IMR 4198 Powder

ridnjon · Mar 7, 2013

I run 24 to 24.5 gr h335. Good loading and groups

Janes said:
According to the Hodgen charts the max for H335 is 25.3 and 4198 is 20.4 Are there other charts that may have different information?

Janes · Mar 7, 2013

That is good to know. After I get the 4198 shot up that I will try some H335 with 24gr.

CrossHairs · Mar 7, 2013

Just for reference, I loaded some 55gr Hornady fmj-bt rounds over the IMR 4198.

19.5gr gave me an average of 2661 fps from my Colt 6920. The rifle cycled fine and my reloading notes tell me it was reasonably accurate too.

I loaded 24.5 gr of H335 over a 52gr Nosler and managed 2793 fps. Not sure why I don't have a 55gr load recorded for that because I liked the powder.

In comparison, BL-C(2) 27gr with the 55gr fmj-bt averaged 2790 fps. That same load in my savage 12 26" barrel goes out at 3087 fps.

As always, work up to your load. And a Chrony is a great tool!

bballer182 · Mar 8, 2013

CrossHairs said:
Just for reference, I loaded some 55gr Hornady fmj-bt rounds over the IMR 4198.

19.5gr gave me an average of 2661 fps from my Colt 6920. The rifle cycled fine and my reloading notes tell me it was reasonably accurate too.

I loaded 24.5 gr of H335 over a 52gr Nosler and managed 2793 fps. Not sure why I don't have a 55gr load recorded for that because I liked the powder.

In comparison, BL-C(2) 27gr with the 55gr fmj-bt averaged 2790 fps. That same load in my savage 12 26" barrel goes out at 3087 fps.

As always, work up to your load. And a Chrony is a great tool!

That's what I figured. 19.0 gr of 4198 would be quite slow for a 55gr FMJBT.

Janes · Mar 8, 2013

Now that is some good information. Wish I had a Chrony that is the only way to tell what you are getting. I also have a Colt, but don't know what number it is.

Janes · Mar 16, 2013

I had another chance to shot some more of the IMR 4198 and found out something interesting. The other day I found out with H335 loaded 22.8 grains and the IMR 4198 loaded with 20.0 grains, the H335 shot about 1 1/2 to 2 inches higher than IMR 4198. Today it did the same thing. I was shooting at a steel plate and noticed that the shells loaded with the IMR 4198 penetrated more. I would thought that the one that shot higher would be a hotter load.

deadshot2 · Mar 17, 2013

bballer182 said:
You have a chrono to run those 4198 loads across? If the POI is 1.5 inches low, it sounds like they might be running a little slow out of the muzzle???

Slower doesn't always mean "lower". I have a rifle that as I increase load/speed, t shoots up to an inch lower at 300 yards. It depends on barrel harmonics.

Janes · Mar 18, 2013

What I can't figure out is that the one that shot lower penetrated the steel plate more. Wish that I have a chronograph to tell for sure what is going on.

ridnjon · Mar 18, 2013

That's the whole point in loading for your rifle. 4198 is not an ideal powder, it's a usable powder but not the best one. Your h335 load is low should be 24gr for 55gr bullet. Hermonics play a huge part in POI. You could add a tenth of a grain and it could shoot great. That's customizing you load for your gun. In ar15's you want a consistent bullet, grain of powder etc. using a powder more suited for ar15's like varget, 2230, h335 etc has a better varriance in grains because you can customize your load to what you want it to for you.

Janes · Mar 18, 2013

I will load some H335 at 24 gr to see what it does. I will have to try some Varget, how many grain should I use with the 55 gr bullet?

ridnjon · Mar 18, 2013

Janes said:
I will load some H335 at 24 gr to see what it does. I will have to try some Varget, how many grain should I use with the 55 gr bullet?

Load some up h335 at 23,23.5,24,24.5 do like 5-10 each and see what works for you and the accuracy of the rifle. "Work up your load" to your standards and what is accurate.

Janes · Mar 18, 2013

Ok I will do that. Will let you know when I shoot them.

GFO270 · Jan 1, 2014

I am new to reloading as well. I just took out my Stag Model 2T loaded up some .223 brass with 55gr FMJBT (x-treme bullets) and used 19.7 gr of IMR 4198. I got some interesting results. I started using a Thermold magazine. and the rounds would not cycle. In fact, the next round got the bullet pushed back into the brass. Then I changed to pmags (gen 2) and they cycled just fine.

My dad then tried the same load, using 5.56 brass, in his bushmaster CAR 15 ORC and they would not cycle for him.

As I was looking through "The Complete Reloading Manual for .223 Remington" I noticed that Sierra has published two different loads for 55gr FMJ. One is for bolt action, ranging from 19.2 gr-22.0 gr, and a different load if you are shooting an AR, 19.7gr- 21.8.

I am going back out shooting this weekend and am going to try 21.0 grains in my dads bushmaster, my father-in-law's Colt, and my Stag and see how they all do. I might make a couple up at 21.5 just to see what happens there too.

Here is the load info from the Manual and the information I found from the Lee Reloading Manual. I have not verified any of this.

55 gr FMJBT 2700 2800 FPS 2900 FPS 3000 FPS 3100 FPS 3150 FPS 3200 FPS
Hornady bullet 17.4 gr 18.2 gr 19.1 gr 20.0 gr
Nosler bullet 19.5 gr 20.5 gr 21.5 gr*
Sierra bullet AR 15 19.7 gr 20.3 gr 20.9 gr 21.5 21.8 gr
Sierra bullet Bolt 19.2 gr 19.9 gr 20.6 gr 21.3 gr 22.0 gr
Lee reloadin Manuel 18.8 gr 20.4

kfbigdog · Jan 7, 2014

I just stated loading .233 and I use this powder with fantastic results. 50 grain Hornaday bullets with 21 grains of powder. I can cover 5 shots with my index fingernail. Optics is the real deal on this type of shooting.

kfbigdog · Jan 7, 2014

I just stated loading .233 and I use this powder with fantastic results. 50 grain Hornaday bullets with 21 grains of powder. I can cover 5 shots with my index fingernail. Optics is the real deal on this type of shooting.
Shooting a Rem 700 vmtr special 26" fluted barrel.

GFO270 · Feb 1, 2014

I haven't tested the accuracy yet, but I did want to update my last post. I loaded up about 35 rounds using x-treme bullets 55 gr FMJBT, PMC brass, Wolf small rifle magnum primers, and 21-21.4 grns of IMR4198 and they all cycled perfectly through my dad's Bushmaster.

wscott577 · Jun 3, 2014

Like its' cousin IMR-4198, H-4198 has too fast a burn rate for this Ru-ski antique, as with any similar capacity rifle cartridge. There are NO safe loads for it, hence your inability to find any data for it.
This powder was developed for smaller, medium capacity cartridges such as the .223/5,56 AR & the 7,62x39 AK 'assault rifle' rounds, among others. It CANNOT be safely used in larger cartridges.