Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Impressed with Ramshot Magnum, thanks to Mule Deer

After using Big Game for the first time about four years ago, when I started loading my 9.3x62, I switched all of my rifle powders to the Ramshot line with the exception of H4831SC which I used when I owned a 450/400 3" NE. I don't own that rifle anymore and when the dozen or so pounds of H4831SC are gone (my excuse to buy a 270! ) I'll be running all Ramshot for rifles. Metering is good; velocities are fine, and cleanup is easy. Price is good in my neck of the woods as well, and availability hasn't been a problem except during the Great Powder Drought of 2009.

bigwhoop,

I doubt there will be any significant pressure difference between uncoated bores and those that have been DNC'd. I base this on very little difference in muzzle velocities from the same barrels before-and-after DBC.

I found Johan very responsive and helpful. Great product and great customer service.

this is the first time I haven't tried H414 as my first choice in a 3006 with 150s. This has previously been my "go to" powder.

Big Game certainly showed real promise.

Ramshot Hunter does ok in a .243 with the 115Dtacs. Left to right the groups are .25", .39" and .46". Point of impact changes was a result of testing a scope. I love it because I can crank out ammo on a Dillon progressive and not worry about it jamming the powder measure like H4350.

I am getting great accuracy in my 22-250 and 7-08 with Big Game. Hard not to like this powder.

Same here and it works great with 150 grain loads in .30-06 too.

The 30-06 is next on my list to try with Big Game.

Yeah, Big Game is a great powder in the .22-250.

It also works very well with lighter bullets in the .220 Swift. I'm running 40-grain Ballistic Tips at 4250 (not a max load by any means) and very fine accuracy. When sighted-in at 300 yards, that load allows holding dead-on a coyote's chest to 350 or even a little further. With 55-60 grain bullets in the Swift, however, I often run Hunter, for high velocities and top accuracy.

John

I bought a pound of Hunter after reading some of your post. When time permits I am going to try it also. My average five shot groups at 100 yards was .61 out of my Ruger number 1 using Speer 55gr TNT's.I did not chrono them yet but for the shots I will get at coyote in Michigan this load will be fine.

I have used Hunter with excellent results in the .243 Winchester, .257 Roberts and .270 Winchester. It's really great in the 7mm and .30 short-fat-beltless magnums, and with 180-grain bullets in the .30-06.

It would be nice if they supplied data for Weatherby cartridges!

John,

Have you found Big Game and Hunter to be temperature stable like Magnum powder?

Thanks,

Jason

TAC is probably the most temp-stable of the Ramshot powders, with Big Game a pretty close second. Hunter and Magnum are also pretty good, but not like the two faster powders.

When I first tested TAC at zero degrees, the muzzle velocity of a .223 load averaged EXACTLY the same as it had at 70 degrees. Now that was definitely just pure chance, as loads almost never chronograph exactly the same even when chronographed at the same temperature.

One thing I always have to remind folks of when discussing temperature stability is that the characteristics of powders can change at pressures out of their normal range. One of the Ramshot lab-techs pointed this out to me during one of my visits.

His example was using Varget to try to get absolute max velocities out of 140-grain bullets in the .260 Remington, and called it "stressing" the powder. Varget is one of the most temp-stable of powders, but stress it beyond its comfort zone and it loses some of that stability.

Magnum in the 257Wby/100TSX, 243AI/105 A-max, and 7WSM/162A-max.

Hunter in the 270Win 140/TSX and 243Win 85/TSX.

All but the 7 run on a Dillon sans any trouble at all. I haven't had the 7 long enough to nab a powder measurer/toolhead for it.

John

What grain of bullets are you liking in the 270 with Hunter ?

FINALLY picked up a 270 this year - an unfired Husqvarna that is likely to be fired

What E said.

With spelling corrected, of course. Must've just been a focus thing...

Actually, I've always had a spelling problem. Which is now compounded by my old fingers not punching the right keys.....
I've always found Ramshot Powders to be very satisfactory. Let's see, Hunter in the '06 w/ 180's, in the .280, either 120's or 140's, 100's in the .25-284, etc.
Magnum is my "go to" powder with 117's in my .25-284.
Big Game works really well for light loads w/ 117's in the .257 Bob, and very nicely in my 7-08 with 139-145 gr. bullets.
TAC works well in the .308 w/ 125's - 155's, and even for reduced loads w/ 180's in my '06.
Their handgun powders work well too. I'm really impressed with Silhouette. Has to be the cleanest burning powder I've ever used in the .45 ACP. No flies in ZIP or True Blue either. E

Lorne,

I've mostly run Hunter with 140's in the .270, but it also works just fine with 130's and 150's, of course!

I use Magnum in my 264 WM. I used Mule Deer's load data from his article on the 264 WM a few years ago. I wasn't able to get the same speed with my rifle and when I tried to get there pressures must have spiked because the Chrono all the sudden read 200 FPS more than it should have. So I backed it down and have been happy. It is still faster than anything else I have tried. I noticed I needed to get next max with it before the soot around the neck went away. I guess it finally started expanding enough to seel the chamber.

I have used Hunter in a few cartridges too. Most recently the 338 WM. I noticed the same thing the OP said about it being cooler to shoot. I loaded up test loads with Hunter and H4831SC and noticed how quickly the H4831SC heated up the barrel compared to the Hunter loads.

I have found Hunter to shine in my .284 also. Speed compared to the Nolser #6 manual was right there and accuracy was excellent.

I find myself going more and more to Ramshot powders, but I will say they are frustrating to use with my Hornady Auto Charge Powder Scale and Dispenser. They flow so well I am always over, but like Mule Deer has said they flow so well I just dump them now from a powder measure.