My Dad; reloaded for 40 years, he passed two years ago. My inheritance was his loading equipment and supplies. I grew up shooting and here I am at 40 years of age and knew very little about loading. I have set up and cleaned up all of my Dad’s loading equipment. When ready to ask questions on where to start I was at a loss. At a loss until I found these videos. I have watched almost 30 hours of video and cant tell you how many pages of notes I have taken. Your videos are amazing and inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to pass on your in depth knowledge. God Bless America and it’s citizens!!
I'm envious brother lol sorry your dad passed on my Paw Paw who was more of my dad than his son passed two hears ago, my condolences brother. One thing I'm sure you've learned is you won't actually save money reloading, but you are able to shoot two to three times more ammo easily lol I started two years ago because my 45acp was costing a ton to buy factory ammo. I also cast my own 45acp target semi wad cutter bullets to further keep my costs down...i'm sure you dad had a good stockpile of different powders and primers 😍 I will pass my equipment to my son when I leave...he's only three right now but he already likes to shoot my old marlin model 60 haha I'm going to show him the love of custom building guns from bare frames, my Paw Paw taught me how to build 1911's, lever-actions, and how to work on revolvers...I'm so thankful for him taking the time to teach me that skill it has saved me a pile of money over the years.
I'm glad your dad enjoyed reloading all that time. Your dad really loved reloading . Take good care of his stuff. He's with you on every pull of the handle of his press May he rest in peace
Yes my brother made good 30:06 rounds but I tell my grandson to use factory loads . You have to know what you are doing. I have seen them loaded in 9mm they one man left out the powder and it would have been a squib load . It was his uncle who forgot all the steps. I use factory loads because I don’t have reloading equipment and I can buy what I need. Good luck and have a plan when you reload. And you might ought to only use a few shell and take them to y Lou range and see if they function like what you want before loading a hundred or so .
I invite anyone new to reloading, veteran reloaders, and folks new to guns in general, to study this man's videos because he presents a wealth of knowledge in the most calm, pleasant, thorough and reassuring manner. I've been reloading for ~40 years(OK 38+). Just finished Primers and Parts 1 & 2 as a refresher course. I appreciate seeing so many powders together all at once for comparison. Certainly more variety of powders represented than I've experimented with. I've actually pared down my powder selections through the last decade(s) as my calibers have been long fixed, my bullet selections favored and my loads dialed in. Some guys are constantly tweaking their bullets & powder loads when a new powder is brought out. Too much extra fussing for me, and I think they actually do themselves a disservice by undoing all their previous work. But that is just me and they thrive on the change and extra work. Much the same as guys who are never done fiddling with their 1911s. I may try a new bullet but I seem to fall back on pretty much the same powders I've settled on for that caliber, often because I already have an 8lb. keg of it and geez powders are expensive nowadays. Listen to what he says about avoiding compressed loads or magnum primers if you can. I've never used either and I don't want the headache associated with it. Again, that is just me. I've also avoided the magnum calibers too because I don't see a great performance difference for all that extra noise and kick. Never had any elk more dead than my .270s, .308s,, or .30-06s have already laid out. Those long distance shooters sure love the .300 WinMAG but damn is it loud and it kicks like a mule. To wrap it up, this man is a real gem, and everyone can learn something from him. Well done good Sir, well done.
I'm 3 months into reloading and I can see the desire to constantly change your load. There's so many variables and everyone is constantly chasing a .1" smaller group. Plus it gives us something to do everytime we go to the range. But yeah, definitely see your point about undoing work. Thanks.
I have been reloading Rifle andPistol cartridges for over 40 years ,this gentleman is an absolute wealth of knowledge,and i would recommend anyone who reloads to view this video.thank you from the uk.
Ha Ha l used the .300 WMag all my life but l am backing off now l am 65 yrs old . I like to take my .308 out to the range nowadays. It is Nice 👍 lol🇨🇦🤠
To each his own, but I prefer magnum rifles, specifically Weatherby Magnums. Love the extra horsepower for long distance dialing when Western muley, elk, and antelope hunting. When I hunt whitetails in the Midwest, my trusty Remington 7400 in 3006 is always invited to the party. Kick, or recoil as it were is something as a handloading hunter with over fifty years in the field and over thirty on the bench, I've learned to manage. But heyyy, whatever works. Guns N Basses Forever! 🔫🎸
I’m in agreement with you in total. I’ve pared my weapons down to 3 pistol calibers and 5 rifle calibers. For the pistols I have 2 bullet weights each and about 3-5 for the rifles and only keep powders for what I load. I’ve moved away from heavy rifles as I no longer find them pleasant to shoot and I’ve fount that the 6mm and 6.5mm will do the trick easily for everything I hunt that’s over 250 yards away while the 30-30 and 44mag do the trick in the heavy woods. Of course I keep 20 & 12 gauge scattergun load stuff as I’ve found they are the best for my needs. This man has a wealth a knowledge and reminds me of a Yankee version of my Pop.
Composite grouping, what a great idea to show the visual range in your records. Great video as usual, I know it took time and effort to tag and display each powder, Thanks for going the extra mile to educate us.
Mark Jaggers My late friend and mentor taught me to record composite groups, and he learned it from the great Ned H. Roberts, who designed the fabulous 257 Roberts. So, I pass it along to you in their honor.
Is this the notion of putting multiple large targets at 100, 2xx, 3xx, etc yards so that a single bullet gives you more data at once? Because I already thought of that last year.
It's one thing to know something really well, but you have to be on another level altogether to know it well enough to help others understand it really well. Behold, the Master.
Thank you so much for posting your reloading video collecting ! I must say you truly are the Professor of the reloading ! I enjoyed watching and learning from your series. Thank you again!!!
I'd like to thank you for your in depth and obviously time consuming research and data. I was out of the reloading game since the early 90's and have just started again. Mainly 444, 45-70 and 44 magnum. I was really surprised at the number of powders available currently. I did in deed have to get a more current reloading book (Lyman) as my old Hornady book was from the early 70's. I appreciate your video's.
Not only is the video very informative able to share the benefit of decades of experience, but reading through the comments is incredibly valuable too. Thank you for this video and all your other content allowing others to benefit from your experience. Much gratitude.
I know this is an old posting but I find myself referring to it often. Thanks Cap for another great, timeless video. I'm always interested in powders and how they perform. It's the one thing most shooters don't go into detail explaining.
