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Any idea when we might see H4350 again?

C

Coloradocop

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 17, 2010
164
1
44
Front Range of Colorado
When I got my AIAX for Christmas (the first rifle I've had in which H4350 was a suitable powder choice) I was very fortunate that I was able to find 3lbs of the elusive H4350 powder. Well, that tiny stash isn't going to last forever, and would have been used up already if I was shooting the rifle as much as I want to shoot it (I don't want to use up my only H4350 right now). Anyway, this stuff seems to be harder to find than a unicorn.

Do any of you guys have any ideas when this powder might be showing up again? Rumors from SHOT? Places that actually have it?

It's pretty frustrating to have a new rifle and no powder with which to load.


P.S. I'm not willing to pay gouger prices for the powder. If I need to wait for it to hit the shelves, so be it. I just can't in good conscience (or budget) spend $70/lb for powder. I've found small supplies of other similar types of powder that will probably work for this rifle (and purchased a couple of pounds), but it seems like everyone thinks the H4350 is the most consistent across a broad range of temperatures (the conditions I shoot in).
 
It's in ample supply in the 1lb jugs where I live. Hopefully some of the stock makes it your way. And the supply where I live is at mom and pop stores. So I couldn't say the chains are eating it all up.
 
Same in my home town. The local gun shop got in about 50 lbs a couple of weeks ago. Reasonably priced too.
 
I looked for a while, but eventually settled on a couple kegs of AA 4350 instead. Haven't seen H4350 in a year locally.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
 
Adapt and conquer. Don't think for a second you can't possibly work up a load without h4350. More work, probably, impossible - well, you have to decide.

Congrats on the gift, now the real work starts. Are you going to never shoot if you can't get h4350?
 
BapZander said:
Adapt and conquer. Don't think for a second you can't possibly work up a load without h4350. More work, probably, impossible - well, you have to decide.

Congrats on the gift, now the real work starts. Are you going to never shoot if you can't get h4350?
Click to expand...

Thanks. And, no, I'm obviously not going to give up on shooting for the sake of one type of powder. Given my limited supply of the stuff though, I'm kind of stuck in a load development holding pattern… I have just enough powder of a couple of types of powder to develop a couple of loads, but not enough to really plan on doing much shooting afterwards. The good news is that I will have a couple of options once I finish that process, but I'll still need to find more powder in the very near future. As such, I've been eyeing the powder that seems to have the best track record with guys who are shooting these rifles.

Back when powder was plentiful, I'd typically just buy a can of a few different types, play around with it, find a load I liked, and then stock up on the stuff. These days the process isn't that simple, due to supply issues.
 
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Boxcar said:
It's in ample supply in the 1lb jugs where I live. Hopefully some of the stock makes it your way. And the supply where I live is at mom and pop stores. So I couldn't say the chains are eating it all up.
Click to expand...

I grew up in North Olmsted, and still have friends there, and family in the Columbus area… I may need to have some of my folks take a look around the local shops out there to see what they can find for me. I sure haven't been seeing it out here!
 
You looked into RL17, been available here lately, no reason it wouldn't work in 260 with 130-140gr bullets.

Norma 204 is around also. MRP also.
 
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If you have family checking the area see if they'll take a drive down to Canton check out Fin, feather, fur or Kames both are just a few minutes from the airport.

Now Reloader 17 is in short supply in our area though.
 
Interesting how supply differs from one region to another. I was in a gunshop yesterday and they had a ton of H4350. Of course what I was looking for...Varget was out and hardly ever seems to come in. The day Varget comes in its gone! Varget and IMR 4064 seems to be the main demand here.
 
Here in central Florida I couldn't find H4350 for almost a year. I gave up and switched to RL17. However I was able to buy some H4350 from Georgia Arms at the Orlando gun show a couple weekends ago. I plan to use the H4350 for my 260AI once I (re)start load development for it.
 
I'll have to add u to my notify list. I just scored an 8# jug from Natchez last week, and Gameliel (sp?) had it too. Saw it on gunbot and never entered an order that fast in my life! By the time i was done, it was almost sold out, which it did a few minutes later.

I've only ever found it on the shelf at Cabela's in Columbus and Thornton.
 
I have had moved to Reloader 17 and IMR4350 because of this same problem. They both work well as a replacement for Hodgdon. I have some extra IMR4350 listed now if your interested.

Welcome to Colorado; We have lots of weed, but no powder...
 
IMR4350, RL17, Hybrid 100V all have potential. IMR4350 shoots crazy good in my 6.5CM with 140 Amax and 142 SMK.
 
I have exactly one pound of RL17 on my shelf, which I bought in hopes of developing an alternative load. Unfortunately I'll be out of that powder, too, as soon as I develop the load! Like I said, I guess at least it will give me options for the future.
 
IMR 4350 will work. When I started load development for my GAP Crusader 260 with 24" barrel, I tried both. Found that Hodgdon worked best for me in my rifle with Nosler brass, and the IMR worked best in my rifle using Federal brass. Since I had more H4350, and Nosler brass was readily available, I went that direction. For some reason, I couldn't get Rem brass to shoot consistently with either powder, and I didn't even try Lapua brass as I didn't want to do the neck turning that's required to use it in my rifle.
 
I bought a pound of IMR4350, should work just as well in my 6 Creed, but I still have 6lbs of H4350, easy to find around these parts.
 
Not sure how things are going now but you might want to place a backorder with Midsouth.

On 8/23/13 I placed a backorder for 24# of H4350 and it shipped on 11/12/13-- only about a 10 week wait. Surprised the hell out of me it shipped that fast especially considering the quantity. Now I'm set for quite a while. During those 10 weeks I was constantly scrounging the "hide and seek" thread here and also gunbot and I was always either too late to snag any that came in stock at other vendors or they had small quantity limits.

I'd strongly suggest placing a backorder while you search elsewhere, they don't charge until they ship.
 
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For the couple of people from ohio on here I saw, Buckeye Outdoors in Hebron/Newark/Heath area, I've found #1's of H4350 each of the few times I've went up there... 3 one time, 2 another, 1 another time, ect.. they have quite a bit of different powder on the shelf... was able to get 4000 LR CCI primers for $80 total! was on sale for 20/1000 limit 4 on all non BR primers...

I tried RL-17 with my 260... with 26" bbl 140 amaxs, I'm getting 2935fps with 43.5gr of H4350 with really no worrying pressure signs, and with RL-17 I'm getting it up to 2775 showing slight ejector marks and 2820 and it blew a primer... was not impressed. I might try it with my .260 palmas, maybe it can work out of those?
 
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