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Range Report II - 4000MR Powder

1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  rawright54 
#1 ·
Today I had a chance to get to the range to try out several loads I worked up for my .243. I should have worn waders, as it rained yesterday and the bank we were assigned was mostly underwater. Oh well...

Alliant publishes max loads of this powder for a 105 gr bullet at 42.1 gr, and an 85 gr bullet at 45.5 gr. That's a whopping difference, and all I have are 100 gr BTSP bullets, but I extrapolated and took 43 gr as a maximum safe load for the bullets I have on hand. Just to be safe, I checked the Hornady book, and for this powder and weight, they recommend a maximum load of 44.6 gr!

So I loaded a bunch at 43 gr, 42 gr, 41 gr, and 39 gr. That last one was for my shooting partner, who really liked some I made for her using Reloder 15 powder. I tried to match the performance of those rounds using the new powder, since RL-15 hasn't been seen anywhere near this place in over 6 months. She fired those, and some of the 41 gr rounds today, and consistently hit less than 4" groups at 200 yards, so I think we found the sweet spot for her gun. According to her report, both the 39 and 41 gr rounds felt about the same, but the hotter ones seemed to shoot flatter; that makes sense to me, so I think I'll load 40 gr for her in the future and see what she can do to tighten up her grouping.

I was more curious to see what the hotter loads would do in my newer gun, so I fired the 41, 42, and 43 gr loads all day. Since I also have a new scope on the gun that I haven't sighted in yet, I didn't expect much; I was right. I've never been a sharpshooter, but I managed to hit the target several times at 100 yards while trying to dial in my scope. By the time we got too cold to shoot anymore, I had the scope set to hit more or less around the center, and tapped a few close to the bull. Clearly, both me and the scope need more work.

But what was interesting is that, for the 42 and 43 gr loads, the primer was visibly deformed, with a raised ring that looks like the metal was extruded into the space around the firing pin. This ring was not present on the rounds loaded at 41 gr. The ring isn't huge, but it's visible without glasses, and this seems to me to be a sign of overpressure. Now I wish I hadn't loaded so many rounds at the higher charge! I don't think these are dangerous in a brand new modern gun, but I'd hate to break my beautiful shiny BLR shooting them.

It looks to me that the Alliant data is far more accurate than what Hornady published, but they were using a different gun, different barrel length, and different primer. That's a lot of variables, and apparently they're all important. This is a problem I've been having recently; with multiple books, and manufacturers' websites to consult, the recommendations are often wildly different! The only safe solution I see is to rely on the most conservative, then proceed very cautiously into uncharted territories - if needed.

While I love the idea of shooting a 3500 fps bullet for the flatter trajectory and shorter exposure to windage, 2500 fps is just fine if it lets me hit the target repeatedly (if a bit lower) and safely.

As a complete non sequiter, I'd say that I like this powder and it's worked for me when nothing else can be found to purchase. But I'd rather have 20 lbs each of 4064 and 3031 on my shelf than 100 lbs of 4000MR. I'd prefer the Reloder series, but availability is far too unreliable. Even the Alliant tech support guy I talked to last week had no idea when anyone in this country would see any more of it.
 
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#2 ·
I've been wondering about that flavor myself, thanks for posting. On another site, leverevolution preformed better in a 30-30 than 3031; nice to know. But most of all, I like who you put it. Better to have 20 lbs each of 4064 & 3031 than 100 of 4000MR on the shelf. I just finally got 20 lbs of RL-22; I feel good now; it's off my mind.
 
#3 ·
Glad to hear you're getting decent results!

Our local shops haven't been carrying any of the Alliant PowerPro powders except one shop does try to stock PowerPro1200R for the AR guys.
If they ever do show up around here, I might give PP2000MR or PPVarmint a try in the .204.
 
#4 ·
With the heavier bullets, 180+ gr, this 4000MR powder is great in the .30-06. The tech was right, it's really slow burning, and though the thing still kicks like a mule, it's not as 'sharp' feeling, and it hurts a lot less.:eek:

I asked especially whether I could use it for .30-30 and that was a resounding "no" but the 1200R should be great for that one. I just got spoiled by RL-15, as it produces nice results for all three of my rifle favorites. Unfortunately it isn't made here and can't be found.

Bindernut: That .204 ought to really like the PPVarmint! Be sure to post when you find some and let us know how it worked out.
 
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