Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Do it all powder

I have a friend that is wanting to get into reloading (bad time to start but what can I say).
He gave me a list of what he is wanting to load for which includes the following:
243 Winchester using 100gr bullets
300 Win Mag using 150gr bullets
300 Savage using 150gr bullets
308 Winchester using 150gr bullets

Pistol
9mm with 120gr and 40S&W with 180 gr

My question is what powders would you suggest I tell him look for that will cover these. I know there will be a divide between the pistol and rifle but trying to help him buy as few different powders as possible to cover his needs. He is a deer hunter and not a target shoot.
Thanks in advance

H4895 is a good do it all powder, But I'd go with something slower with the 300 Win Mag such as H4831sc.

I don't load those two pistol cartridges any more, but Unique is a good do-it-all powder for pistols.

He needs two rifle powders. One for the .243 and .300WM and one for the .300 Savage and .308. For the .243 and .300WM, I’d be looking at a temp stable powder in the R23 burn rate and for the .300 Savage and .308 I’d be looking at the R15 and Varget burn rates.

John

The "one powder" idea is a novice concept that never really works.

Don't let him begin on the wrong path. As previously mentioned he should have at least two different powders for the above rifle.

He could do a lot with H4350, but that presuming he can even find any right now.

What's he going to do for primers?

Are you going to give him some, or is he going to pay $500 a thousand on Gunbroker? If not powder don't matter because he's not going to be reloading anytime soon.

Here is my part/plan to help him
1) give him 1-2 hundred LRM primers
2) give him 1-2 hundred LR primers
3) Help him find dies, brass, bullets, powder, press, and scale.
I figure he can get up to speed with a little instruction from me. I can show him the small tools (case mouth deburring tool, etc.) that you need and he can pick that stuff up a little at a time as he goes along.
When someone tells me they want to start reloading, I hate to tell them they need to drop a bundle just to get going. You never know how deep they really want to go. Heck I guess he could get by with the old Lee 1 caliber in a box loading kit that were something like $20 back in the day if he just wants a box or two per year type thing.

This two-rifle-powders solution would be my suggestion. And one pistol powder in the Unique/Universal/Power Pistol/Long Shot burn range.

Like Antelope Sniper said, the "one powder" idea has serious limitations in reality, and is a sort of pipe dream. You can pick one powder for all the mentioned rifle cartridges and bullets, but it will give less-than-ideal performance for at least two. You could actually use one powder for all the above, including the pistols, such as Unique, and it will push the bullets out the barrels, but not at typical velocities from the rifles. I've done this, and it is rewarding in its own way, but it isn't for novices.

I really figured he would need 3 powder (at least) to do this. I was thinking a pistol powder, one for 243/308/maybe 300 Savage and some type of a Mag powder. I do not reload for anything in 30 cal. so not sure how any of that breaks down and overlaps.

The 300 Savage and 308 are fairly close in case-capacity-to-bore-volume ratio, so one powder burn rate would work for both if shooting the same weight bullets, something in the R-15/Varget/4895 burn range.

The 243 is "overbore", as is the 300WM. Since the 300 is using light-for-caliber bullets, you might get away with the 300S/308W powder in the 300WM, but performance will lag. The 243 is using bullets on the heavier end of the spectrum, so a slower powder than is ideal in the 300S/308W will be better, something 4350 or slower, with very slow powders like H1000 even being contenders. These slower powders will also give best velocity out of the 300WM.

Two rifle powders will work, with one being for the 300S/308W and one being for the 243/300WM.

Helping someone get started in reloading is a good place to be.... We all needed some mentoring.

When i was thinking about reloading[ 30+ years ago ] this is what 2 very experienced reloaders told me:
1] Reloading is a fine hobby.
2] Done well, you can prepare ammunition better than the stuff on the shelf.
3] Start out small. You dont need to be an equipment nut. Read, ask, and learn. Be safe
4] Yes, you can load good ammo cheaper PER CARTRIDGE than factory stuff.
5] But you wont save any money because you will be shooting considerably more than before. :-)

They also told me that 'if you have any more generral questions before you start.... go back through this list.

All of the above was and is right on. Your friend should hear this if he hasnt already.
The current shortages of everything puts a damper on reloading.
Hopefully the shortages are mostly covid and political-climate related and will soon improve.

One the rifle side, either version of 4350 or RL-19 is about as close as 1 powder can get; not optimum in all be good enough.

On the pistol side, PowerPistol or Unique will be fine.

MM

^^^^ This.

Reloading isn't a simplex linear programming problem. If this criterion is really important, I'd politely steer him towards factory ammo.

I like H4831sc for 243 (don't load for 300WM)
and I'm using IMR 8208xbr for both 300 Savage and 308 Win, with very good results.

I can and do load all of those rifle rounds Except the Savage with IMR-4350 including the 300WM. Pistol powder would be hard to beat Unique.

Elk Country

Good friend he can’t buy factory ammo either. Maybe he has a idea and learns he needs 1 or 2 more powders than he was thinking. You know after he learns a little bit. Not everyone knows everything when they first start something new. He also has a friend to help him that knows what he’s doing.

Anyway now that all the negative stuff is out of the way. H4350 and H4831sc will both work with his 243 and 300win. I use H4350 in 22-250AI,6 creedmoor, 243’s,friends 6.5 creed and my 260. I say that to say he might can use it for his 300 savage and 308? The last two I just don’t know? I use ‘15 in my wife’s 250AI and varget for others 308’s.

No clue about pistol powder. Good on you for helping him though. As you know now is not the best time to start loading but getting some things as he can and learning the basics is a start.

I suggest he start with one easy one (the .308, or whatever he shoots the most), then move on when he starts to get the hang of it. Will simplify his component logistics and get him used to the processes involved without the confusion of multiple cartridges. Ease the financial whack a bit too.

If I was just going to reload hunting ammo for one rifle, a Lee Loader would work very well, along with a good scale. Still use them at times.

I have been looking into Staball 6.5. It's newer and seems to hold some promise for flexibility. I don't think they have explicit data on some of those listed cartridges, but they do list similar ones that could serve as a starting point *if* a more experienced reloader were to help him develop a load. As many have stated, one-size-fits-all is hard to do.

Over the years a few guys I knew wanted to start reloading. I showed them how with my stuff, let them buy their own components & coached them thru the process still using my stuff. One or two bought their own stuff, one continued using my stuff for a few years to load his hunting ammo after a good load was found, & the rest lost interest. If he's a good friend you guys can hang out for a few hours after work or on a weekend to see if he really is interested. He can cruise the classifieds looking for what he may need bit by bit while using your stuff.

I would think a 4350 of some sort or 4451 for the 243 & 300WM, & a mid burner... RL15, 4064, 4895, etc. for the 308 & the Savage might be the best option. One powder is setting himself up for failure & that usually means loss of interest. A middle of the road pistol powder will be a start. W231 or even Trail Boss might be a good beginning. Guessing it really depends on what's available more than what's optimal right now.

While he is planning, keep looking for a loading press and dies. Nothing is easy to find these days.

As for rifle I don't have a 243 but for everything else on the list I've had good luck with 8208XBR.

Agreed. Although one can "get by" with only a few powders, you have to remember that each rifle/cartridge/bullet combination is going to give different results, when using different powders. I always experiment a lot when working up a load, and it is a very rare thing to strike gold with the first powder you try......which is why I like to keep a number of powders on hand. If the best and most accurate load doesn't interest you, then the one powder concept might be okay.