I just inherited, 2, 8 lb jugs of 844 powder, my brother had bought these a while back and always had them stored properly. I cant ask him this question because he is no longer with us..What is the civilian equivalent to 844. He always shot a 243 and 22/250 so I figuring it would work in 1 of both of those..
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844
- Thread starter NHSHOOTER
- Start date
CAUTION: The following post (or a page linked to) includes or discusses loading data not covered by currently published sources of tested data for this cartridge (QuickLOAD or Gordon's Reloading Tool data is not professionally tested). USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assumes any liability for any damage or injury resulting from the use of this information.
Sorry for your loss.
There won't be an exact civilian equivalent because what you have is bulk grade powder, and bulk grade has more burn rate variability than the canister grade powder sold to the civilian market. The powder type, Western Canon 844 is the basis of H335, the latter being in the more tightly burn-rate-controlled canister grade. Except for that difference in burn rate variability, they are the same.
As a practical matter, you don't want to use H335 data until you get a comparison. If, in a 24" barrel and with the cartridge manipulated so the powder is back over the primer flash hole at firing, an H335 load that is the lowest you can find in any of the standard manuals will produce the same velocity as the manual shows, or less, you are safe to work up toward published maximums. If velocity is higher, then you can't go all the way to full H335 loads without very carefully watching for pressure signs. But don't omit to work up. Use charge increments of no more than 2% of the maximum charge listed at one load step. Watch for pressure signs, and if you see the best accuracy spot before you get to the top, just stop there. Good luck with it.
Sorry for your loss.
There won't be an exact civilian equivalent because what you have is bulk grade powder, and bulk grade has more burn rate variability than the canister grade powder sold to the civilian market. The powder type, Western Canon 844 is the basis of H335, the latter being in the more tightly burn-rate-controlled canister grade. Except for that difference in burn rate variability, they are the same.
As a practical matter, you don't want to use H335 data until you get a comparison. If, in a 24" barrel and with the cartridge manipulated so the powder is back over the primer flash hole at firing, an H335 load that is the lowest you can find in any of the standard manuals will produce the same velocity as the manual shows, or less, you are safe to work up toward published maximums. If velocity is higher, then you can't go all the way to full H335 loads without very carefully watching for pressure signs. But don't omit to work up. Use charge increments of no more than 2% of the maximum charge listed at one load step. Watch for pressure signs, and if you see the best accuracy spot before you get to the top, just stop there. Good luck with it.
Ballardw,
Because of the problem with lot variability in burn rate, what was found safe with your lot of bulk grade powder may not apply to his lot. You'd have to match lot numbers first to know otherwise. Canister grade powders are held to ±3% burn rate lot-to-lot tolerance currently, but the bulk grade has, in one instance I'm aware of, been off by ten times that amount. That's a single incidence, and ±10% is more common.
The reason extra money is paid to control canister grade powder burn rates more tightly is handloaders work from recipe books. Commercial manufacturers use pressure test guns to choose charges, not recipes, so they don't have to rely on tight burn rate control and can use the less expensive bulk grade powder. Because of lot variability, they sometimes find a powder that worked in one application in the past is too fast or too slow in a particular bulk lot, so they switch powders. Most handloaders don't have the equipment necessary to work that way.
Because of the problem with lot variability in burn rate, what was found safe with your lot of bulk grade powder may not apply to his lot. You'd have to match lot numbers first to know otherwise. Canister grade powders are held to ±3% burn rate lot-to-lot tolerance currently, but the bulk grade has, in one instance I'm aware of, been off by ten times that amount. That's a single incidence, and ±10% is more common.
The reason extra money is paid to control canister grade powder burn rates more tightly is handloaders work from recipe books. Commercial manufacturers use pressure test guns to choose charges, not recipes, so they don't have to rely on tight burn rate control and can use the less expensive bulk grade powder. Because of lot variability, they sometimes find a powder that worked in one application in the past is too fast or too slow in a particular bulk lot, so they switch powders. Most handloaders don't have the equipment necessary to work that way.