IMR 3031 Replacement

[milton]

I need some help finding a powder.I have been loading IMR 3031 in a Brit No. 5 rifle with 123 grain Hornady FMJ bullets and if possible I would like to find a powder that will still safely give me the high velocities I get now but will be easier to meter in a powder measure.

[piller]

Have you tried H335? It is a ball powder, and meters well for me. It is not a new powder, but 3031 is not new either. I have heard CFE 223 does good in some of the 30 caliber rounds, but have no personal experience with it. H335 has worked well for me recently in my 30-30 when I couldn't find IMR 3031 anywhere. Accuracy was just as good for me.

[milton]

Thank you,I will see how it works in QuickLOAD before I buy some!

[GunnyMack]

I use CFE223 in my 308, good velocity and its accurate.
I try to stick with ball powders as much as possible. However I have found IMR 4895 is very good in a lot of my guns so I keep 8# on hand.

[765x53]

Reloader 15 does very well in my .303's as well as my .300 Savage and 30/30's.

[6pt-sika]

I've had good luck with CFE223 in my Grendels , but I drop it from the meter relatively close to the desired charge weight and then trickle in more as the pan sits on the scale . Not saying it doesn't meter close enough I just prefer to weight the charge most times .

[Rimfire McNutjob]

When I saw the title of this post I thought they were discontinuing 3031 and panic had briefly set it. I see now it's just a metering issue with those long extruded sticks. Crisis averted.

[Merle]

I've had good luck with CFE223 in my Grendels , but I drop it from the meter relatively close to the desired charge weight and then trickle in more as the pan sits on the scale . Not saying it doesn't meter close enough I just prefer to weight the charge most times .

For loading the small quantity of hunting ammo, this works just fine.

[6pt-sika]

I've had good luck with CFE223 in my Grendels , but I drop it from the meter relatively close to the desired charge weight and then trickle in more as the pan sits on the scale . Not saying it doesn't meter close enough I just prefer to weight the charge most times .

For loading the small quantity of hunting ammo, this works just fine.

Years ago I “used to think” I needed 50 loaded rounds per rifle before the beginning of deer season and I’d usually have 3-7 rifles I planned on using . Now I might have one rifle with 3-5 different bullets another rifle with a couple bullets etc . Now after sight ins if I have ten of each specific bullet I’m fine .

[2ndovc]

I get good results in my .303s with IMR 4198, but use an electronic powder measure and scale for each round. I don't remember it giving me a hard time back when I used an old Hollywood Gun Shop powder measure. The RCBS is far more accurate.

jb

[jhrosier]

I have an RCBS powder measure that meters the IMR "stick" powders with good results and has done so for 50 years.
Jack

[Larkbill]

What about Varget? I bought some to try with cast in my .30-30s and have also used with cast in my son's Enfield. Pretty happy with it.

[GoatGuy]

I have an RCBS powder measure that meters the IMR "stick" powders with good results and has done so for 50 years.
Jack

Same for me..., only 40 years with the 47 year old "hand me down" RCBS measure gifted to me by a friend.

[milton]

You guys with the RCBS powder measures,how close does your measure throw loads with powders like 3031 and how repeatable are they?

[Griff]

You guys with the RCBS powder measures,how close does your measure throw loads with powders like 3031 and how repeatable are they?

I can usually get to within a tenth grain, but it's a matter of how hard I "knock" the end of each stroke. Consistency in the "knock" is the key to me throwing really close loads. This is true of any powder I use, but it's much easier with ball or flake powders such as; RE7, BL(C)2, CFE223, etc. Even the shorter extruded powders tend to be less troublesome. Each loading session, I tend to throw several charges, weighing each one until I get 5 that are within that tenth of a grain, then I throw 9 charges directly into the cases, measuring on the 10th. Repeat for 4 times, & I have a box of 50. Between each box, (seldom do I load more than a 100 rounds of any rifle cartridge), I simply drop at least two measured loads in the electronic measure pan to confirm my consistency, then do the next batch of 50. From start to finish I'm at this one task for about an hour. During that time, I'll have my pistol rounds tumbling and usually load about 100 or 200 empty pistol cases from 1 to 3 different cartridges on the Dillon. Most often these are 45 Colt, Cowboy45Special & 45ACP. Sometimes, I'll load some 38 Special, to knock down that backlog of (now only) 4,000 empties!

[milton]

Thank you very much,I will give that a try.I know if I load Unique for revolver rounds if I ease the top and bottom strokes of my measure I get very consistant amounts of powder dispensed .I'll see what I can do with the 3031.