4166 load experience.

[urbanrifleman]

One grain is a lot

If it shoots tiny groups, with teeny spreads, and is completely temp stable (five times more than Varget) at the same velocity, who cares??

Tz powders were designed to deliver lower pressures with less powder. Federal does not use Varget in their Gold Medal match 308 ammo. They use AR COMP.

 

[Laurie]

Geez
When did all that happen?

As soon as Alliant ATK had got itself a suitable TZ-tech powder I should think. Alliant ATK owns Federal and it also owns Alliant powders, and I'd imagine its senior managers would much prefer using their own products rather than a competitor's in this prestige range.

(I'd also imagine that subject to US Army agreement, they'll now use it in the M118LR too rather than IMR-4064, the last reported propellant in this application.)

 

[Laurie]

You have to watch RL16. It's "fluffy".

"fluffy" meaning ........ ?

 

[std7mag]

"fluffy" meaning ........ ?

Takes up more space in a case than other powders in the same burn range.

Fluffy..... Lol

 

[std7mag]

A lot? It is one grain faster. Still works in the same applications, just one grain less powder. It will still hit the same velocities.

R16 is one grain faster than H4350. Still works in exactly the same cartidges and nearly exactly the same performance.

One grain faster?

I wasn't aware there was a definitive grain rating on a burn rate chart.

 

[Jet]

Try XBR

 

[CaptainMal]

Shot a lot of 4166 in Dasher using 105 class bullets. Compared to Varget it is close but not the same. Stay a grain or two below your Varget loads for starting out. I still firearm with 4166 using 30 grains and a deep jam. When I went to normal loads it was always a solid grain less than Varget to get the same velocities. The stuff works well and seems a bit cleaner than Varget.

As for accuracy, each barrel is different. My latest likes Reloader 15 - the dirtiest thing I have ever seen.

 

[dmoran]

.... My latest likes Reloader 15 - the dirtiest thing I have ever seen.

I gladly push the couple extra patches through removing the sooty loose fouling of RL15, then having more hard layer, more common to other powders. Could care less how black the loose fouling is, for black is easy to clean.

 

[CaptainMal]

I gladly push the couple extra patches through removing the sooty loose fouling of RL15, then having more hard layer, more common to other powders. Could care less how black the loose fouling is, for black is easy to clean.

Didn't get that far.

For some reason the mess is thick but does not seem to get hard as ceramic like what I deal with using Varget or H4895. A little soaking at the range with Bortech C-4, then home and a couple plastic brush passes with CLR with a wrapped patch, or use C-4 also, and it's gone. Comes out super clean without going to the Iosso routine.

That is actually easy, but messy, to do compared to the serious hard carbon residue from other powders. Reloader 15 has merit if cleaned out properly. Follow up with a residue of something protective like plain old Hoppes #9 that you dry out before storage or shooting again.

 

[DickE]

Shot my best match target with 4166. 6 Dasher. 1.232" at 600 yds. Smallest group of the match.

 

[500yards]

For some like me who lives in an area of temperature extremes, this 4166 looks like something to take a close look at. I give it a test and report back.

PS: As just a little comparison on some load data from the QuickLoad app for a .308 cartridge with a COAL of 2.80 out of a 24 in barrel for a 175 SMK bullet:

42.0 gr of IMR 4166 = 51.666 psi, 2516 fps MV

42.0 gr of IMR 4064 = 53,745 psi, 2587 fps MV

42.0 gr of Varget = 51,216 psi, 2555 fps MV

 

[wbm]

it is more temp sensitive than varget]

How do you know that?