Anyone using Hodgdon H50BMG with cast???

[guninhand]

A friend loaned me about 1/4 lbs H50BMG for testing in my 450/400 N.E. 3". My goal is to get a reasonable load without using fillers. What I am wondering most is that with this powder, the kernels are huge, so will an ordinary large magum rifle primer be enough spark, or has this powder been engineered to run just with the 50bmg primers??TIA.

[Bullshop]

You might need to use a kicker powder and duplex to get enough pressure to make it usefull.
You said you didnt want to use a filler but there is a product that works as a filler and a kicker in large capacity big bore cases, its called black powder.
Yup you can use a priming charge of black powder to get them big fat slooooow burning powder kernals burning fast enough to get some usefull pressure from them in your nutro cartridge.

[guninhand]

I have the option to buy 8 lbs of the 50bmg powder, but I only want it if it's reasonably straightforward to use and works well, so I won't be going the duplex route. OTOH, I fully intend to load her up to the gills with 777ffg, and if that's accurate might even try real black. It's pushing a NOE GC 360 grain boolit.(I'm sure "nutro" was a Freudian slip:-P)

[guninhand]

Answered my own question by loading up 2 cases with the H50BMG powder (80 grains, went up to about the neck/shoulder junction) and trying it. Using magnum primers it set off just fine. Was a very mild push so it is a good starting point to work up to what will probably be a full density load. There were a few unburnt kernels left in the bore and I just had to point the muzzle at the ground and tap the barrel to get them to fall out.

[Bullshop]

Thats about what I expected along with not too impressive numbers on the chronograph.
Yup the nutro was a slip as I was shooting for nitro.

[gofastman]

how about some Trail Boss as a "kicker"?

[rockrat]

Yup, trying it in my 50bmg, with cast!!

[lotech]

Is that a similar powder to the old 5010?

[Faret]

Yup, trying it in my 50bmg, with cast!!

Having any luck with that combo yet?

[guninhand]

Got to shoot the H50BMG powder in my Ruger 450/400 N.E. 3" today. Boolit was NOE .412 360 grain GC sized .411, alloy Lyman #2, heat treated. Rem 9 1/2 mag primers. Temp 45F wind 15 mph variable between 9 and 11 oclock. Not wanting to take any chances I worked up thusly;
grains speed
84.6 1604
86.0 1570
88.0 1608
90.0 1647
92.3 1695
94.3 1752
96.1 1821
98.3 1854
100.5 1927
102.3 2030
then 4 of 103.0, the full density load, gave 1967, 1932, 1962, 1996.

There was only one round for each work up load and accuracy of the full density load was bad, about 10in horizontal and 5 inches vertical at 100 yards, using a 1X Burris scope. That would be the boolit's fault with other powders giving decent accuracy, between 3 and 4 inches for a 5 shot group, when speed was close to 1800 fps but all going bad with speeds above 1850 fps. No leading. Will try pure linotype later.

[Gunnut 45/454]

I'd see if bumping up to .412" might not tighen that grouping some! Don't make them so hard do some air cooled. Looks like you hit the peak with that powder at 100.5 gr ! Doesn't look like it likes compression!

[rbuck351]

I ended up with a bunch of H5010 and rather than throw it out I decided to try it in my 358N with the RCBS 35-200. I fillet the case to the bottom of the neck and seated a bullet and then shot a few. Pressure and velocity were both quite low with a lot of partially burned powder. All ignited fine. I then added 5grs of red dot over the primer and reduced the 5010 by 5grs. This picked up velocity some and cleaned the burn some. At about 9grs of red dot and filled to the neck with 5010, I'm getting about 2200fps and still mild on pressure and burning pretty clean. I believe 50BMG to be very close in burn rate but unless it's really cheap, I don't think I would mess with it. I got 25# free and I am determined to use it.