bluetopper
Member
I've never seen CFE BLK on a burn rate chart. Where does it fall? Local store just got in a few pounds of it. Trying to find a good powder for 444 Marlin.
CFE BLK on burn rate chart?
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GeoDudeFlorida
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Hodgdon doesn’t list any data for CFE BLK in .444Marlin. IMO, that’s a big no-go.
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bluetopper
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Looks like to me its burn rate is falling just right in the niche for the caliber. Maybe a guy with Quickload info can help me out.
P Flados
Member
CFE Black is one of a handful of powders that have not been loaded into the Quickload database. I did run Quickload looking for optimum burn rate powders. The burn rate looks pretty good for the 444, possibly just a tad slower than optimum for bullets in the 250 - 260 gr range.
CFE Black is a new powder and the 444 is a not so popular and not so new round. I do not think you are going to get much direct help.
The only remotely similar cartridge I found with Hodgdon data for CFE Black was the 450 Bushmaster. In the 450, it looks like CFE Black requires just a little more powder than 4227 for the same pressure with the same bullet. As such a listed load for 4227 is likely to be safe using CFE Black in a similar cartridge (such as 444). However, I did not find any 4227 loads for the 444.
Using https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/444-marlin/ and crossing over to 450 Bushmaster data from Accurate, 5744 seemed to need about as much as 4227 and just less then CFE Black for the same bullet and a full pressure round. Accurate does have 5744 data for the 444.
If I was loading 444s for an Encore, I might chance working up a load with an iffy starting point based on 5744 data. For a lever gun, I would probably just look for a powder that has available data.
CFE Black is a new powder and the 444 is a not so popular and not so new round. I do not think you are going to get much direct help.
The only remotely similar cartridge I found with Hodgdon data for CFE Black was the 450 Bushmaster. In the 450, it looks like CFE Black requires just a little more powder than 4227 for the same pressure with the same bullet. As such a listed load for 4227 is likely to be safe using CFE Black in a similar cartridge (such as 444). However, I did not find any 4227 loads for the 444.
Using https://shootersreference.com/reloadingdata/444-marlin/ and crossing over to 450 Bushmaster data from Accurate, 5744 seemed to need about as much as 4227 and just less then CFE Black for the same bullet and a full pressure round. Accurate does have 5744 data for the 444.
If I was loading 444s for an Encore, I might chance working up a load with an iffy starting point based on 5744 data. For a lever gun, I would probably just look for a powder that has available data.
BrotherMaynard
Member
I just got the latest version of QL (October 2021 update) and CFE Black has been added. I've only started tinkering with QL but here is what it spits out for a 240 gr Sierra JHC:
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bluetopper
Member
That’s just what I was looking for. Thanks Brother Maynard!
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BrotherMaynard
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NP. Let me know if you want me to rerun it with a different projectile.
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