Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles TRAIL BOSS

Is this powder discontinued??????

Temporarily discontinued is the last scuttlebutt I saw on the internet. Maybe back later this year, but maybe not. Other internet scuttlebutt says the ADI plant will be making artillery shells for the Ukrainians, so your guess is as good as mine.

Trail Boss, both 4895's, the Clay's and RETUMBO and a few others was not imported into the US, actually started teh summer before. So far there is no change that I am aware of, Hodgdon has not stated the game plane, conventional wisdom suggest no change due in 2023

While searching, came across that Hodgdon made the decision to can SR 4759, and replace it with Trail Boss....

I could live until the day I croak with SR 4759, ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, vs having to use Trail Boss....

from Day 1 I could care less for Trail Boss... after about a 100 rounds with it...I gave away what I had left of it....

Replacing SR 4759 with Trail Boss, is like replacing a good economical car, with a Skate Board....

Sounds like Trail Boss sucks huh?

SR 4759, sure was a HELL of a LOT more versatile... and awfully darn accurate...

Trail Boss isn't even close...

I miss PB... pretty sure they scrapped that at the same time as the SR powders.

I've still got a couple cans of TB, but I've gotten away from using it over the past couple of years. I mostly use N100NF for similar level loads now. It's been more accurate in general, is less of a hassle to handle, and a can goes a farther than TB.

I gotta side with Seafire here. I could never get Trail Boss to work for accurate target/competition loads. Lord knows I tried. In my opinion it's the worst "bang for the buck" powder out there. It's one powder whose passing I wouldn't lament.

I would cheerfully contribute to a kitty to bribe Hodgdon to bring back SR-4759. Joking aside, I can understand that the tiny market for it doesn't justify production, but it galls me nonetheless.

I've never gotten TB to shoot great in anything, either. Used it for a lot of fun powderpuff plinking loads, but accuracy was never spectacular in any cartridge. I've had it shoot well in a couple things, but it has never been the best shooting powder in anything I've used it for. I won't miss it if it dies off. I've moved on to better replacements.

With CAS on the wane and the whole reloading component situation as a whole these past couple years, I kind of imagine TB's days are pretty well numbered.

Well this winter, I've been going over to the range, and shooting steel gongs at 300 and 400 yds, with my 223s, and a pound of Unique...

8.5 to 9.5 grains per shot...around 750 rounds per pound plus...

that's kept me busy over the last 90 days or so...

averaging a 90% plus ratio hitting a frying pan sized gong at 300 yds..

and about 80% ratio at 400 yds... I got plenty of bulk 22 caliber bullets.. all jacketed, no cast bullets used...

either small rifle or small pistol primers work just fine to 300 yds.... small pistol starts getting iffy at 400 yds...

getting down to where I have to open another pound of Unique in a week or two...

Teamed up with a buddy to shoot a milsurp silhouette match a couple weeks ago. A fun shoot with all targets shot at 200 yards. Used an 03A1 Springfield, 170gr. cast bullets, 18gr. 4759. Accurate, no recoil, and the steel targets toppled as well as if shot by anything else even though the bullets had probably slowed to around 1200 fps. (We took 2nd place in a field of 26 shooters.)

The only thing Trail Boss has going for it is load density.

Unique and W-231 both outperform in accuracy for reduced rifle, cast bullet loads.

I like Trail Boss, in my younger day I always felt the need to push my revolvers to the limits of the brass and the gun. At this time in my live it's nice to shoot rounds that are not trying to brake my wrist. Trail Boss works just fine for that.

absolutely

I’ve found a couple areas where it excels, and several where it doesn’t, just like any other powder. I like it in my 200gr. 44 SPL mouse fart loads, shoots consistently to POA, and groups well. Those bullets are moving at about 700 fps. In my 45 colt, I have the MP molds copy of the RCBS 45-270 SAA shooting very well at 800, and I have a couple novelty loads in 38-55 and 44 SPL with multiple round balls that shoot very well. Other than that, it’s been iffy and inconsistent.

Old70

Have any of you all tried Shooters World Buffalo Rifle powder?

I just became aware of it a few days ago. On the Shooters World Powder burn rate chart they show it as having the same burn rate as Accurate 5744. They also tout it as their general purpose reduced loads powder.

"Buffalo Rifle has a burn rate optimized for straight walled rifle cartridges, as well as reduced recoil/reduced energy loads in virtually all rifle applications...

This propellant has a burn rate slower than the venerable 4759, but can be used in similar applications...

The surface of this propellant holds no deterrent or burn rate modifier. Therefore, it ignites quite consistently with extremely low loading densities in standard rifle loads. This same ignition characteristic aids accuracy when used with cast lead bullets and long throated chambers. Despite Buffalo Rifle being an extruded propellant, we have found good flow characteristics through a volumetric powder dump. The grain is narrow, and cut short."

However they also show: "*Guidelines for reduced loads are currently being generated."

They do have a decent start to reduced load data, but it's not yet available for tons of cartridges. Just curious if any of you Trail Boss / IMR SR 4759 / Accurate 5744 fans have given it a go?

I'd be curious too. Was looking to TB for years for subsonic loads. Gave up and have had good/decent luck with Unique, Lil Gun, and Tite Group. 8g of TG works in my 308 with a 170 SP 30/30 bullet, but load density sure isn't to be bragged about

Bought some and never use it. Wish I could find send it down the road to make room.

GreggH

The actual problem I learned from this thread is that now H4895 apparently won't be available for quite some time. That sucks.

I suspect Trail Boss was hatched as a safety/liability thing at the beginning of the cowboy action craze...to avoid double charging. Look at any recent info on any website, reloading manual...TBoss is seldom if ever mentioned as most accurate powder in a given cartridge.