Ever had a powder/powders that just seemed not to work?

[roysha]

I was perusing a thread here regarding W-231 and I got to thinking about how much I dislike that powder which lead to the question heading this thread. I have had unacceptable results using this powder and I really don't know why.

Another powder is H-380. Many years ago my best friend believed there was nothing better than H-380. I have yet to find a load in any suitable caliber that will shoot accurately with this powder.

Do any of you have this situation?

Pretty much my powder usage has been settled at 700X for most handgun, Unique for my 44 mag, BL-C2 (or the near equivalent 844-846) for just about everything for rifle through 308 and H-4831 for every thing else. Red Dot for 12 gauge, Unique for 20 and 28gauge. The only exception is 4064 for my Swifts. I have not found a powder that works better for the Swift cartridge than 4064.

[runfiverun]

I could never get H-4831sc to shoot well for me.
I finally tried it in my 308 with a cast boolit and it is a happy camper, I also threw a load together to fireform some cases for my 25-06 [because it was in the hopper from the 308 load] and ended up using it for deer hunting.
it just sat on the shelf for 10 years gathering dust, and I decided to try it again just to shoot some of it up.

[lylejb]

I'm with ya on the 231.

I still have some of the first can I bought 20 yrs ago. While it went bang in every pistol I own, there wasn't a one that didn't do better with something else.

Tried The H4831sc in a 300 mag load I wad worked up with IMR (LGS was out of IMR) and groups doubled.

In all fairness, I didn't have the time to start over with the work up, and maybe if I did I would have found it's sweet spot. A local store got the IMR back in, and I was back to happy, with hunting season soon approaching (at that time).

I don't know if you'd call me a powder "collector", or maybe a sucker, but I try quite a few powders, and usually wind up with a shelf of partial 1 lb cans.

What works for me in pistols: American select, Unique, and for full power mags Win 296.

In rifles: Imr 4350, Imr 4831.

Still looking for a "faster" rifle powder. Imr 4895 and H335 didn't really hit the sweet spot for me.

[Win94ae]

On another site H322 was praised to high heaven for the 30-30. I tried it with every weight bullet I had, but could not get the extreme spread below 250fps. Everything else I've tried worked as anticipated.

[462]

Blue Dot, Power Pistol, and W-231, but I keep trying them.

[357Mag]

Roysha -

Howdy !

I could not get XMR5744 to shoot worth a hoot in .357Max H & R SB2 " Ultra Rifle "..... not matter what / what bullet I tried.


Regards,
357Mag

[runfiverun]

On another site H322 was praised to high heaven for the 30-30. I tried it with every weight bullet I had, but could not get the extreme spread below 250fps. Everything else I've tried worked as anticipated.

had the same issue the H-322 in the 30-30 so it went to the 233 and I tried the aa-2230 powder I was using in the 223 in the 30-30 it settled right down for me.

[Bzcraig]

I'm still pretty new to reloading and have a question for you guys: what do you mean by the powder didn't work for you? Velocity spread, bad groups, dirty, or something else?

[joesig]

The only curious thing I've noticed about H380 is doesn't shoot as well in the 308 as I remember from 20 years ago and I can't, sadly, blame it on CRS. (I don't smell powder degradation either) I find it odd that a firearm's taste could change over the years but who knows. Maybe it's the lot of primers I am using instead.

W231 has treated me well in the 45ACP.

The accuracy promised in the 308 with W748 is missing and I seem to recall the other cartridge I tried it is wasn't noteworthy.

A dusty partial can of the duds mentioned would be acceptable.

[Reload3006]

I have bought several powders that wasnt worth a darn for what I bought them for but ended up using them with great success in other applications. For example when Alcan went out of business (or rather dumped by Smith and Wesson) I was left needing to find a new powder to replace Alcan 7 for my heavy field loads. I heard great things about Herco..... I never could find a good load that came even close then tried IMR sr4756 which was better but still no Joy ...... Blue Dot answered my riddle. But since I have found a fantastic 44 special cast load with Herco .... match made in heaven..... I use Imr sr4756 in 38 9mm and 45acp Cast loads with wonderful success. I still miss Alcan and am having a hard time forgiving Smith n Wesson for that LOL

[roysha]

I'm still pretty new to reloading and have a question for you guys: what do you mean by the powder didn't work for you? Velocity spread, bad groups, dirty, or something else?

All of the above.

And under the heading of "something else", the 231 in the 45 ACP seemed to have a rather small but definitely noticeable difference in recoil between it and 700X. Three of us had 4506s at the time and my buddys were using 231 while I was using 700X. We were all using a 200 gr. SWC that came from the same mold, (lucky me, I was the designated caster for the group) and chronographed almost identical velocities in all three guns. They commented on the slightly lighter felt recoil with my load in their guns. Not a deal breaker by any means but, as I recall, there was a bit more flash, it was dirtier and for some unknown reason I just got crosswise with this powder. Oh well!

As far as the 4831 SC, I have no experience with it since I am on my last 1/2 or so, pound of Hodgdon Surplus that I bought bulk in 1969 for $.65 lb. Ah, those were the days!!

[grampa243]

Another powder is H-380. Many years ago my best friend believed there was nothing better than H-380. I have yet to find a load in any suitable caliber that will shoot accurately with this powder. .

