H-375

[georgewxxx]

Several years ago my mentor, Roland passed on to the happy reloading place in the sky. His wife had a auction to dispose of his toys and other gear. They sold all of his powder in one big lot, and I ended up with approximately 30lbs of vintage but usable powder. While checking my powder shelf yesterday, one container that I've never used was shoved way in the back. Anybody here ever found a cast application for Hodgdon's H-375? I checked several burning rate charts to find where it fits in relation to other powders and it fits in around IMR 4320. I think I've used one can of 4320 in my life time loading for other people, but I don't recall using it for any cast applications. The powder looks and smells almost new, but I know it has to be at least 35 years old. Roland taught me good safe powder storage practices, so I'm sure it's safe to use. He had several cans of Hi-Vel(not Hil-Vel2), big cans of 2400 & green dot, Super Balistite, etc. I know it's only one pound of H-375, but I's still like find something to shoot it in, in honor of my mentor. Any ideas?.....Geo

[Scrounger]

That's easy. You're not going to find any book listings for it, you're going to have to think for yourself, step off the sidewalk. I thought it might be close to H380 and you say it's close to IMR 4320, so same area. It's faster than 4350 and a tad slower than 4895/4064/Varget; just start with cast data from any of those three powders.

[Boerrancher]

Good advice Scrounger. That is exactly how I would approach it if it were my powder and my rifles I was firing it in.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[georgewxxx]

Thanks Scrounger, I guess I should have clarified myself a bit more. Like I said I know where it fit as far as burning rate goes. I've been interpolating cast loads for 40 years and load about everything from .22 Hornet to 50-70 What I was looking for is someone that's actually tried it and it work out fairly well not it's close to this and close to that type answer. It's ball type of course and probably a bit hard to ignite completly with lighter boolits....Geo

[Scrounger]

And so if X amount of powder Y worked great (allegedly) for him in cartridge Z, it'll work in your gun? Good luck. Maybe it's just me, but I consider such information useless, maybe even dangerous.

[georgewxxx]

So what your saying is you don't rely on a load manual either? As far as I can tell that's what this forum is for. It's like a huge loading book where we all exchanging ideas for loading. If all your after is pumping up you number of posts and really saying nothing, your not helping anyone on this board by doing so. ...Geo

[Scrounger]

Sorry, I was under the impression you were an experienced reloader, one who knows that a particular load that works in gun A probably will not be the same in gun B, it may even be an unsafe load there. And the only value reloading manuals have is so a knowledgeable reloader can get a SAFE starting load. I do not give any attention at all to my post count, apparently you do. I have a lot of free time here and every now and then I actually try to help someone who seems to need it. Unfortunately sometimes I waste my time trying to help someone who already knew the answers and who had posted the question in an effort to hype his post count or possibly just to prove he really existed... If you knew the answer, why ask?

[Bob Krack]

So what your saying is you don't rely on a load manual either? As far as I can tell that's what this forum is for. It's like a huge loading book where we all exchanging ideas for loading. If all your after is pumping up you number of posts and really saying nothing, your not helping anyone on this board by doing so. ...Geo

Wow.... I think Scrounger meant to imply is that not all claims can be believed without further investigation. If that is truly the case, his first and second responses are very valid in my humble opinion. He opined that reloading manual data might not be readily available.

If I told you that I use 88 grains of H399 powder in my Remchester .247 with a 188 grain boolit, would you have even considered the information without some checkin' around?

If'n ya mention the application you are considerin', could be you might get a ballpark figger to start with. What caliber, what boolit, what firearm? I have also reloaded for many years and would even be willing to give an answer that might help you at least find a verifiable or logical load. (That'ed help my post count, too)!:veryconfu

Ya might try here---http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=32106

I'm not peein up no tree, so if you are offended please just ignore me (my old woman does all the time)!

Vic

[Larry Gibson]

GEORGEWXXX

The only reference I could find without a lot of searching was from Handloaders Digest- 5th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Under the powder section , Hodgdon Powders it says; "Spherical H375 - Probably the best selection for the 219 Donaldson Wasp, this ball type powder performs well in larger cases up the the 30-06."
It is listed in between H335 and H450 it's burn rate is probably close to H380 (my guess is that is Hodgdons commercial replacement).

I have used it many years ago (early '70s) in the .308 Winchester when I picked up several pounds of it in a trade. I have my loading notes and what I used with 165 gr bullets is pretty close to what is in loading manuals for H380. I'd suggest that you use starting loads for H380 and work up. My notes indicated that it did not burn effieciently (I had a chronograph back then) until a certain pressure level was reached. This indicates to me it is not a good cast bullet powder although I did not try it with cast bullets.

