Powders similar to AR-Comp and/or 4895 for a .35 Cal Wildcat?

[Will_Power]

Hi all,

I've picked a hell of a time to get into handloading.

After dallying with various .35 cal ideas, I've picked up on of the last matching AR barrels and bolts Tony Rumore of Tromix made for the quasi-wildcat .358 SOCOM (a necked-down .458/.375 SOCOM).

I've had AR-Comp and 4895 recommended to me.

Big-Bore, of various forums, has been kind enough to pass along his AR-Comp load data, but I've been unable to find any of the stuff in stock (or get to it in time!).

Don't know which version of 4895, but I've finally lucked out and have a pound of IMR 4895 coming my way.

I'll be building up a load for either the 180gr TTSX or 200gr InterLock, which I've been able to pick up a few boxes of each in this craziness.

Are there other powders with similar properties that I should keep my eyes peeled for?

The burn chat I've seen lists the following as slightly hotter and slower than AR-Comp and the 4895's:

• Accurate 2230
• Accurate 2460
• IMR 8208 XBR
  
• AR-Comp
  
• Ramshot TAC
  
• Alliant Power Pro Varmint
  
• H4895
  
• VihtaVuori N135
  
• IMR 4895
• Alliant R-12

I know burn rate isn't end-all, be-all - and what I'm trying to teach myself from other forums threads on this subject speaks to grain size, weight, and volume.

That said, I'm still new to handloading, so a lot of the nuance here is going over my head.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Blue68f100]

Since this is still a wildcat round it would be best to look a Quick Load data listing of possible usage. It will list fill %, load data, along with other useful data. This is how the loads for the 458 SOCOM started with. This is kind of the way I started off with the SOCOM 5 yrs ago. Hard to believe that it's been out that long.

 

[edwardware]

Another suggestion for QL, but I add:

I load 7.62x40WT, and .300 BO. Comparing the two, the WT is crazy sensitive to burn rate and density to above operating pressure; the case volume is so minimal vs bore volume and bullet weight that there are only about 4 powders clustered around A1680/A2015 that function the action. Too-fast powders hit Peak pressure before achieving necessary Port pressure; too-slow or low density powders run out of case volume before achieving necessary Port pressure.

I suspect you might be similarly limited, so: looking in QL, model your known-good loads and look at case fill, Peak, and Port pressures. Start to get an idea of what Port pressures you'll need and what powders will achieve all three limits.

Be prepared for lots of one-at-a-time testing for function and pressure.

 

[AJC1]

Reloader 12 is basically gone and not coming back. Reloader 10x or 15 would be your choices and may not fit your burn rate requirements well. Based on your other selections rl15 would fit closer.

 

[Nature Boy]

I’ve used the following in my .358 win loads, which may be close to your wildcat:

Varget
H4895
IMR 4064
VV N135
VV N140

Varget and N140 produced the best results for me

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Hi all,

I've picked a hell of a time to get into handloading.

After dallying with various .35 cal ideas, I've picked up on of the last matching AR barrels and bolts Tony Rumore of Tromix made for the quasi-wildcat .358 SOCOM (a necked-down .458/.375 SOCOM).

I've had AR-Comp and 4895 recommended to me.

Big-Bore, of various forums, has been kind enough to pass along his AR-Comp load data, but I've been unable to find any of the stuff in stock (or get to it in time!).

Don't know which version of 4895, but I've finally lucked out and have a pound of IMR 4895 coming my way.

I'll be building up a load for either the 180gr TTSX or 200gr InterLock, which I've been able to pick up a few boxes of each in this craziness.

Are there other powders with similar properties that I should keep my eyes peeled for?

The burn chat I've seen lists the following as slightly hotter and slower than AR-Comp and the 4895's:

• Accurate 2230
• Accurate 2460
• IMR 8208 XBR
  
• AR-Comp
  
• Ramshot TAC
  
• Alliant Power Pro Varmint
  
• H4895
  
• VihtaVuori N135
  
• IMR 4895
• Alliant R-12

I know burn rate isn't end-all, be-all - and what I'm trying to teach myself from other forums threads on this subject speaks to grain size, weight, and volume.

That said, I'm still new to handloading, so a lot of the nuance here is going over my head.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Midway and Grafs had IMR 4895 earlier today *(Midway may still). They are coming back to availability. I highly recommend sticking to what is known to work and work well.

 

[Will_Power]

Midway and Grafs had IMR 4895 earlier today *(Midway may still). They are coming back to availability. I highly recommend sticking to what is known to work and work well.

Yep, as I called out in my original post, I was able to get some IMR 4895.

Just checking to see what else I should consider given the scarcity of powder at the moment.

 

[AJC1]

Yep, as I called out in my original post, I was able to get some IMR 4895.

Just checking to see what else I should consider given the scarcity of powder at the moment.

The Vhit powders are more available due to their higher normal price which means they are not preferred because most people are cheap. It may pay long term in work up costs and availability to go that route from the start.