Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hodgdon is discontinuing the IMR Enduron line of powders ?

Bought some 4955 for a .280 and .270 because I was running low on H4831sc and couldn't find more. Almost hate to start down the 4955 path now knowing it will be a short one.

When Hodgdon bought IMR in 2003, the powders were still being made in Plattsburgh, New York--which is where Dupont had moved the plant some years before.

The IMR folks were not very good marketers back then. I know this because 2003 was 3 years after Western Powders in Miles City, Montana started marketing their Ramshot line--and Western had been a regional distributor of other handloading powders for a number of years, including IMR (and Hodgdon).

I got to know Doug Phair, the guy who owned Western, very well, and he told me during a phone conversation the marketing guy for IMR was NOT a shooter (much less a hunter) in any way. In fact, the first thing he wanted to do when visiting Western was go golfing.

He said this guy was wondering why fewer gun writers mentioned IMR powders anymore. I told Doug that IMR wasn't promoting their powders among gun writers--which meant they weren't sending writers samples, new loading data, or anything else, as other powder companies do.

After talking to Doug, the guy contacted me, and eventually sent some new samples and data--but obviously wasn't much interested.

Which is probably one reason Hodgdon eventually started having IMR powders made elsewhere than Plattsburgh--not onlyincluding the General Dynamic plant in Quebec, but also the Australian factory that makes so many Hodgdon-brand powders, especially the Extremes. I have IMR4895 made both in Canada and Australia, made with the same formula--and no, it is NOT H4895.

Am beginning to suspect GD in Quebec may have played a role in this situation.

I'd be tickled to find some RL 22 also

One of the other problems I suspect might be affecting powder supply is related to my previous post--about how the increasing number of "new and improved" powders.

While RL-22 was a big leap forward in accuracy and velocity when it appeared in the 1990s, it turned out to be very temperature-sensitive. This often isn't big deal to some handloading hunters--but is to others. Which is why Alliant introduced more temp-resistant powders in the past few years, as did other powder companies. As a result, demand has probably dropped for RL-22....

You just reminded me, I've run into both Canadian and Australian IMR4198.

Yep, me too!

And it looks, smells, and burns very similarly....

MD, Thanks for that info. I have been using RL-22 in my 25-284 and generally don't hunt in weather extremes but I'll show my ignorance here and ask you what powder(s) I should consider as a substitute. I am using it in front of 100 TTSX's and 110 Accubonds. Thanks for your thoughts...

Bill

Not MD but H4831/H48312SC does an admirable job of being similar to RL-22 results in many cartridges. Have not used RL-23, but that would be another burn-rate to look at if trying to replace RL-22 with a similar powder on the burn rate chart.

Reloder 23 does have a burn-rate similar to RL22, but like H4831 is also very temperature resistant--and RL-22 definitely isn't. It also contains a decoppering agent.

Have used RL-23 with excellent results in several cartridges. The only problem can be finding any....

Thank you. I need to find a good burn chart.

Hodgdon prints a burn rate chart for all the in every annual manual, and... it's available on line.

To my knowledge it's one of the most up to date & easy to read BR charts there is.

What happened to that plant?

Actually, I was mistaken. Just looked at my historical notes on smokeless powder, and the Plattsburgh company was just the U.S. importer for IMR powders, which were then already being made in Canada.

Powder was put on train cars and rolled over the border where it was repackaged and distributed.

Thanks for the info.

That's what I would have guessed, given Hodgdon's history and the location of Plattsburgh.

I still have some IMR powder from that era in steel cans, which say "Manufactured in Canada for IMR Powder Company, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Hmm seens not so long ago IMR 4350 was supposed to be replaced by Enduron 4451..

Actually the Enduron powders were developed due to a "shortage" of the Hodgdon Extremes, made in Australia. 4451 was designed as a substitute for H4350--with "short-cut" granules and temperature resistance. Neither is true of IMR 4350.
"

I did find it on their website. Thank you!

What would be a good print reference for the Enduron powders load data? I know everything is available on the internet but the internet is a fickle... I've had several saved book marks become invalid after a few years. Thanks.

The Hodgdon Annual Manuals for the past several years have all contained IMR Enduron data. They can be found on the Internet, even past issues. I just Googled the 2021 annual, and copies are listed on more than one site for around $10.