HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

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1894cfan
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HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Just aquired 8 lbs each of WC-844 lot #BAJ 47683 and WC-852 lot #47287! Both appear to be in good condition, though WC844 is clumping a bit, still smells ok though. Anybody here ever use either of these powders? If so, what loads did you work up that was safe in .223/5.56? TIA
Rockrat
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by Rockrat »

Do some more Google searching and I am sure you will find data. Its out there. I believe 844 is supposed to be a bit slower than H335 and 852 has a fast version, which I think is around 4895 and a slow version which is around H380, but don't hold me to that. Google is your friend here. I have only used 844 in a 6x45 and a 25x45, not a 5.56
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Rockrat, I know you said 6x45 and 25x45, those are somewhere in the ball park of 5.56x45, could you relate what loads you were able to get with those two cartridges? It would at least give me some kind of starting point. TIA
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

I have both and have used quite a bit of both. WC844 will work good in a 223.
WC852 has two versions----one a bit faster like H380 and one slower like 4831.

If the jugs have the lot number, you may be able to contact the distributor for some good information. Some was distributed by Jeff Bartlett, GI Brass----if it is his, he may be able to give you some good info.

WC852 never gave great velocities in anything I tried it in, but generally good accuracy. I have used a little bit of the faster lot, but mainly I have the slower lot and use it in 30-06, 243, 6.5x55, 220 Swift, 7.5x55.....

The only two cartridges I've used WC844 in are 223 and 30-30.

I start very low---out of caution that maybe something was labeled incorrectly and then go up in increments while running the loads over a chronograph. I compare these to a load I have for the rifle with commercial powders and generally quit a good margin below that velocity. "Good margin" varies with the cartridge, but as an example, my 30-06 loads with WC852 are 200+fps slower than the average of top loads listed in reloading manuals and 250 fps slower than the load I like in my 30-06 with H4350.

Although I've shot a lot of it and believe it's good powder, I never pushed it. FWIW, I've shot over 100#s of the WC852 over the last 30 years and really wish I could get more----of the slower version.
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

ywaltzucanrknrl wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:35 am I have both and have used quite a bit of both. WC844 will work good in a 223.
WC852 has two versions----one a bit faster like H380 and one slower like 4831.

If the jugs have the lot number, you may be able to contact the distributor for some good information. Some was distributed by Jeff Bartlett, GI Brass----if it is his, he may be able to give you some good info.

WC852 never gave great velocities in anything I tried it in, but generally good accuracy. I have used a little bit of the faster lot, but mainly I have the slower lot and use it in 30-06, 243, 6.5x55, 220 Swift, 7.5x55.....

The only two cartridges I've used WC844 in are 223 and 30-30.

I start very low---out of caution that maybe something was labeled incorrectly and then go up in increments while running the loads over a chronograph. I compare these to a load I have for the rifle with commercial powders and generally quit a good margin below that velocity. "Good margin" varies with the cartridge, but as an example, my 30-06 loads with WC852 are 200+fps slower than the average of top loads listed in reloading manuals and 250 fps slower than the load I like in my 30-06 with H4350.

Although I've shot a lot of it and believe it's good powder, I never pushed it. FWIW, I've shot over 100#s of the WC852 over the last 30 years and really wish I could get more----of the slower version.
I listed both lot numbers in my original post, could you tell if the WC852 that I have is either slow or fast? The jug that WC852 came in just had the powder type and lot number written on the side with felt tip marker, so have no idea who sold it. TIA
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

I know the jug of the WC852 I'm using now has a 47XXX lot number. I'll check this eve on both powders. It still might be worth it to call Jeff at GIbrass.
Rockrat
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by Rockrat »

I will see what I can find, its been years since I loaded those rounds.

Just googled wc-844 load data and over on the "highroad" website and it shows data for 55gr bullets and wc-844
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Rockrat, thanks for that. Tried "highroad" and got nowhere, tried "thehighroad.org" and took me there. WC844 is non-canister grade version of H335, so have to work up some loads. Wish the guy that I got this powder from had gotten WC846 instead, THAT one is a canister grade version of BL-C2/748! H335 works in my AR, 748 works in my Mini14! :(
P.S. Just checked out the Lyman AR loading manual and found they had listed H335 for 5.56 and 300blk! Got a AR-Stoner Side charger, Gen 1 :( , in 300blk that I can also play around with this powder!
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

Well, my lot # for WC852 is 47287, so the same. Mine is the slow lot as I mentioned, so yours must be the same. If you let me know what you are loading for, I might have tried it in the same cartridge. Also, when I first started buying the powder, Jeff @ GIBrass gave me loading data for some cartridges----he would likely still have that info.

The WC852 will not work well in a 223. It worked best for me in cartridges like 220 Swift, 243 and 6.5x55.

