Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles IMR4198 - What Cartridges you guys use it in?

Saw a thread about H4198 in the Ruger 204 that got me to thinking, so I'll start this thread.

Last year before Christmas I needed some IMR4198 to load up some reduced loads for a young cousin who was getting his first deer rifle, a 243, for Christmas. All I could find was an 8lb jug so now I have a large quantity of it. I have a young nephew and niece coming up so I'll use some of it for reduced loads, but I'd like to have some suggested other uses for it. I reload a lot of cartridges from 204Ruger up though 35Rem and 35Whelen. I don't have anything above or below that range, so no 17s or big bores.

Either 4198 is very good for reduced 308 Winchester loads.

21.5 grains of IMR4198 and anybody's 50 or 55 grain bullet has been a very accurate load in every .223 I've owned* going back some 35 years, that covers at least eight of them and I might be forgetting one or two. It's also very good in a .221 Fireball. I'm sure more modern powders will outpace it for speed and temperature stability and all that but it's still just as accurate as it ever was.

It also works well in the .30-30 for cast bullets or reduced jacketed loads, around 19 grains was my best cast bullet load IIRC.



*except for a Mini-14 from the early 80's, that wouldn't shoot anything worth a damn.

I like using it with 60 & 68 grainers in my ar. Shot REAL well with the 68 BTHP.

I like using it with 60 & 68 grainers in my ar. Shot REAL well with the 68 BTHP.

Great powder in every 222 I've loaded, and has been my long time powder in my 45-70. It's a good cast bullet powder in my 400 Whelen.

4198, H or IMR works great with 300 gr Cutting Edge bullets in my .458 Win Mag.

Use H for really high volume .223 gopher trips as I get about 20% more rounds per pound w/not much vel loss.-Muddy

I've read somewhere that it doesn't do very well in ARs but is fine for bolt 223s. Is that what you guys have found? I only shoot bolt 223s.

223 Rem and 45-70.

Don't know how things stand today but the 5.56mm round was originally developed with a stick powder very much like IMR4198. It was very clean burning and did not gunk up the gas tube, leading to the original reputation that the rifle was extremely reliable and really didn't need cleaning.

Then when the military adopted it, for production ease and who knows what other reason they switched to a much less clean burning ball powder like H335 or Win 748 which gunked up the gas tube and everything else. That was a good part of the reason why the "reliable" M16 turned into an unreliable weapon in the jungles of RVN.

At least that's the way I heard it back then.

45/70, .405 Win, .375win, .22Jet, 7mmTCU, and .30x39 presently...

222 and 7MM X 223 Improved XP 100

I use it in the .222 and .223


Lots of it.

mathman,

I am curious what do you use in reduce loads with either 4198 for 308 Winchester loads? What case/primer/bullet and start/max of 4198? I do not see this in my Hornady/Nosler books but they are at least 10 years old. Thanks.

I use it in my .22 Maximum Lovell, and for some cast bullet loads in .30-30, .30-40, .30-06. It works a treat in the Lovell, but there are better powders for the other three (such as SR-4759, RL-7, Unique, 2400, 4227, etc.).

Then you pretty much heard it right. Plus the fact that you weren't supposed to have to clean it.

Either H or IMR are great cast bullet powders as is 4895.
444,reduced Swift loads and cast in the 338/06AI

As most, I use it in my .222 and .223...

.223, .444, .45-70.