Target Shooter 1

NEW PROPELLANTS
We see at least one new ‘canister powder’ (ie
blended to retain burning characteristics between
manufacturing lots for handloaders) introduced
each year, with 2009 and this year no exception.
Last year’s hot entry, Alliant Reloder 17, has just
reached our shores with the first supplies leaving the
distributor, Edgar Brothers. This propellant, which
unlike other Alliant ‘Reloder’ series rifle powders
of Swedish origin is manufactured by Rheinmetall
Nitrochemie AG in Switzerland, uses a unique
new technology that has the chemicals that
control the burning rate (‘deterrents’) impregnated
throughout the material, not just surface coated as is
normally done, giving a flatter pressure curve over the
entire course of the burn. When allied to this
product’s high-energy nitrocellulose plus nitro-glycerine
formulation and high bulk density allowing a heavy charge
to be packed into any given cartridge case volume, it
produces substantially higher MVs in some cartridge
designs. Particular beneficiaries are the short WSM
and RSAUM magnums, .284 Winchester F-Class loads
with heavy bullets, and the 6XC with 105-115gn bullets,
increases typically being in the 150-200 fps range
over that produced by competitors. Burning rate-wise
it falls between the existing Reloder 15 and 19 grades
making it akin to the 4350s and a bit slow burning for .308
Winchester and similar, but it might do well in many of the high
performance match sixes such as 6X47mm Lapua, 6mm
Dasher and similar with heavy bullets, and Alliant lists loads
for the .243 Winchester that give a 100gn PSP bullet just
over 3,000 fps from a sporter-length barrel. Accuracy is said
to be very good indeed in suitable applications. Loads data
is available on Alliant’s website: www.alliantpowder.com
Meanwhile, Hodgdon in Kansas has just announced
the introduction of a new fine-grained benchrest quality
extruded powder with applications in small and
medium sized cartridges in match, varmint-shooting and
military / police sniper applications. IMR8208 XBR has a
burning rate a little faster than IMR / H4895 and is suited
to the same range of cartridges - .204 Ruger, .223 Rem,
.308 Win, 6mm BR, .22-250 Rem and similar. Its unique
selling point is total imperviousness to all normal
temperature changes – Hodgdon claims no
pressure / velocity variations at all between minus 40 and
165-degrees F, a huge plus in warmer climates than
ours where seasonal or even daily variations can
affect both the velocity and accuracy of cartridges
loaded with most powders. Allied to its producing superlative
accuracy in the 6PPC, this has already had one
interesting offshoot using pre-production batches. Lou
Murdica used the powder over the 2009 US benchrest
season with a single load throughout taking several wins,
and Jim Carmichael took 1st place in the IBSA 2009
National Championship meeting with the powder, again
sticking to a single previously worked up load. (Because
of the normal sensitivity of BR loads to even modest
temperature changes, and the extreme precision and
grouping consistency require to win matches, top BR
competitors usually vary loads slightly according to the
prevailing conditions, often more than once during the
course of a match.)
Other beneficiaries are varmint shooters such as
prairie dog shooters who see large temperature variations
and military snipers whose ammunition has to perform
consistently in sub-arctic to tropical and hot desert
conditions. Hodgdon says that the powder is already being
loaded in ammunition for snipers in some theatres. It
will be released to American handloaders at the end of this
year, and on past form we’ll see it here some six to twelve
months later. A full range of loads data is available on the
Hodgdon Reloading Data Centre section of its website:
www.hodgdon.com. 8208 data is also included in the next
issue of the company’s ‘annual manual’, a magazine format
reloading guide (and more) that will be on sale early in 2010.
Target Shooter 9