Rummaging through my stash, I found a jug of IMR 4320 that I don't remember buying (probably 15 years ago), and I certainly don't remember loading anything with it.

What does IMR 4320 do well? 223, 30 cal? Anyone have any pet loads for this stuff?

I know the 06 likes it with a 150 grain bullet. My experience with it is usually in long action cases but have heard it works well in 308 length cases also. Think that just about anything you would use imr 4064 on it would use 4320 with a little adjusting.

I like it in 308 and in 8X57 Mausers of various flavors.

I used it a lot when R 15 was scarce. IMO it works just as well.

4320 can be tricky. I won't go on here with my extensive experience with it....instead, I recommend you google up Norma Burn Rate Chart. In my opinion, the best chart available to us handloaders, in that it rates powders in two areas, relative velocity AND relative pressure. I'm not aware that any other burn chart does this. When you look at the chart you will note that 4320 is on the faster side of 4895, right down near 3031. And that reflects my own experiences. All the other charts have it up around H380 pretty close to W760. And, with light for caliber bullets, it most likely is. But when you start going off the rez with heavier bullets and changing bore diameters, you will see some amazing velocity progressions on your chronograph. It's an excellent powder, just respect it.

It’s the only powder I use for the 300 Savage. Works good in the 17 Remington too.

I use it for 22-250, .223 . It is a pretty versatile powder in many cartridges.

My favorite in the 17 Remington and the 35 Whelen.

Worked great in my 243 with 62gr varmint grenades

Think of IMR 4895 that meters like ball powder, you might have to add half a grain more to equal 4895/4064 loads.

That’s diff from my experience. 4895 is ‘slower’ burning than 3031
And 4320 is ‘slower’ burning than 4320 > but faster burning than 4350.

I used 4320 in the 35 Whelen w/200 & 220 (?) gr bullets. It did exceptionally well.

J D Jones said to me in the 80s that 4320 was THE powder for the Whelen

I know, - diff interpretations. I’ve never read that 4320 was so close to 3031.

I recommend that You compare powder burn rate charts for yourself.
I know what I’ve seen/experienced.
Go slow in making your decision.


Jerry

Great choice for the 338-06, so I am not surprised it works well in the Whelen as well.

I have a 243 that would not group worth a flip until i tried some 4320 with 100gr Solid Bases. Presto, tiny groups. Never know til you try it.

Works great in my Remington 7600 35 Whelen

I don't remember the author ( gun writer) who published it, but I remember reading it on one of the websites..

When Varget was scarce, 4320 was recommended as a viable replacement..
it was available, was close to the same burn rate as Varget, to the tune of stating one could start off with starting loads of the two powders interchangeably...

IIRCm the site was like the 6BR web site....

I've found it pretty darn accurate and not real finicky, like most of the older IMR powder lines...

burn rates for 4064, 4895, and 4320 are pretty darn close...4320 being the slower of the three...

it shines real good in the 22.250, 243, 260, 7/08 from personal experience...

in the 223 with heavier bullets is a darn good choice also....

Used it in .22-250, .308, .30-06 without problem. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower than IMR-4064.

Tried it recently in .375 Ruger and got evidence of excess pressure at what were supposed to be starting charge weights.

I have not reloaded in a long time, but I liked 4320 in 7mm mag with 130 grain Sierras

Yep ! That’s how DuPont, IMR, has always listed the burn rate since I started handloading
in 1975.

Jerry

Another IMR powder that has withstood the test of time, versatile while delivering good performance without surprises. Tho I am using spiffy new powders in my 35 Whelen and 300 Savage, they are not delivering superior performance in any real meaningful way. Maybe it should be re-introduced as 4320Creedmore to give it a little buzz. It deserves more attention than it is getting.

Jack Oconner used it and liked it in 06 size cases.
IT meters much nicer than 4064 and the results are very similar.
I also like it in the 308, and would try it in others also.

It proved to be a diamond in the rough for my daughters Rem Model 7 .260, it was very accurate with a Sierra 120gr Pro Hunter in her rifle.


Her Remington 700 SPS .260 also loved the IMR4320 with the Sierra 120gr Pro Hunter

Use it in 250 Savage and 87 gr Speers

It is really good with 150 grain bullets in the 308 Winchester.

It did well in my .375 H&H with 270g TSXs.

One of the best powders in my .17 Remington and .350 Remington Magnum.

Yes. I used it almost exclusively in the .17 Remington. Forgot about the .350: works well with 225 grain partitions.

I also had good luck with it in a few .220 Swift recipes. For the most part my first Swift required fired brass for accuracy so I threw a starting load of 4320 in new WW brass then seated Speer 52 grain bucket-mouth hollowpoints so they were hard into the rifling. The result blew my mind .. sub quarter inch 5 shot groups.

Tom

I used it in the first 22-250 I had. Very accurate loads.

My 7x57 love it.

It's been a long time favorite in the 338-06. Old writings just about stick to it.

With newer powders, like BG, RL-17, etc. 4320 may not be the top performer. But, it's still a good one in that round.

