Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters H-4350 and H-4350

I'm down to the last 1/8 - 1/4 lb or so of H-4350. I have a new 1lb jug of H-4350 different lot number. Any downside of mixing the two lot numbers together and move on?

That's what I do with IMR 4350 and H4831

NO, I'd just approach a max load with caution.


Jerry

I made a blended lot of Varget. I was down to the last couple of pounds in an 8 pound jug. I mixed in some from open one pounders and maybe a new one as well. It has been a while so I don't remember exactly. I shook the jug to make sure it all mixed and I let it sit for a few days so the moisture content would even out. It shot great.

I'm about to do the same with an 8 pounder of 3031 that's getting low. Despite the present shortages my local store often has 3031 on the shelf. I guess it isn't on the "panic buying" radar yet. So I'll grab two pounds and mix them in. Sort of a Solera system for gunpowder I suppose.

IMR4350 shouldn't be any different.

Thank you gentleman.

When you get to the end of the first batch, you will have the option of "mixing", but likely only ONE cartridge, soooo...no issue.

I once mixed 3 lbs of H414 with 4 or 5lbs WW760. I dint blow up.

Have done similar with not only those two, but other powders that are the same stuff in different canisters.

Back when IMR4451 first appeared a few years ago, Hodgdon sent me a few pounds to test. I liked it a LOT, finding it worked as well or better than H4350 in several cartridges--so ordered an 8-pounder from an Internet site. When it showed up I discovered the burn-rate resulted in a difference of about 50 fps in the handloads I'd worked up. So I mixed it all together, ending up with a powder with a burn-rate somewhere between the two batches, but closer to the 8-pounder.

This is pretty much what powder companies do when producing canister powders for handloading: They mix powder previous batches to obtain a burn-rate close to their "standard." Probably the larger difference in those two lots was due to the powder being new, so there weren't as many samples from various batches to mix in and "adjust" the burn-rate--though it was still within about 2%.

Wow - shir'lock !

Big Risk there.




Jerry

I batch mix all of my powders. Years ago I took all of my 1lb jugs of the same powders. I have a big plastic bucket with a pour spout dedicated to powder only. Mix them up real good with a plastic spoon and pour them back into the containers. With that, I made my own “lots.” Shoot up a one pounder, then move on to the next and know that the loads will never change.

Any additional powder purchased gets labeled as not mixed. By the time I get to that powder, I will need to make a new batch and workup loads again.

In recent years, I have purchased powder 16 pounds at a time for convenience and consistency.

ckat,

Good technique!

ckat that sounds like a good idea instead of starting over all the time.

I combine powders all the time. Most I've mixed in one batch is 48 pounds........

Once, I ordered six eight pounders, and asked for all the same lot if possible. Ended up with three of one lot, two of another, and one single jug.

Dumped them all together in a big plastic tote, then poured them back & forth with another tote like a mad scientist, til I figured they were properly mixed.

I just got done mixing two eights of current HP-38 with an older lot of WW-231. I'm set on handgun powder for a bit.

And some cannisters have so much open air space you can often fill them up and wind up with less cans on your shelf. I've done this when I couldn't find a big jug and had to buy 1lb'ers. 5lbs might fit in only 4 cans if you fill them up after blending. Just mark them accordingly.

same stuff eh ?

Thus the mixture.

I do the same thing.

Several years ago when our illustrious president from Kenya was in charge and powders were really hard to get I came across Varget very sparingly. I'd find a pound or two in one place, a few months later I'd find another couple pounds from another store, etc. I ended up with ten pounds from five or so lot numbers so I mixed them all together into one blended lot. Now I've got a decent stash of Varget that's all the same so I don't have to worry about loads changing when I finish one can and move on to the next.

I screwed up and mixed cans of 2 and 3FG black powder, shoot it in my muzzle loaders, all is good.

I do that too if I end up with a bunch of one pounders!