Next best powder to replace IMR 8208

[newbieshooter]

Must be very small extruded, it's like a fine ball, IMO. Have you used it?

EDIT: it does say it's short grain extruded. It is very short compared to Varget, IMO. Varget meters like crap on a Dillon. I don't have any to look at that is in my office, but I do have 5 or 6 lbs. If someone wants to trade, details are above.

Wait a second, you can get this from either IMR or Hogdon's website. Interesting you can buy it for $44/lb from the IMR site, but $50/lb on the Hogdon site...go figure...

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

View attachment 1453662

I will admit in this pic it's only about 1/2 as long as Varget, but in my mind I would have guessed much smaller as it seemed like ball in comparison...albeit I haven't used it for several years.

 

[Laurie]

8208 is an extruded powder.

Yes, definitely an extruded / tubular powder as per the rest of the Hodgdon 'Extreme' range. It is made (as are all other Hodgdon 'Extreme Extruded' powders) by ADI in Mulwala, New South Wales, Australia and its local name is ADI 'Benchmark 8208' even featuring on the cover of the company's online reloading guide.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/41410732/guide-6th-edition-adi-powders-handloaders-guide

For marketing reasons that made sense at the time, Hodgdon Powder named it as an IMR grade after the then much praised and desired surplus IMR-8208 that American 6PPC BR shooters and some varminters raved about. (Australian 8208 didn't succeed in this role and Accurate LT 32 apparently subsequently did the job better. It of course is now a Hodgdon Powder Co. group product too, Hodgdon having recently bought Western Powders.) Logically, 8208 should be in the Hodgdon product line sitting next to H4895.

I used 8208XBR in 308 Win for FTR a lot with the Berger 155.5gn 'Fullbore' LRBT some 10 years plus ago, it then being a new and locally unknown powder in the UK which let me buy a number of tins from the same lot, H4895 and VarGet having then become locally unavailable for the umpteenth time. (We've now lost ALL Hodgdon 'Extreme' powders, all IMR legacy grades thanks to health & safety / environmental regulations on our side of the Atlantic, and of course the 'green' replacement 'Enduron' IMR grades have now been withdrawn too.)

For us in the UK, Viht provides the obvious replacements, N133/135/140/540 doing the same jobs depending on cartridge and bullet weight.

Alliant AR-Comp is a great alternative, if pricey, but supplies have dried up here and from comments on Accurate Shooter, the situation doesn't look too good in the US either.

From the same source (Eurenco Bofors in Karslkoga, Sweden), there is Norma 202 whose performance is close to H4895, and rather faster burning but very well suited to 60gn and lighter bullets in 222/223 Norma 201. How are Norma supplies in the US? - the Scandi countries appear to have switched output to military ammo given the 'Putin / Ukraine' shock which is seeing Finland/Sweden/Norway investing in defence like there's no tomorrow (which may be literally true if like them you're a neighbour of Comrade Putin's Russia).

There are Czech Lovex powders both extruded and ball in this performance bracket, some of which are sold to you guys as Shooters World grades.

Belgian manufactured Ramshot X-Terminator and TAC bracket 8208 in their applications, and you have Accurate brand spherical grades from St. Marks Powder in Florida. (We don't, their never having been imported here.)

What is the supply like for Alliant Power Pro grades (also St. Marks made) in the US? - we're supposed to have them, but so far they've mostly yet to turn up.

Since the Accurate marque LT grades are doing 8208's job, as others have suggested in their posts, they seem obvious alternatives depending on local supply. (Never tried them myself as we don't get Accurate grades here.)

 

[chop house]

I preferred the 8208 as it meters better than Varget.

(this if for 'bulk' pd loads): i did a quick comparison between 8208 and w748 through my manual measures. the w748 dropped the most consistent charge, but gave up something due to temp sensitivity. the 8208 only dropped within +/- 0.1 or so, crunched about every 10 drops, but got it back from more stability. lt-32 is slightly better in my measures. i am hoarding the remaining 8208 and haven't bought varget in a while.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

View attachment 1453662

In regard to 8208 being extruded, it certainly is, but I would have never guessed that H335 is also extruded. Seems most all of the powder I use is extruded.

