IMR Powder performance 4350 or 4895 for 7mm mag

wpageabc

Looking for opinions on IMR powder for 7mm mag reloads. Ran out of IMR 4895 and have a few lbs of 4350 for a batch just deprimed.

Experts only please. What are pro and con?

Thanks!

charliemeyer007

Never used 4895 in my 7mm Rem Mag. H4831 was ok but I liked H870 even better and then T870 was the best.

These days it is almost what you can find that will work. I guess rifle powder is in better supply.

I'd look for H1000 these days.

IMR 4350 is the best of your original choices.

Ball powder meters better and burns cooler IMHO so useful barrel life is better.

I shot 100's of pounds of 4895 and 4831 in 06, 308, 8mm, 222, and others. Most was of it was H flavor, if I bought IMR it was 3031 or 4198 as a rule. 4350 and 4320 were always spotty.

nononsense

wpageabc,

It would be helpful if you told us the bullet weights you are interested in shooting and your OAL.

As an aside, Hodgdon/IMR does not list IMR 4895 as a load combination with mid-weight bullets.

My data suggests IMR-7828 for a full case and safe pressure yielding a good velocity based on 150 grain Nosler Partitions.

If you have other variables it will help us sort data.

Best.

wpage

Thanks guys,,,

Bullets are 165 grain Sierra BT.

Mobuck

4350 would be at the quicker end of the optimum choices for this cartridge/bullet weight.
I used IMR 4350 with Nosler 160 Partitions 20 years ago simply because times were tough and it was what I had. It produced excellent accuracy but not quite the velocity I was hoping for-killed a lot of critters regardless.

Okie743

Most likely for consistent accuracy you need to with H4831, or H1000.

I use H4831sc in my 7mm mags with good results.

IMR4350 will make a big bang but consistent accuracy might be little erratic.

IMR4895 will usually be little erratic for accuracy in the big mags.

I never could make IMR4895 produce good consistent accuracy (cold bore to hot bore shots usually produced flyers)) in any caliber but firecrackers, therefore I call it firecracker powder. My guns might shoot good accuracy one day and not the next day when using IMR4895.
I tried to make it work when I first started reloading several years ago and all it done was waste bullets and time and I have some old 4895 that I need to use for more firecrackers.
Suspect if I toss it in the flower beds as fertilizer it might kill the flowers and make the weeds grow, it's that erratic for me anyway.

See where some people just love IMR4895, but only way I would use it based on my previous experience when testing would be if it was the last powder available in the world.

nononsense

wpageabc,

Thanks for posting the bullet weight.

Please be aware that I am speaking in general terms with no intent to offend or cause discontent. [}:)][:D]

In general, the slightly slower powders on the scale will perform the best and most consistently in this cartridge/case combination. These will include but is not limited to:

IMR-7828 (full case, good velocity node)

Re-25 (slightly compressed load, very consistent average node)

H-4831 (nearly perfect)

Ramshot Magnum (Nearly perfect, upper node)

VVN-165 (Nearly perfect, lower accuracy node)

Now, you can choose a faster powder and continue to load in this manner but be aware that you will have a significant airspace in the case and this can cause problems with both consistency and accuracy. Here we open the door to all the non-accuracy oriented shooter/reloaders who will swear that they have the most accurate load in history and there is a significant airspace in the case. All I can say is congratulations on being the exception to the rest of the world.[;)]

As far as IMR-4895 is concerned, it has been reserved for smaller capacity cases in the 40-45 grain range with slightly heavier bullets. Example; 6mm Dasher/105 Berger Hybrids. The opposite end of that spectrum is the .416 Taylor/400 grain Swift at 92 grains capacity.

I'm using a lot of it with the 6 Dasher while testing several bullets for competition. So far the results are excellent. I may switch powders but IMR-4895 will continue to be a contender for the time being.

Best.

wpageabc

Thanks for the tips.

OK since I have the 4350 powder sounds like it will work with mixed results. Just found a 3rd pound of the 4350 so by default, till I buy better powder it will work...

Best Regards!