a lot,

they're pretty close

or

as close as w760 and H414?

Not a gun writer, but I burn a lot of Ramshot powder. No comparison between the two IME. Big Game is much faster burning than 4350(H or IMR). Big Game is more like RL-15 class powders. Ramshot Hunter would be closer in burn rate(but not exact, so no substituting!) to 4350/RL-19 than Big Game.

Jeff

In my experience Big Gsme is more like 760 or 414 in burning rate, a little slower than R15 but not much. Of course powders will swap places in burning rate when used isn different applications. I have also found Big Game to be cleaner burning and less temperature-sensitive than 760/414.

JB,

I find Big Game to be a tad slower than RL-15 as well, which is why I use RL-15 data as a starting guide when flying in the blind with Big Game. Then watch the chronograph. It most definitely is cleaner burning than 760//414....which is why my remaining stock became plant food, now that I use Ramshot. It's a great family of powders.

Jeff

Uhh, gee...I was gonna say that 4350 stays crunchy in milk longer.

Well... Big Game is little roundish globs and 4350 is "rat turd powder"


Big game is definitely faster than 4350. It has NOT been my best Ramshot powder. I like TAC and Hunter better.

Big Game is to my idea in between, say RL15 and 4350. That makes it pretty close to H414 of course. I would say it is a little slower than H414 IMO. I haven't tried it yet, but it should be a great powder in the .375 H&H. One of these days I am going to try Hunter in the 7x57, it should be a good powder in one of those, but it'll be hard to beat H414.

w760 is H414

Actually Big game is similar to AA2700!!!

I,'ve got a couple jugs of Big Game that I never seem to use, looks almost like it should give a good load density in .257 Roberts. Mostly just seeing data for 87-85 grain bullets.
Anybody use it or have any good loads for Big Game and 100 grain bullets??
Sierra, ballistic tips, and such..

257 Bob

Cartridge : .257 Roberts
Bullet : .257, 100, Nosler BalTip 25100
Useable Case Capaci: 48.671 grain H2O = 3.160 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.775 inch = 70.49 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm
Powder : Ramshot Big Game

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-20.0 67 32.00 2289 1164 24144 7957 87.0 1.501
-18.0 69 32.80 2344 1220 25589 8231 88.3 1.467
-16.0 70 33.60 2399 1278 27118 8500 89.6 1.433
-14.0 72 34.40 2453 1337 28735 8764 90.8 1.402
-12.0 74 35.20 2508 1397 30448 9021 91.9 1.371
-10.0 75 36.00 2563 1459 32261 9271 93.0 1.341
-08.0 77 36.80 2618 1522 34178 9513 94.0 1.311
-06.0 79 37.60 2673 1587 36210 9746 94.9 1.282
-04.0 80 38.40 2728 1652 38360 9968 95.8 1.250
-02.0 82 39.20 2782 1719 40640 10180 96.5 1.217
+00.0 84 40.00 2837 1787 43053 10381 97.2 1.184
+02.0 85 40.80 2891 1856 45608 10569 97.9 1.153 ! Near Maximum !
+04.0 87 41.60 2945 1926 48288 10745 98.4 1.124 ! Near Maximum !
+06.0 89 42.40 2999 1997 51111 10907 98.9 1.095 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+08.0 90 43.20 3053 2069 54096 11054 99.3 1.067 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+10.0 92 44.00 3106 2142 57254 11187 99.6 1.040 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 84 40.00 2981 1973 51477 10324 99.9 1.095 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 84 40.00 2649 1558 35128 9890 90.3 1.295




257 Bob +P

Cartridge : .257 Roberts +P+
Bullet : .257, 100, Nosler BalTip 25100
Useable Case Capaci: 48.669 grain H2O = 3.160 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.775 inch = 70.49 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch = 558.8 mm
Powder : Ramshot Big Game

