375 H&H Reduced loads with Accurate 5744

[hoytcanon]

Interesting info on Accurate 5744. I have always used H4895 for reduced loads, but I see that Hodgdon is really pushing the Accurate line... their online reloading data is slowly being taken over by Accurate powder loads. I may give this a try in a couple rifles for local deer, moose and bears... I generally like to develope a load to shoot near or at MAX with most rifles.

 

[sourdough44]

I tested some of my reduced loads with IMR-4227. This is a new rifle, I just wanted to ensure the iron sights were ballpark, nothing serious. This was about 25 yards, 4 shots. Things started off low, slightly to the left, I brought it up to just slightly low, centered.

My load was 33.5 grains of the IMR-4227, 250 grain cast bullet. It may not work for everyone, I ‘lightly’ use a filler, that means enough to keep powder in position, not packed tight at all. I have a several lifetime supply of Dacron type material.


Should anyone be interested, do your own research. Just throwing it out there as reference material.

 

[albravo]

How is the accuracy of these reduced loads? Are we talking 'good enough' or sub-moa?

If anyone has a load suggestion for the 300 PPU (reduced or normal) I'd love to hear it. My version of Quickload doesn't have the PPU database.

 

[sourdough44]

I was just ballparking the iron sights. I will say, the impacts tracked to my sight adjustments. I was nowhere near in a controlled environment enough to give an accuracy report.

 

[hoytcanon]

How is the accuracy of these reduced loads? Are we talking 'good enough' or sub-moa?

If anyone has a load suggestion for the 300 PPU (reduced or normal) I'd love to hear it. My version of Quickload doesn't have the PPU database.

Out to 200 yards, there is little accuracy difference between full power loads and reduced loads... obviously there will be a sizeable difference in the POI, requiring rezeroing. Depending on how reduced they are, the accuracy eventually drops off. In general my reduced loads are designed for short range shooting, and most are zeroed for a dead-on hold at 100 yards, which also equates to dead-on at 25-30 yards, depending on the height of your line of sight above the bore. I normally use reduced loads in large bore rifles for thin skinned game, and again in smaller centerfire rifles for small game.

 

[frog stealer]

I’ve had good luck with AA5744 in many calibers for reduced loads…but the one thing I don’t like about it is the un-burnt powder kernels left over from low pressure loads. The ones in the barrel are fine, but if they get into your chamber, you can dent brass on subsequent firings. This only seems to be an issue in the lower end loads.