I use h380 with 100grain jacketed bullets in my .243win . and get sub-MOA grouping.. it even got me first place in a rifle shoot at the club. :)

some times there are to many variables to what make a load work in one gun and not the next..

barrel ( long or short; fast or slow twist; throat size; chamber spec.)
action ( in semi-autos it can come down to how clean things are or what springs are being used)
brass ( different size cases; fit n the chamber; flash hole spec.)
bullets.. ( base shape; nose shape; hollow point shape; 55 grain bullet from brand x maybe look like brand y but that's where the likeness ends.)

and lets not forget the temperature can play with this all even more. :)

all said and done it's the fun of loading our own ammo. an adventure in meny ways.

[zomby woof]

I bought several pounds of H4895. I couldn't get it to shoot in my 223 or 30.06, cast or jacketed. It was very frustrating. I only buy IMR 4895 now.

[shaune1022]

Some gun/boolit combos just like one powder while other combos do not. I have a bunch of 30-30 I'm fireforming to 30-30ai right now. Using reject Lee 150 grain pills and an older can of 4198 was getting pretty small groups without trying hard. Thought that powder might be the ticket for the new improved case with a RD 165 boolit, boy was I wrong. I could not get that boolit to do better than 3" at 50 yards with 4198. Switched to 3031 and can put 5 shots into one large ragged hole now.

[wrench man]

For pistols I found Silhouette to be almost as smokey as black powder!? and I could never seem to get a complete burn using H110?, H4831 never produced any results in my 270 that I couldn't replicate with a load of buckshot in my 20ga!? and didn't seem to do any better in my 338 either?

[uscra112]

Trail Boss. A more useless powder I cannot imagine.

OTOH I've had stellar results from some of the ones mentioned above. Notably XMP5744 & Blue Dot in CB rifle loads.

[texassako]

Some gun/boolit combos just like one powder while other combos do not. I have a bunch of 30-30 I'm fireforming to 30-30ai right now. Using reject Lee 150 grain pills and an older can of 4198 was getting pretty small groups without trying hard. Thought that powder might be the ticket for the new improved case with a RD 165 boolit, boy was I wrong. I could not get that boolit to do better than 3" at 50 yards with 4198. Switched to 3031 and can put 5 shots into one large ragged hole now.

I had the same thing happen with 3031 converting .30-40 cases to .30-40 Improved. Picked up another pound and it did poorly. Tried using it up in .25, .30, and .32 Remington with rather poor results, but at least hunting accuracy. I thought it would work being a traditional powder for those 3 loadings, but other powders ended up cutting groups in half.

[freebullet]

Never met a gun powder I didn't like. Even if it doesn't give top performance in a given situation, having it means I get to shoot. That makes me happy.

[marvelshooter]

Never met a gun powder I didn't like. Even if it doesn't give top performance in a given situation, having it means I get to shoot. That makes me happy.
I like your way of thinking.

[Green Lizzard]

trail boss is for firecrackers

[fecmech]

Ah, H380! About 40 years ago I bought a 788 Remington in .243. Fired 20 rds of factory in it and went to the LGS for supplies. All he had at the time was H380 and Sierra 60 gr bullets so I bought them. At the time I loaded everything max and that's what I did. IIRC about 46 grs of H380 and let her rip. First 5 shots at 100 yds were sub moa and using that load never had a 5 shot group go over 1"@ 100 yds. Best group was .25 and many .5-.75 groups. I never found any powder or bullet combo that beat that original 3600 fps load.

[wrench man]

If there's something better than Trail Boss for the 45 Colt it'll turn my Uberti 1873 into a TARGET! pistol.

[ShooterAZ]

H380 works very well for me in my .22-250. I could never get H4831 to shoot as well as IMR4831. I love 231 in the 45ACP, and never got Bullseye to shoot better than it in 38 Special.

[Lloyd Smale]

i dont care much for 231. H380 has been a good powder for me, 4831sc has consistantly done better then h4831 or imr4831 for me, I believe that at least now imr4895 and h4895 are the same powder.

[rintinglen]

IMR 4320 was a powder that I never found a good use for. It was always back in the pack while some other powder was much better. I gave it a go in the 243, in 30-06, and probably 270 Winchester, but it never rose above mediocrity.

[WRideout]

I tried Unique in rifle loads for cast, without success. I could not get fifty yard accuracy that would keep it on a paper plate. I even used the preferred load I found in an old Lyman manual for 30-06 using Unique and the Lyman 308403 mold (its an old-timer). I couldn't get it to work. Then I tried SR4756, which I had originally acquired for some 12 ga slug loads. The heavens opened up, angels descended, and the 30-06 shot accurately with cast.

Oddly enough, Unique is great in pistol loads. I use it all the time in my revolvers and semi-auto.

Wayne

[357mags]

It didn't hurt you were shootin' a 788, in 243win no less!

[357maximum]

I have only ever met one powder that is no longer welcome in my cupboard. AA1680, just plain falls short of advertised velocity and reputed accuracy in everything I have tried it in. I am sure there is a use for it, but I am not going to be the one that seeks that grail. I gave my last partial can to another, he did not like it either.

[MT Gianni]

IMR 4320 was a powder that I never found a good use for. It was always back in the pack while some other powder was much better. I gave it a go in the 243, in 30-06, and probably 270 Winchester, but it never rose above mediocrity.
I have had great results with 4320 in 35 Whelen, good in 280 and OK in 223. It just goes to show you that we have to check them out ourselves.

[Green Lizzard]

case full of 1680 makes a hornet happy

[Airman Basic]

Had the opposite happen, too. Got int a multi-pound pile of H-450 many years ago. Nothing but bad press about it, but it has worked wonderfully for me in overbore calibers, such as 243. H-322 works great in a 308 Remington 788, but my loading friends don't cotton to it, either. You never know.