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 2.0% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-20.0 72 34.40 2454 1337 28738 8764 90.8 1.402
-18.0 74 35.26 2513 1402 30582 9040 92.0 1.369
-16.0 76 36.12 2572 1468 32542 9308 93.1 1.336
-14.0 77 36.98 2631 1537 34627 9566 94.2 1.304
-12.0 79 37.84 2690 1606 36844 9813 95.2 1.273
-10.0 81 38.70 2748 1677 39203 10049 96.1 1.238
-08.0 83 39.56 2807 1750 41711 10272 96.9 1.202
-06.0 85 40.42 2866 1823 44382 10481 97.6 1.168
-04.0 86 41.28 2924 1898 47204 10676 98.2 1.135
-02.0 88 42.14 2982 1974 50180 10856 98.7 1.104 ! Near Maximum !
+00.0 90 43.00 3039 2051 53338 11019 99.2 1.074 ! Near Maximum !
+02.0 92 43.86 3096 2129 56692 11165 99.5 1.044 ! Near Maximum !
+04.0 94 44.72 3153 2208 60256 11293 99.8 1.016 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+06.0 95 45.58 3210 2287 64045 11404 99.9 0.989 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+08.0 97 46.44 3265 2368 68075 11495 100.0 0.963 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
+10.0 99 47.30 3321 2449 72366 11572 100.0 0.937 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!

Results caused by ± 10% powder lot-to-lot burning rate variation using nominal charge
Data for burning rate increased by 10% relative to nominal value:
+Ba 90 43.00 3171 2233 63619 10689 100.0 0.996 !DANGEROUS LOAD-DO NOT USE!
Data for burning rate decreased by 10% relative to nominal value:
-Ba 90 43.00 2855 1810 43352 10793 94.1 1.175

So far I like Big Game a lot for the 7mm-08, and in the .30-06. At some point I'll try it in the .22-250 and .308.

I will add, if for some reason I wanted the bulkier stick powder, then I could see 4350 in loads like .30-40 Krag, .303 Brit, for original rifles at moderate pressure.

Thank you Fotis!

The firearms world is poorer for your retirement, Rocky. Always incisive information, delivered in a professional, yet easy-to-read, manner.

The difference between Ramshot "Big Game" and H4350 is


My new answer is:

4350 is available, Big Game is not.

So all of the hoopla over Big Game with the sky falling due to its lack of availability applies to less than 1% of shooters and can be handled with a couple of patches of Hoppes? What am I missing?

Not much, I am pretty much done with anything Ramshot except TAC since there is no point depending on something that they can't get imported into the country no matter how good it might be. Best stick with something obtainable. At least St. Marks isn't held hostage by NATO.

I'm substituting CFE 223 in my 9.3x62. So far great speed and accuracy.

What bullet weight?

undependable supply, I used to like Ramshot powders, but enough is enough..............

Yeah, a factory fire sure is inconvenient.

I'm a Big Game, Hunter, and TAC fan. Got enough of all three to last until volume comes back.

Big Game is great for 7mm-08, Hunter owns .30-06, TAC for .223.




P

WTF?!! Does everybody except me chronograph every single load they create/load? How in the world would you know all of this?!?

Even H4350 was almost unobtainable for a while, and I used it for more handloads in my rifles than any other powder.

But about the time my stash of H4350 started to get low, IMR4451 appeared. While it is made in Canada, unlike H4350 (or the Belgian Ramshot powders), it doesn't have to shipped across an ocean.

I tested 4451 and found it to work just as well as H4350, so switched over. So far "working up" loads has been very easy: I try a grain less 4451 than H4350, and the result either spot-on or very close.

Bingo Dennis.

Clearly Montana folks like to promote Montana products, over and over again. Not sure why...

Ditto with 7977 vs H1000.I was in the same boat as you. they are pretty much interchangeable.Been pleased with the Enduron IMR

Yeah, difficulty getting powder from overseas has been a trend recently, whether with Hodgdon, Ramshot or Alliant. Hard to pin down an overall reason, since various factors have all played a role, including factory fires, political tensions in Europe and the Mideast, and even New Zealand getting nervous about more ships full of powder stopping at the Auckland harbor.

In the early years of smokeless rifle powder almost every major military power in the world came up with their own formula, so they wouldn't have to depend on another country for powder. But the recent world-wide marketplace made it far easier to contract with foreign factories for powders, and the sky-high demand since Obama became president obviously also had an effect.

I'm actually a little surprised China hasn't started making smokeless powder and selling it to U.S. companies. After all, that's where the majority of the fireworks Americans set off every year are made, and the Chinese apparently aren't afraid of those factories blowing up. A big one went boom over there last month, but we'll be lighting up the sky with Chinese black powder come July.

Good to know, thanks. I just picked up a couple pounds to try.

Would agree with this ^^^^^^.