New to reloading. Need powder guidance

[85MikeTPI]

Nope I will be drawing no attention to firearm related items in MD. Thats just asking for it. I will just continue to mind my business and doing me. There is no reason for them to be on my property or in my house let alone my garage. Concealed is Concealed

You'll find out about the law when you have a house fire and the insurance claim is denied for having an illegal amount of explosives in your home.. Good luck paying for that replacement garage and house out of pocket..

 

[KingClown]

You'll find out about the law when you have a house fire and the insurance claim is denied for having an illegal amount of explosives in your home.. Good luck paying for that replacement garage and house out of pocket..

You seem upset that I treat my house as my house. Considering My garage is detached I think my house will be fine. I am betting all your mags are only 10 rounds too right. You know because MD.
How about you worry about your house and I will worry about mine.

 

[Bolts Rock]

For 55gr bullets I have always used BL-C2, works for me in 7" and 8" twist barrels.

For 75/77gr bullets I use Varget in 7" twist.

Once I find a load I load a shitload of ammo and don't dick around experimenting all the time. Other than load development I don't bother until I need to load 1000 or more rounds.

 

[Bountied]

You'll find out about the law when you have a house fire and the insurance claim is denied for having an illegal amount of explosives in your home.. Good luck paying for that replacement garage and house out of pocket..

The evidence would/should be gone. If the fire is extensive enough. If you get a chance just move some powder from one building to another. I think the law says to only have 5lbs in one place. Not sure though. It's a low probability situation but if you are aware you could avoid having anyone find out.

 

[Biggfoot44]

. I am betting all your mags are only 10 rounds too right.

Not the same thing .

Possessing or using normal Magazines is Not Illegal .

 

[alucard0822]

Definitely read up on loading, there are some special considerations with .223, and things like different brass thickness and crimped primers can be a headache.

Personally, I load 2 recipes. First is a 55gr Hornady FMJ over CFE223 powder and a CCI SR primer. It's basically M193-ish, loaded a little softer, pretty accurate for a cheap FMJ load, functions well, burns clean and relatively cheap. I load it by the thousands, use it in competition and practice. THe other is my target/match load, noting all that special, but 69gr SMK over H4895, it's stupid accurate out of a 1:7 or 1:8 match barrel, and everything seems to shoot it well. I have a lot of H4895 for M1/M14 actions, and find it's every bit as stable and accurate as any other precision powder, so I use it for most precision rifle loads too.

Yes, 5lb is a fire Martial thing in MD, but your house, your rules. IMO 8lb cans are cheap, and might just identify as loaded ammo.

 

[CaptainVane]

Semi new too. Long ago I used to reload for my .44 magnum. Been many years. Today i dug out stuff. Still have box of 100 Sierra hollow points, couple hundred Winchester shell casings. Sierras are 180gr.
I used to use Hercules blue dot powder which i found in now called Alliant.
So for targets, not hunting…
Looking for what primers and powder is used these days.
Dont get complicated, basic
powder and primers.
Mostly black powder pistols these days and a Ruger single six .22. But once in a while i want to go range and explode ear drums. Thanks.

 

[danimalw]

Just throwing this out there, if one got an 8# and then loaded 3#+ with it immediately.. technically they would be below the 5# limit at that point, right?

 

[Biggfoot44]

Semi new too. Long ago I used to reload for my .44 magnum. Been many years. Today i dug out stuff. Still have box of 100 Sierra hollow points, couple hundred Winchester shell casings. Sierras are 180gr.
I used to use Hercules blue dot powder which i found in now called Alliant.
So for targets, not hunting…
Looking for what primers and powder is used these days.
Dont get complicated, basic
powder and primers.
Mostly black powder pistols these days and a Ruger single six .22. But once in a while i want to go range and explode ear drums. Thanks.

I'm going to go out on a limb to read your mind here .

