i have read that h-335 and wc 844 military surplus are the same powder and that bl-c2,ww 748 and wc 846 surplus are all the same?is this true?thanks don

NO!

While the burn rates are similar, the surplus powders are NOT cannister grade powders. By that I mean, made to the same standards from one batch to the next.

Further, there's different kinds of WC-844, virgin new powder and pull-down. New stuff was left over, never been loaded. Pull-down is dumped from already loaded shells while being de-milled.

The burning rate/ density of these surplus powders can be all over the map. Best practice is reduce loading data 15% below max for WC-844, using H-335 loading data.

As for the WC-846, I have some, just haven't used any yet. Wisconsin winter,,ya know?

quote:

Originally posted by ddhotbot:
i have read that h-335 and wc 844 military surplus are the same powder and that bl-c2,ww 748 and wc 846 surplus are all the same?is this true?thanks don

I and two of my partners have been shooting wcc844 and wcc846 for some time now. What we have seems to give closely similar results to 335 ang BL-c-2. The repeatability seems great in some rifles but awfully dirty. roger

All of the powders you mention are produced by the former Olin facility at St. Marks, Florida.

WC-844 and H-335 are the same basic spec powder, as are WC-846, BL-C2, and W748. Another pairing is H-414 and W-760. These same-spec powders of different brands or designations will vary from one-another somewhat in that they are made in batches and the batches vary.

Typically, powder sold as branded cannister grade powder is selected by lot to be very close to the same powder of previous lots. Lots that are outside of some predetermined range are sold to ammunition manufacturers (or sometimes surplus dealers), who load them according to their actual performance, not according to some predetermined standard.

When substituting "same-spec" powders you need to be prepared for them to vary somewhat from the cannister grade powders. This means starting low and working up, as one would with any new powder.

FWIW, I have found negligible differences in the lots of H-335 and WC-844 that I have used.

Loads the same in my accurate .223's & .308 target. A little dirty yes, but it's only $8/lb before price increase. Pat's Reloading might have some left. I have made a sample of both powders, then mounted to be viewed under microscope. Can't remember which, but granules were similar sperical type but one had a tiny orifice (perforation) through every kernel......r in s.