Surplus powder or not?

[CMEBoston]

Would you bother with using bulk surplus powder in your .308 gas gun? is it as accurate as 4895?(what im using now) this will be in my new M1A scout. 18" barrel. I have had good results with IMR4895 and IMR3031 and plan on a bulk purchase of the 4895, should I consider 846 surplus military powder? I have no experince with milsurp powder. Vendor says its comparable to H335 or BLC(2) but those two powders are not very close to each other on the burn rate chart I have. I plan on shooting against myself and perhaps a few local CMP shoots, but no competitve shooting.
Thanks,

 

[Steve_P]

I believe that WCC844 is similar to H335 and that WCC846 is similar to BL-2(C)

I am not sure of your savings with the surplus pulldown powder, but I like knowing that there is at least some quality control on the commercial powder off the shelf.

Steve

 

[EddieCoyle]

Surplus powder is fine.

Some of the best shooters I know prefer surplus to commercial.

 

[CMEBoston]

this is new Surplus by the way, not take down.
I Have read about surplus being different from lot to lot, and almost having to start over when you get a different lot#, but that is the fun part right?

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

I use surplus pulled down powders almost exclusively. The key is A. getting enough of it, and B. All from the same lot#, which I have been able to do so far.

If you're buying new surplus, its likely available in large quantities from the same lot. Get it while you can.

 

[bpm990d]

I think most HP shooters that use an M1 or M1A will tell you that extruded powders like IMR 4895 or 4064, either surplus or canister grade will produce better more consistent accuracy (all else being equal) when compared to ball powders. That being said, unless you have a target rifle that has been match conditioned, I would think ball powders would be perfect. Probably 90% of the accuracy of your ammunition will have to do with bullet you choose.

B

 

[swampy]

My last lot of W844 was $84 for 8 pounds and since I got 4 cans the hazmat was waved so it is definitely worth the savings. Personally, I can put it beside H335 and can't tell them apart. It uses the same loading data. More than likely it is labeled different for product liability or because the government requires a few hundred extra lab tests on it but it appears to be identical to the retail product.

I had one jug give me a problem. It had two 55 gr .223 bullets in it. One got caught in a powder measure drop tube and I found the other sifting the the remaining powder in that one jug. I never had an issue before that or since.

 

[CMEBoston]

Thanks for the info, I picked ups a 1 lb can or 3031 to hold me over for a few days. I'm not shooting competition here, and if I do I could always keep a lb of 4895 or 3031 on hand with some match bullets. I plan on loading some PPU brass and punch some paper without breaking the bank. I was more concerned about the burn rate being too fast for the gun, but it is military powder in a military gun. Thanks guys I'll try a jug.


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[Gammon]

I use WCC 844 in my AR and have had good luck with it. I have compared it to AA 2230C and find that these powders are virtually identical. Using the same load, cases and bullets in the same rifle, these powders produced average velocities with 20 fps of each other. I bought a bunch of this stuff when it was going for $49.95 for 8 lbs., along with twelve thousand or so IMI 55 gr bullets at $.03 each. Those were the good old days. Component prices today have me using my 22 LR upper more and more.

I do, however, like WCC 844 enough to by some more at the new $80+ plus per lb. Now if I could just get a deal on 55 gr bullets. The best price I have seen so far was $.07 when bought in bulk.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I just bought some 846. It's about $5.00 a pound cheaper than Winchester 748. I'll report the results after I shoot a few groups.

 

[55_grain]

Thanks for the info, I picked ups a 1 lb can or 3031 to hold me over for a few days. I'm not shooting competition here, and if I do I could always keep a lb of 4895 or 3031 on hand with some match bullets. I plan on loading some PPU brass and punch some paper without breaking the bank. I was more concerned about the burn rate being too fast for the gun, but it is military powder in a military gun. Thanks guys I'll try a jug.


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For casual paper-punching, WC844 is just fine. And it meters sooo smoothly compared to big sticks like Varget or 4895.