Hello GunBlue490, I've been loading for my handguns, rifles and shot guns now for about 4 years. I've performed a lot of viewing of youtube demonstrations and instructional lessons over the years. There are so many people out there that are such good teachers on the subject of firearms, loading and gun safety; however, you are by far the easiest to understand and listen to, you obviously know your subject and I would just like to acknowledge you, your efforts to share the wealth of information you possess, gained obviously through many years experience as a man dearly interested in this subject. I love the practice of loading all of my weapons simply because it appeals to my perfectionism. That's how it all started anyway... now-a-days I load on a single-load press when loading for rifle precision and on a progressive press for my pistols and some "fun" rifles. For shotgun I just use the simple Mec Steel-loader with the universal measure. For most powder measuring I use an electronic powder dispenser for most loading and a trickler to get it right on as you have stated above. All of what I know I have learned from watching videos and reading articles, yes, granted not every bit of instruction is absolute or even sometimes correct; that's why I cross-reference and double-check everything new I undertake! It's a wonderful world of information and knowledge out there these days; all you need do as an individual is to check your data, proceed with caution and common sense and always put safety first, there's no second-guessing an accidental outcome, that's why they're called "accidents!" One last time I want to let you know from my heart; from one elderly 66 year old to a fellow elder (looking of course a bit younger than I) but still elder enough to obviously have studied, derived information and followed with a good strong measure of common sense to arrive at your conclusions, and then to share that knowledge and experience with the rest of us... I salute you Sir! You are a fine example of an American through and through! W.R. J. Henriksen
Very thorough description of an often neglected subject. Well done, Gun Blue! Thank you. Similar powder numbers can certainly be a problem. I once asked for "4895" and got the wrong one. Failed to realize it until I'd beaten my shoulder pretty bad. Luckily, the action withstood the punishment far better than my shoulder and I pulled the remaining bullets and fixed the problem. The Max load I was typically able to use with IMR was actually a couple grains over max with H! I've used that same trickler for many years. Maybe I'm a little OCD, but I weigh every load, pistol or rifle, and "top it off" with that trickler. Speed isn't important to me, just consistency.
This was an excellent video. The individual attention and visuals of each powder was terrific. You provide a lot of good information to reloaders. One issue, and perhaps the most perplexing is choosing a powder. There are so many factors to consider in selecting a powder it would be nice to have a chart that rates/ranks the powders based on these many criteria. Here is a list of things to consider when it comes to powders: 1.burn rate best suited for bullet weight, 2. performance, ie velocity., 3. Accuracy/Consistency which includes low SD and good ES numbers, 4. Temperature sensitivity, 5. Metering ease ie. extruded, spherical, ball 6. Cleanliness is it clean burning or dirty, 6. Easy on barrel ie. non-corrosive, 7. Easy on cases for longer case life, 8. Size of load where smaller sized necessary loads equals more loads per pound, 9. Usability over a wider range of bullet sizes or calibers, 10. Cost per pound, 11. Availabilty. There may be more factors to consider than listed here but it would be nice to see a chart where these factors were evaluated for each powder (even just for the 223 as a base point due to its populariity). With your existing knowledge and experiences it shouldn't be too hard for you to come up with such a chart. It would of great value to reloaders trying to decide on powder(s).
Sir, you are so awesome!! I appreciate your vast knowledge on the subject matter. The ease with which you present this information, in such a calm manner. I have learned so much from you and will be sure to pass it on to my nephew that is just getting into long range precision shooting. Thank you!!
Sir, I've been an avid reloader since the '80s-on a very small scale-loading 38, 357, 9mm, 223, 308, and some surplus rifle cartridges like 8x56R, 7.5 Swiss, 303 Brit. and your videos are the first that thoroughly detail powder selection, and the WHY of it. Well done and thank you. I see that these vids are a few years old, I hope you're still around and teaching!
I favour sensible and your channel is so pragmatic and sensible it’s a joy to watch. Thank you for pulling this altogether, I can appreciate the significant amount of work and detail you’ve put in to making your videos. You’re like a firearms angel for me. 😊
Thank you sir. You are a great teacher that I don't come across very often. I highly enjoyed this lesson and look forward to watching others on your Channel.
An excellent wealth of knowledge and information in this video. I am preparing to start reloading and am doing my research before I begin. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much for the presentation and taking the time to pass on the knowledge and wisdom to us younger guys. Its unfortunate that the majority of the younger generations aren't paying more attention to things like this they would rather just throw money at the problem. I'm learning about loading and reloading because I am going to start my own ammo business for the crowd that just want to throw money around. Just do us another favor and hold on as long as possible because some of us younger guys care and want you older guys to stick around because we need you more than you know. God bless.
Love your vids. Great info. I'd love to actually sit down with you. Your grandkids are very fortunate to have you. Thanks for the effort and the work you put into these vids
Thank you very much for your great reply. I will do exactly what you said. it will be a great start for my reloading. I do already have some 125 grain RNFP cast, but will get the 148 wadcutters and the bullseye or red dot. I just bought the Lee manual last week and have Lyman 49. I will put these to use for my Blackhawk and hopefully my Henry lever action. God Bless
In the 70’s we had one store within 20 miles that sold components. 3 or 4 types of Hercules powder for pistol & Shotgun, and about 1/2 dozen DuPont powders for rifle.
Years ago, it was easy to find and buy powders from shooting stores in NJ. Now, almost no stores sell powder due to the storage requirements and liability issues. Turns out that there is a greater range of choices when buying on the internet
I think you must know more about guns and ammo then any 50 men combined. I am amazed at the information you dispense. IMR = improved military round....never heard that before. Its like you have all the details that escape so many of us. Thanks for making these video's and May God Bless You.
Thank you and God bless. Improved Military Rifle powder was originally invented by DuPont. During WWI, they produced 500 tons PER DAY of 1909 Military powder (if you can imagine that) which was renamed the very popular IMR4895 that's still one of the best ones for the 30-06, and is one of the most universally usable for many calibers.
Blue's video are for the most part excellent for both the experienced and novice. And, it was fun to listen to his comments about many of the powders I use. But, I would add one point. And, I'm not sure Blue intended to this message to be conveyed, but I've had both new precision rifles and older commercial and milsurp rifles that do respond significantly to changes in loads in the order of 0.2 grains. It's one of those "whoa" moments when you look back at the POIs after every shot. What I mean by this is perhaps a 0.5 moa shift, or the occurrence of more frequent flyers. That generally tells me fairly high frequency harmonics. I frequently run into this after the best load has been established, in addition to the best freebore or "jump" for the specific bullet. So, again, every rifle is different (even from the same manufacturer); sorta like kids in the same family. Everyone needs to establish the loads, and tolerable variance of loads, that gives rise to the tightest consistent groups with the powder, brass and bullet.
What a great video! I live near the old DuPont powder mills on the Brandywine. Hagley is still open for tours, sad that DuPont turned away from the business that got them started.
GunBlue490 Thanks for taking the time to make this Video and explain the various characteristics of different Powders. I just load a few Rifle Cartridges. 30 06 Springfield, 7.5X55 Swiss, .308 Winchester, 30 30 Winchester and 8X57 Mauser. On all of These Cartridges I use either IMR 4895, H4895,orIMR 4064 except on the 8X57. On both of My Mausers for some reason, I get very nice, accurate loads with H380 and a Magnum Primer. I don't know why My Mausers Groups better with H380 , They just do. Thanks again for making this Video, and God Bless You too Sir.
I have the Lee book. I do the ladder thing through the safe range of powder. My M1A prefers lighter bullets with the powder charge in the middle. My pistols don't care probably because I'm not shooting them very far. I do get better groups with hand loads than most factory loads. I noticed a crazy difference in my little 911 380. Reloading is weird because guns have their own preferences. You can make the perfect round for your gun. Another gun, same caliber won't like it. You have to form a bullet recipe for each gun you own.
Your videos are the best! I am so glad I found your channel and subscribed. My dad was from Springfield Massachusetts, and you sound so much like him. It's almost like having him back! If you can, do a video devoted to 800X. It's a really good powder, but it's a pain to meter accurately.
Thank you for making the difference in powers understanding that one power is not the same as another. I understand now why your choice may differ from one place at 2350 ft. Above sea level and the same cartage will be different at sea level. Even the same cartage and load to each other. Thanks for that.