I started out with 4320 in my recent .338-06 project, but find myself using H-380, RL-15 and others, Varget with lighter bullets.

DF

It's what JOC says he used with 140-grain bullets.

Their choices were limited back then, compared to ours today.

DF

Isn't that the truth! If he had the bullet and powder selection we have he'd probably spend more time on the range than in the field. Lucky for us that he lived when he did!

I first started reloading back in the late 1970's. There was a Montgomery Wards store locally that sold some reloading supplies, and I bought a little Lee Loader for my 243. The store had a very limited selection of powder and bullets and the only rifle powder they had that day was IMR3031, which is not really ideal for the 243. I also bought some 75 grain Sierra bullets. The only powder measure I had was the little scoop that came in the loading set, which I found out later measured out extremely mild loads. But, the local groundhogs didn't seem to know that, as it was a very accurate load.

Things have certainly changed.

One of my older hunting buddies when I was in my 20s was probably the only handloader I've known who actually saved money. He had a simple RCBS press mounted on board across the back of one of his small house's closets, where he did all the loading for his two rifles, a sporterized South American Mauser .30-06, and a Savage 99 .250-3000. He ONLY used IMR4320, with the "middle" charge listed in the Speer Manual with 100-grain bullets in the .250 and 180-grain bullets in the .30-06. He also bought whatever bullets were cheapest at the local store, regardless of brand--except for Winchester Silvertips, which he hated because the shot up too much meat.

He fed his family with deer, antelope and elk meat for many years with those loads. Oh, and he used the open sights on both rifles, because he also hated scopes, having seen too many fog or break.

What? Handloading doesn't save money? Blasphemer!

Thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment and components, countless hours of time, endless fretting over details, etc., is all that's necessary to create a box or two of ammo for the fall hunt. Phhhtt. What else of equal value can give so much pleasure? Cases of single malt? British sports cars? Loose women? European vacations? All of the above? I think I'm gonna cry...

Nosler online reloading data for the 7x57 shows the 120 grain BT with 47.0 grains of IMR 4320 achieving 3008 fps MV. I tried this load and it was a hot load for sure, but accuracy in my Brno 98 Mauser (Peruvian Army sporterized) was only about 2" inches and it was a hot day at the range; and I suspect that it is a temp sensitive powder. I got a stiff bolt lift at the 46.5 grain load and didn't shoot the heavier 46.8 and 47.0 grain loads.

Nosler also lists a 40 grain load of IMR 4320 40.0 grains behind a 175 PT producing 2480 fps, which I intend to try at a later date, I have 100 factory seconds (Remington 175 grain) enroute from Midway USA and I will work up some loads to test when I get some nice range weather.

But as of late, I have been favoring the temp stabile Hornady powders such as Varget, H4350, etc. for my reloading efforts.


CJ

34 gr IMR 4320, 120 gr Nosler BT in my 6.5 JDJ (225 Winchester case) was a dream.

I might be the only guy alive who never loaded a drop of 4320. No reason, just the way it worked out over 50 years of experimenting with darn near every other powder under the sun. Strange.

Top choice for my former 338/06. Read it does very well with 120s in 7/08 and 100s and perhaps 120s in 260 and similar rounds.

IIRC, it meters VERY Well......definitely an underappreciated powder, IMHO. I would think it would do well with 150 and lighter in 308 and 06, and also smaller rounds like the BRs. Probably worth a try with Grendel and maybe Creedmoor with lighter bullets.

What kind of muzzle velocity were you getting with that 34.grn load and the 120 Nosler BT? Just wondering because your loads were way lighter than I was trying; but evidently gave you satisfactory accuracy. Maybe that is the direction I need to try with the IMR 4320 powder. But the Nosler on line data shows more than 34 grains as the starting load (actually shows 43.0 gains IMR 4320 as a start load for the 120 gr BT at 2758 fps MV)!

CJ

When I first began to reload for the 270 Winchester, I used JOC's famous 60.0 of H4831 and a 130 grain bullet. After putting the powder in the first case, and seeing how full it was, and realizing that the bullet would be seating on top of it, I became concerned. Called a neighbor who did quite a lot of reloading and he said not to use that much powder, because I'd blow me and the rifle both up. He used 4064 in everything he reloaded for, and I remember looking up the load he have me to try, and it was below the listed starting load for a 270.

Anyway, I finished loading my 270 rounds as I'd started, loaded the rifle up, put the rifle on one side of a tree with me behind it, and pulled the trigger. I probably killed close to 50 whitetails with that load, and never a sign of pressure. The neighbor also killed a pile of deer with his rifle and 4064 load, so it worked for him as well.

That makes two of us. I actually have 4 or 5 pounds of it in the older metal IMR cans, and have just never used it. My only excuse is that I dislike metering 3031 and 4064 and just mentally lumped 4320 in the same category, but reading here, sounds like that was a mistake. I'll have to load some up and try it since I have a bunch of cartridges it should work in.

One of the comments above about 4320 metering like ball powder has me curious, and I can't check till I get home. Does it really meter that well? Must be a really short cut powder then I'd guess?

It has very small grains.

