Use of 4350

[Bopboy]

Can one use IMR 4350 to reload 308 bolt action rifle

 

[karrarararararar]

Hodgdon Reloading Data Center – The Brand Thats True

www.hodgdonreloading.com

 

[338 dude]

Can one use IMR 4350 to reload 308 bolt action rifle

Yes you can in my Sierra loading manual anything from a 150 grain to a 200 grain bullet it is on the list closer to the bottom

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

Can one use IMR 4350 to reload 308 bolt action rifle

You may be pleasantly surprised how well 4350 works in the .308 Win. with a longer barrel and medium & heavier bullets.

 

[venatic]

You can but not the most efficient and you will sacrifice a little velocity

 

[Bopboy]

Yes you can in my Sierra loading manual anything from a 150 grain to a 200 grain bullet it is on the list closer to the bottomView attachment 1238365View attachment 1238366

Thanks a lot. My plan is to use Sierra 150 grain.

 

[Bopboy]

Thanks a lot. My plan is to use Sierra 150 grain.

Is CCI magnum 250 primers also ok?

 

[XTR]

I‘m sure it will work, but 150s might be light. Depends on what you are looking for. I experimented with H4350 and 215s, problem was lot to lot variations. One lot worked great, next lot was Almost 100fps slower and I couldn’t get enough in the case.

 

[Ned Ludd]

If you're planning on loading to mag length using a reloading manual load, you can make a very wide range of powders "work". Whether they're going to be optimal or not is a completely different story. The 4350 variants are much slower burning powders than would normally be considered "optimal" for the .308 Win cartridge with 150-200 gr bullets. They are also fairly large-grained powders. If you want the load to go "bang" when you pull the trigger, you can absolutely work up a load with one of these powders. Because of the relatively slow burn rate, the resultant velocities will likely also be on the slow side. That doesn't mean they won't work. As long as you realize and accept that, they should be fine.

However, for use in competition loads such as for F-TR, it's a different story. The loads typically used in F-TR are nothing like loads listed in reloading manuals. Because F-TR requires single feeding rounds, most competitors use an extended freebore suitable for seating long, heavy, high BC bullets well out in the neck, so as to maximize effective case volume. It can be very difficult to get sufficient powder into the case with the 4350 variants in .308 loads with 185-200+ gr bullets, with the result that you will likely not be getting anywhere near the velocity that you could be getting with a better powder choice. Again, that doesn't mean you can't work up a load with one of these powders that will go bang when you pull the trigger, and may actually show good very precision. Unfortunately, good precision isn't always enough to win if the powder you're using forces you to hit a node that might be as much as 100 to 200 fps slower than a more optimal burn rate powder.

The real key will be to experiment with the 4350 variant and the bullets you have. Determine how much you powder can actually get into the case without it being markedly compressed with the bullet seated at the desired COAL. By comparison to reloading manual values or by using QuickLoad, that ought to give you a very good starting point in terms of estimating what velocity range to expect, and where to safely start your charge weight testing in your specific setup. Once you have that starting point, you can simply do some charge weight testing and see whether the velocities you can reasonably expect will work out for you. If so, you're GTG.

 

[joshb]

You need to buy a good Reloading Manual.

 

[338 dude]

You need to buy a good Reloading Manual.

Or 2 manuals

 

[lotech]

Get some paper manuals. Any of the 4350s will be compressed with most any bullet in a .308 case, heavy bullets will require heavier powder compression if you want anywhere near decent velocity. Heavy powder compression often makes it difficult to maintain a consistent OAL. I've seen very good accuracy with 180s and H4350, but prefer a faster powder like H4895.