Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Sensible replacement for IMR4320

My 7x57 loves 140 Partitions and IMR4320. What would be a replacement powder for 4320? Varget? I know what everyone is going to say -use 4350 or 414 or 3031 or or or. I know, I have all those and yes they work fine, with fine accuracy and velocity. But I would like to find a 4320 replacement or a jug of 4320 😁. Just adding options to the repertoire.

The only replacement for 4320 is 4320. I would suggest Varget or maybe IMR 4064.

There are a bunch of powders that work similarly to IMR4320. I have used both IMR4895 and H4895 enough to know they usually work very well, even though both are a little faster burning. So does IMR4064, but it's a PITA to run through a mechanical powder measure, and both 4895s work pretty well. Varget also works well.

Yeah, "everybody" (including me) is going to suggest something other than 4320. To tell the truth I never found it to be a magic powder, though it was good. But with dwindling stocks it makes more sense to switch to a more available powder--though any powder can become scarce these days....

Me too brother, I have been trying to duplicate the results in two of my favorite rifles...no joy thus far. I have always been under the suspicion that 4320 was not perfectly positioned on most burn rate charts....Norma for instance places it much faster/lower than US charts. Norma shows it about midway between imr 4895 and imr 3031....actually closer to H 4895 than anything. US charts put it next to Varget. I like the Norma chart because it rates quickness AND pressure relative to IMR 4350 which is assigned the arbitrary numbers of 100 for quickness and 100 for pressure. A wider view of a given powder's true characteristics, IMO. Unfortunately Norma and Hodgdon are not pards. Maybe that's a good thing.

My burn rate chart shows 4320 between Varget and Winchester 748. Both of which will go through a powder measure with little resistance. I get a little better accuracy from Varget than I do with 748. I see in the post above me that flintlocke thinks it's faster than Varget based on a different burn rate chart. Alliant RL15 may be your choice. Good luck finding it. I know there is Alliant RL 15.5 and RL 16 but I have never shot either of those.

Good luck, let us know what you decide.

kwg

As far as ball powders go, BLC-(2) has worked well for me.

Accurate 4064 has worked out as a pretty good replacement for 4320 for me across a few cartridges. The velocities don't run quite as high through the chrono, but it has produced groups just as good.

I've used both RL-15 and IMR4320 in a .375 H&H, and saw no practical difference.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

This day in age I always work up loads with two to three different powders with approximate burn rates, just because.

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THIS

've got so much 4320 on hand that I won't have to look for anything else for quite a while. (pat's myself on the back). When I heard the rumors that it was going out, I went searching for it.

I've never found any powder that I liked quite as much for the applications where it worked.

Why was IMR4320 discontinued? It does not sound like it was a redundant offering.

RL-15

I did the same when I heard it was no longer going to be available. I’d have to check but I think I have either 7 or 8 one pounders. I like it in my 35 Whelen and 17 Remington.

Da troof, da whole troof, an nuthin but da troof.

I have used Ramshot Big Game in 7x57 with good results.

I used 4320 in 250 Savage, mainly because that’s what my Dad used. Have 2 lbs that should last me for hunting loads. Interested to see what others are using

IMR 3031 for the 87gr HC and Accurate 4064 for 80gr TTSX in mine.

The little 250 is easy to get along with. A number of powders have done well for me: IMR & H 4985, IMR 4064, Varget, RL15, N140 to name some.