Try some in a 308 with a 150/155 grain bullet.

I don't mean to be surly. What does this load H 4831 have to do with 4320 *** other than the discrepancy between loading data.

Again not to be nitpicking but JOC's load was NOT with ***H 4831*** he was using SURPLUS 4831. That powder was LEFT OVER from WWII. I shot POUNDS of surplus 4831 AT 62 grains. YES you can get it in a 270 case.

Later Hodgdon's began PRODUCING H 4831 and it went thru some (at least 2-3) manufacturing changes.

Seriously I'm only trying to prevent or clear up any confusion.
No offense at all.

Jerry

actually , the JOC load was 62 gr of surplus H4831 with 130 s . WW cases


the fact that it would be a compressed load was immaterial


before the surplus stuff was available , he did use a load of 4064.....

[quote=Mule Dee He had a simple RCBS press mounted on board across the back of one of his small house's closets, where he did all the loading for his two rifles, a sporterized South American Mauser .30-06, and a Savage 99 .250-3000. [/quote]

Exactly how I started, only it was a Pacific press and the rifles were a 788 .222 and a Ruger 77 V .25-06.

I thought it was gonna be the schizz in my .375 Weatherby when I was doing initial load development.

I tried several different charge weights, in 1 grain increments. The loads were running from 8-15 fps extreme spread !!! Incredible consistency !!! Yet I couldn't get under 3" for 5 shots at 100 yards. For whatever reason, my rifle hated the stuff.

Never tried it in anything else.

43 gr in a 6.5 JDJ?! I don’t see that fitting a 225 Winchester case especially seating a 120.

Was getting 2400 fps from a 14” Contender barrel.

.308 150 gr and 7 x 57 140 gr. Nosler BTs.

Yes, you are correct about 62 grs. I have it in several magazines that JOC wrote the articles.
It's often misquoted.


Yes about 4064 also. I got his load , 49 grs under 130s = +/- 2900 in 22" blls.

Jerry

I have a 7x57 that likes the Barnes 140 gr TTSX pushed by 44 grains of IMR 4320.

I have had decent results with IMR 4320 and with my .22-250 Rem. and .358 Win. CP.

Yet another 'Fire post not entirely germane to the discussion:

I got my introduction to handloading back in the mid-60's as a budding rifle loony, working part-time in the LGS doing grunt labor at the loading press in the back room. The owner had a tidy little business going doing "custom loading" for the local hunters. They would bring him their empty brass (mostly .30-06) and he (I) would reload them for a couple bucks per box. The drill: resize/deprime, re-prime, dip the primed case into a 25 pound keg of Surplus 4831, strike off the excess with a butter knife, and crunch a 150 grain bullet down on top of it. Never a complaint, and those loads had the local reputation of being real killer-dillers- business was brisk. He assured me that it was impossible to get too much of that powder in a .30-06 case so as to cause problems. Obviously I have no clue as to how much pressure was generated, but evidently it wasn't horrific.

We (he) sold a sh*t ton of that Surplus 4831 for $1/pound that we (I) packaged in paper sacks. That stuff fed my own loading efforts for years. I discovered that nearly a case full made a good load in .30-40, 7x57, and even .30-30*. Imagine my delight when I found a few pounds of the stuff squirreled away in my Dad's estate, leftovers from when he and I bought many a pound of that $1 a pound powder. I still have some, used mainly for occasional "nostalgia" loading, and when I get a chance I'll scoop a case full and weigh it just to see what the hell we were doing back then.

Note: DO NOT try this trick at home kids, at least not with current H-4831 or IMR-4831! Might be ok, but without pressure testing means I'm clueless.


*I still sometimes load H-4831 in .30-30, with a 210 grain cast bullet. Works a treat. (And no, I don't just scoop it in!)

I use it with 150gr bullets in my '06 and 139gr bullets in my 7x57. Works well and has produced accurate loads.

Many years ago, a former member of the Army rifle team told me to use IMR4320 in the 22-250 behind any bullet I wanted to use.

Been using it ever since with no reason to try anything else. The accuracy is that good.

Also, I use it in 223 loads with the 50-55 grain bullets.

I seriously don't think the powder gets the respect it deserves.

I too have loaded it in the 22-250 with 52gr Speer HP's same powder and bullet in the 222 Rem also. works well in both.

.30/06 with 150 grain bullets.

.22/250 with 55 & 60 grain bullets.

.222 Remington with 55 grain bullets.

IMR4320 is similar to 4064 and 4895, has even smaller kernel size than 4895 so it meters well.

Anybody here know much about the temperature sensitivity of IMR4320? How bad (sensitive) is it in some of the combinations it's good for?

A friend who shoots a lot of silhouette told me IMR 4320 is too temp sensitive for him to rely on. The original, non-Enduron IMR powders seem to be pretty sensitive to temps based on my experience and what I've been told. IMR 4350 is the least temp sensitive of the original IMR bunch--but still more temp sensitive than a lot of other powders.

I've used it for years in 22-250 and 6.5/257R

The 35 Whelen with the 225 Partition does really well with IMR 4320.