IMR4895

[tim@tcs]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

I'm being lazy and hoping not to have to start again with the chrono, lazy bugger that I am!

 

[Smellydog]

One of my favourite powders was h4895. If imr4895 is similar I feel your pain!

 

[wytonpjs]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

I'm being lazy and hoping not to have to start again with the chrono, lazy bugger that I am!

Still using IMR4895 as my go to 30 cal load but bought some N135 to try with Fox bullets. Not got around to using it yet in 30 cal but N135 has proved a delight to use in my .270 having discovered a load to replace a IMR4350 “scattering” load (tight group at 100m but opening up dramatically at range). That fair cracks along a bit but it’s 110gr TTSX doing 3298. Over summer, I’m still planning to develop a .308 130gr TTSX load as my stocks of IMR4895 will not last forever

 

[tim@tcs]

I’m keen on developing a load for my 280/30 which is close to a 7mm08 but good for 150 plus grain projectiles. I suspect it means breaking out the chronograph again

 

[Smellydog]

Still using IMR4895 as my go to 30 cal load but bought some N135 to try with Fox bullets. Not got around to using it yet in 30 cal but N135 has proved a delight to use in my .270 having discovered a load to replace a IMR4350 “scattering” load (tight group at 100m but opening up dramatically at range). That fair cracks along a bit but it’s 110gr TTSX doing 3298. Over summer, I’m still planning to develop a .308 130gr TTSX load as my stocks of IMR4895 will not last forever

I've just started using n135 in 30-30 and it seems very forgiving. The load data seems very conservative and at listed max charges there is zero high pressure sign.
I don't know where it is on the burn rate chart but I am very impressed so far.

 

[cjs66]

Not IMR but H4895 in my 22/250 was replaced with N140, not quite as high velocity but accuracy and sd are cracking. I've always used N140 in my 308 with great results for 150g and 168g bullets.

cjs

 

[borbal]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

I'm being lazy and hoping not to have to start again with the chrono, lazy bugger that I am!

Have a play with the online internal ballistics simulator P-Max and try other powders virtually for no cost! What you are looking for is a powder that gives good working pressures when the case is filled and is just all-burnt when the bullet exits the muzzle.
The great strength of programs like this is finding a suitable powder for your particular cartridge/bullet/barrel combination and giving a good idea about the performance.
Enjoy...

 

[Sharpie]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

@Laurie did a significant article about this very subject not so long ago.

I also understand he has some views about the strengths, and weaknesses of CFE223.

reach-out 5 – eu compliant powders by laurie holland

And, yes, @borbal s simulator is my go to for trying out ideas.

 

[Muir]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

I'm being lazy and hoping not to have to start again with the chrono, lazy bugger that I am!

So what exactly are you loading for? Case length tells nothing when it comes to choosing powders. ~Muir

 

[tim@tcs]

So what exactly are you loading for? Case length tells nothing when it comes to choosing powders. ~Muir

It’s a necked out 6.5 Swedish, I load 130 to 150 grain soft point 30 cal bullets and get between 2700 and 2900 fps with it

 

[User00040]

Have a play with the online internal ballistics simulator P-Max and try other powders virtually for no cost! What you are looking for is a powder that gives good working pressures when the case is filled and is just all-burnt when the bullet exits the muzzle.
The great strength of programs like this is finding a suitable powder for your particular cartridge/bullet/barrel combination and giving a good idea about the performance.
Enjoy...

Any plans to add Superformance powder?

Thanks

 

[Muir]

There is no "substitute" for IMR4895 though H4895 would be very close. In any event, working up a load would be unavoidable. Normally I would say IMR 4064 but you might try Lovex D073.6 which has given me great performance in the 308. ~Muir

 

[tim@tcs]

There is no "substitute" for IMR4895 though H4895 would be very close. In any event, working up a load would be unavoidable. Normally I would say IMR 4064 but you might try Lovex D073.6 which has given me great performance in the 308. ~Muir

Thanks, back to the drawing board for me then

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Thanks, back to the drawing board for me then

Always the way!

 

[tim@tcs]

Always the way!

I actually enjoy working up loads and selecting ones not just for velocity but also accuracy.
I managed a few years ago to get a load for 150 gn 303 and 125 gn 303 that printed very close together at 100 yards!
Two different loads, one for Roe and the heavier one for Fallow. Totally unnecessary as both were capable of doing the job and did for me!
It did mean not having to adjust the scope which was excellent!

