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COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:48 pm
by ducksmuggler
Being new to reloading I need a little help... Just a pre. thanks guys
First off one of my friend helped show me parts of reloading and I used his stuff. So when I went to the range sat. my gun shot low and to the left. Now today 40 deg. warmer my gun it dead on. I know that the temp. drop does affect muzzle velosity and so on. My question is does anyone know of a powder that likes
-0 temps for a 22-250 or a 204.
Thanks
Matt.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:55 pm
by LeviM
Look at hodgdon extreme powders, I shoot H4350, its been dead on at 40 degrees - to this past weekend at -35 degrees. Chris shoot varget with the same results. I couldnt believe it either till I saw both those powders produce from one extreme to the other.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:30 pm
by 204sniper
Varget works well in temperature extremes, but it doesn't produce as much velocity in a .204 as other powders do. Varget should produce better velocities in a 22-250 as it seems to like cartridges with a higher powder capacity.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:00 am
by lyonch
i have chronographed my loads at 73 degrees and at -18 degrees. At 73 degrees my average velocity was 3,766 fps. at -18 my velocity average was 3,758 fps. So i have a 8 fps drop approximately at a 91 degree temperature differential. I am shooting 37.5 grains of varget. do not load at this right away. it is above recommended maxes!!! any powder that is an extrudued powder (looks like little pellets) is usually considered a extreme powder. if you want details on my load they are this: 37.5 grains of varget, 55 grain sierra spitzer boat tail, case length 1.915, cartridge length 2.5, velocity average 3,766 fps.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:48 am
by xdeano
Lyonch
I'm having similar shifts with my varget over a similar temperature spread, in my 308.
Varget is the powder to buy for temperature swings.
xdeano
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 6:56 am
by lyonch
with only a 8 fps difference for me, i have not even changed my drop chart. 99% of my coytotes are shot within 300 yards so that 8 fps doesn't make a difference when shooting at a 7 inch kill circle. i have on the other hand noticed elevation change in the my load. i shoot at approximately 700 to 1,000 feet in central minnesota, and this past weekend levi and i were in that 2,000 - 3,000 foot elevation range and noticed a slight difference when shooting at a long distance. I noticed this when i bumped one walking into a stand and hit it when it was trying to leave (guts hanging out to boot) and that bastard never did get recovered. I dont think i hit anything solid but just burned the belly region. when he stopped and stood at around 500 yards i noticed i hit a little high above him. Of course it was a rushed shot though

Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:07 am
by LeviM
heres a link to Hodgons Extreme Powders.
http://www.hodgdon.com/extreme.html
I am shooting a .243 win. I am shooting H4350, like I stated above, I noticed no difference from shooting all summer to this past weekend which was -35 degrees on my first stand, which I shot 2 coyotes. One was a gimmie, and the other was a 225 yards. I also shot another coyote at 290 yards, I havent touched my scope since this summer. I tried to get Varget to group for me all summer but I couldnt get any consistant grouping.
Hope this helps
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 12:00 pm
by 22-250AI
RL15
Has never given me problems in cold temps.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:32 pm
by 204sniper
lyonch wrote: i have on the other hand noticed elevation change in the my load. i shoot at approximately 700 to 1,000 feet in central minnesota, and this past weekend levi and i were in that 2,000 - 3,000 foot elevation range and noticed a slight difference when shooting at a long distance. I noticed this when i bumped one walking into a stand and hit it when it was trying to leave (guts hanging out to boot) and that bastard never did get recovered. I dont think i hit anything solid but just burned the belly region. when he stopped and stood at around 500 yards i noticed i hit a little high above him. Of course it was a rushed shot though

You'll get that with increased elevation with any rifle round. I'm sure if it has to do with the decrease in air density, or the decrease in barometric pressure (which would relate directly to air density

). You'll get the opposite effect when shooting in cold temperatures, not just because of the decrease in muzzle velocity either, but because of higher density of cold air. So remember, high altitude equals higher impacts (but not by much except at extreme ranges), and cold temperatures equals lower impacts.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:21 pm
by ducksmuggler
THANKS guys
now I have some shopping to do... what do you use/ like to use for primers
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:27 pm
by 204sniper
ducksmuggler wrote:what do you use/ like to use for primers
My personal preference is CCI primers.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 pm
by LeviM
my gun and load like federals
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:37 pm
by lyonch
i use CCI 200 large rifle primers. they are the only ones that i have used thus far. This coming summer i will play with some other brands to see what they do for my load.
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:58 pm
by 22-250AI
CCI 200's rock my jock strap !!!
Re: COLD temp. powders?
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 4:02 pm
by 204sniper
22-250AI wrote:CCI 200's rock my jock strap !!!
