Originally Posted by ingwe
Originally Posted by Mule Deer
Originally Posted by ingwe
Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I might have to try a mag primer...I'm shooting the stuff in a .243 and all is good...accuracy, velocity etc but it just seems pretty sooty.I bought a batch because I couldn't find any IMR or H 4350 for months, so I'll have no problem using it up!

Tom,

Two comments:

1)It's not Accurate Arms (AA) 4350, and hasn't been since Western Powders bought Accurate Arms maybe 15 years ago. AA often bought surplus powders, both military and otherwise, but Western started getting all the powders produced to their standards. At that point they became much more consistent.

2) I noticed in a recent thread that you use 39 grains of one of the other 4350s with 100-grain bullets in the .243--which is a slight underload. That wouldn't matter with those two powders, but my experience with Accurate 4350 is that it's considerably slower burning, almost like H4831. If you're using 39 grains of A4350, then the reason its burning dirty might be too-low pressure. If so, I would first up the powder charge before switching to a magnum primer.

OK, I'm one step ahead...39 gr. of IMR 4350 is my load. To duplicate with A4350 ( at least duplicate POI...) I use 41 grains. I haven't clocked either load but judging by trajectory they'll be 2850-2900 fps.

Interesting, but duplicating the 39.0 IMR4350 trajectory still doesn't mean that pressures are high enough to result in less powder fouling--since 39.0 IMR4350 is, as I noted already, a relatively low-pressure load for the .243 with 100-grain bullets. In fact, Hodgdon's starting load is 38.5 grains.

Plus, different powders vary on how much powder fouling remains at different pressures. Have also seen a number of handloads result in the same POI in the same rifle, despite varying velocities.

Would be very interested in the actual velocity when and if you chronograph the A4350 load.

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