[Flat Top]

I have read elsewhere that the powder used for the Leverevo factory loads has been released for reloading purposes. Is this powder appropriate for the 444, and if so by what brand name is it sold under? I had read reports that this powder produced improved velocities at lower pressures than standard powders, and because my goal with the Safari Grade 444 modification was to keep pressures in check, I thought that I may try some of this powder in my modified 444. I have had no pressure issues and have a very good safety margin for the modification, but, anything that could possibly improve that margin would be good to experiment with.

 

[Dawei]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

I have read elsewhere that the powder used for the Leverevo factory loads has been released for reloading purposes. Is this powder appropriate for the 444, and if so by what brand name is it sold under? I had read reports that this powder produced improved velocities at lower pressures than standard powders, and because my goal with the Safari Grade 444 modification was to keep pressures in check, I thought that I may try some of this powder in my modified 444. I have had no pressure issues and have a very good safety margin for the modification, but, anything that could possibly improve that margin would be good to experiment with.

Specifically where please? Link

 

[Flat Top]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Dawei; Read it some time ago on this and other forums, and Midway has it in stock, along with the Hodgdon "SuperPerformance" powder. Hodgdon is closed on Fridays, but, if I dont get some info here, I will call them and see what they have to say about using these two powders in the 444.........the info I have stated here is all I can find out for now.

 

[mt_sourdough]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

The LE powders that Hornady uses in it's LE ammo are cartridge specific. Their powder in their 444 LE loads is different than the powder in the 30-30 LE loads and is different than the powders in 338 LE, etc. The LE powder that is currently offered is the 30-30 mix and is not suggested for use in the 444. With that said, with a modified arrangement like you are using in you SG 444 might work. I guess you would know more than anybody if the preferred 444 powders change when you do the SG Mod.

 

[Flat Top]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

mt_sourdough; All the powders that I have tested with, or, are standard for the 444 will "work" in the SG 444. The one powder that "works" the best so far has been Reloader 7. It exhibits the best "gain per grain/volumn" than any of the others in my MODIFIED 444, and it is with Reloader 7 that I not only achieved, but, easily exceeded my 2150 fps goal with the 405 grain bullet. Be that as it may, if there is a powder out there that can deliver my velocity goals with less powder volumn and pressure, I am all for that. I do know that there are "mixes" that will do that easily (in no way will I even mention those here), but, I intended this to be a modification that would use off the shelf components...to keep it simple. I will talk to Hodgdon on Monday...see where these powders fall within the burn rate, and talk to them about its use in the 444. The LE powder that is used for the 30-30, is also suitable for the 35 Rem and others. Most of the powders suitable for these cartridges are also suitable for the 444.....We shall see what Hodgdon says on Monday, and I will report back.

 

[Starrbow]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

I have read elsewhere that the powder used for the Leverevo factory loads has been released for reloading purposes. Is this powder appropriate for the 444, and if so by what brand name is it sold under? I had read reports that this powder produced improved velocities at lower pressures than standard powders, and because my goal with the Safari Grade 444 modification was to keep pressures in check, I thought that I may try some of this powder in my modified 444. I have had no pressure issues and have a very good safety margin for the modification, but, anything that could possibly improve that margin would be good to experiment with.

Ah grasshopper, I see you are on a journey to find the Holy Grail of Powder for your tried and true 444Marlin! Beware, the journey will be filled with pitfalls and perverse uses of your wallet! I think when you come to the end of your journy, what you seek will already be your friend!

 

[Mr Fixit]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Here's the burn rate chart from Hodgdon: and the LE powder is 103
http://hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html
Mr fixit

 

[Flat Top]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Starrbow; Yes, Master of the Heavyweight Bullet, judging from Mr. Fixits burn rate chart referral (thanks!) I can see that both the LE and the SP are a bit slow for my needs....it looks like "Old Reliable" will continue to be my powder of choice for now. I am still going to call Hodgdon on Monday and see what they have to say. The Hornady website refers to the powder used in the LE 444 as "SuperPerformance"...wondering if it is the same that Hodgdon has on the market........I will report back with what I can find out.

 

[Mr Fixit]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Say Flat Top, while you're on the phone with them, ask if there are any other calibers we can use the Superformance powder for besides what is here: http://hodgdon.com/PDF/SuperLever.pdf
Bought a pound of the stuff and sure would like to use it in something! I was hoping .270 or 30-06. Thanks, Mr fixit

 

[Flat Top]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Mr Fixit; Will do!!!!

 

[Mr Fixit]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

;D 8)

 

[Flat Top]

Re: Leverevolution powder for the 444?

