Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Suggest a powder please

I had a Winchester M70 classic in 30-06 that always shot mediocre groups and velocities with IMR-4350. I see two others have Already mentioned it so here comes #3. You need to try H4350. It left IMR-4350 in the dust performance wise, and shrank groups to less than half of previous results. H4895 would be another good number to try, but the burn rate isn't ideal.

My Winchester hated everything but H4831SC. I'll take smaller grps over velocity anyway. It's pretty consistent with 139 and 140's.

Jack O’Connor loaded 52 grains of Probably H4831, 154/160 grain Speer, Sierra, or Partition in Winchester cases running at 2,650 fps. This load with me shot took 1000 pound elk.

Another load of 47.5 grains of probably IMR 4350 which bucks temps with 175 grain bullets same velocity as the prior load.

You mentioned IMR4350.
Have you tried H4350?

A mono 120 retaining near 100% of its weight is the same as a 160 retaining 75% of its weight.

H4350 was unobtainium here in Alberta for as long as I’ve had the rifle, I actually found a pound of it as well as a pound of Big Game tonight.
I’m going to be trying both shortly.

I found a pound of H4350 for sale tonight. I’m looking forward to trying it.

Depends on the construction of the bullet

Reloder 15.5 and Reloder 16 should work and so should Big Game.

Burn rate chart may be helpful

https://loaddata.com/images/articles/burnratechartnew.pdf

Try H4831 with 160's.

I recently got north of 2900 fps with my 7mm-08, 139 grain Hornadys and StaBall 6.5. It was still under MAX load, which is 3000+fps. The load produced the best accuracy I've had out of that rifle.

That’s good info. I like that staball 6.5 more and more. Partly because you can find it and it’s relatively inexpensive. @ $33-$36.00/pound

I would have expected 4350 to work great! Maybe drop back to 4064!

Check this out.
They don’t mention big game but it does fall Directly in between the 2 they do suggest.
Burn rate chart at the end .

https://ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf

No one posted it, so I'll do so...

Have a Ruger 77 Mk 2 in a 7 x 57. Its patterns thought it was a shotgun instead of a rifle. Like a 5 inch group was the best it would do...I was ready to pull the barrel and put something else on it.. but got this dejaveux feeling.

for some reason on an older Hornady Manual jumped out at me, and a load of 40 grains of 3031 jumped off the page.

I tried it with 139 grain Hornady SPs, and I got a 1/2 inch group of 5 shots at 100 yds.. from a barrel that shot 5 inch groups on its best day. Couldn't believe that, so I went home and loaded up another 10 and shot those at 100 yds, and got the same results. So I tried other bullets right up to the 175 grain SP and RNs.

Same 1/2 inch groups, regardless of bullet weight. What got me also, was velocity was higher than what the Hornady manual said they should be. Manual said I should be getting 2400 fps with the 175 grainers, but my chronograph kept on telling me it was getting 2650 fps MV. Brass didn't seem to notice any pressure and primer pockets were always tight.

So its not hard to figure out what powder I feed that rifle. Even forum members who have had 7 x 57s they thought were shot out, used it and got good results out of it also.


I also have a Model 70 Featherweight I bought used. It had been bedded. That rifle shoots anything like it thinks it left the factory as a varmint rifle, regardless of powder used or bullet weight used. But since 3031 worked so well in the Ruger, I just feed the Model 70 the 40 grains of 3031 with a 140 grain Ballistic Tip, 139 grain Hornady SP, or a 160 grain Speer Hot Core.

Worked in both of my rifles, real well actually...

If ya try it, best of luck.

cheers
seafire

Ok so l ran across this article in the Rifleshooter magazine May June 2018

IMR 4350 WIN 760 RL 19&22

Try some 120 Barnes.