I have found a very excellent cartridge, bullet powder combination for my rebarreled mauser in 308 win. The only problem is that it is factory ammo or off the shelf ammo, or more precisely the ordinary and excellent Super-X 308 Winchester 150gr. Power-point (S.P.) ammo.

Now I like to roll my own, so I opened up a Winchester case and the powder looks like Reloader 7, a very fine powder and their seems to be 35 or 36 grains of it. ( I spilled some!)so I am not exactly sure. I will open another one when I not tired and try to keep all the grains!!!!

In any case the powder looks like relaoder 7 or even hercules 2400 only it can't be the latter because only 25 grains of that stuff is allowed in a 308 case.

Does someone know what this powder could be??? Or even better is?

Exit31

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Don't go there. The major ammunition manufacturers DO NOT use canister grade powders that are available to handloaders. Even though it may look like a powder that you are familiar with it probably isn't. The only people who know what it is aren't going to tell you. Work up a good load using powders that are available to you at your favorite gun store. JMHO

Ray

quote:

Originally posted by Cheechako:
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Don't go there. The major ammunition manufacturers DO NOT use canister grade powders that are available to handloaders. Even though it may look like a powder that you are familiar with it probably isn't. The only people who know what it is aren't going to tell you. Work up a good load using powders that are available to you at your favorite gun store. JMHO

Ray

true....and not only that the next time they load that round they might use a different powder as it costs less at the time.

Even employees working for the ammo companies are not always privvy to such information and if someone told you what it was that information should be taken very loosely.

Ok guys. Thanks. I guess one is never to old to learn. thanks again.

Sounds a bit funny to me.
I would have thought a standard Win factory .308 with 150gr proj. would be loaded with their own 748 ball powder, maybe about 48 grains worth.

Why would they use some one elses powder?

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Sounds a bit funny to me.
I would have thought a standard Win factory .308 with 150gr proj. would be loaded with their own 748 ball powder, maybe about 48 grains worth.

Why would they use some one elses powder?

Because it's cheaper. Ammunition companies will use (1) the cheapest powder available to them and (2) the fastest powder available to them which will produce acceptable performance in a given cartridge/load. That's why you find that if you shake a factory cartridge (other than the compressed "high energy" loads), it rattles due to low loading density. Thirty-six grains of powder in a .308 is obviously very marginally fast powder.

EXIT31: I just hate it when factory loads shoot well. I've experience that recently in a .22 Hornet, of all things. I wouldn't have expected factory Hornet ammunition to stay on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper at a hundred yards, but this stuff does three-quarters of an inch out of a newly-acquired gun.

Anyway, if you want to duplicate the performance of a factory load, start with the factory bullet and load it to the exact LOA of the factory cartridge. Pick a powder that is similarly on the fast side for this cartridge, and see what you get.

IF you are really impressed with a factory load, and don't think you can do any better reloading, there is another choice besides attempting to duplicate an unknown powder.

Tear the lot number off a box of that great factory stuff, and then go scrounging around and buy all the factory ammo with that same lot number.

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
IF you are really impressed with a factory load, and don't think you can do any better reloading, there is another choice besides attempting to duplicate an unknown powder.

Tear the lot number off a box of that great factory stuff, and then go scrounging around and buy all the factory ammo with that same lot number.

Good advice. I'm always reluctant to buy factory loads in bulk until they've proven themselves. If they prove accurate and work as expected I head right back to where I got them and buy all of that lot that I can either afford or carry.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
[EXIT31: I just hate it when factory loads shoot well. I've experience that recently in a .22 Hornet, of all things. I wouldn't have expected factory Hornet ammunition to stay on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper at a hundred yards, but this stuff does three-quarters of an inch out of a newly-acquired gun.
.

Thanks, I wouldn't have thought Win could buy any powder cheaper than their own.

Re the Hornet, your not wrong. I could never improve on 45g Win HP.
I think the hornet has a bit of a reputation like that.
Another one seems to be 45/46?gr. Win .223 @ 3600 fps (memory)

But re the panic about trying to duplicate a pulled factory round, I can't see any danger, IF
say the powder LOOKED like what you would expect and is the weight you would expect well if it corresponds to a LISTED manual load under max. how could you go wrong?? You may just not be realing duplicating the factory one.