NE one know anything about WC860 surplus powder?

My father (known as Doubless here on AR) had a favorite recipe for loading 7mm Mag ammo:

He used 162 Nosler SB's, while pouring 79.0 grains of WC860 powder, at 3.34 OAL.

1) Do any of you know anything about this powder?
2) I have seen 150 and 160 grain SB's. how easy is it to get your hands on 162 grain SB's?

If I'm not mistaken WC 860 is very similar in burn rate/pressure to the old Accurate 8700. I'm old and forgetful though so I may be completely out to lunch.

50 cal powder every thing I tried it in resulted in low velocity with as much as I could stuff in the case.

I finely sold the 2 kegs I had to a 50 cal shooter.

You can buy 8 pounds for $64

wc860 is slow slow -- some cases it works in

846 is , to me, useful for most reloaders, it's like blc2/748

i personally love 844, which is a tad faster than h335/tac - and VERY useful for me


here's a good guide
http://www.gibrass.com/gunpowder.html

A friend of mine ended up with an 8 lb jug of this powder. I helped him work up a load in a 300 Rum with 200 gr bullets. It was too slow for anything else we tried it in. I'm sorry but I don't have any charge weights of what he used.

WC860 is pretty slow. I have used it in the .25-06 and .264 Win. and it worked ok but there are better powders.
C.G.B.

Yes, WC 860 is notably slower than AA 8700.

I've used it in a 7mm STW quite successfully with 175 grain bullets. However, I suspect that the maximum velocity you could generate with it using 162 grain bullets in a 7mm Rem Magnum would be on the slower side of what you might consider appropriate. Do take into account, however, that the various lots of surplus powder can vary considerably, so don't take my experience or "Joe's" experience with a particular surplus powder as being directly applicable since the lot of the "same" powder you have may be different from "my" lot.

As for 7mm 162 grain bullets in the fine old Nosler Solid Base, they've been out of production for many years, so finding any would be an iffy proposition. Nosler has made runs of the Solid Base in recent years to sell to ammunition loading companies, and sometimes overruns from that production is sold as "seconds" by Nosler's Shooter's Pro Shop, but to my knowledge that particular bullet has never been offered.

quote:

846 is , to me, useful for most reloaders, it's like blc2/748i personally love 844, which is a tad faster than h335/tac - and VERY useful for me

I had one keg of 846 that was fast had to reduce charge weight a full 25 percent to be safe.

I have shot kegs of 844 many p dogs have died to bullets seated in front of it.

No experience with any of these loads but here is a chart called cross-reference for military surplus powders. It has WC 860 loads for 150 gr bullets in 7MM Mag.
scroll down for the chart:
https://forums.gunboards.com/s...used-in-M855-5-56x45
note surplus powder can vary in burn rate from lot to lot. Some slower and some faster than other lots. I've found this in loading WC 860 in 50 BMG and loading surplus IMR 4895 in 30-06 and WC 844 in .223 Rem.

What is missing in that chart is that there are two WC852s . . .one 4831 speed and one H380 speed.
Same with WC820, except there are three ONE VERY OLD batch that is like H110, the two more recent, one HS7 speed (limited amount out there) and a WC820(N) which is listed as AA#9 speed.
The recommendation with my 846 was BLC-2 speed, but with the cartridges I tried it in, I found BLC-2 MINUS 2 grains was about right.

Mlsurp powders vary some Lot to Lot, so when the government buys a Lot, they test load it to obtain the ballistics they desire then load through the Lot and no 1# cans or 8# caddys for them, train car loads of powder for their loading needs.

I load 83.5 grains of WC860 with 200 grain Sierra Game Kings in my 300 Win Mag for 2,700 fps at the muzzle. Shoots well and hits like the proverbial beer truck.

The batch of WC 820 I have loads exactly like 2400, from .32 Mag to .500 Linebaugh.

quote:

i personally love 844, which is a tad faster than h335/tac - and VERY useful for me

I've used two different lots of WC 844 and both were close to H335, however my WC 844 was just a tad slower than the lot of H335 I used in the same rifle.

Just goes to show that each lot of surplus powder is a rule unto itself, so you have to deal with it cautiously and conservatively. If you don't have a chronograph and are not well-versed on detecting signs of excessive pressure you best leave the use of surplus powders to others.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

i personally love 844, which is a tad faster than h335/tac - and VERY useful for me

I've used two different lots of WC 844 and both were close to H335, however my WC 844 was just a tad slower than the lot of H335 I used in the same rifle.

Just goes to show that each lot of surplus powder is a rule unto itself, so you have to deal with it cautiously and conservatively. If you don't have a chronograph and are not well-versed on detecting signs of excessive pressure you best leave the use of surplus powders to others.

I've used about 16 pounds of 844 and it also was slower than 335.
In passing, Note Bene ,844 & 846 gave me many snap bangs ( delayed ignition ) in my .358 X .404 IMP. roger

The 844 I used was close to 335.

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Just goes to show that each lot of surplus powder is a rule unto itself, so you have to deal with it cautiously and conservatively. If you don't have a chronograph and are not well-versed on detecting signs of excessive pressure you best leave the use of surplus powders to others.

I want to say that again, now that we have several different testimonies as to the speed of WC844. Some say "close", some say "faster" and some say "slower". I suspect that ALL are correct -- for the lot of powder they were using.

A handloader should approach each lot of surplus powder as if it is entirely new and unknown (except for general burning speed). Surplus powders bearing the same designation can vary significantly.

Found it , gentlemen. WC860 powder can be used using the load data for AA8700 or Hodgdon 870 powder. see here: Military Surplus Gun Powder

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Originally posted by Ram Rod:
Found it , gentlemen. WC860 powder can be used using the load data for AA8700 or Hodgdon 870 powder. see here: Military Surplus Gun Powder

quote:

Yes, WC 860 is notably slower than AA 8700.

Data derived from canister-grade AA8700 or H870 will typically be safe with WC860 because WC860 is slower than either. Using the same weight of WC860 as either of the other powders will typically result in lower pressures and velocities -- but as we have pointed out over an over, batches of surplus powder vary a great deal more than canister-grade powders, so results using canister-grade data could vary either way.

230 grains in a 50

I've used it in 7WSM and 338/300RUM with heavy bullets. It works ok, but I have trouble getting consistent velocity for some reason. Perhaps there is some kind of primer that works better with it. Has anyone experimented with different primers and 860?