...FYI IMR-4895 Reduced Loads...

[wildgene]

...per John Barsness/ Handloader 4/17; "After my article "Reduced Rifle Loads" appeared in Handloader No. 306 (Feb 2017), Hodgdon contacted me w/ new info. After considerable testing they recommend against using IMR-4895 for reduced loads, suggesting only H-4895 & Trail Boss"...

 

[SJB358]

Very interesting.

Never had a problem but that doesn't mean I'm discounting it.

 

[Tjay]

Here is a comment from another forum.


Seafire Offline
Campfire Oracle

Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 26,693
Southern Oregon USA
The real reason for that, is that ADI GAVE the information from the work they did with H 4895 for reduced loads...so they have hard data that cost them nothing...

I don't use H 4895 for reduced loads for multiple reasons..

1. it is finicky and not as accurate as IMR's 4895.

2. It produces a much louder retort than IMRs

3. Hodgdon also sells 4198, both in Hodgdon and IMR's versions.. which is a much better choice for reduced loads.

4. They also sell 4227, which is also good for reduced loads, and stopped producing SR 4759, which was also a great powder for reduced loads. Both of these along with the two 4198s, were much more accurate consistently across the board than H 4895.... same with IMRs 4895.

a host of other powders are also much better for reduced loads, from other manufacturers. The cast bullet crowds have done tons of work on the subject over decades.....

Just speculation on my part, but I am pretty sure as it seems obvious to me, that the Australian Military wanted to know that one powder could be used from the smallest to some of the largest cartridges reliably. 4895 burn rate certainly fits that profile... However ADI only made their version at the time, and I am sure Australia's military wanted to keep this a full Aussie endeavor...

so hence the work was done, and was made available to Hodgdon, as a large customer upon their request... Hodgdon themselves don't test anything... they are a marketing and distribution company, much like Tasco was for optics.

H 4895 will work, but there are a lot better choices.... 4198 being at the top of the list, either Hodgon's (ADI) or IMRs....

SR 4759 was also a great choice...but alas got canned...

that is just my conclusions after working extensively with a batch of these powders in reduced loads.. which I got started on, being a rifle instructor and merit badge counselor for Boy Scouts, youth shooters.