I have had accidents in the past with a Dillon where I didn't get a primer seated properly and the power goes all over the plate, the H335 is tiny, I would have thought it was spherical, but no, it is actually extruded also.

Not that the shape matters, both H335 and 8208 work fine for me in my reloads, as does Varget, it just doesn't meter very well, and better suited for single stage, IMO.

In hindsight, and going by memory, I think I must have confused the H335 with 8208, because if you look at the second pic, even my p!$$ poor eyes can clearly see that the 8208 is extruded.

 

[WVRJ]

I'm using Sta-ball Match for some of my loads that I used 8208 on.I'm just getting started,but it's showing some promise in 223 and 308.I have 2 pounds of 8208 left and I'm only using it in my 223 bench gun right now.Sta-ball Match seems to be a bit more like Varget,but it measures great and seems to be more stable than Sta-ball 6.5.

 

[COLT45SA]

First use the chart to pick one or two close one's, then you must test loads with it, in your rifle to see what it likes in comparison to your loads that you used prior.

I'm afraid that buying 3 or 4 different powders at $40 to $50 each just for trial is a bit much for a frugal guy like me. When I found the "best" one the others would just wind up sitting on the shelf forever.
I'd love to find a couple of guys who would sell me enough of several different powders so that I could load maybe 20 to 50 rounds with each to find the right one for me. Once found I could then buy my "jug" and be a happy shooter~!

 

[SeabeeKen]

In regard to 8208 being extruded, it certainly is, but I would have never guessed that H335 is also extruded. Seems most all of the powder I use is extruded.

I have had accidents in the past with a Dillon where I didn't get a primer seated properly and the power goes all over the plate, the H335 is tiny, I would have thought it was spherical, but no, it is actually extruded also.

Not that the shape matters, both H335 and 8208 work fine for me in my reloads, as does Varget, it just doesn't meter very well, and better suited for single stage, IMO.

In hindsight, and going by memory, I think I must have confused the H335 with 8208, because if you look at the second pic, even my p!$$ poor eyes can clearly see that the 8208 is extruded.
View attachment 1453887
View attachment 1453896

The H-335 I have is a flattened ball powder, not extruded

 

[Murray Brook]

The H-335 I have is a flattened ball powder, not extruded

Exactly like the H 335 I have.

 

[txtaxman]

From Hodgdon's website: "H335 - This spherical powder originated as a military powder and is perfect for the 5.56 NATO/223 Remington."​

​

 

[Cowmooch]

I have an unopened 8lbs jug of 8208 in ohio 44691 I'd let go. Market price seems fair, but I cannot ship.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

The H-335 I have is a flattened ball powder, not extruded

Strange, I found this on the web:

Product Details​

When it comes to bench rest matches, Hodgdon® H335® Rifle Powder has posted more wins than all other propellants combined. A fine extruded powder, it flows accurately and with ease through measures and delivers match-grade accuracy when put to use.

• Quality reloading powders for the home reloader
• Flows through measures with superb accuracy
• Provides match-grade accuracy

EDIT: yeah, it does say on the Hogdon site that H335 is spherical...so much for web data. There is no question on the 8208, it is definitely extruded. I'm gonna dig out some H335 in the next day or so and look at it with a 120x lighted microscope. I want to see it with my own eyeballs. Also interesting to note that the stock number for H335 is EX-2012100357 which would implied extruded by the EX prefix. I supposed Abe Lincoln was correct about not believing everything you read on the Internet.

 

[RGRobinett]

Strange, I found this on the web:

Product Details​

When it comes to bench rest matches, Hodgdon® H335® Rifle Powder has posted more wins than all other propellants combined. A fine extruded powder, it flows accurately and with ease through measures and delivers match-grade accuracy when put to use.

• Quality reloading powders for the home reloader
• Flows through measures with superb accuracy
• Provides match-grade accuracy

EDIT: yeah, it does say on the Hogdon site that H335 is spherical...so much for web data. There is no question on the 8208, it is definitely extruded. I'm gonna dig out some H335 in the next day or so and look at it with a 120x lighted microscope. I want to see it with my own eyeballs. Also interesting to note that the stock number for H335 is EX-2012100357 which would implied extruded by the EX prefix. I supposed Abe Lincoln was correct about not believing everything you read on the Internet.

