Reloader 22

[Wind River]

There is Alliant R22 on the shelf at the local gun shop for the first time in ??? Nope, didn’t buy any and probably won’t. $74 a can, (ouch). Excellent powder but about as soon as I get a good load built with it the supply will run out again.

 

[SeabeeKen]

The last RL-26 I saw on the shelf was about $70 and was still there on my last trip. I'll never pay that for powder

 

[358WCF]

Apparently Alliant is getting their facility squared away. There has been RL 23, 22, 19, 15, 15.5, 10x, & some of their pistol powders showing up a few places the last month or so. Wishing them well, but prices are still way too high. An 8#er of VV 100 series costs about the same as 4#s of the RL powders.

 

[Orr89rocz]

Yeah the cost is getting a bit out of hand

 

[357Mag]

There is Alliant R22 on the shelf at the local gun shop for the first time in ??? Nope, didn’t buy any and probably won’t. $74 a can, (ouch). Excellent powder but about as soon as I get a good load built with it the supply will run out again.

Wind River -

Howdy !

I have read that RL-22 is one of the hotter “ burning “ powders. Also, it has not been touted as being relatively temperature insensitive. I have stepped away from using it, for those reasons.

FWIW:
I have found RL-23 to be a good replacement for RL-22 ( in my 6mm wildcat w/ 51.2gr
H2O case capacity, under 87-95gr bullets ). Locally, I had seen RL-23; RL-25, and
RL-26; on occasion. Those latter 3 powders gave me very similar case fill, with safe pressures; under the bullet weights mentioned.

I DK whether you have seen any RL-XX series powders ?

Also FWIW:
During range testing, I found I was able to completely fill my wildcat case w/ IMR7828
( using FED Large Magum Rifle Match )….. had safe pressures…. and great accuracy…when shooting all 6mm bullets weights 85-107gr. My rifle has a 29” Broughton 1-8.
Accuracy was so good, I didn’t bother to chrono all test loads. I will tell you that the one
95 T-MK load I did chrono, gave 2,950 fps. Some shooters would be looking for 3,000fps for similar loads, but I was using the rifle principally on groundhog; and just a few target matches. I realize 7828 is on its way out, but do see cans around.
Both 7828 and 7828SC shot identical, w/ long kernel 7828 giving enough case fill that the bullets seated while giving the powder columne just a bit of skoosh.


With regards,
357Mag

 

[L.Sherm]

FWIW:
I have found RL-23 to be a good replacement for RL-22 (

100% in everyway.

 

[thatguyshm]

I will always have a 5 lb jug kicking around with 22 in it. Rather than repeat what everyone else says, I tested it in my rifles, with my components. I don't heat up my ammo much, but I do freeze it to test what it will be in my hunting conditions. In the 30-06, rounds fired after being frozen for two days, shot less then 40 fps slower, and was under an inch at 200 yards. Rifle had been left in the cold the prior night and shots taken first thing in the morning.

That being said, I noticed when doing the same with my 7 RM and RL23, the appreciable difference in velocity was within 15 fps.

For my 30-06, I load 60gr or so for my 180gr loads, so a pound is about 115 rounds. I know it's not the total cost, nor is it close to what I bought my last jug of 22 for, but I'll pay extra to make sure I can still use loads that work and I have confidence in. Most practice is done with easier/cheaper to find powders to stretch it further.

 

[bozo699]

I will always have a 5 lb jug kicking around with 22 in it. Rather than repeat what everyone else says, I tested it in my rifles, with my components. I don't heat up my ammo much, but I do freeze it to test what it will be in my hunting conditions. In the 30-06, rounds fired after being frozen for two days, shot less then 40 fps slower, and was under an inch at 200 yards. Rifle had been left in the cold the prior night and shots taken first thing in the morning.

That being said, I noticed when doing the same with my 7 RM and RL23, the appreciable difference in velocity was within 15 fps.

For my 30-06, I load 60gr or so for my 180gr loads, so a pound is about 115 rounds. I know it's not the total cost, nor is it close to what I bought my last jug of 22 for, but I'll pay extra to make sure I can still use loads that work and I have confidence in. Most practice is done with easier/cheaper to find powders to stretch it further.

Well stated and my thoughts as well.
Wayne

 

[varmit_hunter]

I have several pounds of each RL powder. In my reloading room. RL10 15 19 22. I seen a price tag on RL10 28.99. I only use it in my 204 ruger. I give up finding some RL26 for my 280Al rifle.

