Back in 1963, I bought a Win Model 70 featherweight in 264 Mag. The only slow powder readily available was surplus 4831 powder my brother bought a 50lb drum. I experimented until I found that the Sierra manual's max loads for their spitzer and boatail bullets ended up being my most accurate loads. The 100, 120 and 140 gr bullets would all shoot 1/2" groups at 100 yds if I would let the barrel cool between shots. That rifle spit fire and kicked like hell but was an incredible tackdriver! The big problem was that the stainless steel barrel was only 22" and did not reap the velocity the cartridge needed. I still own that rifle in like new condition. I paid 100 bucks on sale at the time. It was regular 140 bucks. I'm wondering if I used new 4831 how much up or down I would have to load. Mike in OR

I have a Sako .264 of similar age, and plenty of surplus 4831, also of similar age.

The current crop of 4831's ranges from IMR 4831, which is very similar in effective burning rate to 4350 (but usually exhibits a less favorable pressure/velocity curve), to the Hodgdon powder which is manufactured in Austrailia, and is slower than IMR, but still faster than the original.

I find that the current canister IMR 7828 is just a tad slower than surplus 4831, by perhaps one grain in most loads. If I were you, I would first try it (using my old 4831 loads as a starting point). If, for whatever reason, it doesn't satisfy you, I would try the Hodgdon version of 4831, but drop back a couple of grains to start.

If you had a longer barrel, I would suggest trying surplus WC 872, a very slow powder which does wonders in my .264. With a 22 inch barrel, you may find it gives acceptable velocities, but at a price of extra muzzle blast and flash.

Other powders which may work well are VV N-170, Hodgdon Retumbo, and RL-25.

Good luck!

Stonecreek
Thank you for your info. I never tried any other powders but the surplus 4831 but I have new IMR 4831. Actually, it's not the kind of rifle you shoot a lot, so a little ammo goes a long way! I'll bet your Sako is a beaut. Mike in OR

Mvelia,

I went through the same thing several years back. I used the last of the keg of 4831. I tried 7828 first and got decent results. I then tried h-1000 and it seems to burn pretty closely to the old 4831. I am at work at the moment and would have to check notes at home to give you the exact data.

When I had a 264, I used Hodgdon H450. 64 grains with a 140 grain bullet. It was an accurate load, but never checked velocity with a chrono so I can only guess on that. But according to the manual it was between H4831 and H870. Now, H870 is another powder you may want to try. I never did, but it's the slowest Hodgdon powder and the manual shows it gives the highest velocity. But of course, Hodgdon's data was with a 26 inch barrel so I'm not sure if it would apply to your 22 incher.