug says made in Australia packaged in USA. OP needs to figure this is powder is "bullseye or Red Dot" and start working up a load, he has never answered if it is ball or stick powder yet. As far as Lloyds recommendation I do believe he is just mistaken on the powder number which was actually 223 not 322, just trying to divert an accident for the OP.
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    And just to muddy the waters further, the new St. Marks powders MSDS sheets for ball powder shows WC320, WC330 & WC350 powders. I am unsure how old these powders are, but if the OP's powder is, in fact, a ball/spherical powder, and these powders were made a long time ago, perhaps it is one of these. Too bad Hodgdon no longer lists the aka powder names next to each one as they previously did. See here: https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/u...ach-sheets.pdf

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    post #4"h322=aa2230 h320=aa2200."I was just trying to stop an accident from happening since I knew for fact this statement is incorrect. Be safe and have fun
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    Boolit Mold
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    As was I swheeler. Are you getting spring down there yet?

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    Oh yes a sunny +49 right now and lots of water everywhere! I want to go shooting but know better till it dries up some
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    Sorry fellas, it is a very short extruded powder, not ball. I'll try to post photos tomorrow or the next day....busy fighting poverty.

    A little history, my Father used to work at Delta Air Lines, the guys in his shop were buying bulk powder, splitting it up , and putting in plain jane metal cans used for other purposes. The cans are clearly marked H320 12/69, and I absolutely trust that what is marked on the can is for what is in the can. Many would say "is your life /gun/whatever worth it?". But this powder looks, smells, and tastes like it was made yesterday. I have a full 10 lbs of the powder. I am proceeding with abundance of caution, hence I have not tried it yet. But the itch is itching...
    Dan

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    loaderdewd

    Excellent first post.
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    Quote Originally Posted by loaderdewd View Post
    My memory is a little fuzzy about the details, but I think it was one of three batches of powder used in early testing of 5.56 ammo for the military. The powders were in 10,000 pounds lots and were labeled 320, 322 and 325. After testing all three batches were rejected and what ever remained was sold to Hodgdon, who sold it to the public. H322 didn't meet the velocity/pressure requirements for the military, but Hodgdon notice it produced very small groups. They decided to keep it in the powder line-up. It does make 1/4 inch 3 shot groups at 100 yards when used with 52 grain match bullets in my .223 Remington 700 with a sporter contour barrel. Hodgdon may still have load data for the H320....give them a call.
    It sure seems the OP has 10 pounds of one of the original three lots, the fastest of the three, should be relatively easy to start workup since there is plenty of data out there for the middle speed lot, especially with a chrony and few years of loading surplus powders wouldn't hurt anything. loaderdewd your rememberer ain't too fuzzy, that or your google foo is strong?
    Last edited by swheeler; 03-26-2019 at 02:01 PM.
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