Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Powder question for Mule Deer

I read your article in Handloader about updates of handloads that work.

I noticed a lot of use of Reloader powders along with IMR and an occasional Vitawhatchumacallit. I know from here and also your various writings that you are high on Ramshot.

Just as a curiosity I checked a few of your handloading articles from the past several years.

I could not find nor do I ever recall you mentioning or reporting on the use of Accurate powders or recomending a load using Accurate of any stripe.

Do you not like Accurate? Never fooled with it? Think it is bad powder?

Perhaps part of the answer is in Mr Ken's post Ramshot + Accurate = 1

BCR

I noticed you omitted the .308 winchester from the updated handloads that work. DO you still favor Reloader 15 for the .308?

BCR--

I am high on Ramshot powders, but as I believe I mentioned in the article, they're so new that I haven't always had a chance to try them in several rifles of the came chambering. Where I've had that chance, I mentioned them.

Every time I've tried Ramshot powders in any cartridge, they've done very well. In fact, I use them for the majority of my rifle reloading these days.

MD

BCCR--

Dang! The .308 should have been in there. In fact, before you mentioend I would have sworn it was, as I used the old article as the basis for the new one.

Yeah, Reloder 15 is still a great one in the .308, but then so are a lot of medium-rate powders. But you can't go wrong with RL15.

MD

Hi MD,

You don't still hate the 308, do you? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dave

Nah. Never did, really. Just don't see why anybody would shoot one when they could shoot a .300 Savage instead!

MD

Cuz ya can't get a 1000 rounds of milsurp 300 Savage for dirt cheap anywhere. The last lot of 308 I got was cheaper than just buying primers and practice grade bullets. ($13.50 per 100 rounds).



The 300 savage is a great all arounder, as is the 303 Brit. But 308 wins the availablity and economy tests (but you already knew that).



Just my 2 cents,



BMT

At least you didn't say the '06 instead... I know it is one of your favorites, but I'll take the .308 anyday. The '06 is a great cartridge, but so many articles have been written about it I will never own another one. It is like what the news media does for Tiger Woods in golf.

Neat evasion Mr. John <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The question was why you never had or have, to my knowledge, listed a load using ACCURATE powders.

However, other information from another poster has come to hand which could answer that question. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'd still like to hear your answer if you care to give it.

If not, knowing what I now do, I'll understand. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Accurate powders Sir, Accurate. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />


BCR

Boggy--

Thanks for pinning me to the wall.

I have tried Accurate powders quite bit, but rarely found one that gave exceptional performance. Some were very accurate, but slow. Some were very fast, but not especially accurate.

I try to use a lot of different powders, because it's my job, but the vast array of today makes getting to know all of them pretty much impossible--unless, of course, I was to make a career of only writing about powder! Like most handloaders, I tend to use and reuse the powders that have worked for me in the past. Which is why I burn a lot of the various Hodgdon Extremes, Alliant Reloders, the Ramshot rifle line, and even some of the old reliable IMR's.

I have just never developed such a warm and fuzzy feeling for any of the Accurate powders, since some would have triumph now and then, but not across the board. I did use quite a bit of their 4350 for a while, but eventually found it acted just like like IMR4350. I prefer H4350 these days, for its smaller grains temp-stability.

There may be a reason AA4350 acted just like IMR4350. The way I understand it, Accurate made its money by buying surplus powders from other companies and selling them relativley cheaply. If you're interested in saving a buck or two a pounds, no doubt this is a virtue.

Will be interested to see what happens now that Accurate is onwed by Western Powders.

MD

Thank you, Sir, that is an answer. You just don't care very much for Accurate powders due to inconsistency. Fair enough. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Fortunately I have enough of the same lots of the three or four I use to last me for the foreseeable future. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
It will be intresting to see what Western Powder does to Accurate.
Now if Western would just quit hiding under a rock somewhere. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />


BCR

JB, it takes guts to hang around here. I appreciate that. Good job, Boggy!

Boggy--

Believe me, Western is doing all they can to make Ramshot powder known to the hunting world. But they are a small company, existing under the rock known as Miles City, Montana, and its hard to break in to the major leagues against companies like Hodgdon/IMR and Alliant.

The othe problem facing any new powder company is that the handlopading market really isn't where the money is. It used to be better, back when shotgunners burned millions of rounds of handloaded shotshells a weekend, but cheap foreign shotshells have pretty much shot that in the foot.

So these days the real money in powder is providing it to commercial ammo companies, especially the biggies.

MD

Mule Deer:
Thank you not only for the technical information about Accurate Arms powders but also for the information about the smokeless powder industry and its markets. I appreciate any and all information about the shooting industry and its markets as much as I appreciate historical and technical information about shooting equipment and supplies. I'm surprised that cheap foreign shotshells have dented the shotshell reloading market to the extent you report. Given the high prices of top-grade shotguns for live pigeon, skeet, sporting clays and trap, and given that serious competitors seem intent on winning at all costs, I'm surprised that any of these folks would take a chance with the soft shot and non-uniform ballistics that cheap ammo can produce, I'd expect that serious competitive shotgunners would insist on top-quality factory ammo or their own high-quality reloads with uniform hard shot.

Mule Deer:
I called Western Powder and they said Puget Sound Securities in Marysville Wa. had Ramshot Powder. I stopped there on my way to Yakima , scouting Elk, and got some Ramshot Big Gamefor my 9.3x62. They are a small shop but had about 20 lbs of various Ramshot powders on display.
I have Rx-15 for 250gr bullets, and Big Game for 286gr bullets. How much of which powder do you think would work best with Speer 270gr bullets?
Rupe

Actually, I've found Accurate Powders excellent for fertilizing the poseys around the house. Bit expensive though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I'd try both. It's sort of in between where I use 'em.

With the 286 I use 65-66 grains of Big Game, with the 250 I use 62-64 R15 (which seems to vary more than most lots of Big Game, at least so far). With Big Game, consider 68 max. With R15, around 62.5 might do it. 2500 or a little more on the chronograph is the sure deal, with a 24" barrel.

MD