Reloading: Are Powders Still Relevant for You?

Do the old powders still have a place in reloading? Are you better off using something new? From the 1970s, I still have my father’s notes in his Sierra Bullets Reloading Manual. The back of the book had the following handwritten: “For.308, best powder for all purposes is IMR4064.” That baby blue can was the only powder available until I tried Hodgdon’s H380 and IMR 4332, which earned me that look of disappointment from GP. He was hesitant to try the new Varget from Hodgdon when I suggested it. I love to experiment with new powders and have created some amazing recipes with them, such as Alliant Reloder 16/23, the IMR Enduron line, and Winchester’s new StaBall 66.5. But, I still prefer the older powders. They are the most temperature-sensitive powders I’ve ever used. However, this doesn’t mean that older powders are no longer viable. Alliant was once owned and operated by Hercules. IMR was owned by DuPont, Winchester was proprietary. I have a copy Philip B. Sharpe’s Complete Guide to Handloading, which dates back to the 1950s. He also discusses the history of IMR, Alliant, and Winchester. 1, and No. DuPont No. 5 was discontinued at the time of printing. 5 had been discontinued at the time of printing, but DuPont No. IMR 4320 was the powder of choice for the earliest.308 Winchester factory ammo. It also served as a great choice for the.30-6 Springfield,.22-25 Remington, and.375 H&H Magnum. Unfortunately, IMR 4064 has been discontinued. IMR 4064 is a medium-burning powder that can be used in larger cases such as the.300 Winchester Magnum (shown below) and the.375 H&H and.416 Remington Magnum Massaro Media Group. IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are still available. IMR 4064 is also perfectly viable, sometimes even within the IMR range. IMR 4166 in the Enduron Line is comparable to IMR 4064. While it’s a great powder that I reach out for often, I don’t intend to abandon all the loads I developed with IMR4064. It may not be as resistant as other designs and may not meter as well, but it’s a great powder that I use often. Philip B. Sharpe says that although they have been modified, they still adhere to the original design. Hercules was created in 1912 after the DuPont company was disintegrated, which resulted in the Hercules Powder Company and the Atlas Powder Company. Hercules would be sold to Alliant TechSystems Inc., in 1995, and would become part of the Vista Outdoor organization. Their powders are very popular, with Bullseye, Bullseye and Red Dot being the most popular, as well the Reloder line. Hercules 2400 was introduced in the reloading industry in 1932. It went through a reformulation but is still a great choice for magnum handgun cartridges such as the.44 Remington Magnum or.454 Casull. Small rifle cases, such as the.22 Hornet or.218 Bee, are also available. These powders, which are at least 90 years old are still very useful for reloading. Massaro Media Group. IMR 4350 was released in 1940 and was instrumental in bringing the magnum craze to life. It was a slow-burning powder at the time and is still a great choice in all magnum cases. It works well in the.300 Winchester Magnum Magnum and.375 H&H Magnum. It also works well in the Winchester Short Magnum family. It is often criticized for being sensitive to temperature changes. Although Hodgdon’s H4350, Accurate Arms A4350 are generally less sensitive, I have never experienced any issues with IMR 4350. IMR 4350 has produced some of my most accurate loads. It’s not bad for a powder that is more than 80 years old. Bruce Hodgdon created a load of 38.0 grain under a 52-grain wildcat bullet with his.22-250 (then). He used the charge weight to name the new powder. H380 is still the best powder for the Remington.22-250 Remington. It works well with all bullet weights and works well in the.220 Swift.243 Winchester, the.257 Roberts, the.308 Winchester, and the.375 Ruger. The powder is almost 70 years old and still works well. They are still around because they work well and technology continues to improve. However, there are some great classic designs that will continue to be popular for as long as they are produced. Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Gun Digest the Magazine July 2021. Get started in Reloading. Download your Storm Tactical Printable Target pack62 Printable MOA Targets. Rifle Range in Yards. Storm Tactical has created an impressive target pack that includes62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range usage. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.