Western Powders

Hey fellas,

I've recently found a highly discounted source of Western Powder brand smokeless powders. Up to this point I have been using Hodgdon as they are highly recommended by competition shooters, touted temp insensitivity and a wealth of available data. It looks like they have powders that match the burn rates of varget and h4350.

I primarily load 308 Win and 300 WSM bolt guns and shoot all year long in Temps ranging from subzero to triple digits. Do any of you have good experience with Western? Should I jump on this opportunity? Should I stick with what I've got. Let me know what ya think.

 

Which Western powder is closest to Varget for accuracy?

 

I don't think anything Western puts out is like Varget but AA2520 and AA4064 are close in burn rate. Good news is, Accurate has their version of 4350 and it's close to the two Hodgdon distributes and is accurate as the other two too.

As for Western Powders, they are as good as any others. I don't use them much because they are not generally available where I live.

 

Tac works very well in .223 , Look at their website they provide Good load data and will send you a free Reloading Manual , also they are good at Answering questions , good stuff

 

Good to know, I was planning on trying some in the WSM. I was think about probably dropping some 2520 in the 308, but at 20 bucks a pound I can afford to sample several varieties.

The $220 price tag on the handles of Hodgdon is kind of steering me away from it. :\

 

AA2520 has the nickname The Camp Perry Powder. It's a ball powder so it meters very well and it's formulated to mimic the performance and pressure curve that IMR 4895 produces. I have a strong feeling you will like the results. AA2495 is the stick powder equivalent of AA2520.

 

So Orcon, what is this "highly discounted source" of which you speak?

 

I did a favor for my FFL and to show his gratitude he offered me access to his Western Powders dealer pricing at 17 to 22 dollars a pound depending on type and size. Local supply has been good, albeit expensive, at $30 a pound or more. Online dealers are superficially cheaper until shipping and fees are computed, then it's pretty much a wash. Western Powders is located in Miles City, MT and by Montana standards is a pretty short drive from where I live.

 

I have used a bunch of Tac and Enforcer over the years. Both work well for me and Western powder is as good if not better than any other brand of propellant IMHO. They have also been traditionally lower priced by a few dollars than the other popular brands at most times in the past as well. That is why I tried them and was pleasantly surprised with the results so I kept on using them.

 

Accurate and Ramshot powders, both marketed by Western powders are very good, fine ball powders, just not near as widely available as Alliant or Hodgdon powders.

 

I've become a huge fan of AA-2460 in my 5.56 loads, works really well.

 

Ramshot BigGame preforms favorably well in place of 4064,Varget, Rl 15.

 

Thanks for the input, everybody! I will be going to Western at the end of the week to pick up my order.

 

Interesting that the peripatetic Accurate powder lineup now has several "made in Canada" including A2495, A4064, and A4350.
I wonder how close they are to IMR4895, IMR4064, and IMR4350 out of the same plant.

 

Jim, considering they were fairly close before I'm guessing they will be "very close" from the new plant... it seems the higher the field gets the less real choices we have lol.

 

Dealer pricing with no shipping or hazmat fees....I would jump on that with both feet !

Western has a web site with a lot of data and they will send you printed data, I looked briefly at 308 Winchester and there seemed to be a lot of powders and data available.
I would do some research and get three or four powders , in 1 lb. sizes to test , that look like good possibilities, try them out and if you find something you like get him to order a larger size.
I've never used Western powders but with that sweet deal I would be more than willing to try them.
Gary

 

I wish there was a source by me... I've never seen it at my LGS or my local reloading shop. I'd really like to try them.

 

I don't have any real reason for my choice but I use H-335 for my 55gr loads and Tac for 62gr loads. Probably could do just fine by choosing just one. I have only tried one box of Sierra 69 BTHP. No reason to load too many different weights any more. I'm just paper punching.

Mark

 

I will be picking up some 2495 4064 and 4350 on Friday. I was toying with maybe trying some norma powder but we'll see. Thanks for the info erbody!

 

I have been using there powder and I like there 4350 for years in my 243 25.06 270 I use there 2200 2230 2460 plus other hand gun powders It has done me very good over the years. good luck

 

Picked up an 8lb AA2495 and an 8lb AA4350, if I can't pin down a load with this much powder I probably should find another hobby. The facility was really unassuming and tucked just out of sight of the highway. I wasn't even sure I was at the right place at first but before too long I found myself shaking hands Western Powders President, Doug Phair. Apparently I can get virtually any powder from these folks but at about $5 more per pound over their proprietary brands.

I can't wait to get home and play with my jugs!

 

Just in case it was missed in this thread, AA2495 was developed to mimic the pressure curve of IMR4895 so I'm sureyou are going to like it. I would be very happy loading up 30-06 ammo with AA4350 all day long.

Exactly how much did each 8lb jug cost you?

 

Yeah your input is what lead me to 2495, thanks! $162 per jug, which makes me wonder how the hell Powder Valley makes any money at all.

 

Shortly after I got into reloading, I decided I liked the Western powders a lot. First, they nearly all meter well, and that matters to me. Second, for the Accurate Arms powders, their name/numbering convention is at least semi-rational, generally reflecting faster burn rates with lower numbers, slower burning with higher. I use a number of Hodgdon and Alliant powders, too, but, overall, I use more AA/Ramshot stuff than the rest combined.

 

TAC is great for heavy 5.56 loads (77gr) in short barrels.I'm giving Western,and others more of a look as reloading component supply can be spotty.