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When i was shooting my rifle in the summer it was dead on at 200 consistently. then i shot it in the winter time and noticed that i had about a 2.5" drop in the point of impact at 200 yards. the powder i was using was H380. So my question is for you guys who do a lot of reloading, what is the best powder that you have found to be most consistent in accuracy and temperature swings?? I really dont want to have to reload a summer and a winter load if i dont have to.

i dont have an answer to that but i have also noticed some discrepincy between summer and winter. i was going to ask the same ? but you beat me to it . i shoot win. 748, seems like the speed may be slower ion the cold.

I know you velocities will be slower in the real cold winter months than the hotter summer months with a lot of it having to do with air density. Air is a lot more dense in the winter time than in the summer. Althought that is a factor i dont think that it should have a huge impact on your point of impact. Some of it i feel comes from the consistent burn rate of the powder from various temperature ranges. There is a lot to this reloading. I can't wait to find the load i like and just stick with it. Im not one to fix something that is not broken

I run about the same as you with the summer/winter temperature swings. It isn't quite as bad though. Try Varget, it's another extreme powder, but I thought that H380 was also.

You're always going to have a temp swing with out nasty weather up here. I see about a 2 MOA shift at 800yds for every 30 degrees in temperature. That's 16" at 800yds. So it's good to shoot at the range and make up different temp charts and zero when the weather changes drastically.

xdeano

Hey guys,

Varget has been most consistant for me too but I think you will always see some variance. It does seem to be a bit more stable than other powders tho.

Jaybic

Depends on what bullet weight/caliber I'm shooting, but I've found Benchmark or H4895 to be the most consistant for me. However, I don't have the extreme temp swings here as you doing further north.

i use alliant reloader 19 powder in my ultra mag its a slower burning powder but that reduces the recoil i cant tell much difference but were i live we dont have very dramatic weather change

Xdeano, H380 isn't an extreme powder. It seemed to me after trying to find a more consistent powder that all the of the extreme powders that i have noticed are extruded in a pellet form instead of a spherical form. Hodgon claims to have a couple of powders that aren't very sensitive to the hot/cold swings and on of those was Varget.

for some reason i thought h380 was one of the extreme powders for some reason. Varget is my choice for my 22-250, 243, and 308. It's treated me pretty well.

xdeano

Whats everyones thoughts on Varget? I have heard positives and negatives.

Hey Levi,

I would try Varget for sure. Its kinda know as the "go to" powder for temp stability(as much as you can get anyway). I noticed quite a few "pro-varget" posts already but I am sure more will show up. It doesnt meter as well as some(the only negative point i have ever heard of from it) of the others like H380 and BLC2 but between me and a buddy, we have used it with excellent results on everything from .223/22-250/243/25-06 and .308. It also seems to chrono pretty consistant round to round.

It is pretty much the powder of choice for the .308 benchrest crowd too. If it wasnt an accurate powder, they wouldnt shoot it and that is from Michigan to Texas. There is plenty of temp swing right there. Just my .02 and the research I have done.

Good luck,

Jaybic

A sort of related problem.I wouldn't load to 'max'or beyond in cold weather conditions and then shoot that same load when its hot out.Increased pressures can = a bolt lock up or worse.Been there,done that.

Dcoy wrote:A sort of related problem.I wouldn't load to 'max'or beyond in cold weather conditions and then shoot that same load when its hot out.Increased pressures can = a bolt lock up or worse.Been there,done that.

Dcoy-

Is that with all powders?

Levi,
Don't know the answer to that but would suspect so.By 'max' though,I mean just that.Not just 'max'in a reloading manual but 'true'max.(of course 'max'in the manual may really be 'max'as well.)A load that is right there.
In our case in the past,it was loading to the beginning of pressure signs,then backing off slightly.(assuming accuracy continued on up of course)Doing that and checking for pressure signs in zero weather becomes a totally different thing in 90 degree heat on a P dog shoot.

Levi,

That is the case for most if not all powders. If you load to "max" in cold weather, it is quite possible that your loads will be waaay hot in 90 degree PD weather but if you reverse that and load to maximum(like dcoy said...not book maximum but true maximum where preasure signs start to appear)in the heat of the summer, you will not likely encounter any safety issues in cooler or cold weather.

It is also possible to underload a case and have it become dangerous also. If I remember correctly, that us typically ball powders tho.

Jaybic