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Posted: 10/20/2016 7:45:27 PM EDT
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Who is using it in place of H335? I'm considering making a bulk buy, but I'm curious how much difference there is. I usually load 24.8g of H335 under a 55gr FMJBT. Anyone loading 55 fmjbts over WC-844?
Grant |
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Are you finding it for much less than H335? It seems the surplus powder I've seen lately costs as much as the regular commercial powders. At that price point, I don't see the benefit of working up a new load with a surplus powder. Yep.. seen it on couple odd sites, just as much as common label brand name stuff.. cost benefits was lost some 10yr ago.. sitting on just short of 18-19lb yet.. I dump 4 bottle (3 lot) into 5gallon pail and mix it up for a bit, then put 1 lot of powder back in jugs |
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Are you finding it for much less than H335? It seems the surplus powder I've seen lately costs as much as the regular commercial powders. At that price point, I don't see the benefit of working up a new load with a surplus powder. That's the thing, it's about the same as h335. I'm local to Midsouth so that helps. |
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I've loaded several different lots of WC 844 over the last several years. My load of 25 grains of H335 with Hornady 55 FMJ's and SP's is what I've tried to equal. A couple lots of 844 have been faster than H335 and 24.4-24.5
grains equaled 25 grains of H335. 3 or 4 lots have been very close to H335, so close I loaded 25 grains of WC 844. Two lots have been much much slowe than H335. One lot 26 grains of WC 844 didn't come close to the velocity of H335 at 25 grains. I was so untrusting of that lot and just stopped load work-ups. So a chronograph is a help with surplus powder. With the price of surplus near commercial powder, it isn't a bargain at all. By the time you do load work-ups spending powder, bullet, primers, and time, you'd be better off buying H335 powder in my opinion. Surplus powders can be pull-down and many years old or new never loaded. Pull down has been my fastest burning WC 844 and new virgin never loaded has been my slowest. Possibly the new is sold as surplus because it didn't meet military specs? It used to be a great bargain but not anymore. |
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Yep.. seen it on couple odd sites, just as much as common label brand name stuff.. cost benefits was lost some 10yr ago.. sitting on just short of 18-19lb yet.. I dump 4 bottle (3 lot) into 5gallon pail and mix it up for a bit, then put 1 lot of powder back in jugs Quoted:
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Are you finding it for much less than H335? It seems the surplus powder I've seen lately costs as much as the regular commercial powders. At that price point, I don't see the benefit of working up a new load with a surplus powder. Yep.. seen it on couple odd sites, just as much as common label brand name stuff.. cost benefits was lost some 10yr ago.. sitting on just short of 18-19lb yet.. I dump 4 bottle (3 lot) into 5gallon pail and mix it up for a bit, then put 1 lot of powder back in jugs I think I'm going to do this if my lot numbers don't match up. Just picked up 32 lbs of the stuff for $550 |
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I think I'm going to do this if my lot numbers don't match up. Just picked up 32 lbs of the stuff for $550 Quoted:
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Are you finding it for much less than H335? It seems the surplus powder I've seen lately costs as much as the regular commercial powders. At that price point, I don't see the benefit of working up a new load with a surplus powder. Yep.. seen it on couple odd sites, just as much as common label brand name stuff.. cost benefits was lost some 10yr ago.. sitting on just short of 18-19lb yet.. I dump 4 bottle (3 lot) into 5gallon pail and mix it up for a bit, then put 1 lot of powder back in jugs I think I'm going to do this if my lot numbers don't match up. Just picked up 32 lbs of the stuff for $550 Take it all and blend it into 1 big batch, and run with the 1 work up for that batch |
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Take it all and blend it into 1 big batch, and run with the 1 work up for that batch Quoted:
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Are you finding it for much less than H335? It seems the surplus powder I've seen lately costs as much as the regular commercial powders. At that price point, I don't see the benefit of working up a new load with a surplus powder. Yep.. seen it on couple odd sites, just as much as common label brand name stuff.. cost benefits was lost some 10yr ago.. sitting on just short of 18-19lb yet.. I dump 4 bottle (3 lot) into 5gallon pail and mix it up for a bit, then put 1 lot of powder back in jugs I think I'm going to do this if my lot numbers don't match up. Just picked up 32 lbs of the stuff for $550 Take it all and blend it into 1 big batch, and run with the 1 work up for that batch Hold on. I swear I've read that you should never mix powders from different batches together. |
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Yeah, that kind of talk is from lawyers and the CYA camp.