My only jug of WC844 does not have a lot #. I've used it in 223, 30-30 and 8.15x46R with good results. I should have thought to look up my 223 loads last night, but didn't, I'll look up my 223 loads if you don't feel comfortable where to start. I think this powder will be a bit slow for 300BO.
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Am currently reloading .223, 300BO and have been known to reload 30/30 quite often, all in either jacketed or cast bullets. TIA
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

I was able to find some info on my lunch. So, what I did for my own piece of mind when I bought these powders, was to sacrifice some for safety. I weighed out an even amount of the new powder and also a powder I had on hand that was a similar known commercial powder with a close burning rate. I poured it out in a line about 10" long and did the same with the known powder. I lit them at the same time to see if there was much difference. I also did this one time years ago with a known faster and slower powder and it is easy to see the difference.
The last time I bought some I had a friend video it when I lit it and I think this is a very good method. This way it's pretty easy to tell if someone put something in the jug that's not close. It doesn't waste much and to me it was valuable. Anyway, I felt better before I started cooking up any loads.
I loaded 24 grains of WC844 with a 55 Hornady SP and shot it out of my 20" barreled service rifle. The loads averaged close to 2,750fps and it functioned the action fine.

The only load info I could find for the 30-30 was 33 grains of WC844 with a 150 Sierra FP. I don't have any chronograph info for it.

I load ammo for my grand daughters 300BO and the slowest powder I've used is Lilgun. WC844 is quite a bit slower, so I'm thinking it may not work well in the BO.

I did have an acquaintance who had a jug that was mislabeled-----he was lucky as the powder in the jug was slower than what the label said, so he didn't blow anything up, but had it been the opposite deal he would have. It was a garage sale deal.

Best of luck with it.
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Thanks, Y. I think I'll try the 10' string method along side H335 ON A CALM DAY. Well, maybe a 6' string!
My thoughts on the WC844 is to work up a load that will cycle my Mini14 with fair accuracy for plinking loads and save my other powders for serious use. BTW, my powder was manufactured by Olin, so it MIGHT be similar to 748? (I could only hope!)
Thanks for your help. 8)
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

FINALLY got around to trying some, ONE round with Lee 1.6cc scoop=23.6gr of WC-844/55grFMJ locks the bolt back on my AR! Fired primer looks good. Tried running it through my Uniflow powder measure but it was clumping up too much, so went to the Lee scoops and checked the weights on the scale and came to the closest to 24gr! :D
Next is to try that load in my Mini14! Nope, 23.6gr is too light! Looks like I gotta work up some loads for the Mini AFTER the powder dries out a bit, too clumpy!
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

Good deal, sounds like you are off to a good start!
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

I just found a load with WC-844 that locks my mini14 open...26gr WC-844 with 55gr FMJs! From what the primers look like, I could go higher but 26gr gets the job done! HAPPY DAZE! :mrgreen:
JDL
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by JDL »

I have the same lot number of WC-844 as yours. In my CZ-527 using 24.6 grains with a Hornady 55 grain S.P. I get 2969 fps. Use it in my .300 Savage, .358 Winchester, and 7.62x39 with a 165 grain cast bullet. Tried it in my .30'06 and while accurate there is a lot of flash and boom.
I have WC-852 but it didn't have a lot # on it but, seems close to H-380. Used it a lot in 7x57 and 7x64 and haven't tried in my '06 for which it was designed! :roll:
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Decided to up the WC-844 powder level to 27gr to test it in my Mini14. The 26gr load primer looked like an under powered load in that it looked like a normal primer with a firing pin indent. Gonna try just ONE round to test the 27gr load to check what the primer would look like. Will let you guys know what the results are tomorrow.
3leggedturtle
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 3leggedturtle »

Mini-14 are way over gassed. I was shooting a 50gr SP at 2500fps and it was locking the bolt back. Was gonna keep dropping back until 2200fps to see if it worked , but I sold it before I did that. My thinking was a 50 or 55gr SP at 21-2200fps would be a great "magnum" 22 Magnum for walking the woods without completely blowing my ears out if I needed to fire a few rounds without ear plugs. Keep posting yer range reports. Todd/3leg
30/30 Winchester: Not accurate enough fer varmints, barely adequate for small deer; BUT In a 10" to 14" barrelled pistol; is good for moose/elk to 200 yards; ground squirrels to 300 metres

250 Savage... its what the 223 wishes it could be...!
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

My Mini has been rebarreled with a bull barrel that I had cut back to 17" and installed a Choate night firing flash suppressor to make it same length as it was originally to fit a Boyt padded canvas case. Don't know what the gas port bushing is, but am not having a problem with it, except for one load, 25gr H335 with a speer 46gr jsp! That one I worked up with a weak recoil spring, and since I replaced it with a new one it don't work in the Mini anymore. Works in my AR though!
The 27gr WC-844 load worked and the primer looked like I could go higher still, maybe 27.5gr?
1894cfan
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Re: HELP! WC-844 rifle powder?

Post by 1894cfan »

Question for you guys. H335 is supposed to be the canister grade to WC844. I've worked up a load of 27gr WC844 with 55gr bullets, has anyone here tried 27gr H335 with 55gr bullets? All the powder manuals I have list a grain or two below that.
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