I’m getting into reloading. I’m buying a Dillion progressive press. Components are hard to come by right now. I find you extremely knowledgeable and I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Thank you for sharing it. 😀
...I would suggest beginning with a single stage press...learn the basics...THEN buy more/better equipment.. Iveckniwn folks that spent a large amount money at the beginning but gave up shortly thereafter...your best source of used equipment are these folks...thevither folks are the ones whose c wives give them an ultimatum...Me or the hobby...
Weighting powder precisely can give an accuracy improvement, it depends on what kind of accuracy you expect at 45:41 you say is for just "sub MOA" accuracy, 0.2 grains of powder of difference may have no effect. But... At a higher level of accuracy (less than 1/2 MOA) on 5 shot groups you can get an accuracy improvement if you are weighting your powder carefully. On every load developpement I've done, I have examples of group size increasing or tightening with only 0.1 grain of powder weight change.
Yup. When he says “no discernable difference in accuracy” he's talking about pistol, service rifle, and hunting rifle. The man knows his stuff but you have to understand his context. 1.13 inch groups at 100yds is not acceptable in our part of the sport. Still a lot of good info here.
I've recently had a renewed interest in reloading and had begun buying everything needed for rifle/pistol about a year ago. Unfortunately, I've had to buy primers and powder that I did not prefer but at least I could get them with Lyman published load data. I'll just have to be careful with temperature and double ball powders such as Accurate 2700. Thank you for this very informative series!
Used a powder thrower for cast bullet matches at the bench for a number of years. It tossed the powder I was using at +/-.1, and did that consistently, and I couldn't tell the difference on the target at 200 yds in a hot or cold throw. Bullet was a 210gr 32cal @ 1450fps. The wind and occasionally the temps made more difference than the thrown charge. In winter at -20F, I upped the charge .1, with a bit of wind, .2 maybe. In the summer in 75F , may up it .1 for wind. The thrower is mounted on a Jorgensen woodworking clamp that I bent up to suit, and will mount to 95% of the benches at various places I've shot at. Mine is a micro-adjustable Redding, I tested what it threw at home with various powders before ever gong to the range with it, to make sure I knew what it did with those powders and could trust what I was doing with my technique on throwing those charges. Once you have that data and the technique down pat, write it all down, just set the thrower to the numbers on the dial and use it. There are powders I would not take to the range like that, but, by checking it that way, you learn what they are. Personally, I use spoons to trickle, can't stand the twist to operate ones, gave mine away. Far and away, even though I own a Chargemaster and have owned and used electronic scales for various purposes for 30yrs, I still have a balance scale, still use it to check the thrower and the electronics. But where possible and practical, I will set up and use a thrower as a first choice.
i hand measure every liad because i do not have the other devises. I was considering a perfect powder measure or the rcbs. I just have gotten used to the very laborous process of measuring each chargem
Excellent observation on impact and group size versus charge weight increase. This is something I learned over 10 years ago after realizing variations prior to scale recalibration. I then avoided digital scales because of this, yet, surprisingly accuracy and bullet strike were generally unaffected. Considerations of scale calibration being offset by barometric pressure changes was also a concern, but something perhaps benchrest shooters might consider. My aspirations of one day becoming an avid F - class rifle shooter hasn't been influenced by such paranoia for now. Returning to the analog, standard mechanical scale was easy for me after a brief go on the electronic version. Although, I plan to re-enter modern times and improve efficiency in the loading process with a digital powder measure on the next set up.
I can see that weighing out gunpowder takes even more skill than weighing out flour to bake a cake (yes im a girl!) there are lots of flours out there, and you have to use the right one to get the right texture, but worst case scenario is you get a crumbly cake. with cartridges, there's a lot more at stake!
Thanks for a very informative video (as always) I have been reloading for about 30 years and you confirm some of the conclusions I have come to over that time, especially those concerning charge weights with extruded powders. Maybe it would make a difference weighing these precisely for extreme long range cartridges i.e. out past say 1000 yards? I don't know. It would be interesting to try and find out. However for 99% of us shooting say 400 or less I agree it makes little if any difference. I had never thought of shooting a composite group though. Great idea, and the results confirm what you are saying and what I suspected. Thanks so much for that. Here in New Zealand we use a lot of ADI's powders which I believe are marketed by Hodgdon in the US
Thanks for this excellent tutorial! I did n’t realize there were so many types of powders! Do ammo manufacturers keep their powder types and characteristics for specific cartridge cases/bullet combinations secret for competitive reasons or are they published somewhere? Thanks.
I know many reloading manuals also list the primer to use. I have a lot of small magnum pistol primers that I used for .357 mag loads but wonder how they would change light loaded .38 for cowboy action shooting over the listed use of standard primers.
great video so much knowledge you haveb I have watched a lot of your videos and have been re-educatied on quite a few things thanks for sharing your knowledge it's great information.
Hodgdon only bought the IMR trademark. DuPont's last remaining powder mill in Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada was sold to General Dynamics. General Dynamics also bought the Olin/Winchester Ball Powder plant in St. Marks, Florida which gives them a monopoly on smokeless powder made in North America.
I started reloading in 1983 using my own press. Before that I had been given a single caliber reload rig that you tapped the brass in with a Mallot or small light hammer. I was reloading .38 cal wadcutters. This was in about 1978or so. Then even if you had a big press A power named Bullseye was used almost in all handgun loads. 9 MM wasn't on the seen yet' you either loaded revolver rounds or 45acp. And in the seventy ar-15's wasn't out yet. I've almost stopped I don't get to the range hardly anymore.
Dang! I am deaf and need to read the subtitle. Is there a way for me to get information like this. I am a reloader and want to hear about Varget and H335 for .223 Wylde and 6.5 Grendel. Also, I like to hear about other powders as a description in the video. As a reloader, I know itis important to understand the characters of the powders. I need a subtitle in this video. Many Thanks!
I look for a powder that loads the case at least 65% at minimum charge, has good velocity compared to the others that are also listed in the reloading manual, and is also listed for as many of the other cartridges I own. My main focus is having a double charge be obvious and so the powder has never got a level surface with an exposed primer when held horizontal. Shotgun reloading had given me more issues as some of the load testers seem to have a favorite wad and fail to test a wide variety of other wads.
I'm new to reloading 9mm, and will be using Hodgdon CFE Pistol. What's nice is, their website allows you to enter the bullet type and weight, and they'll tell you the starting and maximum loads, so there's no need to look up data in a book.
Is there a book that lists all powders and what calibers each powder is suitable for? It sure would make powder shopping much easier. I have around 7 loading manuals yet I know there are more powders I’m missing out on.
With several recalls now of various Accurate Arms Powders, do you think this is just a fluke, only certain lot numbers, or something to be concerned about with the company? Maybe a video on the subject of powder recalls. I had some Number 5, and some number AA3100 but no longer have any of their powders. I liked the 3100 and used it in .25-06. It looks as is AA3100 has been discontinued, or replaced by something else
What is your thoughts on the Hornsby superformance powder? I have been using it in my .270 with average results with Barnes ttsx. The available load data for this powder is extremely limited, but hornady/hodgen says that its because it didn't produce spectacular velocities, therefore they didn't publish data for anything "average". I have been carefully and slowly developing my own data for this powder in 30-06 with steady velocities and surprising accuracy. Keep in mind that I'm not going for max speed, just accuracy with reduced muzzle blast( 54gr. @ 2600fps). I'm getting sub moa at 200+yd. with extremely repeatable results. From my experience, massive muzzle blast doesn't get accuracy of any acceptable level...exterior ballistics 101. Its also helpful to have a firm understanding of physics and fluid dynamics when looking at what happens after the bullet leaves the barrel. But it all ties together when developing a accurate load for any cartridge. The "Quick Load" program is a helpful tool, but limited in powder options (not recently updated to my knowledge). But still helpful when looking at capacities and max pressures. Have you tried superformance lately?