Mr. Fixit, et all; Just got off the phone with Hodgdon. The SuperPerformance powders only list "usable cartridges" where the "performance gain" by using that powder in those cartridges is substantial over other powders that are offered on the market. The SP powder can be used in other cartridges such as the 270 and 30-06 but, performance would be dismal. For the LE powder the same holds true. The SP powder that Hornady uses in its 444 loading is a custom blend of over 40 ingrediants taylored to that specific bullet type and weight, case, primer, and performance level. It is not a universal powder that would offer any more performance than what is already available on the market for the wide range of reloading components used for the 444 cartridge. According to Hodgdon, these custom mixes are proprietary products of Hornady, and it requires their permission to release them to Hodgon for manufacture, and at this time, no other Hornady custom mixes are scheduled for release.

 

[Mr Fixit]

Appreciate it Flat Top! Guess I'll have to buy me another rifle....after all I can't have $$$$$$ sitting on a shelf not doing anything! ;D Mr fixit

 

[Flat Top]

Mr. Fixit; You make an excellent point!!!! ;D

 

[VTDW]

My favorite load for my fo-foty-fo's uses VV N-120 powder for the best velocity and less pressure than Re-7, BUT my second choice is Re-7 itself.

Cannot go wrong the the Re-7. In fact I am getting grief (all in fun) on my second most favorite forum for revealing I have been hunting lately with the Hornady 265 gr FP (Yikes!!! Not hardcast???) driven by the "Old Reliable".

Dave 8)

 

[Flat Top]

Dave; Does the N-120 (which I have not tried in the Safari Grade 444 modification) produce higher velocities than the Reloader-7 for the same amount of powder "volumn" in the standard 444 COL? My whole goal from the start of this modification was to get my velocities with the least amount of pressure as possible...with VN-120 being faster than Reloader-7 and considering the extra capacity of my 2.750 COL modification, I would think that N-120 would be a bit too hot for my use....would reach high pressures before I had enough volumn to get my 2150 fps. The Reloader-7 has proven to be a real performer with this modification, and I will not say in "public" what velocities have been obtained using it, but, I will say that with the Reloader-7, I have obtained an excellent safety margin while still reaching my velocity and accuracy goal...2160 fps with the 405 grain bullet..............Do you think the N-120 would be worth a shot...I am always open to suggestions. By the way, everybody knows that you cant kill nothin' with a jacketed bullet! ;D

 

[Dawei]

My favorite load for my fo-foty-fo's uses VV N-120 powder for the best velocity and less pressure than Re-7, BUT my second choice is Re-7 itself.

Cannot go wrong the the Re-7. In fact I am getting grief (all in fun) on my Hey Tony what's up. We haven't heard from you on marlinowners.com i quite some time. Is everything OK? for revealing I have been hunting lately with the Hornady 265 gr FP (Yikes!!! Not hardcast???) driven by the "Old Reliable".

Dave 8)

What forum is that? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[NFG]

I'm not sure which is faster or slower between RL-7 and N120, I have a burn rate chart that puts AA1680, N120, RL7 and IMR4198 all on the same line and another that spreads them out AA1680 first, then RL-7, IMR4198, H4198, N120, then AA2015.(which also has some very favorable pressure/velocity numbers).

I think it would take a lot of shooting with many bullet weights and COAL's in the 444 to pin down where the actually lie in relation to each other.

In the mean time I think I will just use whichever powder shoots the most accurate with whichever bullet weight and COAL and call it good. I'm guessing they are so close together it would be hard pressed to get pressure/velocity readings without specialized equipment and barrel condition would probably make that information only useful for a specific gun.

Who knows??...it would be an interesting set of tests to run.

LUCK

 

[Flat Top]

NFG; I will tell you, that in my SG 444, h322 and h335 ran out steam and the case was stuffed as full as it could be stuffed!!! With the RL-7, the same velocities were produced and I still had plenty of space left for velocity improvement. The gain per grain of RL-7 was the best I have found so far.........and, even those that shoot a standard COL Marlin 444 have had great results with it. So, for now, I guess RL-7 is the powder of choice, but, it doesnt hurt to search for improvements..."if" there are any to be had.

 

[Halwg]

I'm not sure which is faster or slower between RL-7 and N120, I have a burn rate chart that puts AA1680, N120, RL7 and IMR4198 all on the same line and another that spreads them out AA1680 first, then RL-7, IMR4198, H4198, N120, then AA2015.(which also has some very favorable pressure/velocity numbers).

I think it would take a lot of shooting with many bullet weights and COAL's in the 444 to pin down where the actually lie in relation to each other.

In the mean time I think I will just use whichever powder shoots the most accurate with whichever bullet weight and COAL and call it good. I'm guessing they are so close together it would be hard pressed to get pressure/velocity readings without specialized equipment and barrel condition would probably make that information only useful for a specific gun.

Who knows??...it would be an interesting set of tests to run.

LUCK

You are right. Those powders are all so close there isn't a nickel's worth of difference between them. Pick the most accurate with your rifle/bullet combination and go with it. I like H4198.