 

[bobcat93]

I absolutely love Alliant powders. They use to be one of the more cost effective component to purchase.
Now Alliant is focusing on goverment contracts supplying ammo for the war in Ukraine and some other conflict .
So they are temporary suspending civilian powder production..
So pritty much Alliant Said hey America screw you.
Now to my understanding Alliant powder is manufactured in Virginia.
They function with almost zero tax burden since they moved. Virginia tax payers absorbed the cost
The firearms industry just announced a record proffit of all time..like totaling 6.8 billion above average .and hight ever.
So you tell me..why are reloaders in America being f$%ked
These greedy s.o.b.'s can gouge Ukraine..
Explain why you are screwing America over.when the Americans are the ones carrying your company tax burden..scumbags..just how much money do you (think) you deserve
And im not accepting supply and demand b.s. you manipulate.
This garbage makes me mad to no end.
I say Alliant can pack up and leave for all i care.
Go to Canada, Ukraine, Hell go to Russia..but until you straighten up forget it...i wont buy that stuff...if i want over priced powder ill go buy Vihtavuori..just out of principle.
STOP SUPPORTING THIS OUTRAGEOUS MARKET. its 100% B.S.
And the only ones who have any sort of arguments are the ones trying to justify screwing you over..you can save your breath ..i heard it all last time..and the time before that..and the time before that..and the time before that.
You want to keep your hobby..your gonna have to get out ..vote.. because the only ones paying are you and i..

 

[RegionRat]

Alliant is similar to Hodgdon in that they do not produce the powders they sell, they buy them, repackage them, and then market them under different names.

The Radford, VA plant and the St Marks, FL plant only sell civilians the flake and ball powders like the ones with a regular name such as Herco, Sport Pistol, Powder Pro Varmint. The St Marks plant is the same one that makes the Winchester ball powders under different names for Hodgdon.

However, the extruded ones within the Reloader named series powders all come from overseas.

One of the old favorites for Service Rifle shooters was Reloader 15 and within NATO that was more commonly known as 203B made by Bofors, as an example.

At present, there are no domestic plants that supply American reloaders with extruded powders that I can think of. Maybe the next generation will wake up and reverse the tides.

 

[Laurie]

Now to my understanding Alliant powder is manufactured in Virginia.

However, the extruded ones within the Reloader named series powders all come from overseas.

All Alliant 'Reloder' extruded rifle grades + AR-Comp are made in Europe. Three are made by Nitrochemie Wimmis ag in Switzerland; the majority by Eurenco Bofors in Sweden (which also makes 'Norma' brand powders).

The only US manufactured Alliant rifle powders are the ball-form 'Power Pro' grades which are manufactured by the General Dynamics owned plant in St. Marks Florida (which also makes Hodgdon's 'Sphericals', most 'Accurate' brand ball-types, and Winchester ball powders alongside the majority of powders used by the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant for rifle cartridges).

As @RegionRat says, no extruded (tubular/stick) powders are made in the US. A Hodgdon executive told me years ago that this is a direct result of safety regulations applied to making this form by the US government EPS.

 

[Laurie]

One of the old favorites for Service Rifle shooters was Reloader 15 and within NATO that was more commonly known as 203B made by Bofors, as an example.

I'm satisfied in my mind that Norma 203-B and Alliant Re15 are one and the same thing. See

https://www.targetshooter.co.uk/?p=3811

for a side by side test.

We briefly saw Norma powders imported again to the UK after a 25-year absence a few years ago, but there was sadly only one one shipment. I'd have stocked up on 203-B had I known that in advance as even then it sold for far less than the Alliant version. Today, Alliant's UK distributor lists most Reloder grades with RRPs of £105 / lb ($133 US !), but I doubt if they have any in any case.

 

[LBEdgin]

Both RL23 & N165 work well in replacing RL22 in both my 6.5-06ai and 6.5-284 Norma.

 

[searcher]

Sometimes it helps (?) to remember that these are the "good old days" for twenty years from now. When powder is $250.00/lb and primers $40.00/100, we will wish for these days again. I remember when I last stocked up on Accurate LT32 and primers. A 8-lb jug was $210.00 (was high as powders go even back then) and primers were $1.50/100. For a young shooter, that would seem like a long time ago, but to us old guys, it seems almost like yesterday. Given the shoddy state of the dollar and the inflation to come from printing more of it, those "crazy higher" prices will come sooner than one thinks.