Powder Chioces

[nipplehead]

Hey guys this will be my first open gun and I have begun getting components. I have no experience with slow powders. This build is a 38sc..builder recommends either N105 or IMR 4756. Any thoughts , observations and comparisons of these 2 powders will be helpful.I most likely will just get one (at first) just trying to make the best choice. Btw this is used with a 124 or 125 grain bullet.

[snake32]

i have never used 4756 so i cant comment on it. i shoot 38sc 124gr mg bullets with 10.5gr VV n105 cci srp 1.250 oal and love the load. it works great in my gun. i first ordered 2 pounds of the n105 to try it now i order 10 to 15 lbs at a time.

Edited March 29, 2011 by snake32

[trodrig]

I'm currently running N105 (10.5gr with a 115JHP) and have also run 4756 with the same bullet. I think I needed 9.1 or 9.2 with 4756. There's lots of opinions, etc. on the various loadings for these, and many other, powders in the reloading forum. My major problem personally with 4756 is that it's kind of messy to load since it fills the case so full. N105 fills it pretty good too but the bigger kernels don't seem to fly out of the case as easily as the finer flakes of 4756. Both are pretty clean burning, 4756 is quite a bit cheaper and usually in stock more often than N105.

[G-ManBart]

Oh, there are probably a few posts on those two powders...ya think? If you go with 4756, get a bunch as it varies from lot to lot significantly.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=112775&view=findpost&p=1279546

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71325&view=findpost&p=825551

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67440&view=findpost&p=781922

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=51335&view=findpost&p=587816

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66723&view=findpost&p=773884

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60243&view=findpost&p=700272

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=104875&view=findpost&p=1192805

[Hannu]

I load 4756 for 9mm Major, so it should not be too bad for .38 SC... I prefer 4756 over N105; smaller powder charge but flatter shooting gun. This experience is from 9mm Major, however.

If you wanna try slow powders, try AA #7 - cheap, easy to load and gives more gas to your comp than N105 and 4756 combined

[Neomet]

I have run a fair amount of both 105 and 4756. Here is my .02 as a B class shooter on both out of a Trubore with no popple holes:

105

Flat, flat, flat. Minimal dot movement especially if you load past 172-4. For whatever reason it flattens the gun out probably due to more gas working the comp.

Loud, loud, loud. Possibly more a reflection of the charge weight using 115s than the powder but either way nobody is going to be thinking you are cheating the chrono

A pain in the butt to buy. Episodically hard to find, in no small part due to Gman's hoarding of the stuff. :-)

Mucho expensive On top of which you can't get it in anything larger than 4 lb jugs and get no break on the price over 1 lb jugs.

To use the right amount of powder for a 115 you need to put your finger over the charged case as the shellplate rotates on a 650 or you will spill.

Did I mention it was expensive??

4756

Not as flat as 105 but nice dot tracking.

Quiet(er). We are talking Open guns here.

One of the cleanest burning powder I have used. Definitely cleaner than 105.

Significant variances between lots. Do NOT start off with someone's pet load you see here. It may be way hot. Other than that the lot to lot makes no

difference to me. I buy an 8lb jug and chrono with each new lot. Hell, I chrono more often than that anyways.

Cheap, cheap, cheap.

Pretty much always available.

Does one move me up a single position at a match? I doubt it. If price were equal, or close to it, I would go with 105 and just be sure I always doubleplug. All things considered though I am currently shooting, and quite happy with 4756.

Edited to add this is 38 SC.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Neomet

[RH45]

I've used both powders out of my "shorty" .38 Supercomp and in MY gun, the 4756 seems to work better, but, I prefer N350 over either of the two you mentioned. With N105, in a Starline, .38 SC case, I have to put my finger over the case, between the powder station, and the bullet seating station because it's so full.

As was said, if you go with 4756, get a BIG jug because every time you change lot numbers, you'll need to lower your powder charge and work your load back up.

[Albertl35]

4756 is more violent than N105. With a Kidd C-More shield and popple holes, it creates a blast area and there is corrosion on the blast shield for me in 38SC. The dot is also more eratic than N105. N105 is softer shooting and the dot tracking is excellent. Also 4756 is temperature sensitive. Lastly N105 is expensive!