powder

sako2 · July 2, 2009, 05:05 AM

What would be the best all around powder for these calibers 25-06,270,30-06,300 win mag,35 rem.

VaFisher · July 2, 2009, 05:40 AM

4064 would be a good choice.

SL1 · July 2, 2009, 07:50 AM

I would not try to use only one powder for all those cartridges. They differ too much in their pressure limits, case capacities and bullet diameters to get good performance from each of them with the same powder.

It seems like you need to do some research in some manuals to see what powders work best in each cartridge and what those powders act like in the other cartridges. Then, you can decide what powders you want to invest in.

I say "invest" rather than "buy" because you will spend time as well as money working up loads for each gun. There is not much sense in working up a load that you won't want to use.

SL1

AlaskaMike · July 2, 2009, 10:21 AM

I totally agree with everything SL1 wrote.

For manuals, you might want to get a copy of Ken Waters' "Pet Loads". In addition to the data he also provides lots of discussion on each caliber, and frequently talks about why certain things work better than others. The "why" really helped me gain a much better understanding of internal ballistics, and I think made me a better handloader.

For what it's worth, I think if you take .35 Rem. out of the picture I'd suggest H4350 or H4831. For .35 Rem. I might suggest H4895 since it has significantly lower pressure than the other calibers. I'm partial to Hodgdon stick powders, but IMR also makes a version of all three as well.

Good luck,
Mike

sako2 · July 2, 2009, 12:08 PM

My sierra & hornady have imr 4831 listed for all except the 35 and both have imr 4064 for it. Thanks for your replies. I have good loads for all of them but was wanting to use one powder for all if possible.

James R. Burke · July 2, 2009, 03:55 PM

They are correct that is alot of differnt calibers. I am sure you could come up with one, but it might perform really poor in some, and great in others. That is what makes reloading great you can find the best powder for what you are shooting, and make the most accurate round for it. You need to do a little research. Some good ones to look at are IMR-4350, IMR-4831, IMR-4064, Varget, and there are lots more. I assume you have a good manual or two. The Lee is a good one, and I try to get one for the bullet I will be using also. It is a great hobby, have fun, and keep it safe! I am sure it will all work out for you.

SSG-Gibb · July 2, 2009, 04:10 PM

I started out using my 270 as my first distance gun, and went through a lot of different powders but what worked best in my gun was 7828. The 06 I'd have to go with the 4895 as well but the 7828 work really nice in that too.

NWPilgrim · July 2, 2009, 05:47 PM

It depends on what you expect from your handloads.

If the most important thing is to have just one powder (cheaper buying in 8# lots or something) then expect to have sub-par velocity in some of the cartridges. No one powder will perform near the top for all of those cartridges. It may be great for the .30-06 but too fast for the .300 WM.

It seems that the ideal powder speed correlates to the ratio of case capacity versus bullet diameter and weight. It is obvious that within the same cartridge a heavier bullet will do better with a slower powder, and a lighter one will like a faster powder.

But a powder that does well in one case/bullet combination may also do well in a much different case of different bullet dia. and wt. For instance, the powders in the IMR4895 - Varget range are pretty good for the average bullets in both the .30-06 (150-168 gr) and .223 Rem. (55 - 68gr). They must have similar case capacity to case mouth/bullet weight ratios.

On the other hand, a cartridge like the .25-06 that is based on the .30-06 case has a much smaller case mouth diameter in relation to the same case capacity will like slower powders. And, a cartridge with the same case mouth diameter (.308") but with larger case capacity (e.g. .300WM) will also like a slower powder.

If you are willing to shoot light bullets in some of those cartridges like the .270 and .300 WM and heavier bullets in other cartridges then you might find a powder that kind of spans them, but you are likely to give up 200fps or so of velovity from optimum. But is you want to shoot light bullets in all cartridges, or all heavy for caliber bullets, then one powder is not likely going to work.

I would first identify what bullet weight range you want to use for each cartridge. Then consider trying to find a couple of powders. The IMR4895, H4895, IMR4064, Varget, Reloader 15 powders are all general purpose powders for .30-06.

From the Hodgdon site it appears:

H4895 - good for average .30-06 (150 gr - 168 gr) and .35 Rem (180 gr -220 gr bullets), and lighter bullets in .25-06 and .270.

IMR4381 or IMR7828 - good for average .25-06 (100 - 120 gr), .270 (130 gr - 150 gr), and .300 WM (180 - 220 gr), and for heavier bullets in .30-06 (200-220 gr).

Two powders would cover most of what you might need in all these cartridges, but just one (Varget would be kind of in the middle) is going to compromise some velocity in some of them.

July 2, 2009, 05:05 AM	#1
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 741	powder What would be the best all around powder for these calibers 25-06,270,30-06,300 win mag,35 rem.