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks, back to the drawing board for me then

You certainly have a very odd wildcat, necking up a 6.5 to 7.62 Would be interesting to hear the story behind that.

So took a wild guess using P-Max, with CFE223. The "powder space" part is the wildest of my guesses, what do yours come in at ?

There is no "substitute" for IMR4895 though H4895 would be very close. In any event, working up a load would be unavoidable. Normally I would say IMR 4064 but you might try Lovex D073.6 which has given me great performance in the 308. ~Muir

All of those banned, apart of course from Lovex. Anyway nowadays we take what we can find. Of which we still have a plentiful choice.

Maybe one day something like REACH might even come to the USA.

Some reading material:

REACH COMPLIANCE - List of Powders

What Are REACH Compliant Powders? | Henry Krank

New Range Of IMR REACH Compliant Powder | Henry Krank

Any plans to add Superformance powder?

Thanks

AFAIK the Superformance stuff is some witches' brew of blended powders with very limited applications, this probably not being one. Likewise the Leverevolution stuff, which might just work. Probably a very difficult thing to simulate though.

 

[tim@tcs]

I’ve never tested case capacity so I need to do that, the round came about as a compromise, I was shooting a lot of 6.5 Swedish and the police refused to vary it for Boar.
I had been reloading 7.5 x 54 French using RCBS Dies and 6.5 brass. The difference in case length being 1mm didn’t matter in the military chambers so I thought as it’s not a commercially available sporting round that I would keep the calibre on my ticket after I sold my historical collection of military rifles
In a way it’s similar to Rigby and .275/7x57 in theory as both cartridges will chamber in one another so I gave some ammunition to the gunsmith to order a reamer for.
Sadly the reamer came in cutting a tighter chamber than the ammo I provided so I essentially fireform cases by shooting 6.5 ammo and resizing !
I’ve no idea how they proofed it but they did!
I was just getting ready to restart testing when I became ill and Reach banned the powder I had used which was IMR4895 and 4831!
Now I’m ready to start again and I’ve set aside August to do this.
As the chamber is tight I can’t use any of the ammo I had left over and it also seems to put mv up about 200fps. I need to select a good accurate deer legal load for this.

 

[tim@tcs]

I did get out to the farm and during the initial zeroing I found out that I can’t do bright sunny days anymore thanks to the treatment I received
I’m planning on using a local private range close to me which is very shaded with trees!
It also means no more sunny holidaying

 

[Utectok]

Has anyone found a reliable replacement for IMR4895 yet?
I'd love to find a load in CFE223 that replicates a 48.5 grain IMR4895 load in a 30 calibre with a 54/55mm case that I'm reloading for.

I'm being lazy and hoping not to have to start again with the chrono, lazy bugger that I am!

I have a one tub of imr 4895 you can have for a modest price ?

 

[Laurie]

I’m keen on developing a load for my 280/30 which is close to a 7mm08 but good for 150 plus grain projectiles. I suspect it means breaking out the chronograph again

If close to 7mm-08 with heavier than usual bullets: Lovex S065; Reload Swiss RS50, 60 and 62; Viht N550, N555, N160. Lovex S070 fits the bill on paper but turns out to produce too low pressures and MVs at full case-fill plus loads.

With IMR-4895 being noticeably slower burning than the Hodgdon/ADI variant, and in many applications a tad slower burning than H. VarGet, equivalents are: Viht N140, N540, N150 (bit bulky in this size of case), Alliant Re15/Norma 203-B; N550; RS50 and 52; Lovex S062, D073.6 (ball powder); CFE-223 (ball powder); Ramshot TAC (ball powder).

I tested a range of H4350 alternatives in a long-throat 7-08 with Sierra 160 TMKs, H. VarGet extruded alternatives in a long-throat 223 with 77s, and am currently writing up results for eight H4895 extruded alternatives range-tested in 223/77.

reach-out 7 – eu compliant powders by laurie holland

and keep using the previous articles link to work backwards.

Sadly, we keep losing more powders. As well as Norma, the IMR-Endurons have now been withdrawn too.

PS My favorite short-range 7mm-08 long-throat load in a F-Class rig was 150gn Lapua Scenar and Lovex S065, so this powder may well be a winner in 280/30.