[Snapping Twig]

I'm new to the 45-70 but not to reloading so when I got my moulds for a 350 and 420 grain bullet from NOE (Castboolits group buy) I was looking for a midrange load and a full power load.

Going through my powders I came across an old can of IMR 4227 that I'd gotten for some long forgotten experiment. It was near full, so that project must not have worked out as I had hoped.

Looking at trapdoor level loads, I found 2400 and 4227 to be similar and with such good reviews on 2400 for the 45-70 and having the 4227 at hand I thought I'd give it a try. Since the 4227 is slower than 2400 it seemed reasonable that I could get slightly higher velocities within that midrange power level.

I loaded 26g 4227 with the 350g boolit and 27g with the 420g boolit. My reasoning was for similar POA/POI with either weight boolit to @ 100 yards. Switch between the two w/o changing sight picture.

So far so good! These loads have so far been everything I was wanting them to be. At 50 yards I can cluster 3 shots touching. I didn't do a work-up and with the results as they are, I don't plan on one.

I size the boolits .459 with a Lyman 450 and lube with White Label BAC.

Truth be told, my moulds have both gas check and plain base cavities, so I tried these boolits w/o the gas checks and with plain base in this load and have found them to shoot identically.

For the full power loads I use H4198 and the gas checks, but that's another story. They shoot well too.

What experience do you have with IMR4227 in the 45-70? How many others use it?

If you use it, do you find it any more desirable to 2400 or pretty much the same?

I ask as I'm going to make a powder run and resupply and I could use 2400 in pistols as well, buy a 4/8# container and call it good.

Otherwise, I'll stick to the 4227 for the 45-70.

What say you?

 

[Snapping Twig]

Anybody...

Buehler....

 

[35remington]

ST, I can't relate fully in 45-70 as I've used 2400 as a powder in the same approximate range and not 4227.

I do use it in any number of other calibers. It is a very fine cast bullet powder and excels at shooting small groups at midrange speeds. Meters very well.

You may be interested to know that despite the fact that Hodgdon distributes IMR 4227, it appears to be their H4227; one of their Extreme or temperature insensitive powders that got relabeled. New production should say Made in Australia. The original IMR 4227 was made in Canada by IMR. Hodgdon simply graphited H4227 and renamed it IMR. This is the only 4227 left.

I've run it down to 1100 fps out of rifle length barrels with good results. To some degree, it is position sensitive, in that shooting it with the powder near the bullet will get lower velocity than with the powder near the primer. If you are interested in minimizing such things either tip the barrel up before shooting or use dacron. As pressures go up position sensitivity lessens somewhat, but it is always present in the normal charges which do not fill the case.

A great many of us could do 95 percent of our cast bullet shooting with very good accuracy using 4227.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Thanks for that info!

Nice to hear about the temperature insensitivity. Didn't know about position sensitivity and so far haven't used a filler.

I'm working out of a 20 year old can, but unless something changes my mind, I'm very pleased with 4227 so far and will probably get more.

Anyone else?

 

[janott]

I have used IMR4227 in my 45-70 and it worked well and H4227 was also very good.