Anyone try "military surplus" IMR4895?

[218bee]

Dude at the gun club says he has a few "jugs" of military surplus IMR4895. He says they look like gallon bleach bottles.
He's not sure how old. Each bottle is 8 pounds. He's thinking they would sell for $125 a jug. Sounds reasonable in this current situation. I use IMR4895 in about three different cartridges I load for.
I was just wondering if anyone has experience with "military surplus" like this.
Would same load data apply? Any difference in pressure or velocity?
I typically only buy 8 pounders for shotshell use, but thinking of buying a jug of this.
Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks

[WinchesterM1]

It could be ww2 surplus for the M2 ball ammo, I would be careful a lot of that old powder didn’t have modern additives to make it temp stable, JR(RIP) had problems with his hog rifle SKS where it wouldn’t cycle in the winter

[ShooterAZ]

I have gone through countless jugs of WWII surplus IMR4895, used to get it from Jeff at GI Brass. It was advertised as "pulldown" powder, but worked just fine in everything that I loaded with it...which was a LOT of different calibers from 223 to 30-06. I always used the load data right out of the manuals, never a problem. Back when I was buying it, it was $80/jug. My friends and I would pool our orders and we used to get free hazmat for volume orders. I would have no reservations about buying it, prices go up in times like these.

[perotter]

I've used it and purchase it from GI Brass some years ago. I'd buy it if I needed it.

[garandsrus]

I still have some and it works great. I also bought it from GI Brass. The jugs are white gallon bottles which sounds like yours.

[relics6165]

I bought some from Wideners years ago, it was supposedly 1969 pulldown 4895. It works great, I've used it from reduced loads to full pressure loads, no problems with it at all.

Buy 2..................

[Krag 1901]

8 lb will get you about 1,400 40 gr loads.

[LynC2]

I've got through more jugs of that than I can remember when I was chasing my Distinguished with an M1A. Unfortunately I had to fertilize the yard with my last two 8 pounders that went bad. Be sure to make certain it is still good before buying.

[rockrat]

My surplus came in a black plastic jug. Still have some left. Works great in my 35 Rem.

[218bee]

OK thanks for all the replies. Sounds like it may be worth a try if dude lets me look at it first.

[Lloyd Smale]

still use it. Im about 1/2 the way through my last keg out of 80lbs that i bought in the 80s. Still works as good as ever and i cant tell the differnce in velocity or accuracy between it and commercial 4895

[smithnframe]

I’m still using some IMR 4831 surplus from some 8 pound kegs my dad got back in the early 60’s!

[sharps4590]

I only wish I could lay my hands on some.

[Tatume]

I've used lots of it, and wish I could get more.

[Char-Gar]

When I started reloading (1959) new commercial 4895 had not been put on the market. Hodgdon sold surplus 4895 and that was all we had in that number. Worked great at $1.10 per pound.

[TNsailorman]

I used quite a bit of it in the 60's and 70's and really like it. I personally could not tell much difference between IMR4895 and military surplus 4895. Of course I did not have a chronograph back then and just used the standard listed loads in Lyman and other loading books. Bruce Hodgdon started out by selling military surplus powder. james

[M-Tecs]

When I started reloading (1959) new commercial 4895 had not been put on the market. Hodgdon sold surplus 4895 and that was all we had in that number. Worked great at $1.10 per pound.

I grew up in a very small rural town. I remember being maybe 7 or 8 years old and riding by bike down to the Coast To Coast store and purchasing surplus 4895 for dad. Within a couple of years it was for myself. It was in 150 pound container. They used a scoop to put in a brown paper bag. It was sold by the pound but they would sell me a 1/2 pound when that's all the money I had.

[Martin Luber]

Side question...why is ammo pulled down? If it's already loaded, why isn't it sold that way?

[M-Tecs]

I know today that most (if not all) the the 20mm powders are pull downs. When Hodgdon started I believe it was surplus production that had not be loaded.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/art...-inside-story/

http://gibrass.com/gunpowder.html

[farmbif]

it used to be that there were many reputable sources for surplus military powders, these days there is only one that I know is trustworthy and that is Jeff Bartlett.
there are way too many people these days that would lie to their own mother to make a buck.