Hodgdon�s H4895, the Most Versatile Rifle Powder? By Lance Robson Hodgdon�s H4895 rifle powder
has been around for a long time. It was the first publicly available powder
sold by Bruce Hodgdon. Hodgdon claims H4895 is �a most versatile powder,� which
may be something of an understatement. H4895 is listed for
everything from the .17 Remington to the .458 Winchester Magnum and throughout
that range it has developed a reputation for providing predictably excellent
accuracy. For those cartridges for which data is published it generally handles
all but very heavy-for-caliber bullets. H4895 is relatively insensitive to
temperature changes and produces very consistent velocities and pressures
across the temperature spectrum from 0 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Like many
other powders, H4895 has gone through some formulation updates over the years,
so even if you have used it before, check the Hodgdon website for the most
current data. Fortunately Hodgdon
does a great job of publishing extensive data for nearly all cartridges on
their website www.hodgdon.com. Their technical support has been top notch over
the years and a call to 913-362-9455 will often get you information
about loads and cartridges not listed. While there are other Hodgdon
powders, such as Varget, that can cover the same type of caliber range as
H4895, H4895 has one great trick up its sleeve that makes it stand out from any
other powder.� It is the most useful
powder on the market for reduced recoil and lowered velocity loads. When you are
looking to reduce recoil, muzzle blast and want a softer shooting load, this
powder really shines. As the Hodgdon site states �It is the slowest burning
propellant that ignites uniformly at reduced charges.� Whitetail deer are by
far the most common big game animal hunted in North America and most
commercially available reduced recoil rifle loads are aimed at that segment of
the market. Similarly, Hodgdon shows �Youth Loads� listed in the �DATA� section
of their website. Hodgdon has wisely listed loads that will cleanly take a
whitetail deer at 200 yards, given proper bullet placement, and all listed loads
have at least a 200 yard 6� Mean Point Blank Range (MPBR). Using some examples
from that page I computed the trajectories and the recoil reduction for some of
the listed loads in .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum and .30-06. All of these loads
will produce a minimum of 800 foot pounds of energy at the MPBR, a figure often
cited as the minimum energy needed to cleanly and consistently harvest
whitetail deer sized game. Additionally, the 7mm and .308" bullets listed
below have a satisfactory reputation for accuracy and for killing ability on
deer sized game. (The 100 grain .270 bullet is intended for shooting varmints
and small predators.) Lastly, these loads stay below or very close to 10 foot
pounds of recoil energy and 10 feet per second of recoil velocity. For more on
the effects of recoil go to the "Rifle Recoil Table" on the Tables,
Charts and Lists page. All of the recoil and
trajectory data below was computed using a rifle weight of eight pounds, a
sight height of 1-1/2� above the bore center line and a 6� MPBR. Elevations are
from the aiming point. 270 Winchester - The Youth Load� data
shows a 100 grain Hornady Spire Point with 36.0 grains of H4895 at a 2604 feet
per second muzzle velocity. That results in a 246 yard MPBR with 824 foot
pounds of energy at the MPBR. The 100 yard elevation is +2.8� and the 200 yard
elevation is +0.7�. The recoil is 7.3 foot pounds at a velocity of 7.7 feet per
second. The maximum load data for the same bullet shows 3401 feet per second
which results in 13.1 foot pounds of recoil at 10.3 feet per second. 7mm Remington Magnum - The Youth Load data shows a 120 grain Hornady Spire
Point with 41.2 grains of H4895 at a 2609 feet per second muzzle velocity. That
results in a 251 yard MPBR with 1062 FP energy at the MPBR. The 100 yard
elevation is +2.8� and the 200 yard elevation is +0.9�. The recoil is 10.6 foot
pounds at 9.0 feet per second. The Hodgdon website shows a maximum load for 120
grain bullets in the 3200 feet per second range which results in 17.0 foot
pounds of recoil at 11.7 feet per second. .30-06 - The Youth Load data shows a 125 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with 40.5
grains of H4895 at 2615 feet per second muzzle velocity. That results in a 253
yard MPBR with 1135 foot pounds of energy at the MPBR. The 100 yard elevation
is +2.8� and the 200 yard elevation is +1.0�. The recoil values are 10.2 foot
pounds of recoil force and a recoil velocity of 9.2 feet per second. The
maximum load for the same bullet shows 3229 feet per second which results in
17.1 foot pounds of recoil at 11.7 feet per second. All of the above Youth
Loads offer a remarkable reduction of recoil by about 40% with well over a 200
yard MPBR. One thing many will notice is that the youth loads use lighter
bullets than most hunters would choose. That, in turn begs the question of how
to develop a safe reduced load for other bullet weights. Hodgdon publishes
reduced load guidance for H4895 and cautions not to use any other powder for
these purposes. Of the more than 140 powders marketed by Hodgdon, H4895 is the
only one tested and currently recommended by Hodgdon for these kinds of reduced
power loads. Note that as complete as the load data section of the website is,
Hodgdon has a lot of data available which is not listed. If the caliber or
bullet you want to use is not listed, call them. To develop a reduced
load, check the most recent load data on the Hodgdon website and make sure the
bullet and cartridge you want to use are listed for H4895. Then take the
maximum charge of H4895 listed and multiply it by 0.6 and the result is the
lowest recommended charge of H4895 for that combination. For example: where the
maximum load listed for a .30-06 using a 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip calls
for 51 grains of H4895, the lowest reduced load would be 30.6 grains. Any load
between 51.0 and 30.6 grains will result in uniform ignition, pressures and
velocities for this cartridge/bullet combination. Certainly, a good
chronograph would help in estimating the trajectory, but for accuracy at all
ranges there is no substitute for downrange results. Once you start loading
these reduced loads, the only certain way to find out what the downrange
results will be is to shoot the load out of your rifles to your expected
maximum range to validate the MPBR and correct zero. When I consider the ability of H4895 to load the gamut from .17 Remington to .458 Winchester Magnum, its consistent accuracy and then add in the ability to load cartridges with a very wide range of power charges, Hodgdon�s description of H4895 as �a most versatile powder� seems inadequate. If I were writing that statement I think I would have written, �H4895 is the most versatile rifle powder available.� It certainly has both my vote and a place in my powder cabinet. |
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