J_McLeod
Member
I bought some H4198 and IMR 4320 recently and decided to try them in my AR. I know there are (and buy) better powders for the AR, but there's data for both powders in both .308 (lead for 4198) and .223 and that's what makes reloading fun. Anyways, I loaded the following to try to work up a good plinking load with my mid length AR.
Mixed brass, but segregated by type in different groups.
Wolf Small Rifle Primers
2.230"
55gr RMR pulled bullets. Unlike most of Jake's excellent products, you could tell these had been pulled. But he advertised them as such at the time, so that's no knock on him.
5 rounds of each, shot for a group at 50 yards from a bench with a red dot sight. The heaviest group in each was .5gr below Hodgdon's listed max.
H4198
19.2
19.7
20.1
20.6
None of the H4198 loads produced a decent group, possibly because none of them reliably cycled the action on my AR. 19.2 and 19.7 didn't even eject the case. 20.1 and 20.6 ejected the case, but wouldn't load a new one.
IMR 4320
23.5 Didn't cycle
24.6 Strangely, this load produced 2 double feeds in a row.
25.6 Produced a decent group, and 4/5 cycled.
63gr RMR FMJ Neither of these loads cycled my AR.
19 H4198
23.5 IMR 4320
I had heard that H4198 didn't always work in an AR, but I'm surprised that even the .5gr below max didn't work. With 4320 being right next to Varget and BL(C)-2 in burn rate, I thought it would do better. I know it wasn't the gun or magazine because both functioned flawlessly with some H335 and CFE 223 loads I'd brought. I think I'll try the IMR 4320 25.6 again, and maybe work up a bit more.
Anyone else try either of these powders in an AR? Would you go higher with the H4198 or just move on? Do you think these might work in my carbine length AR?
Mixed brass, but segregated by type in different groups.
Wolf Small Rifle Primers
2.230"
55gr RMR pulled bullets. Unlike most of Jake's excellent products, you could tell these had been pulled. But he advertised them as such at the time, so that's no knock on him.
5 rounds of each, shot for a group at 50 yards from a bench with a red dot sight. The heaviest group in each was .5gr below Hodgdon's listed max.
H4198
19.2
19.7
20.1
20.6
None of the H4198 loads produced a decent group, possibly because none of them reliably cycled the action on my AR. 19.2 and 19.7 didn't even eject the case. 20.1 and 20.6 ejected the case, but wouldn't load a new one.
IMR 4320
23.5 Didn't cycle
24.6 Strangely, this load produced 2 double feeds in a row.
25.6 Produced a decent group, and 4/5 cycled.
63gr RMR FMJ Neither of these loads cycled my AR.
19 H4198
23.5 IMR 4320
I had heard that H4198 didn't always work in an AR, but I'm surprised that even the .5gr below max didn't work. With 4320 being right next to Varget and BL(C)-2 in burn rate, I thought it would do better. I know it wasn't the gun or magazine because both functioned flawlessly with some H335 and CFE 223 loads I'd brought. I think I'll try the IMR 4320 25.6 again, and maybe work up a bit more.
Anyone else try either of these powders in an AR? Would you go higher with the H4198 or just move on? Do you think these might work in my carbine length AR?