Strange indeed - what planet was the author of this living on? I've been actively involved in registered bench-rest tournaments for about 45 years now . . . H-335 has been seldom seen/heard (private joke)! Perhaps this was correct 50 years ago . . . RG

 

[chop house]

Strange, I found this on the web:

Product Details​

When it comes to bench rest matches, Hodgdon® H335® Rifle Powder has posted more wins than all other propellants combined. A fine extruded powder, it flows accurately and with ease through measures and delivers match-grade accuracy when put to use.

• Quality reloading powders for the home reloader
• Flows through measures with superb accuracy
• Provides match-grade accuracy

EDIT: yeah, it does say on the Hogdon site that H335 is spherical...so much for web data. There is no question on the 8208, it is definitely extruded. I'm gonna dig out some H335 in the next day or so and look at it with a 120x lighted microscope. I want to see it with my own eyeballs. Also interesting to note that the stock number for H335 is EX-2012100357 which would implied extruded by the EX prefix. I supposed Abe Lincoln was correct about not believing everything you read on the Internet.

that verbiage sounds suspiciously like i've read in reference to H322. i bet this came from a vendor site other than hodgdon (and they dropped the ball)

 

[SeabeeKen]

Strange, I found this on the web:

Product Details​

When it comes to bench rest matches, Hodgdon® H335® Rifle Powder has posted more wins than all other propellants combined. A fine extruded powder, it flows accurately and with ease through measures and delivers match-grade accuracy when put to use.

• Quality reloading powders for the home reloader
• Flows through measures with superb accuracy
• Provides match-grade accuracy

EDIT: yeah, it does say on the Hogdon site that H335 is spherical...so much for web data. There is no question on the 8208, it is definitely extruded. I'm gonna dig out some H335 in the next day or so and look at it with a 120x lighted microscope. I want to see it with my own eyeballs. Also interesting to note that the stock number for H335 is EX-2012100357 which would implied extruded by the EX prefix. I supposed Abe Lincoln was correct about not believing everything you read on the Internet.

Ive shot H-335 for decades, it IS a ball powder. There is round ball powder and flattened ball powders. Likely a misprint. As already mentioned, H-322 is an extruded powder. Perhaps some confusion there

 

[BradY]

If it were possible I would gladly ship 8208 from here in oz in exchange for primers. We don’t have any problem with getting powder but won’t be long before reverting to flintlocks again if primers don’t arrive soon

 

[ebb]

vv133

 

[jelenko]

From the Hodgdon site:

This was an unnamed spherical rifle propellant when Bruce “B.E.” Hodgdon first used it. When a 38.0 grain charge behind a 52 grain bullet gave one hole groups from his 22-caliber wildcat (now called the 22-250), he appropriately named the powder H380. H380 is also a superb performer in the 220 Swift, 243, 257 Roberts and other fine varmint cartridges.​

​

But doesn't say whether it's extruded or powder.

 

[AlNyhus]

Looking for a powder to replace IMR 8208 with since it's unattainable now unless you want to pay ridiculous gouging prices.

In that range, a very good powder to try would be Benchmark. After being absent for a while, it's now available again. Just a couple days ago I picked up some 1 lb's at my local Scheel's store. They had a bunch of it. My 22BR's and one 223 love it. -Al

 

[Laurie]

But doesn't say whether it's extruded or powder.

'Spherical' (ie 'Ball', but Hodgdon can't use that description as it was trademarked by Olin and is now licensed to Winchester.)

Hodgdon brand 'spherical' rifle powders are found here:

https://hodgdon.com/products/smokeless-powder/spherical-rifle-powder/

However, due to takeovers and distribution agreements, Hodgdon has a number of additional powders of this type under its control, to wit all:

Accurate brand (part range only as it also includes extruded grades)
Winchester
Ramshot

With the exception of some Ramshot powders which are manufactured by Eurenco P B Clermont in Belgium, they are all made for Hodgdon by General Dynamics Corp., St. Marks Powder Co., in St. Marks, Florida.