180gr Sierra JHC , Blue Dot powder , in the Hercules Era . You were load to +/- 3/4 of Maximum , i.e. you could tell it was a Magnum , it could slay Bambi with broadside shots , but it wasn't overly punishing to shoot .

Am I close ? Is this what you're looking to do now ? If so , that's easily doable , if anything with so many options to be confusing .

A couple of years ago , I would default say WLP primers . Today , it's what you can find in a Large Pistol primer ( probably standard ) . And they'll cost close to $100 brick .

In addition to Blue Dot still being around , today you'll see 4-6 product lines of powders that weren't around during the Hercules Era . Each one will have at least one powder suitable for ( what I presume you're seeking ) .

Plan A - Set out on search for Blue Dot , or IMR Blue ( a BD clone , intended to directly substitute ) .

Plan B - Have a Burn Rate Chart either called up on your cell phone , or a paper copy in your pocket when visit store or gun show . Look up the Burn Rate number/ position of the available powders . The one(s) with number close to Blue Dot , you can assume 95% confidence that it will do ( what I presume you're seeking ) .


No . I'm not trying to be snarky or dismissive , just adapting to early 2023 supply chains .

 

[CaptainVane]

I'm going to go out on a limb to read your mind here .

180gr Sierra JHC , Blue Dot powder , in the Hercules Era . You were load to +/- 3/4 of Maximum , i.e. you could tell it was a Magnum , it could slay Bambi with broadside shots , but it wasn't overly punishing to shoot .

Am I close ? Is this what you're looking to do now ? If so , that's easily doable , if anything with so many options to be confusing .

A couple of years ago , I would default say WLP primers . Today , it's what you can find in a Large Pistol primer ( probably standard ) . And they'll cost close to $100 brick .

In addition to Blue Dot still being around , today you'll see 4-6 product lines of powders that weren't around during the Hercules Era . Each one will have at least one powder suitable for ( what I presume you're seeking ) .

Plan A - Set out on search for Blue Dot , or IMR Blue ( a BD clone , intended to directly substitute ) .

Plan B - Have a Burn Rate Chart either called up on your cell phone , or a paper copy in your pocket when visit store or gun show . Look up the Burn Rate number/ position of the available powders . The one(s) with number close to Blue Dot , you can assume 95% confidence that it will do ( what I presume you're seeking ) .


No . I'm not trying to be snarky or dismissive , just adapting to early 2023 supply chains .

Thx, i seen this IMR stuff. As you say, get what i can. Percussion caps for my 1858 Remington are hard to find. After long time i amazed how difficult it is to find shooting supplies.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Does anyone remember specific issues with Blue Dot and Magnum loads from years ago? Was there an issue with 44 magnum?

I know that Alliant recommended not using Blue Dot with 125 grain bullets in .357 Mag, and not to use it at all in .41 Magnum.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Thx, i seen this IMR stuff. As you say, get what i can. Percussion caps for my 1858 Remington are hard to find. After long time i amazed how difficult it is to find shooting supplies.

Today is the Improved Situiation ! In 2021 , stuff was not available at all , and what little there was , was people liquidating their personal stash of components for what the market would bear .ie $10 & up per 100 primers .

Now , you can get * something * for most requirements , but probably not multiple options . and probably not your exact Popular Powder . And prices will be " new normal " .

If you run across IMR Blue , buy it . If you run across W-W 572 , buy it . ( Not quite a Blue Dot clone , but close , and intended to directly compete with Blue Dot and Blue . New enough product that does have the name recognition yet , and might stay on the shelf a little longer .)

 

[Bountied]

Off topic but, does anyone know a place to get H4350 local or that doesn't charge $40 for shipping and DOT? I'd like to try some for some long range loads I'm working up.

