Buddy gave me some loaded 243's data says 42gr of IMR4895, 58gr hornady vmax bullets. standard large rifle primer, any concerns to fire them to see how they are. online the starting is 39.5 to Max 44gr.

If you believe this friend is detail oriented so that you trust him with your life then shoot them. I have a friend that was a little reluctant to shoot some of my loads but now shoots them without hesitation. BTW, I have never used the IMR variant of 4895 but have used the Hodgdon and this loads sounds like it should work good.

Hodgdon data shows 40 to 44 grains of IMR 4895 so if you are positive your buddy is a competent reloader shoot them. First make sure that the bullets aren't up against the rifling leade in when chambers. I doubt that they will be because the are shorter then the norm for that cartridge, but pays to just check. You can black marker up the bullet and chamber it to see if touches.

Wouldn't hurt to pull a couple and weigh the charges. You could also weigh the loaded rounds to see if any are over-charged. Not super accurate, but better than nothing.

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...BTW, I have never used the IMR variant of 4895 but have used the Hodgdon and this loads sounds like it should work good.

Remember that IMR4895 and H4895 are different powders and data is not interchangeable. For the 58-grain Horndady bullet, Hodgden lists 44.7 grains as maximum for IMR4895 but only 43 grains for H4895. Not enough difference to blow up a gun, but keep this in mind when "exchanging" data between these two propellants.


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