Accurate 5744 at Natchez 12 Feb 2015

[ohland]

1lb 27.99 / 8lb 208.49

Wow. Didn't know 5744 went for that much...

[winelover]

1lb 27.99 / 8lb 208.49

Wow. Didn't know 5744 went for that much...


I recently seen it for $254.99 on Graf & Sons----no wonder it's still in stock.

Winelover

[GabbyM]

Never noticed much of a shortage in 5744. I'm working through an eight pound jug myself. It is high per pound. However charge weights are small in some applications. It's price is why many mourned the cancelation of IMR 4759.

I ordered a couple new to me powders last week. One will be tested for cast bullet use in my 222. AA LT-32. It's also fairly pricy. It's slower than 4198 faster than H-322. Supposed to be small grain to measure well. insensitive to heat changes. 5744 nor 4198 meter very well. Will find out how well it lights up with reduced charge 222 loads. AA just came out with LT-30. bit faster to compare to 4198 in burn speed.

Another powder I ordered was Alliant AR-Comp. It's reformulated Rx15. Added in new coatings to make it more temp insensitive. Burns faster than Rx15. In the range of H-Varget and H-4895. Neither of which I can find for sale. I bought it mainly for heavy bullet J loads in AR-15. Also hoping it will substitute H-4895 for cast bullet loads. I won't miss H-Varget. AR-Comp is supposed to also be very clean burning. As far as I can tell. It's all expensive. I've placed over $600 on my credit card in this winters loading binge.

[fouronesix]

1lb 27.99 / 8lb 208.49

Wow. Didn't know 5744 went for that much...

Well the components shortage and higher prices have been going on for a few years now. Welcome to 2015.

About $27 per lb is normal for all powders at all the LGSs around here. The cheapest I can get common powders, if available, is about $22 per lb in an 8lb jug. That's if you can find the powder you want. Some of the Alliant powders have been MIA for quite a while.

[9w1911]

Same in Reno the new norm is 28.99 but stocks are bare, if there is ever an over stock, which I do not believe there will be, these prices are here. Alliant is the most affordable brand at the moment. VV is just stupid expensive, 34.99 a pound or higher.

[jonp]

I'd like to try VV but I'm not paying north of $35/lb for it. I've noticed some powders are much more expensive than others such as 5744. Cost of manufacturing?

[GabbyM]

AA 5744 contains a very high nitro content so I imagine it is expensive. Plus coatings are all expensive. Also you have to look at the charge weight for your load compared to other powders that cost less. See what it cost per load. I tried 2400 in my 222. That's very economical. But it didn't group near as tight as the 5744. So I went from 11.0 grains of 2400 to 14.0 grains of 5744. That was a big price jump but it improved accuracy.

Last night I received two emails from venders with powder in stock notifications. Both Hodgdon products I'd tagged. H4895 and H Benchmark. Couple days ago one of the vendors had Winchester WSF in stock in 8 pound cans. Thing are definitely picking up.

[Trinidad Bill]

Cabelas has XMP-5744 in stock... $38.99/lb!

[40-82 hiker]

I use AA5744 in my three old rifles ('86 Win., RB, and TD), and find it to be a very good powder, and contributing to accurate loads in all of them. My loads don't average much over 24.2 grs., so while the cost is high per pound, 290 loads per pound for .45-70, for example, I find it to be fairly economical for my enjoyment and results. Some people like 5744, some don't, like most things.

When Johan Loubser (sp?) was the ballastician at Western, I had a few conversations with him concerning this powder, and he was very educational about 5744. It is definitely a "niche" powder for large volume, black powder cases, so I have to wonder if the market for it is not as large as many other powders AA sells, though the demand for what they do make of it is high.

I guess one advantage of rolling our own is that even when our components are expensive, we cast our own boolits, which in and of itself saves a lot of money. At today's costs if my powder costs 10 cents per load, and the primer 4 cents, whatever my lead costs for the boolit aside, I'm spending 14 cents per round, or $2.80 per 20 and shooting .45-70 in my old guns. People are paying more than that for .22LR ammo. We all know what I am saying here, but I'm just trying to keep it in perspective. The difference in cost of the powder and primers (as expensive as they are) a few cents per round one way or the other is fairly negligible, especially considering the low total cost. There would be very little difference to me if I was paying $3 per 20, or $2.50 per 20 for powder and primer (and money is very tight this way!). So, I use 5744 and don't complain about the cost too much. However, it is an expensive powder, and I am not trying to disagree with that thought in the least.

Just my thoughts on it...

[big bore 99]

XMP5744 has been absent from the shelves here for a long time. I used to use it a lot for 45-70. I talked to a tech there about unburned powder left in the barrel. He said XMP5744 likes a heavy boolit and a good crimp. He also said NEVER use any case filler with it. The high nitro content probably does make it more expensive. Like previous mentioned, I get a lot of 45-70 rounds out of a pound, so I don't mind the price at all. Anyone one here know if there is a difference between AA5744 and XMP5744??

[sargenv]

I guess our club is selling 5744 for a fair price then, we still have 5 or 6 - 1# cans of it for $30... Tax included.. sorry, we do not ship.

[Sgt Red Leg]

big bore, I seem to remember that the "AA" / "XMP" change can about when the company changed hands, what, about 3 years or so ago. I am sure some one here can 'confirm or deny' .

Sarge

[troyboy]

Fyi this from WP Faq. As long as the numeric/s is/are the same, i.e. examples, “A” or “AA” no9” or “A” or ‘AA” 4350” the burn rate and load data will be the same. The “XMR”and “XMP” prefixes, and/or “BR” post-fixes was eliminated ca 2003 and does not apply anymore.Also since the Accurate Arms Company does not exist anymore (Since late2004/early 2005 when they sold out to Western powders Inc) the “AA”prefix is also not applicable anymore.
The powders are merely designated with an “A” prefix or the full name“Accurate”.
The “Scot” name used on some of the shotgun powders i.e. Scot Solo1000 is also not been used since 2003.