Alliant 4000MR - Any excursions into using this ?

[Hugnot]

We are in sort of a powder shortage emergency - can't buy our favorite propellant but Alliant 4000MR can be had.

I have used 4000MR successfully in the .243 Win with 87 VMax's (45.5) and 105's (42.5) but have not deployed it in hot day rodent shooting like over 90*. H414 did not work well at 95* in my 75 gr. .22-.250 loads.

I have also used 4000MR in my .300 WM with 178 AMax bullets, but would need to look up my data to recite info.

I am working on a 4000MR load with 120's in my 6.5-06 using .25-06 120 grain bullet 4000MR, Alliant data, loads as general guidelines.

4000MR appears in several calibers in my Hornady 10th version manual.

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

I use it for fireforming 338 lapua improved cartridges often. Great accuracy!

It's a spherical powder - I have found it needs strong/hot ignition in this cartridge - light it off with federal 215 magnums - no issues - cci 250 can have hangfires and no ignition at all.

 

[Hugnot]

Good thought - using Fiocchi LRP & CCI 200's in .243's mild temps OK but running 50 grains plus in 6.5-06 loads at 30* might be a problem.

CCI 250 in .300 WM worked OK in mild temps, about 72 grains with 178's.

I do have a modest amount of Fed 215's.

 

[P7M13]

Have used it in my 338 Edge and 7 LRM. Burns faster than Retumbo, I'd say on par with RL26.
Don't have access to my field notes but it has a higher energy density. So while I might load 92 gr Retumbo in the Edge, I'd be at 88gr 4000 to get similar velocity w/o pressure.

 

[Hugnot]

.338 Lapua, .338 Edge, & 7 LRM - all big cartridges.

Yesterday, I tried out 4000MR in the .22-.250 & 6.5-06.

4000MR worked very well in the .22-.250 - 37 grains 4000MR, 75 Hornady hpbt, & Fed 210M primer, 7.7 5R twist. No high pressure issues, gusty 10 mph plus winds made accuracy testing more of a shooting skill than component test. I was able to get consecutive hits on 3 inch steel at 300 yards and take out 1 inch diameter hard candy at 200 once I figured the wind. The other load tested was 37 of R-S Hunter, everything else the same. Performance was essentially equal. The 4000MR has noticeably less density than R-S Hunter.

4000MR performance in the 6.5-06 was spotty. I ran it against Viht N165 loads having 120 H ELDM, 130 H ELDM & 140 Barnes Match Burners. The 120 ELDM & 4000MR loads show promise but need more work, probably slightly more than 53 grains of 4000MR. The 140's with Viht N165's were beautiful - cut thru wind real good & slammed steel real hard (but not like a .338 L or .338 Edge). 4 touching at 100 with one out 1/4 inch.

In my much smaller rifles, the 4000MR sort of behaves like between RL 19 & RL23. Various burn rate charts show large variations from like the 4350's to slower than RL22.

Good supply of 4000MR & R-S in LGS' but no Retumbo, H1000, RL16, RL22-26, or H4831.

Thank you for responding.

 

[Hugnot]

Today 11/17/2020 I ran another 22 rounds of 72 gr. 4000MR, 178 AMax (olde bullets), & CCI 250 primers thru my .300 WM. It was windy 7-15 mph gusts at 5:00 (345*) and cool at 37*. I managed to get about .6 inch groups at 100, 1.25 at 200, and hit the 3 inch steel at 300 4 out of 5 (between gusts).

This combined with good performance in .22-.250 with 75's, .243 with 87-105's, & the .300WM with 178-180 makes me want more 4000MR. Yesterday there was a good supply of 4000MR at my LGS, but today I bought 2 of the last 3 in stock.

Alliant claims 4000MR is uniform lot to lot. I have had lot uniformity problems with H414.