July 2, 2009, 05:47 PM	#8
NWPilgrim Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,346	It depends on what you expect from your handloads. If the most important thing is to have just one powder (cheaper buying in 8# lots or something) then expect to have sub-par velocity in some of the cartridges. No one powder will perform near the top for all of those cartridges. It may be great for the .30-06 but too fast for the .300 WM. It seems that the ideal powder speed correlates to the ratio of case capacity versus bullet diameter and weight. It is obvious that within the same cartridge a heavier bullet will do better with a slower powder, and a lighter one will like a faster powder. But a powder that does well in one case/bullet combination may also do well in a much different case of different bullet dia. and wt. For instance, the powders in the IMR4895 - Varget range are pretty good for the average bullets in both the .30-06 (150-168 gr) and .223 Rem. (55 - 68gr). They must have similar case capacity to case mouth/bullet weight ratios. On the other hand, a cartridge like the .25-06 that is based on the .30-06 case has a much smaller case mouth diameter in relation to the same case capacity will like slower powders. And, a cartridge with the same case mouth diameter (.308") but with larger case capacity (e.g. .300WM) will also like a slower powder. If you are willing to shoot light bullets in some of those cartridges like the .270 and .300 WM and heavier bullets in other cartridges then you might find a powder that kind of spans them, but you are likely to give up 200fps or so of velovity from optimum. But is you want to shoot light bullets in all cartridges, or all heavy for caliber bullets, then one powder is not likely going to work. I would first identify what bullet weight range you want to use for each cartridge. Then consider trying to find a couple of powders. The IMR4895, H4895, IMR4064, Varget, Reloader 15 powders are all general purpose powders for .30-06. From the Hodgdon site it appears: H4895 - good for average .30-06 (150 gr - 168 gr) and .35 Rem (180 gr -220 gr bullets), and lighter bullets in .25-06 and .270. IMR4381 or IMR7828 - good for average .25-06 (100 - 120 gr), .270 (130 gr - 150 gr), and .300 WM (180 - 220 gr), and for heavier bullets in .30-06 (200-220 gr). Two powders would cover most of what you might need in all these cartridges, but just one (Varget would be kind of in the middle) is going to compromise some velocity in some of them. __________________ "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." - James Madison

July 2, 2009, 05:40 AM	#2
VaFisher Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2006 Posts: 596	4064 would be a good choice.

July 2, 2009, 07:50 AM	#3
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	I would not try to use only one powder for all those cartridges. They differ too much in their pressure limits, case capacities and bullet diameters to get good performance from each of them with the same powder. It seems like you need to do some research in some manuals to see what powders work best in each cartridge and what those powders act like in the other cartridges. Then, you can decide what powders you want to invest in. I say "invest" rather than "buy" because you will spend time as well as money working up loads for each gun. There is not much sense in working up a load that you won't want to use. SL1

July 2, 2009, 10:21 AM	#4
AlaskaMike Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 941	I totally agree with everything SL1 wrote. For manuals, you might want to get a copy of Ken Waters' "Pet Loads". In addition to the data he also provides lots of discussion on each caliber, and frequently talks about why certain things work better than others. The "why" really helped me gain a much better understanding of internal ballistics, and I think made me a better handloader. For what it's worth, I think if you take .35 Rem. out of the picture I'd suggest H4350 or H4831. For .35 Rem. I might suggest H4895 since it has significantly lower pressure than the other calibers. I'm partial to Hodgdon stick powders, but IMR also makes a version of all three as well. Good luck, Mike

July 2, 2009, 12:08 PM	#5
sako2 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Posts: 741	My sierra & hornady have imr 4831 listed for all except the 35 and both have imr 4064 for it. Thanks for your replies. I have good loads for all of them but was wanting to use one powder for all if possible.

July 2, 2009, 03:55 PM	#6
James R. Burke Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2009 Location: U.P. of Mich/Quinnesec Posts: 1,897	They are correct that is alot of differnt calibers. I am sure you could come up with one, but it might perform really poor in some, and great in others. That is what makes reloading great you can find the best powder for what you are shooting, and make the most accurate round for it. You need to do a little research. Some good ones to look at are IMR-4350, IMR-4831, IMR-4064, Varget, and there are lots more. I assume you have a good manual or two. The Lee is a good one, and I try to get one for the bullet I will be using also. It is a great hobby, have fun, and keep it safe! I am sure it will all work out for you.

July 2, 2009, 04:10 PM	#7
SSG-Gibb Member Join Date: June 25, 2009 Location: The Free state (For now) of PA Posts: 60	I started out using my 270 as my first distance gun, and went through a lot of different powders but what worked best in my gun was 7828. The 06 I'd have to go with the 4895 as well but the 7828 work really nice in that too.