[Tangle]

II have only about a 1/2 pound of H4895 left, and it is NOT available anywhere.😳 It's not that's it's the best powder in the world, but it is good and it's what I've been using. I could use IMR 8208 XBR but my supply of that is limited too, and it's NOT available either. I have more Varget than 8208 XBR - AND Varget is available right now although at a exorbitant price of $49/lb. It used to be around $32/lb if I recall correctly. Anyway...

In another thread, @CavemanBob asked what would happen if I changed powders - a great question BTW, and I guess we're about to find out.

So today, I'll use Gordon's Reloading Tool (GRT - free download) to find a safe charge using Varget. I'll load up 30 rounds and shoot ten, 3-shot groups and see how it compares to the groups I shot with H4895. Although, it's gonna be hard to match the groups I got with H4895, it'd be hard to match even with another set of H4895!

Sooo, GRT says 23.7 gr would be a little over 55,000 PSI. Sierra lists 23.9 gr as a max for Varget for the 77 gr MK, and Hodgdon lists 23.7 gr as a max. How about that for a close match. GRT says 23.5 gr would produce a pressure of about 53,870 psi so that gives me a bit of a safety margin.

The velocity predicted by GRT for 22.8 gr of H4895 from a 16.1" barrel was 2602 fps. The gun I'm using shoots unusually fast and I've notice that to be the case with factory ammo. My average velocity for the 30 shots was 2745 fps! I haven't had a chance to look at the cases closely, but I'm about to. It seems to me that it would be hard to get that much velocity without a proportional increase in pressure.

So I'll check the cases for pressure signs a load accordingly.

The temperature is supposed to peak at about 4:00 ESDT today, so that's when I'll try to hit the range. I'll add the results to this post as soon as I can.

 

[viney266]

My Garsh, this is WORSE than when the wife moves the furniture around...I wish you the best and know your pain (powder prices are NUTS)

 

[OldVet]

GRT. I'll have to check it out and see how it works with a wildcat (Mongoose).

 

[Henry9008]

II have only about a 1/2 pound of H4895 left, and it is NOT available anywhere.😳 It's not that's it's the best powder in the world, but it is good and it's what I've been using. I could use IMR 8208 XBR but my supply of that is limited too, and it's NOT available either. I have more Varget than 8208 XBR - AND Varget is available right now although at a exorbitant price of $49/lb. It used to be around $32/lb if I recall correctly. Anyway...

In another thread, @CavemanBob asked what would happen if I changed powders - a great question BTW, and I guess we're about to find out.

So today, I'll use Gordon's Reloading Tool (GRT - free download) to find a safe charge using Varget. I'll load up 30 rounds and shoot ten, 3-shot groups and see how it compares to the groups I shot with H4895. Although, it's gonna be hard to match the groups I got with H4895, it'd be hard to match even with another set of H4895!

Sooo, GRT says 23.7 gr would be a little over 55,000 PSI. Sierra lists 23.9 gr as a max for Varget for the 77 gr MK, and Hodgdon lists 23.7 gr as a max. How about that for a close match. GRT says 23.5 gr would produce a pressure of about 53,870 psi so that gives me a bit of a safety margin.

The velocity predicted by GRT for 22.8 gr of H4895 from a 16.1" barrel was 2602 fps. The gun I'm using shoots unusually fast and I've notice that to be the case with factory ammo. My average velocity for the 30 shots was 2745 fps! I haven't had a chance to look at the cases closely, but I'm about to. It seems to me that it would be hard to get that much velocity without a proportional increase in pressure.

So I'll check the cases for pressure signs a load accordingly.

The temperature is supposed to peak at about 4:00 ESDT today, so that's when I'll try to hit the range. I'll add the results to this post as soon as I can.

Midway has it.

 

[Tangle]

Midway has it.

Doesn't look like they have it???

 

[Tangle]

Well, shoot! the range didn't work out for this afternoon as I anticipated, so I'll try it again tomorrow afternoon.

 

[BlackJack]

You could try Ramshot TAC, if it is available to you. I have gotten good results with it for both 223/5.56 and 308 Win.

 

[HotGuns]

I use a lot of 4895. So much so that I buy it in the 8-pound jugs.

 

[Tangle]

I use a lot of 4895. So much so that I buy it in the 8-pound jugs.

Thanks, I went through my 8 lb jug hoping H4895 would become available before I ran out of it. I ran out of the 8 lb and a couple 1 lb and it still isn't available. 😞. Eight lbs lasts me about 4.5 months.

Sooo...with the way everything is right now, Varget is available and H4895 isn't so I bought some Varget (which I'm not a big fan of) - but, the "get what you can, while you can get it" principle prevailed and I bought the Varget. At least I can keep shooting for a while now.

Now if I could just find some new 223 cases.

 

[Tangle]

You could try Ramshot TAC, if it is available to you. I have gotten good results with it for both 223/5.56 and 308 Win.

Oops, I meant to reply to this. I've had pretty good luck with TAC, but I had a lot more Varget on hand than TAC, so I wouldn't have to buy as much Varget to keep shooting. Sooo...

 

[Workaholic]

Thanks, I went through my 8 lb jug hoping H4895 would become available before I ran out of it. I ran out of the 8 lb and a couple 1 lb and it still isn't available. 😞. Eight lbs lasts me about 4.5 months.

Sooo...with the way everything is right now, Varget is available and H4895 isn't so I bought some Varget (which I'm not a big fan of) - but, the "get what you can, while you can get it" principle prevailed and I bought the Varget. At least I can keep shooting for a while now.

Now if I could just find some new 223 cases.

Powder valley has new unprimed prvi partisan brass for 223 and 556 in stock.

 

[Tangle]

Powder valley has new unprimed prvi partisan brass for 223 and 556 in stock.

Many thanks!

I'm looking for Lapua or Hornady.

 

[Tangle]

Powder valley has new unprimed prvi partisan brass for 223 and 556 in stock.

Actually I may have to get some of these as a back up in case Hornady or Lapua doesn't become available soon. While Prvi Partisan brass may not be of the same quality as Hornady or Lapua, at least I could keep reloading and shooting.

 

[Tangle]

Well I didn't make it to the range yesterday either. But I'm loading right now in preparation for an afternoon shoot.

I'll be shooting 77 SMKs with what I think is a reasonably conservative load of 23.6 gr of Varget. Hodgdon says 23.7 gr is max but GRT says 22.6 gr should produce a peak pressure of about 53,588 psi.

I'll do what's become my SOP of shooting 10 groups of 3 shots each.

BTW there's an interesting discussion going on in the thread referenced below, about how to assess sample size with this method. Is it the number of groups, or the number of shots making up the 10 groups?

Let's not get into that here. If you have thoughts about it, post them in the thread referenced below, and thanks for doing that.

Let's talk about statistics and probability - why...

@smokeman, What I told OneGunTX goes for you too, i.e. "No worries mate" I'm afraid I came across as directing my comments at you and that was not my intent. What I was trying to point out was that a source that claimed 20 SD just had to have something mixed up. Maybe they left a decimal out...

www.defensivecarry.com

 

[BlackJack]

Honestly, I have never even tried Varget, although I have heard nothing but good things about it. I got onto TAC early on because it is a spherical powder that meters real well in my powder measure and since it gave me good results, I never looked further. I still have a bit over 8 lbs of it on hand so I doubt that I will be looking to change anytime soon.