Larry Gibson

[georgewxxx]

Thanks Larry,

I have several older Hodgdon powder books and none of those offer anything on H-375. And I was under the impression it was dropped after a very shot time because of some problems with it and it was replaced with another similar powder. Load data is very skimpy anywhere. I keep a list from all of the Handloader Magazine Powder Profiles, and I couldn't find any listing for that powder. It possible too many pressure spike problems made it a candidate for removal from the Hodgdon line.

As strange as it my seem, I've tried H-335 in some of my 50-70 smokeless loads and they work out quite well. H-380 on the other hand never worked out at all. As you indicate H-375 in your trial needs a heavier payload to make it efficient. A little too much deterrent coating on it I assume. I have used H-380 in My M-1's very successfully with moderate cast loads. That's not one I want to work with here though. ....Geo

[Larry Gibson]

That's the case with ball powders, some work and some don't. Mostly because of the deterent coating as you mention. I know H205 was dropped way back then because of pressure spikes but I'm not sure of H375. And I agree that a good bolt gun would be the place to work up loads with an unknown and not the M1.

Larry Gibson

[bobk]

Larry,
H205 had pressure spikes? That's news; I burned a lot of it in my .375 behind 270 Gr. Hornadys. Was this a problem with less-than-full-capacity loads? I've since developed a liking for RL-15 in that case, but still have some H205. Should I avoid it in loads where the powder is not compressed?
Bob K

[runfiverun]

some powders ball especially just don't burn quite right...the same each time.
unless near or a full case is used. aa 2700 is like this.
the secondary spikes occur frequently ,when the bullet moves then hesitates then is forced along again this is not repeatable.
but is counted in the pressure data ,and is why alot of powders are not recommended in applications that you would think that they should work for.
and is why sometimes, powders are only recommended with heavier bullet weights.
this is just my opinion, and the way i read it.

[windrider919]

I know we all try to use the philosophy of 'make it do, use it up, don't buy unless you have to' that came out of the Depression but because of the dangers in reloading I approach the boundaries with as much common sense as possible.

1st. Why work up a load for an obsolete powder unless you have a large quantity. You will only be putting wear and tear on your firearm needlessly to develop a load that will never be used again

2nd All powder starts decaying from the time it was made because of the acids not washed out during mfg. That means it will be reacting in some unknown manner even if you find good reloading data that applied when it was new.

3rd Stretching the max use out of things like cases just leads to split and blown cases. And possibly a blown firearm. I found that even for plinking loads that if I had to switch from one lot of powder to another and I had only 10 or 20 percent left i had to force myself to just throw it away! But I learned the hard way in an old Remington 700 30-06 that if you start a new lot of powder BACK DOWN and re-establish your pressures because even the same powder can vary from lot to lot. It cost me a blown up rifle that was a tack driver but I was not badly hurt. An expensive lesson. Trying to salvage a lb or so of and old obsolite powder is another way of stretching it. Is the risk worth the potential cost?

My recommendation is to pour it out on the ground and gather (at a safe distance!) the kids and throw a match on it. Enjoy the fire fountain and avoid unnecessary risks.

[Larry Gibson]

Bobk

I was using H205 in the only instance of destroying an action/rifle. I believe it was an SEE but we weren't using a reduced load. The rifle was a veavy barreld long range .280 built on a Mauser 3000 action. Loads were with a fulle power load that had already been worked up. Barrel was clean, first shot fired fine. Second shot went click-bang but really quick. I was spotting and did not notice but the owner/shooter did but didn't stop or say anything. Third shot went click - banf and smoke was coming out of action. Couldn't get the bolt open. I had to pull the barrel. The chamber was swollen and the left lugof the bolt was cracked and broken. We had weighed all the cahrges and rechecked the weight of powder in the remaining cases and they were right on. It was a slightly compressed load. We had no idea what went wrong except that a few months later the H205 was discontinued and pulled from the shelves. A couple reports said it wasn't uniform and could cause pressure spikes. I called Hodgdon but they wouldn't say anything other than they would replace the remainder of the H205 we had with H4831. That was in the mid '70s.

Larry Gibson

[bobk]

Larry,
Well, thanks for the good info. I have less than a lb. of the powder, think I'll sprinkle some in the holes when I plant some fruit trees. Some things respond to that really well. For those of you who are my age, you can probably remember the bulk 4831 from way back. My Dad used it to good effect in a .270. Finally, though, it started to get that funny smell. I persuaded Dad to dump it, so I put it in the holes for his tomato plants. Oh, my God, did he ever get tomatoes! He was giving them away to anyone who would take them. They looked pretty good, too.
He bought new 4831 after that, never changed. Well, it shot very well, as I said. Then, I never did get a bad group out of that rifle.
Bob K