WC 867 & WC 872 Powders for 50 BMG..Need schooling!

[Boiled Owl]

Sooner or later, I'm hoping to set up to load for the 50 and keep seeing these powders for $39/8# at Wideners. Would like buy some components initially. Then press / dies.

Does anyone have experience with these powders?
Thanks!

 

[xring62]

39$ for 8 lbs? wow ,most mil surp stuff if 3 times that.I need to check other applications.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I have 48lbs on order (24lbs each) at the $39/8lbs price. It was running $49/8lbs a few months ago. Wideners also is waiving the hazmat charge if you order a case (6 8lbs jugs) at a time. What sold me is that it's new production, not pulled powder.

I plan on using it in my .50bmgs, and to see what I can load for .458 socom and .308 with it. The folks on castboolits are getting some good results with it in heavy, slow loads with longer barrels. Magnum primers are recommended.

While it's a good price and worth getting, I don't recommend you start reloading with it. As a new reloader you should get some experience under your belt before you start experimenting, and when you read about people using these powders for duplex loads, DON'T do that until you have a LOT of experience reloading. On the flip side, these slow heavy powders are less risky to play around with than faster burning powders.

 

[Boiled Owl]

shibumiseeker:
I'm new to the 50 bmg. But not reloading.
It's a good opportunity to snap some reasonable priced powder.
One is faster than the other. Does either one work? They say to use AA8700 data and work up.
When you say duplex, are you meaning mix them?
I'm loading for a M2 semi-auto.

 

[shibumiseeker]

shibumiseeker:
I'm new to the 50 bmg. But not reloading.
It's a good opportunity to snap some reasonable priced powder.
One is faster than the other. Does either one work? They say to use AA8700 data and work up.
When you say duplex, are you meaning mix them?
I'm loading for a M2 semi-auto.

Ah, ok, your OP made it sound like you weren't already reloading, reading it in that context I see you're talking about beginning loading for the .50.

They are supposed to be very close in burn rates, which is why I ordered some of each, so I could experiment with both to see which gives me better results in my guns. I'm shooting for sub-moa accuracy though. For your M2 I don't think you'll see much difference between the two powders. If you've got the money for it I'd order a case of each, that's only about 3000 rounds worth of powder and the powder charge is a significant cost of loading the .50.

A duplex load uses a small quantity of a fast burning powder to ignite the larger charge of a slower burning powder. While there are some good reasons to do this, it's fraught with potential serious problems.

 

[Boiled Owl]

Shibum: I started with a rockchucker in 1980 loading 30-06 when I was in high school. Then a Dillon 450. Still have the Rcbs and a Hornady LNL. Looking at the price of tie Lee 50 cal press, how wrong can you go? Would be nice to go Dillon but $$ the deciding factor.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Shibum: I started with a rockchucker in 1980 loading 30-06 when I was in high school. Then a Dillon 450. Still have the Rcbs and a Hornady LNL. Looking at the price of tie Lee 50 cal press, how wrong can you go? Would be nice to go Dillon but $$ the deciding factor.

The Lee press is the best value for the money. I learned a little thing to enable precision primer seating with it, when you get it drop me a pm and I'll pass it on. I'm going to be upgrading presses eventually mostly because I want better dies (the Lee dies can't be used with other .50 presses and vice versa), but I am loading for precision and have still a little ways to go before I run up against the limits of the equipment I have now.

 

[xring62]

So this powder might be good for the 45/70?

 

[Boiled Owl]

The Lee press is the best value for the money. I learned a little thing to enable precision primer seating with it, when you get it drop me a pm and I'll pass it on. I'm going to be upgrading presses eventually mostly because I want better dies (the Lee dies can't be used with other .50 presses and vice versa), but I am loading for precision and have still a little ways to go before I run up against the limits of the equipment I have now.

Thanks for the offer. I don't know how soon I'll be getting a press. Maybe yours will be for sale by then? But I do want to stock some powder in the meantime. Please report back with your experience when you do get to loading these powders.

 

[50bmgshooter]

I have loaded the 867 powder for Barnes 750gr solids. If I remember correctly 205grs was pushing about 2682fps on average out of a 36" barrel. I wouldn't use it to load match grade stuff. I don't think it would be consistent by match standards. The max deviation I had by chrony was around 150fps. For practice/plinking ammo it should be fine tho. And it is a dirty powder(more cleaning on the barrel).

 

[Boiled Owl]

I have loaded the 867 powder for Barnes 750gr solids. If I remember correctly 205grs was pushing about 2682fps on average out of a 36" barrel. I wouldn't use it to load match grade stuff. I don't think it would be consistent by match standards. The max deviation I had by chrony was around 150fps. For practice/plinking ammo it should be fine tho. And it is a dirty powder(more cleaning on the barrel).

Thanks. I'll be feeding a M2 with this. But the BMG bug might have bitten!!

 

[50bmgshooter]

Your welcome....Good Luck with the loading! You'll need alot to feed that M2!