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Various 4350 powders (FWIW)
Ambrose
Member Posts: 3,164 ✭✭✭✭
The post on "IM4350" sent me to check my range notes. In the late 1990's, over a 2-year interval, I experimented with four 4350 powders: Accurate Arms 4350 (AA4350), Brigadier 4351 (BR4351), Hodgdon 4350 (H4350), and IMR4350. I have a Remington 721 chambered in .300 H&H magnum that liked 165 gr. Nosler ballistic tips. I used WW cases, 70 gr. of each powder, and WLRM primers. Results as follows:
Five 5-shot groups AA4350: avg. 3223 fps; avg. group=1.42"
Six 5-shot groups BR4351: avg. 3142 fps; avg. group=1.50"
Eight 5-shot groups H4350: avg. 3199 fps; avg. group=1.73"
Four 5-shot groups IMR4350: avg. 3220 fps; avg. group=1.36"
Not much difference, although a note attached to one of the AA4350 groups, "a little hot". And as far as the avg. group size of the H4350: If I take out 2 of the 40 shots I fired, the group size comes right back down to the size from the other powders.
As the post title says: For what it's worth.
Five 5-shot groups AA4350: avg. 3223 fps; avg. group=1.42"
Six 5-shot groups BR4351: avg. 3142 fps; avg. group=1.50"
Eight 5-shot groups H4350: avg. 3199 fps; avg. group=1.73"
Four 5-shot groups IMR4350: avg. 3220 fps; avg. group=1.36"
Not much difference, although a note attached to one of the AA4350 groups, "a little hot". And as far as the avg. group size of the H4350: If I take out 2 of the 40 shots I fired, the group size comes right back down to the size from the other powders.
As the post title says: For what it's worth.
Comments
It's always great to see comparative data as actually shot in the field not under test tunnel conditions.
I will point out though that in the intervening 16+ years since your tests were conducted, those four companies have probably had several different lots of powder in their manufacturing runs. So the data you generated will stand in good stead when compared to those same lot numbers but might not hold true for any of the most recent lots. It is still interesting as it stands though.
Best.
I've seen accurate rifles go from 1/4 inch or better groups at 100 yards to over 1 1/2 inch groups just from using mixed up non-matched brass hulls. (usually the weight of the brass)
My point is that it might be something else besides the type powders that is producing larger groups.