Help picking a couple powders for these chamberings

D

dvdcrr

New member
I am thinking about picking up a couple 8# bottles (one type or 2 types) of powder to best load for the following:
243 Win 70-100 gr
6mm Rem 87-100 gr
25-06 117 gr
257 Weatherby 117 gr.
270 Win 130 gr
270 WSM. 130-150 gr.
Which powder or two powders would you pick to suit all of these?
Thanks
 
B

BBarn

New member
IMR4831 and another one a bit slower would probably take care of everything but the light bullets in the 243. Or perhaps IMR4831 and something a bit faster to take care of them all. With two powders you probably won't be able to get maximum possible velocities with all those bullet weights in every caliber if that's important in every case.
 
M

Marco Califo

New member
You need to know what bullet weights you will use in each. Then Look at the load data published by powder and bullet makers. Look at some burn rate charts, too.
8 lbs is a lot of powder, and the price break is not much. I actually recommend buying 4 or 6 different 1 lb. canisters after deciding which ones have the data you want to load. Then see which work good in your rifles.
I will say I think you will find the usual medium rifle powders will do what you want.
My first 8 lb purchase was A-2460 which worked well from 223 to 308. There are many faster and slower in that general burn rate zone. TAC, Varget, and H-335, H-CFE-223 are a couple. I tend to identify powders I want to try based on what loads I want to shoot.
 
D

dvdcrr

New member
imr4831 was on my short list as well. I think that one is a lock. Maybe then some 4350. For a slower powder, maybe some RL22
 
S

Scorch

New member
You can cover all of those with Reloader 19 and Reloader 22. And the added benefit is they meter easier than any of the IMR powders.
 
S

std7mag

New member
Depends on what your barrel likes for the above mentioned bullets.
My findings thus far are as such.

243 Win- 70-90 is probably something in the H414, 4350, RL17 range. Bullets 100gr + my pick is RL26 all the way!
6mm Rem- again, 70-90gr is something in the H414, 4350, RL17 range. 90-100gr would be Alliant PP4000, or RL23.
25-06 would be PP4000, same with 270 Win, and 280 Rem.
257 Weatherby- Alliant RL23 or RL26 for speed and accuracy.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
8 lbs is a lot of powder,
Click to expand...

For the cartridges the OP listed, 8lbs of powder is about 1,000rnds. A hundred or so more in the smaller cases, and a hundred or so less for the bigger ones.

Might I suggest that, before buying in bulk, you buy a number of 1lb cans of different powders and test them in all your rifles. Then chose the two that work best in the most rifles and buy those in bulk,

Any combination is possible and most of the time you will get decent performance in all of them from about everything, but some powder are going to be better in some rifles than others, and some are going to be worse.

it is, for example not impossible you could get a powder that shoots great in one rifle, only does "meh" average in two others and shoots like crap in the remaining 3. Do you really want to buy 8lbs of that??? OR 8lbs of anything before you know how well it will perform, overall??

All the cases listed are close to or are "overbore" meaning a large powder capacity compared to bore size, so you will get best velocity results with powders that are at the slower end of the burning range. Medium to slow should do well. Accuracy is going to depend on your individual rifles and loads.
 
C

Colorado Redneck

New member
What 44Amp said. Going all in on unknown components may result in several pounds of unused powder you really have no use for. Try several powders and bullets combinations, then decide based on the results. I speak from experience....:eek:
 
P

Pathfinder45

New member
There are at least several powders that could work well in any of those calibers, but each rifle, even if in the same caliber, will have preferences. To gamble on 8-16 pounds of powder in that many calibers means that you will likely get lucky on some of them, and also be disappointed when some of the likeliest ones don't work out well. But I like your idea anyway.
Therefore, put together a list of the likeliest 8 or more powders, and go look for a killer deal on one or two of them at a gun-show.
4350, any version.
IMR-4831
Norma MRP
Reloder 22
H-4831
Oh, Heck, there are so many good choices...........
 
2

2ndtimer

New member
Old school: IMR or H-4350 would work in all of them.

My choice would be Reloder 17 or Power Pro 4000-MR and Reloder 26 for the magnums, if you want maximum velocity.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
Here's the thing, look at the data in several loading manuals. Everything listed WORKS. Some, clearly work better than others, in the test guns. This does NOT mean they will do the same in YOUR guns. They might, they might do something differently.

If the cost of a couple 8lb kegs of powder isn't a significant chunk of change for you do what you want.

I bought a 3/4 full 25lb keg of Red Dot once, because, well, it was a "deal", and you can use it in pistols...and you can. But here I am decades later with about half that keg still on the shelf. :D (because I learned other powders were better for what I wanted)
 
T

T. O'Heir

New member
"...8lbs of powder is about 1,000rnds..." Depending on the cartridge and load, but do not buy anything but primers in bulk until you have worked up the load.
"...but each rifle..." Yep. You have to pick a powder and bullet weight then work up a load for each rifle. You can have identical consecutively numbered rifles in the same chambering and they'll both shoot the same ammo differently. Chambers will be slightly different. It's literally about tool wear during manufacturing.
Only load .243 out of those and it's been IMR4350 with 90 and 105 grain bullets for eons. The 'IMR' and 'H' are close but are not the same thing. The 'H' gives a whole 89 FPS more velocity with Max loads. You still have to work up the load with each powder.
However, I've found that staring with the powder given with the 'accuracy load' if your manual has that, makes the choice of powder faster.
 
R

rsnell

New member
The Lyman and Nosler manuals list the most accurate powder they found to be most accurate for the bullet weight. Use the primer they suggest and start with the recommended starting load. I have had good luck using the Lyman manual.
 
K

kilotanker22

New member
Two powders for me. H-1000 for the 270 wsm and the 257 Weatherby. H-4350 for the rest of them. That is if I had to choose only two.

IMR 4831 would be my third choice or Reloder 26
 
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