MontanaMan,

Appearance of powders means less than it used to. As 5sdad mentioned, he's had different colors of H4350. I've had different batches of Varget with different colors. Also, my last batch of IMR 4350 (a couple pounds purchased a couple years ago in a local store) has SHORT-CUT granules, instead the "logs" many of us are used to--yet it results in the same basic velocities when used in my long-time IMR 4350 loads for various rifles. In my experience the granules of quite a few specific powder brands vary somewhat in color and size anymore from lot to lot, not just those examples.

I also just compared the granules from my present batches of Norma MRP and Reloder 22--which are different than those mentioned in my earlier comparison. That occurred around 5-6 years ago, and if I recall correctly those batches I were acquired at about the same time. The granules were indeed identical (I compared them with a magnifying glass),, as well as the velocity produced with the same bullet, case and primer in the same rifles. In fact, at the end of that test I was running short on both powders, so I dumped 'em both into the same canister (instead keeping two containers with a little powder in each) and made a note to get some more. At the time the MRP still came in a steel can.

I just checked the replacement batches of MRP and RL-22t. As I recall, I picked up the -22 on one of my next trips to a local store, as they generally had it in stock. But there wasn't any MRP in any local store, and it was a while before I could replaced it--with newer stuff in the plastic canisters they use now. I've been using both since for various handloading projects, and they still result in similar velocities in the same applications. I compared the granules and the MRP's are slightly thinner and paler, though both are about the same length. Were they produced at the same time? Dunno, but I would guess not.

Am still guessing MRP and 22 are the same powder, due both to my results and published data. A good example is comparing Norma's data for the .270 Winchester for MRP and 130- and 150-grain Nosler Partitions, with Nosler's data using RL-22. (Alliant's on-line data doesn't list RL-22 with 130 Partitions in the .270.) The maximum powder charges are both within .2 grains, and the velocities are very similar too, certainly within lot-to-lot variations and differences in test barrels.


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John Steinbeck