If one lot produces 2700fps at 25gr and another goes 2400fps at the same weight, you mix them together and get one lot that gives 2550fps at 25gr. Where's the harm in that if you start low and work up like we all should be doing anyways ? I'd mix 'em up without a second thought. |
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You are going to get a lot of opinion on that matter. GC7. It's a very common practice with surplus and regular branded powder. You are the first person I ever saw to say it may not be ok. Would you care to post your source. BTW: To save space in the powder cabinet I know several people who routinely combine 2 bottles of like powder into one bottle. This is typically done with very dense powder like H-335. Motor |
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I hear you on that , we were paying $260/#40 keg in fall of 2012 Quoted:
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That just makes you want to cry. The 8lb jug I bought in December 2012 was under $100 
Motor I hear you on that , we were paying $260/#40 keg in fall of 2012 Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. |
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Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. Quoted:
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That just makes you want to cry. The 8lb jug I bought in December 2012 was under $100
Motor I hear you on that , we were paying $260/#40 keg in fall of 2012 Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. Sounds like you ran in to Dave |
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Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. Quoted:
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That just makes you want to cry. The 8lb jug I bought in December 2012 was under $100
Motor I hear you on that , we were paying $260/#40 keg in fall of 2012 Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. I pay $11/lb for 844 pull down powder currently 
and no, im not posting info on my source. |
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As stated, the price savings for WC844 really just isn't there. Here's why:
See, the thing with WC844, is you really don't know what lot you got. It's more than just the powder lot itself. It's also the vendor - who found a "deal" to get their drums of WC844. And decided it was good enough to house packaged it, and who you hope house packaged it correctly too. With H335, in general, 25 gr of one bottle of H335, is going to be about the same as 25gr from another bottle. But with WC844, lot to lot variation can be much wider. So OK, no big deal, buy 32 lb all of the same lot, work up, and who cares - right? For the most part, that's right. Then there's the other shoe. WC844 is surplus powder usually not intended for direct commercial sale. So.... how did this vendor get this powder? Was this an overrun and good quality powder? Was this a rejected lot they got for dirt cheap? I've seen testimonials from people who've bought 3rd party jugs of house labaled repack's, and seen horror stories from it. And that's the thing with Surplus WC844 types of powders - you don't know the progeny. With a jug of labeled H335, you do. I've gotten excited by the WC844 come-on's. And the amazing savings. And how it's promoted in such a way that you get all excited - at paying 90% retail that is. Stupid. I wasted a lot of time and money that I could have just saved if I stuck with the name-brand items. At %60 retail - sure, worth it. At 90% the $150/8lb jug of H335 often seen if you shop - forget it. |
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Sounds like you ran in to Dave Quoted:
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That just makes you want to cry. The 8lb jug I bought in December 2012 was under $100
Motor I hear you on that , we were paying $260/#40 keg in fall of 2012 Yeah me too. I passed up on a #40 keg of WC-846 for $275 at the 2012 Tulsa Show and am still pissed about it. Mark my words, $17/lb surplus medium powder will be remembered the same way 5 years from now. Sounds like you ran in to Dave Was that the dude from TN? I did buy 10k wolf LR primers for $200 cash I think though. Still have half of them. |
| I use both WC844 and WC844F powders in bulk. It's always worked good enough for me and it was much cheaper than H335. I mostly use it with 55gr fmj and 55gr sp. That said, I'm not really into precision and I can't say it's as accurate or consistent as H335, but my typical load with the 844 powders seems to be capable of about 1.5 moa with the bulk Hornady 55gr sp pills out of good chrome lined barrels. And of course with each lot of 844 you need to work up to your load to be safe. |
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I shot mine over a chrono until I was running about 2850fps (55fmj w 16"bbl). IIRC it took somthing over 25 grains, but I dont have my notes handy. Work up from a published starting load for H355. Batches vary in burn rate. Your lot must be much slower than mine. I was getting approximately 3000 feet per second at 25 grains. |
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