You do an excellent job of explaing things , very informative. Getting ready to load up some 30-06 using Hornady 165 grain SST boat tail bullets to use in my savage 114 bolt action rifle for white tail deer this coming season here in Wisconsin. Rifle has a 22" barrel. I have on hand IMR 4064 and IMR 4350. Which of these powders would you recommend and at what velocity ?. Thanks! and keep up the good work..
The calibers I currently reload are 9mm, .380, .223, and .300 Win Mag. I have been reloading for about 6 years; using a Lee single stage, two Lee Pro 1000's, Lee balance beam scale, etc. My main pistol powder has been Bullseye, it meters very consistently in the Lee auto disk and amazingly consistent in the new Lee auto drum. I have tried Unique and found that it varies slightly, I have also tried Power Pistol and found it to be pretty consistent. It has been very difficult to find Bullseye in my area for quite some time so I recently picked up 8lbs of Tite Group... I have yet to try it. For the .223 I have been using Win 748 and have had extremely good results with consistent powder drops and accuracy.... I picked up 8lbs of BLC2 but have yet to try it. For my .300 Win Mag I hand measure each round since I am not loading a large number of rounds, I am using Reloader 22.
bippie23456 I suggest trying a one pounder before you buy lots of powder that you are stuck with. Titegroup and Bullseye are not efficient powders in the 9mm Luger case, and give fairly low velocities compared to others. Likewise, BLC2 is a good ball powder that has been around many decades, but CFE223 is a worthwhile improvement on an old goodie.
Thanks for the feedback, greatly appreciate it. What do you suggest using rather than Bullseye and Tite Group? I have stuck with Bullseye for quite a while because of the amazingly consistent charges I get with the Lee Auto disk and the Lee auto drum.
bippie23456 I don't know what weight bullets you are using, but Accurate No. 5 is a very uniform powder in 9mm that delivers target accuracy and good performance in autos, and its small granules meter very uniformly. The same comments are true for their sister powders Accurate No 2 and No 7, which are faster and slower, burning, respectively. Faster burning powders are more ecconomical, but slower ones can have other benefits, such as softer slide travel. Bullseye is ecconomical but is extremely fast burning and is unable to develop good velocity in the 9mm, and its flakes can sometimes drop inconsistently through measures compared to ball granules. No 5 is a very good compromise, and cycles well in all autos that I have used it in. I would recommend that you try them before buying more than a pound. Consult Accurate loading data, available on line in pdf form.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with this topic. Have you worked with powders that work well with 6mm Rem with 100gn projectiles? I would be using these for deer hunting.
I’m trying to get info and knowledge of reloading safe loads for M1 Garand. All of this panick buying has depleted supplies diving prices sky high. Even with components and powder in high demand-reloading is on! Buying ammo commercially is off the table. Please share any M1 30-06 Garand hand loading knowledge from your wealth of knowledge. God bless you Sir!
the OLD Hornady reloading manual was the best starting reference for me when I started out..... I always had good luck with IMR3031 in any round which used .30REM case as the mother case....what say you?
IMR-3031 is a good powder for any number of rounds, and was developed many years ago for the 30-30 Winchester and 30 Remington (not to be confused with the 30 Remington AR) by Dupont, but there are many powders that significantly improve on that performance now, and are certainly accurate. Some of the old loading manuals were developed with older testing equipment, or in some cases none at all. Powders change over the years and are not made by the same factory with the same characteristics, so the data must reflect those changes. Powders are contracted to factories all over the world which change frequently. The new manuals are new for a reason. Always use current data and be safe. I don't have an attachment to any particular powders, and prefer to try different ones, because there are too many to ignore. That's what I say.
For me it's not trying to pick a powder to cover a ton of cartridges I pick the powder specifically for a particular purpose for a cartridge that I load I have three different 45 ACP powders, to which I use just mainly for Target which are both Hodgdon powders one is TiteWad and ones TiteGroup. 3rd powder I use for my self defense handloads and that is Hodgdon CFE pistol powder because it packs a lot more punch. Given the current circumstances, we're lucky to find any powder I got lucky and found some accurate number 2 and some accurate 2230 for my AR period never used accurate powders before but hopefully they're both going to perform excellent in both my pistol and a rifle
I used to use Bullseye for loading .38 special rounds. I used it for over 30 years, and got good accuracy out of it in my 6 inch revolver. When I got a 3 inch revolver, the load sucked both in terms of grouping and in terms of hitting at point-of-aim. By going to slower powder, I was able to greatly improve the accuracy in that gun. Moral of the story -- don't stay with one powder just because it has worked well of years in a particular gun. You choice of powder can be very important.
My Dad; reloaded for 40 years, he passed two years ago. My inheritance was his loading equipment and supplies. I grew up shooting and here I am at 40 years of age and knew very little about loading. I have set up and cleaned up all of my Dad’s loading equipment. When ready to ask questions on where to start I was at a loss. At a loss until I found these videos. I have watched almost 30 hours of video and cant tell you how many pages of notes I have taken. Your videos are amazing and inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to pass on your in depth knowledge. God Bless America and it’s citizens!!
I'm envious brother lol sorry your dad passed on my Paw Paw who was more of my dad than his son passed two hears ago, my condolences brother. One thing I'm sure you've learned is you won't actually save money reloading, but you are able to shoot two to three times more ammo easily lol I started two years ago because my 45acp was costing a ton to buy factory ammo. I also cast my own 45acp target semi wad cutter bullets to further keep my costs down...i'm sure you dad had a good stockpile of different powders and primers 😍 I will pass my equipment to my son when I leave...he's only three right now but he already likes to shoot my old marlin model 60 haha I'm going to show him the love of custom building guns from bare frames, my Paw Paw taught me how to build 1911's, lever-actions, and how to work on revolvers...I'm so thankful for him taking the time to teach me that skill it has saved me a pile of money over the years.
I'm glad your dad enjoyed reloading all that time. Your dad really loved reloading .
Take good care of his stuff.
He's with you on every pull of the handle of his press
May he rest in peace
Yes my brother made good 30:06 rounds but I tell my grandson to use factory loads . You have to know what you are doing. I have seen them loaded in 9mm they one man left out the powder and it would have been a squib load . It was his uncle who forgot all the steps. I use factory loads because I don’t have reloading equipment and I can buy what I need. Good luck and have a plan when you reload. And you might ought to only use a few shell and take them to y Lou range and see if they function like what you want before loading a hundred or so .
Is powers still in the joint. If so why should one support powers.
