Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters New Hodgdon Burn Chart Nov 23

That powder choice makes sense .

That's good on pressures. Years ago, after an unwilling experimentation, I studied the load manual's pressures. Hmm, that powder behaves itself, that powder can get squirrelly at the top. It's maximum pressure is lower than other powders for that cartridge, that is a bit of a warning. I now pay close attention to the pressures in the manuals.

I now pay close attention to the pressures in the manuals.[/quote]

I wish everyone would do this .

But most don't. Many start with the max load right away.

There are some errors in manuals though. One of my manuals had 35 Remington and 358 Winchester loads exchanged.

It has been said here by many in the past...but I will repeat, we will rue the day the Hodgdon giant began cannabalizing the competition and sourcing powders all over the world. And when a giant like Hodgdon derives the big money from .gov...they will do whatever is required to keep those big contracts coming. I'm not saying conspiracy...I'm saying we have plenty of historical fact to support the fact that .gov suborns big corporations for political ends. Mandatory mileage and emissions, healthcare, media, carbon extortion, energy production...the track record of .gov is undeniable.
What can we do? Buy brand X from the little manufacturer whenever feasible...and hope the big H doesn't go corporate raider mode?
Whether we want to acknowledge it or not...reloading components are by extension, married to the second amendment. Can't happen here? Russian import shooting supplies were banned by the stroke of a pen. To punish the Russians...or to restrict supply to US citizens? Your choice.

Hodgdon is close to becoming a monopoly. Too close.

Same here I’ve got close to 20#s.

As far as I can determine so far, Magnum has not been discontinued.

If this kind of “monopoly” were to happen in virtually any other industry the government would be interceding under anti-trust laws. 🙄

I didn’t see any info on Grand in the Ramshot or Hodgdon sites?

So far I've only seen Grand data in the Hodgdon 2024 Annual Manual--which just came out. They might want to sell some of those before offering free data on the Internet.

FYI Gun Gack IV is still on sale, as are all my game cookbooks, $4-6 off. I know it's late, but with Cubic Priority through Pirateship, it's only a few dollars more to get those packages delivered in time for Christmas. (Just mailed 2 books yesterday to Oregon, for $2.50 extra, and USPS said they would be there Saturday, December 16. For two books, east of the Mississippi will cost another $7. FYI: We normally include shipping in the price, but that's media mail.)
The links are below: cookbooks, then Gun Gack IV: The Little Book of Rifle Loads that Work
Eileen (Mrs. Mule Deer)

https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/product-category/books/wild-game-cookbooks/

https://www.riflesandrecipes.com/product/gun-gack-iv-the-little-book-of-rifle-loads-that-work/

This exactly the reason, but not just any particular age group. Just look at any thread on the fire about powders, you'll see a dozen "I've been using imr4350 for 50 years and I'm not changing now!". Handloaders get so stuck with 1 formula (bullet+case+powder+primer) that they'll go buy factory ammo or use a different gun instead of *gasp* trying something new. Newer loaders will say "I was told to use this or don't even try". I work in the retail side of the industry and I hear these things on a daily basis.

Personally I love loading and experimenting. You never know what you might discover if you only stick to 1 or 2 powders for everything. Especially if they're old standards because, guess what, shortages WILL happen again. Your favorite powder WILL become unavailable again. So either you suck it and foot the increased bill to but a lifetime supply when you can or you adapt.

Agree 100% on this. I like having options, especially in an era where things can get scarce or discontinued at the blink of an eye. I always try to work up loads with a few different powder/bullet combinations for any new rifle I pick up.

I hate the physical process itself, but I'm a load fiddler by nature... it's a bit of a contadiction 🤷‍♂️ I'm always monkeying around with stuff just to see what I can get it to do with new loads, even if I've already got proven shooters for it.

Someone knows how to make coin the publishing biz

Why buy the cow (book) when you can get the milk (data) for free?

When I find something that works I stay with it. The LGS has a bunch of powders I've never heard of and haven't seen in my reloading manuals most of which I feel are redundant from year to year. Guess I'll have to buy the new Nosler and Hornady manuals to decipher what new and improved powders to buy.
Color me Crumudgedon I don't like change. If it works don't try to fix it.

And I've evolved to the opposite.
From picking a "perfect" powder for every gun, to trying to consolidate
on a few that do well in many applications.

I really don't need a powder to maximize the 22-250, 243, Swede, 264, 7mag, 308, 30-06, 300win. Two, maybe 3 will do darn fine in all of them.

This is me. If it’s one thing I’ve learned in these shortages, consolidate!

I don't have a bazillion powders, but I do like to pick up something new to try once in a while. I have a handful that work well across most of my cartridges and have gotten myself well stocked on those.

I did do that with primers... consolidated down to 1 or 2 for each type, and traded off the others for more of the ones I'm using.

I spoke with someone at Hodgdon today and they told me they are NOT discontinuing Magnum powder production. Grand is essentially the same burn rate, “more” temp stable, and has an agent to reduce copper fouling.

He said we should see more Magnum available some time after New Year.