 

[CaptainVane]

I am looking for a holster for my Uberti 1858 Remington .36. This is a small frame revolver. Exact same size as my Ruger Single Six .22. Having a hard time find a holster I want (RH cross draw) I found one I like but the best I can get from description is below. I have no idea what a S&W K - N is.
Any help if this holster is too big for my pistol? This talks about double-action, but the picture shows it with what appears to be Colt SAA.

and is sized for a standard frame revolver, and fits most barrel lengths 4 to 6 inches. The holster will also accommodate Smith & Wesson double action revolvers that have a frame size of K though N. Double action revolvers from other manufacturers that have a frame that is equivalent to the Smith & Wesson revolvers will also fit in the holster.

 

[Bolts Rock]

Off topic but, does anyone know a place to get H4350 local or that doesn't charge $40 for shipping and DOT? I'd like to try some for some long range loads I'm working up.

Order through Bass Pro or Cabelas for in store pick up, no shipping or DOT.

 

[Bolts Rock]

I am looking for a holster for my Uberti 1858 Remington .36. This is a small frame revolver. Exact same size as my Ruger Single Six .22. Having a hard time find a holster I want (RH cross draw) I found one I like but the best I can get from description is below. I have no idea what a S&W K - N is.
Any help if this holster is too big for my pistol? This talks about double-action, but the picture shows it with what appears to be Colt SAA.

and is sized for a standard frame revolver, and fits most barrel lengths 4 to 6 inches. The holster will also accommodate Smith & Wesson double action revolvers that have a frame size of K though N. Double action revolvers from other manufacturers that have a frame that is equivalent to the Smith & Wesson revolvers will also fit in the holster.

Find someone that makes holster for SASS cowboy shooters. Do not buy OTC.

 

[Bountied]

Order through Bass Pro or Cabelas for in store pick up, no shipping or DOT.

Cool, thanks!

 

[oharek]

grandpa check out Academy Sports & Outdoors. They have some powders mentioned here in stock. Spend enough get free shipping and no hazmat. I bought some powder there a month back free ship no hazmat. Maybe I was just lucky.

 

[trickg]

I'm a reloading newbie. First run at reloading .223 ammo. What do you recommend for powder? Does bullet weight affect the powder used?

Thanks in advance for your guidance. That's why MDS is my go to source.

4g64Loser covered it really well IMO. There are a lot of different powders that will work for 223, but some are better than others based on your application for how you are going to use it, i.e., AR/semi-auto or bolt action. In the last year or so since I started reloading 223, I've personally used:

IMR 3031
Hodgdon CFE223
Accurate 2230 (Supposedly Ramshot Xterminator is the same powder)
Ramshot TAC
Benchmark (for lighter bullets)

All worked pretty well for me and all outperformed factory ammo in terms of accuracy. By far the best powder for my bolt gun for accuracy was the Benchmark, and for the premium price, it had better be accurate. With that said, I haven't been disappointed with the Accurate or Ramshot powders, and they are considerably less expensive. The drawback is that I've read they can be temperature sensitive, and Benchmark is supposed to be stable.

Other powders I have yet to try in 223, but I've read are good, are:

Hodgdon H335
Varget (supposedly this is the cat's pajamas for heavier bullets)
IMR4895
H4895 - supposedly those two 4895 are the do-all powders for rifle, but they are different with different reloading data
BLC(2) - My Dad used a lot of that - it's all over his old ledgers recorded as "Ball C" (original version) and "Ball C-2"
Winchester 748
Accurate 2460
Accurate 2200

If you Google around various reloading groups, you'll find that people tend to have their own pet loads, and it's hard to come to a general consensus on much of anything, which is probably because everyone sees things differently, and not every rifle is the same.

You'll find out about the law when you have a house fire and the insurance claim is denied for having an illegal amount of explosives in your home.. Good luck paying for that replacement garage and house out of pocket..

How would they know? Serious question - how would they really truly know if a guy had 5 lbs of powder, or 20 lbs of powder in the aftermath of a hot house fire? What if it was all tied up in loaded ammo, which isn't limited at all?

 

[CaptainVane]

Find someone that makes holster for SASS cowboy shooters. Do not buy OTC.

Interesting, thanks.