Brian Heinz Gun powder. Never mind
I invite anyone new to reloading, veteran reloaders, and folks new to guns in general, to study this man's videos because he presents a wealth of knowledge in the most calm, pleasant, thorough and reassuring manner. I've been reloading for ~40 years(OK 38+). Just finished Primers and Parts 1 & 2 as a refresher course. I appreciate seeing so many powders together all at once for comparison. Certainly more variety of powders represented than I've experimented with. I've actually pared down my powder selections through the last decade(s) as my calibers have been long fixed, my bullet selections favored and my loads dialed in. Some guys are constantly tweaking their bullets & powder loads when a new powder is brought out. Too much extra fussing for me, and I think they actually do themselves a disservice by undoing all their previous work. But that is just me and they thrive on the change and extra work. Much the same as guys who are never done fiddling with their 1911s. I may try a new bullet but I seem to fall back on pretty much the same powders I've settled on for that caliber, often because I already have an 8lb. keg of it and geez powders are expensive nowadays. Listen to what he says about avoiding compressed loads or magnum primers if you can. I've never used either and I don't want the headache associated with it. Again, that is just me. I've also avoided the magnum calibers too because I don't see a great performance difference for all that extra noise and kick. Never had any elk more dead than my .270s, .308s,, or .30-06s have already laid out. Those long distance shooters sure love the .300 WinMAG but damn is it loud and it kicks like a mule. To wrap it up, this man is a real gem, and everyone can learn something from him. Well done good Sir, well done.
I'm 3 months into reloading and I can see the desire to constantly change your load. There's so many variables and everyone is constantly chasing a .1" smaller group. Plus it gives us something to do everytime we go to the range.
But yeah, definitely see your point about undoing work. Thanks.
I have been reloading Rifle andPistol cartridges for over 40 years ,this gentleman is an absolute wealth of knowledge,and i would recommend anyone who reloads to view this video.thank you from the uk.
Ha Ha l used the .300 WMag all my life but l am backing off now l am 65 yrs old . I like to take my .308 out to the range nowadays. It is Nice 👍 lol🇨🇦🤠
To each his own, but I prefer magnum rifles, specifically Weatherby Magnums. Love the extra horsepower for long distance dialing when Western muley, elk, and antelope hunting. When I hunt whitetails in the Midwest, my trusty Remington 7400 in 3006 is always invited to the party. Kick, or recoil as it were is something as a handloading hunter with over fifty years in the field and over thirty on the bench, I've learned to manage. But heyyy, whatever works.
Guns N Basses Forever! 🔫🎸
I’m in agreement with you in total. I’ve pared my weapons down to 3 pistol calibers and 5 rifle calibers. For the pistols I have 2 bullet weights each and about 3-5 for the rifles and only keep powders for what I load. I’ve moved away from heavy rifles as I no longer find them pleasant to shoot and I’ve fount that the 6mm and 6.5mm will do the trick easily for everything I hunt that’s over 250 yards away while the 30-30 and 44mag do the trick in the heavy woods. Of course I keep 20 & 12 gauge scattergun load stuff as I’ve found they are the best for my needs. This man has a wealth a knowledge and reminds me of a Yankee version of my Pop.
Wow, so erudite. I have such high respect for men who achieve this level of understanding in a craft or study. Artisanship will never die!
This man‘s videos are much more eye-opening to me than anything else I could find on the subject.
Love this man. He is like your best friend who is right there with you step by step.
Composite grouping, what a great idea to show the visual range in your records. Great video as usual, I know it took time and effort to tag and display each powder, Thanks for going the extra mile to educate us.
Mark Jaggers
My late friend and mentor taught me to record composite groups, and he learned it from the great Ned H. Roberts, who designed the fabulous 257 Roberts. So, I pass it along to you in their honor.
Curious what bullet weight you find works well in your 70 Win/.257 Roberts with Reloader 15?
Is this the notion of putting multiple large targets at 100, 2xx, 3xx, etc yards so that a single bullet gives you more data at once? Because I already thought of that last year.
It's one thing to know something really well, but you have to be on another level altogether to know it well enough to help others understand it really well.
Behold, the Master.
Thank you so much for posting your reloading video collecting ! I must say you truly are the Professor of the reloading ! I enjoyed watching and learning from your series. Thank you again!!!
I for one am truly thankful for all the work and time you put in to share such an incredible wealth of knowledge . Thank you sir
I'd like to thank you for your in depth and obviously time consuming research and data. I was out of the reloading game since the early 90's and have just started again. Mainly 444, 45-70 and 44 magnum. I was really surprised at the number of powders available currently. I did in deed have to get a more current reloading book (Lyman) as my old Hornady book was from the early 70's. I appreciate your video's.
Not only is the video very informative able to share the benefit of decades of experience, but reading through the comments is incredibly valuable too. Thank you for this video and all your other content allowing others to benefit from your experience. Much gratitude.
I know this is an old posting but I find myself referring to it often. Thanks Cap for another great, timeless video. I'm always interested in powders and how they perform. It's the one thing most shooters don't go into detail explaining.
No posting is too old!
@@GunBlue490 That's true with humans as well. Best of Luck to you Cap.
Hello GunBlue490, I've been loading for my handguns, rifles and shot guns now for about 4 years. I've performed a lot of viewing of youtube demonstrations and instructional lessons over the years. There are so many people out there that are such good teachers on the subject of firearms, loading and gun safety; however, you are by far the easiest to understand and listen to, you obviously know your subject and I would just like to acknowledge you, your efforts to share the wealth of information you possess, gained obviously through many years experience as a man dearly interested in this subject.
I love the practice of loading all of my weapons simply because it appeals to my perfectionism. That's how it all started anyway... now-a-days I load on a single-load press when loading for rifle precision and on a progressive press for my pistols and some "fun" rifles. For shotgun I just use the simple Mec Steel-loader with the universal measure. For most powder measuring I use an electronic powder dispenser for most loading and a trickler to get it right on as you have stated above.
All of what I know I have learned from watching videos and reading articles, yes, granted not every bit of instruction is absolute or even sometimes correct; that's why I cross-reference and double-check everything new I undertake! It's a wonderful world of information and knowledge out there these days; all you need do as an individual is to check your data, proceed with caution and common sense and always put safety first, there's no second-guessing an accidental outcome, that's why they're called "accidents!"
One last time I want to let you know from my heart; from one elderly 66 year old to a fellow elder (looking of course a bit younger than I) but still elder enough to obviously have studied, derived information and followed with a good strong measure of common sense to arrive at your conclusions, and then to share that knowledge and experience with the rest of us... I salute you Sir! You are a fine example of an American through and through!
W.R.
J. Henriksen
Love how much information you have in each video. I'm like a sponge with all of them.
this is my new favorite channel, i'm new to reloading, and your vids are incredibly helpful. thankyou
Again, thank you! I thoroughly enjoy your videos and learn something new almost every time.
I watched him setting up a lee load master following every step he’s such a great teacher
Very thorough description of an often neglected subject. Well done, Gun Blue! Thank you.
Similar powder numbers can certainly be a problem. I once asked for "4895" and got the wrong one. Failed to realize it until I'd beaten my shoulder pretty bad. Luckily, the action withstood the punishment far better than my shoulder and I pulled the remaining bullets and fixed the problem. The Max load I was typically able to use with IMR was actually a couple grains over max with H!
I've used that same trickler for many years. Maybe I'm a little OCD, but I weigh every load, pistol or rifle, and "top it off" with that trickler. Speed isn't important to me, just consistency.
