Powders you havent used.

[3leggedturtle]

Was thinking a little this weekend and realized I have never bought or used Bullseye. Or W748 or W760 for that matter. What about the rest of you?

[TedH]

I've used all of those you mentioned, but there are a ton that I haven't. I currently have 24 different powders on hand. Some folks like to find a powder that works "ok" for several different calibers, on order to consolidate. Nothing wrong with that, but I figure if I'm going to all the trouble to handload my ammo, I'm going to get every last bit of performance I can get. So I like to experiment and find the optimum powder for a certain load. For example, I have three 270 Win. loads that I keep on the shelf, 90 gr., 130 gr., and 150 gr., that all use different powders. Another advantage to having a good selection of powder is when I start loading for a new cartridge, chances are I'll have at least a couple good powder choices on hand to try out.

[Griff]

Probly haven't used 99% of what's available. ain't exactly proficient enough a reloader to go expeimenting... I find one that works and stick with it. I can get along with about 5 powders and be happy.

[ollogger]

With todays market, im willing to try most any powder that's on the shelve
but can get buy with unique, 2400, RL7 & 4831


ollogger

[JB]

Probly haven't used 99% of what's available. ain't exactly proficient enough a reloader to go expeimenting... I find one that works and stick with it. I can get along with about 5 powders and be happy.

That's me. I can use Bullseye, Unique, and 2400 for 100% of my pistol shooting. I don't load much rifles anymore, but one of two of the old IMR powders get me through that. I haven't loaded any shotshells in years.

[Canuck Bob]

Memory is foggy for early loading but I may have not even used more than two brands of powder, Hodgdon and IMR. I doubt it is more than 4 or 5 different types! I'm a real tenderfoot in this area.

[earlmck]

Early in my reloading days we had this outfit called "PayLess Drug Stores" which had sales on gunpowder. I bought a variety of powders I never would have tried if I hadn't found it on sale! . We may now be faced with a similar situation where we'll try powder we never before would have thought about merely because we find it for sale.

There are so many different powders out there now (If we can find them!) that it is far easier to list those we have tried than those we haven't tried, even those of use who have tried the many.

So how many of you have used HiVel#2? Or Herter's 103? Here are some old goodies from the back of my stash (No, I do not ever throw anything away).

Powders.jpg

[cjensen]

Can't list the powders I have not used.
Pretty much Old School.
Those I have are easier; Red dot, 700X, Bullseye, Green dot,Trail Boss, WW230
WW231, WW630, Unique, H Universal, Alliant 410, 2400, Lil Gun, Blue dot, WW 540
H110, WW295, WW296, I4759, AA5744, RL7, I4198, H322, I3031, H335, I4895
I4064, AA2520, RL15, Varget, I4320, WW 748, WW760, H414, H205, H&I 4350
VITA N550, RL19, 4831, RL22, I7828, RL25, H1000 & Many flavors of black

[wm]

Whoo boy there are a lot of powder choices now. I'm just now venturing out of my IMR-3031, 4198, Win 231 & Win 296 comfort zone.

[cjensen]

Deleted

[stew71]

Since so many powders are currently hard to find, I've had to try more obscure ones in order to keep shooting some of my rifles. For example....IMR 4350 and H4350 are nowhere to be found around here for my 6.5 Swede. Same for 4064 and 4895. As my supplies get low, I've had to try W760, IMR 4007 SSC, H4831, among others to find a load that works and comes close to my original recipes.

Kind of a PITA, but it's good to go back to experimenting once in a while.

[Old Time Hunter]

So how many of you have used HiVel#2? Or Herter's 103? Here are some old goodies from the back of my stash (No, I do not ever throw anything away).

Powders.jpg

Earl, found two cans of HiVel#2 unopened. Do you have any data on the stuff?

[shooter]

I haven't been reloading nearly as long as most of you folks, but I've been "assisting" most all my life, and have been doing it on my own for about the past 15 years. It would be easier for me to list the powders I have used than to list the ones I haven't. I think I have been VERY fortunate in that most of the powders I have tried have given me very good results, so I haven't felt the need to experiment as much as some people.

I've used: Unique, WW231, WW296, H110, IMR4831, IMR3031, RL7, RL15, Varget

I use Unique and 3031 for 90% of what I load. I am not an accuracy nut, but these powders have given acceptable results in the guns I've tried them in. Acceptable for me is under 2" with a scoped bolt gun at 100 yards. My two most used bolt actions will do 1" or under if I'm doing my part loaded with 3031. My levers get a little more leniency as far as what is acceptable since they don't wear scopes, but on a day I'm shooting well I can hold them to around 3-4". I might be able to do better if I still shot as much as I used to.

[earlmck]

Earl, found two cans of HiVel#2 unopened. Do you have any data on the stuff?

Wow! 2 unopened cans! Some collector should take those off your hands.

But yes I do have some data for HiVel#2, but only for cast bullets as it is in my Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets" dated 1958. It is very very close to 3031 but maybe a scosh faster. For example, for 30/30 the book shows:

For 170 gr. GC #311291 HiVel: 21 gr. for 1790 fps start load
30 gr. for 2200 fps max load

3031 21 gr. for 1745 fps start load
30 gr. for 2135 fps max load

My vague recollection is that I used an unmeasured case full of it in the 30/30 with the Speer 100 gr. Plinker set on top (In those days I didn't own a powder measure). I don't think I found that one in a load book.

[6pt-sika]

If I'm not mistaken "HiVel2" was big with the old time schuetzen guys .

[Old Time Hunter]

Earl, found two cans of HiVel#2 unopened. Do you have any data on the stuff?

Wow! 2 unopened cans! Some collector should take those off your hands.

But yes I do have some data for HiVel#2, but only for cast bullets as it is in my Lyman "Handbook of Cast Bullets" dated 1958. It is very very close to 3031 but maybe a scosh faster. For example, for 30/30 the book shows:

For 170 gr. GC #311291 HiVel: 21 gr. for 1790 fps start load
30 gr. for 2200 fps max load

3031 21 gr. for 1745 fps start load
30 gr. for 2135 fps max load

My vague recollection is that I used an unmeasured case full of it in the 30/30 with the Speer 100 gr. Plinker set on top (In those days I didn't own a powder measure). I don't think I found that one in a load book.

Thanks Earl...just might pop a can open.