Hodgdon Extreme Powders

M

mturner

Member
I would like to know if any of you shooters who shoot extreme powders like Benchmark or H4198 have really seen an improvement. Is it really easier to stay in the accuracy node window than other powders like N133 or 8208, when the temperature and humidy or DA change? I still shoot a lot of powders that are not Hodgdon Extreme. While this doesn't seem to make much difference in the 30-30, it does seem much harder to keep the smaller 22's and 6's in tune. I have seen my 22 capable of shooting zero's, and then suddenly just quit shooting. Since I'm not any good at tuning, this can be very frustrating.

Michael
 
I use H-322. It seems to stay in tune all day, etc. I have even tested several lots, different numbers and different years of manufactor. Same charge is within 50 fps. from lot to lot.

JimP
 
I've used H322 with some success. It isn't as fussy as N133 and is inside 50 fps MV.
 
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Are you using newer extreme 322 or older stuff? I am mainly wanting to know how the extreme line of powders compare the the non-extreme powders. I also have revisited H322, and it really shows promise.

Michael
 
Michael I'm using the new Extreme H322. Using it with 65 Gr Parrish Bullets and M205 primers. The best accuracy load in my gun is 28.6 Gr.
 
Michael I am using the extreme powders. As I understand it most if not all Hodgon powders made after 2000 are extreme powders. I have been using 322 since 2000. Also it seems to shoot better than I do :eek:

JimP
 
I'm using H322 in my 30BR. My rifle likes it better than 4198. I started with some H322 from about 1990 and changing to the new "Extreme" version didn't seem much of a change. Shoots fine, but I have no scientific data for comparison.
 
No difference in my load between Tacoma (sea level and humid ) and Alberta ( 3000 ft above sea level and very dry ). This is with new H322.
 
Maybe

Shooting the new extreme powder over the non-extreme versions isn't really that much of a factor. If anyone has done some chronographing of the extreme powder, and seen more consistant velocity over a wider range of conditions, could you please chime in?

Michael
 
Hodgdon Extreme Powders

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I would like to know if any of you shooters who shoot extreme powders like Benchmark or H4198 have really seen an improvement. Is it really easier to stay in the accuracy node window than other powders like N133 or 8208, when the temperature and humidy or DA change? I still shoot a lot of powders that are not Hodgdon Extreme. While this doesn't seem to make much difference in the 30-30, it does seem much harder to keep the smaller 22's and 6's in tune. I have seen my 22 capable of shooting zero's, and then suddenly just quit shooting. Since I'm not any good at tuning, this can be very frustrating.
Click to expand...

Michael

I have two barrels threaded for Gene Beggs' tuner. Looking forward to trying it out. He told me one bullet of vertical indicates 1/4 turn is needed in one direction or the other. Two bullets vertical indicates 1/2 turn.

Jeff Summers told me he has to change the powder setting less in this part of the country to keep his PPC in tune. We have high humidity most of the time here. He said the tune was harder to stay on top of at the Nationals. Jeff currently uses 133, and he has shot 8208 in the past.

That being said, with the current powders we have available for 6mm and 22 calibers it seems in most cases a shooter is either going to have to learn to adjust the load to keep the rifle in tune or try a muzzle device/tuner.



Tony
 
Not all Hodgdon powders are extreme. Only their stick powders. The ball powders are pretty temperamental. So much so that when I was loading H414 in my swift, I would have to load for a prairie dog trip only several days in advance after listening to the weather forecasts. If I missed the window by 10 degrees, my primer pockets would get loose.

Back in August, I conducted an experiment with H322 and N133 in a high altitude canyon where the temp swung from 45 degrees in the morning to 90 degrees in the afternoon. Over a chronograph (a model 35 Oehler), both powders showed about one foot per second increase with each degree of temp increase. Only difference was that N133 shot low deviations and small groups .3 grains above and below the "sweet spot" and H322 had to be right on the sweet spot to shoot well. In other words, the window was wider with N133.
 
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