I know this is older, but what a great wealth of knowledge!
Dude this guy's videos are the best reloading videos I've ever seen on TH-cam he is the most knowledgeable person putting the info out there.
This was an excellent video. The individual attention and visuals of each powder was terrific. You provide a lot of good information to reloaders. One issue, and perhaps the most perplexing is choosing a powder. There are so many factors to consider in selecting a powder it would be nice to have a chart that rates/ranks the powders based on these many criteria. Here is a list of things to consider when it comes to powders: 1.burn rate best suited for bullet weight, 2. performance, ie velocity., 3. Accuracy/Consistency which includes low SD and good ES numbers, 4. Temperature sensitivity, 5. Metering ease ie. extruded, spherical, ball 6. Cleanliness is it clean burning or dirty, 6. Easy on barrel ie. non-corrosive, 7. Easy on cases for longer case life, 8. Size of load where smaller sized necessary loads equals more loads per pound, 9. Usability over a wider range of bullet sizes or calibers, 10. Cost per pound, 11. Availabilty. There may be more factors to consider than listed here but it would be nice to see a chart where these factors were evaluated for each powder (even just for the 223 as a base point due to its populariity). With your existing knowledge and experiences it shouldn't be too hard for you to come up with such a chart. It would of great value to reloaders trying to decide on powder(s).
Without saying you completely explained the law of diminishing returns.
Great vid! Thank you so much.
Best information on the Net ! Thank you
Sir, you are so awesome!! I appreciate your vast knowledge on the subject matter. The ease with which you present this information, in such a calm manner. I have learned so much from you and will be sure to pass it on to my nephew that is just getting into long range precision shooting. Thank you!!
I thank you.
Sir, I've been an avid reloader since the '80s-on a very small scale-loading 38, 357, 9mm, 223, 308, and some surplus rifle cartridges like 8x56R, 7.5 Swiss, 303 Brit. and your videos are the first that thoroughly detail powder selection, and the WHY of it. Well done and thank you. I see that these vids are a few years old, I hope you're still around and teaching!
Such a wealth of knowledge, Glad I found your channel
I favour sensible and your channel is so pragmatic and sensible it’s a joy to watch. Thank you for pulling this altogether, I can appreciate the significant amount of work and detail you’ve put in to making your videos. You’re like a firearms angel for me. 😊
Thank you sir. You are a great teacher that I don't come across very often. I highly enjoyed this lesson and look forward to watching others on your Channel.
Great video...after year's of watching shooters and reloaders, this is the best compendium of what they explain.
An excellent wealth of knowledge and information in this video. I am preparing to start reloading and am doing my research before I begin. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much for the presentation and taking the time to pass on the knowledge and wisdom to us younger guys. Its unfortunate that the majority of the younger generations aren't paying more attention to things like this they would rather just throw money at the problem. I'm learning about loading and reloading because I am going to start my own ammo business for the crowd that just want to throw money around. Just do us another favor and hold on as long as possible because some of us younger guys care and want you older guys to stick around because we need you more than you know. God bless.
Love your vids. Great info. I'd love to actually sit down with you. Your grandkids are very fortunate to have you.
Thanks for the effort and the work you put into these vids
Thank you very much for your great reply. I will do exactly what you said. it will be a great start for my reloading. I do already have some 125 grain RNFP cast, but will get the 148 wadcutters and the bullseye or red dot. I just bought the Lee manual last week and have Lyman 49. I will put these to use for my Blackhawk and hopefully my Henry lever action.
God Bless
Thank You for sharing your knowledge. I'm gaining on reloading and gun knowledge by watching your videos.
In the 70’s we had one store within 20 miles that sold components. 3 or 4 types of Hercules powder for pistol & Shotgun, and about 1/2 dozen DuPont powders for rifle.
Years ago, it was easy to find and buy powders from shooting stores in NJ. Now, almost no stores sell powder due to the storage requirements and liability issues. Turns out that there is a greater range of choices when buying on the internet
Well done! Excellent! Couldn't have done it better myself! Upvoted big time! Highly recommended to all newbie reloaders out there these days!
Thank you, that was a really interesting and as always educational video. I always appreciate your down to earth as simple as possible methods.
I think you must know more about guns and ammo then any 50 men combined. I am amazed at the information you dispense. IMR = improved military round....never heard that before. Its like you have all the details that escape so many of us. Thanks for making these video's and May God Bless You.
Thank you and God bless. Improved Military Rifle powder was originally invented by DuPont. During WWI, they produced 500 tons PER DAY of 1909 Military powder (if you can imagine that) which was renamed the very popular IMR4895 that's still one of the best ones for the 30-06, and is one of the most universally usable for many calibers.
Blue's video are for the most part excellent for both the experienced and novice. And, it was fun to listen to his comments about many of the powders I use. But, I would add one point. And, I'm not sure Blue intended to this message to be conveyed, but I've had both new precision rifles and older commercial and milsurp rifles that do respond significantly to changes in loads in the order of 0.2 grains. It's one of those "whoa" moments when you look back at the POIs after every shot. What I mean by this is perhaps a 0.5 moa shift, or the occurrence of more frequent flyers. That generally tells me fairly high frequency harmonics. I frequently run into this after the best load has been established, in addition to the best freebore or "jump" for the specific bullet. So, again, every rifle is different (even from the same manufacturer); sorta like kids in the same family. Everyone needs to establish the loads, and tolerable variance of loads, that gives rise to the tightest consistent groups with the powder, brass and bullet.
What a great video! I live near the old DuPont powder mills on the Brandywine. Hagley is still open for tours, sad that DuPont turned away from the business that got them started.
One of the most useful video I have seen yet! Thank you
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Theres alot here i havent learned from any other source.
GunBlue490 Thanks for taking the time to make this Video and explain the various characteristics of different Powders. I just load a few Rifle Cartridges. 30 06 Springfield, 7.5X55 Swiss, .308 Winchester, 30 30 Winchester and 8X57 Mauser. On all of These Cartridges I use either IMR 4895, H4895,orIMR 4064 except on the 8X57. On both of My Mausers for some reason, I get very nice, accurate loads with H380 and a Magnum Primer. I don't know why My Mausers Groups better with H380 , They just do. Thanks again for making this Video, and God Bless You too Sir.
Rick Nethery I do agree with the 4895..... however, I used to get the most consistent results with 3031 in my 30-30
I have always had good luck with lMR 4831 in my .300🇨🇦🤠
This video should have a link printed on every label of Powder. WOW! GREAT JOB!
I have the Lee book. I do the ladder thing through the safe range of powder. My M1A prefers lighter bullets with the powder charge in the middle. My pistols don't care probably because I'm not shooting them very far. I do get better groups with hand loads than most factory loads. I noticed a crazy difference in my little 911 380. Reloading is weird because guns have their own preferences. You can make the perfect round for your gun. Another gun, same caliber won't like it. You have to form a bullet recipe for each gun you own.
Your videos are the best! I am so glad I found your channel and subscribed. My dad was from Springfield Massachusetts, and you sound so much like him. It's almost like having him back! If you can, do a video devoted to 800X. It's a really good powder, but it's a pain to meter accurately.
Actually, I have not had occasion to use that powder. I may try it in a relevant cartridge.
Thank you for making the difference in powers understanding that one power is not the same as another. I understand now why your choice may differ from one place at 2350 ft. Above sea level and the same cartage will be different at sea level. Even the same cartage and load to each other. Thanks for that.
