US869 as Retumbo substitute

[Mdhmsmith]

I ordered 5lbs of US869 as a backup for my Retumbo stash. Shooting 175gr and heavier. The 28 Nosler is a pretty hungry beast. I’m hearing US869 is dirty and temp sensitive at least in comparison to Retumbo. It should give better case fill though. Any experience or feedback? It is going to be a long haul...

 

[46and2]

Tried it in 26 Nosler but not 28 Nosler.
I'd say try it.
Reloder 33 has been the best for me with 175 Elite Hunters.

 

[dkhunt14]

I tried it in My 338 Lapua IMP. It was really dirty and when it got cold, it was worse. My velocities in cold weather fell right off. I would only use it if I couldn't find something else. Matt

 

[B23]

My experience with US869 in my 338 Lap Imp and 30-338 Lap Imp has been good, BUT, US869 isn't without its quirks.

I found with working with it that if I'm seating bullets with a fair amount of jump the ES will not be good and it's considerably dirtier but if I'm seating bullets close to touch then the ES comes into check and it's not any more dirty then other powders I use. I'm guessing the extra start pressure helps this stuff out but that is just a guess. I always use 215M's with US869 too.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

My experience with US869 in my 338 Lap Imp and 30-338 Lap Imp has been good, BUT, US869 isn't without its quirks.

I found with working with it that if I'm seating bullets with a fair amount of jump the ES will not be good and it's considerably dirtier but if I'm seating bullets close to touch then the ES comes into check and it's not any more dirty then other powders I use. I'm guessing the extra start pressure helps this stuff out but that is just a guess. I always use 215M's with US869 too.

Thanks for the info. I’m using CCI250’s to start with and not much (.015-.03) jump. Case fill should be pretty good if not slightly compressed. Worth a try, especially since it is available. I have 4 lbs of Retumbo left but I don’t want to use it all up.

 

[46and2]

One thing with ball powders, there is really no compression like extruded powders.

Once you got 100% thats it. Any more then something else has to give, bulging brass or creeping bullets.

 

[Mdhmsmith]

Yeah, understood. I should have said touching powder or max fill. The bullet will give too on some thinner jackets. I’m not new to ball powder but I am new to slow burning ball powder. As said elsewhere, slow ball powder is kind of an odd duck. Always good to see Tool fans out there.

 

[Murray Brook]

If I remember correctly US869 was sold by Hodgdon in response to H-870 not being produced any longer. I would think a closer substitute for Retumbo would be IMR8133 if you can find some. JMO