Fantastic information, well presented. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Another outstanding video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
Salutes from Brazil.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us, I have benefited greatly from this.
A nice summary for the new reloader. I agree with most of your main points from my modest 4 years of reloading experience.
I’m getting into reloading. I’m buying a Dillion progressive press. Components are hard to come by right now. I find you extremely knowledgeable and I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Thank you for sharing it. 😀
...I would suggest beginning with a single stage press...learn the basics...THEN buy more/better equipment.. Iveckniwn folks that spent a large amount money at the beginning but gave up shortly thereafter...your best source of used equipment are these folks...thevither folks are the ones whose c wives give them an ultimatum...Me or the hobby...
Weighting powder precisely can give an accuracy improvement, it depends on what kind of accuracy you expect
at 45:41 you say is for just "sub MOA" accuracy, 0.2 grains of powder of difference may have no effect.
But... At a higher level of accuracy (less than 1/2 MOA) on 5 shot groups you can get an accuracy improvement if you are weighting your powder carefully. On every load developpement I've done, I have examples of group size increasing or tightening with only 0.1 grain of powder weight change.
Yup. When he says “no discernable difference in accuracy” he's talking about pistol, service rifle, and hunting rifle. The man knows his stuff but you have to understand his context.
1.13 inch groups at 100yds is not acceptable in our part of the sport. Still a lot of good info here.
Outstanding video sir. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank You, Sir. Really appreciate the way work you have put into this.
I've recently had a renewed interest in reloading and had begun buying everything needed for rifle/pistol about a year ago. Unfortunately, I've had to buy primers and powder that I did not prefer but at least I could get them with Lyman published load data. I'll just have to be careful with temperature and double ball powders such as Accurate 2700. Thank you for this very informative series!
Used a powder thrower for cast bullet matches at the bench for a number of years. It tossed the powder I was using at +/-.1, and did that consistently, and I couldn't tell the difference on the target at 200 yds in a hot or cold throw. Bullet was a 210gr 32cal @ 1450fps. The wind and occasionally the temps made more difference than the thrown charge. In winter at -20F, I upped the charge .1, with a bit of wind, .2 maybe. In the summer in 75F , may up it .1 for wind. The thrower is mounted on a Jorgensen woodworking clamp that I bent up to suit, and will mount to 95% of the benches at various places I've shot at. Mine is a micro-adjustable Redding, I tested what it threw at home with various powders before ever gong to the range with it, to make sure I knew what it did with those powders and could trust what I was doing with my technique on throwing those charges. Once you have that data and the technique down pat, write it all down, just set the thrower to the numbers on the dial and use it.
There are powders I would not take to the range like that, but, by checking it that way, you learn what they are.
Personally, I use spoons to trickle, can't stand the twist to operate ones, gave mine away. Far and away, even though I own a Chargemaster and have owned and used electronic scales for various purposes for 30yrs, I still have a balance scale, still use it to check the thrower and the electronics. But where possible and practical, I will set up and use a thrower as a first choice.
Thanks for all your knowledge and wisdom. Great information.
i hand measure every liad because i do not have the other devises. I was considering a perfect powder measure or the rcbs. I just have gotten used to the very laborous process of measuring each chargem
Excellent observation on impact and group size versus charge weight increase. This is something I learned over 10 years ago after realizing variations prior to scale recalibration. I then avoided digital scales because of this, yet, surprisingly accuracy and bullet strike were generally unaffected. Considerations of scale calibration being offset by barometric pressure changes was also a concern, but something perhaps benchrest shooters might consider. My aspirations of one day becoming an avid F - class rifle shooter hasn't been influenced by such paranoia for now. Returning to the analog, standard mechanical scale was easy for me after a brief go on the electronic version. Although, I plan to re-enter modern times and improve efficiency in the loading process with a digital powder measure on the next set up.
Love your apron! It’s my go to Muffuletta stop in New Orleans. Great video on powders. Thanks sir!
Thank you sir. You are a wealth of knowledge to shooters / handloaders of all calibers.
Just getting started, is there a handbook with all powders ?
I can see that weighing out gunpowder takes even more skill than weighing out flour to bake a cake (yes im a girl!) there are lots of flours out there, and you have to use the right one to get the right texture, but worst case scenario is you get a crumbly cake. with cartridges, there's a lot more at stake!
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. Good Job!
Thank you for taking the time to do these videos.
Exceptionally well done and informative. Volumes of research in very interesting and enjoyable format.
Thanks for a very informative video (as always) I have been reloading for about 30 years and you confirm some of the conclusions I have come to over that time, especially those concerning charge weights with extruded powders. Maybe it would make a difference weighing these precisely for extreme long range cartridges i.e. out past say 1000 yards? I don't know. It would be interesting to try and find out. However for 99% of us shooting say 400 or less I agree it makes little if any difference. I had never thought of shooting a composite group though. Great idea, and the results confirm what you are saying and what I suspected. Thanks so much for that. Here in New Zealand we use a lot of ADI's powders which I believe are marketed by Hodgdon in the US
Thanks for this excellent tutorial! I did n’t realize there were so many types of powders! Do ammo manufacturers keep their powder types and characteristics for specific cartridge cases/bullet combinations secret for competitive reasons or are they published somewhere? Thanks.
Outstanding! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, you sir make us all better for doing so.
Thank you for the powder review, that was very helpful in the powder field
I know many reloading manuals also list the primer to use. I have a lot of small magnum pistol primers that I used for .357 mag loads but wonder how they would change light loaded .38 for cowboy action shooting over the listed use of standard primers.
great video so much knowledge you haveb I have watched a lot of your videos and have been re-educatied on quite a few things thanks for sharing your knowledge it's great information.
Excellent video. The composite targets were particularly interesting.
Thanks for the video I appreciate all the information you do a great job explaining
Hodgdon only bought the IMR trademark. DuPont's last remaining powder mill in Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada was sold to General Dynamics. General Dynamics also bought the Olin/Winchester Ball Powder plant in St. Marks, Florida which gives them a monopoly on smokeless powder made in North America.
Dude doing the video at 2:00am. Now that’s commitment.
I started reloading in 1983 using my own press. Before that I had been given a single caliber reload rig that you tapped the brass in with a Mallot or small light hammer. I was reloading .38 cal wadcutters. This was in about 1978or so. Then even if you had a big press A power named Bullseye was used almost in all handgun loads. 9 MM wasn't on the seen yet' you either loaded revolver rounds or 45acp. And in the seventy ar-15's wasn't out yet.
I've almost stopped I don't get to the range hardly anymore.
Dang! I am deaf and need to read the subtitle. Is there a way for me to get information like this. I am a reloader and want to hear about Varget and H335 for .223 Wylde and 6.5 Grendel. Also, I like to hear about other powders as a description in the video. As a reloader, I know itis important to understand the characters of the powders. I need a subtitle in this video. Many Thanks!
Thank for this video and the time you put into making them.
I’m brand new to reloading. Very helpful information. Thank you sir.
green dot was the first powder i ever used then unique and blue dot. love them all
I look for a powder that loads the case at least 65% at minimum charge, has good velocity compared to the others that are also listed in the reloading manual, and is also listed for as many of the other cartridges I own.
My main focus is having a double charge be obvious and so the powder has never got a level surface with an exposed primer when held horizontal.
Shotgun reloading had given me more issues as some of the load testers seem to have a favorite wad and fail to test a wide variety of other wads.
Very informative. Thanks for the video!
I'm new to reloading 9mm, and will be using Hodgdon CFE Pistol. What's nice is, their website allows you to enter the bullet type and weight, and they'll tell you the starting and maximum loads, so there's no need to look up data in a book.
A great Vlog on powder/s variants. Thank you!
Is there a book that lists all powders and what calibers each powder is suitable for? It sure would make powder shopping much easier. I have around 7 loading manuals yet I know there are more powders I’m missing out on.
Winchester 296 was always one of my favorites ???
With several recalls now of various Accurate Arms Powders, do you think this is just a fluke, only certain lot numbers, or something to be concerned about with the company? Maybe a video on the subject of powder recalls. I had some Number 5, and some number AA3100 but no longer have any of their powders. I liked the 3100 and used it in .25-06. It looks as is AA3100 has been discontinued, or replaced by something else
What is your thoughts on the Hornsby superformance powder? I have been using it in my .270 with average results with Barnes ttsx. The available load data for this powder is extremely limited, but hornady/hodgen says that its because it didn't produce spectacular velocities, therefore they didn't publish data for anything "average". I have been carefully and slowly developing my own data for this powder in 30-06 with steady velocities and surprising accuracy. Keep in mind that I'm not going for max speed, just accuracy with reduced muzzle blast( 54gr. @ 2600fps). I'm getting sub moa at 200+yd. with extremely repeatable results. From my experience, massive muzzle blast doesn't get accuracy of any acceptable level...exterior ballistics 101. Its also helpful to have a firm understanding of physics and fluid dynamics when looking at what happens after the bullet leaves the barrel. But it all ties together when developing a accurate load for any cartridge. The "Quick Load" program is a helpful tool, but limited in powder options (not recently updated to my knowledge). But still helpful when looking at capacities and max pressures. Have you tried superformance lately?
By the way I was able to get Bullseye for the load you recommended.
You do an excellent job of explaing things , very informative. Getting ready to load up some 30-06 using Hornady 165 grain SST boat tail bullets to use in my savage 114 bolt action rifle for white tail deer this coming season here in Wisconsin. Rifle has a 22" barrel. I have on hand IMR 4064 and IMR 4350. Which of these powders would you recommend and at what velocity ?. Thanks! and keep up the good work..
Been having very poor results reloading my 30-06 with H414. Thanks for explaining why! Looks like I need to switch powders.
Caleb D
You can’t go wrong with 4064 and 4350 in the 30-06 .... and both powders work well in many other calibers.
The calibers I currently reload are 9mm, .380, .223, and .300 Win Mag. I have been reloading for about 6 years; using a Lee single stage, two Lee Pro 1000's, Lee balance beam scale, etc. My main pistol powder has been Bullseye, it meters very consistently in the Lee auto disk and amazingly consistent in the new Lee auto drum. I have tried Unique and found that it varies slightly, I have also tried Power Pistol and found it to be pretty consistent. It has been very difficult to find Bullseye in my area for quite some time so I recently picked up 8lbs of Tite Group... I have yet to try it. For the .223 I have been using Win 748 and have had extremely good results with consistent powder drops and accuracy.... I picked up 8lbs of BLC2 but have yet to try it. For my .300 Win Mag I hand measure each round since I am not loading a large number of rounds, I am using Reloader 22.
bippie23456
I suggest trying a one pounder before you buy lots of powder that you are stuck with. Titegroup and Bullseye are not efficient powders in the 9mm Luger case, and give fairly low velocities compared to others. Likewise, BLC2 is a good ball powder that has been around many decades, but CFE223 is a worthwhile improvement on an old goodie.
Thanks for the feedback, greatly appreciate it. What do you suggest using rather than Bullseye and Tite Group? I have stuck with Bullseye for quite a while because of the amazingly consistent charges I get with the Lee Auto disk and the Lee auto drum.
bippie23456
I don't know what weight bullets you are using, but Accurate No. 5 is a very uniform powder in 9mm that delivers target accuracy and good performance in autos, and its small granules meter very uniformly. The same comments are true for their sister powders Accurate No 2 and No 7, which are faster and slower, burning, respectively. Faster burning powders are more ecconomical, but slower ones can have other benefits, such as softer slide travel. Bullseye is ecconomical but is extremely fast burning and is unable to develop good velocity in the 9mm, and its flakes can sometimes drop inconsistently through measures compared to ball granules. No 5 is a very good compromise, and cycles well in all autos that I have used it in. I would recommend that you try them before buying more than a pound. Consult Accurate loading data, available on line in pdf form.
I reload mostly 124 lead cast round nose, and 115 grain FMJ and plated! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences with this topic. Have you worked with powders that work well with 6mm Rem with 100gn projectiles? I would be using these for deer hunting.
I’m trying to get info and knowledge of reloading safe loads for M1 Garand. All of this panick buying has depleted supplies diving prices sky high. Even with components and powder in high demand-reloading is on! Buying ammo commercially is off the table. Please share any M1 30-06 Garand hand loading knowledge from your wealth of knowledge. God bless you Sir!
Thank you for the video.
the OLD Hornady reloading manual was the best starting reference for me when I started out..... I always had good luck with IMR3031 in any round which used .30REM case as the mother case....what say you?
IMR-3031 is a good powder for any number of rounds, and was developed many years ago for the 30-30 Winchester and 30 Remington (not to be confused with the 30 Remington AR) by Dupont, but there are many powders that significantly improve on that performance now, and are certainly accurate. Some of the old loading manuals were developed with older testing equipment, or in some cases none at all. Powders change over the years and are not made by the same factory with the same characteristics, so the data must reflect those changes. Powders are contracted to factories all over the world which change frequently. The new manuals are new for a reason. Always use current data and be safe. I don't have an attachment to any particular powders, and prefer to try different ones, because there are too many to ignore. That's what I say.
GunBlue490 ....LOL....as usual, that advice makes sense..... a diplomatic way of saying, "Jay, you need to update" ..... good stuff.... thank you
I still have my old Hornady #4 love it 😊 Ballistic tables in the back.🇨🇦🤠
For me it's not trying to pick a powder to cover a ton of cartridges I pick the powder specifically for a particular purpose for a cartridge that I load I have three different 45 ACP powders, to which I use just mainly for Target which are both Hodgdon powders one is TiteWad and ones TiteGroup. 3rd powder I use for my self defense handloads and that is Hodgdon CFE pistol powder because it packs a lot more punch. Given the current circumstances, we're lucky to find any powder I got lucky and found some accurate number 2 and some accurate 2230 for my AR period never used accurate powders before but hopefully they're both going to perform excellent in both my pistol and a rifle
I used to use Bullseye for loading .38 special rounds. I used it for over 30 years, and got good accuracy out of it in my 6 inch revolver. When I got a 3 inch revolver, the load sucked both in terms of grouping and in terms of hitting at point-of-aim. By going to slower powder, I was able to greatly improve the accuracy in that gun. Moral of the story -- don't stay with one powder just because it has worked well of years in a particular gun. You choice of powder can be very important.
I love Varget for 223. I find compressed loads give me lower SDs. I just tap the case to get the powder to settle.