Took apart some factory loads

[Mr. Longbeard]

Anyhow I took apart a Fer prem 300wsm with a 180gr nosler accu bond...

I weighed the charge and got 68.5gr.

I've only used one powder so far and that is IMR4350... So it's the only thing I can compare it to... It looked the same... I'm sure there are different powders that all look the same

Anyhow I broke out the nosler reloading manual and looked to see what powders were close to that amount... I seen that

H4831sc was 69.5(max load)
AA3100 was 68gr(max load)
RL22 was 69gr(max load)

Does any of these powders look just like IMR4350???

Also I went ahead and put every thing back in the shell and seated the bullet back to the factory length 2.820. It seemed that when I was seating the bullet back to factory length that it was compressing the charge[]I'm triple checked the lenght on my other factory loads and they were all with in a few thousands. I also shook the shell and there was no loose powder feel to any of the Fed prem factory loads... Now all my loads are loaded under max load by a few grains and all of my loads you can feel the powder shaking in the shell... Also all my loads are loaded with the bullet 20 thousands farther out...

Do you think the load that I put back together will be ok???

[eldeguello]

Sounds like your Federal factory ammo is loaded with 68.5 grains of a powder THAT LOOKS A LOT LIKE 4350. BUT it woiuld be dangerous to assume that that powder IS 4350, because it may be something altogether different. Let me rephrase that: IT IS PROBABLE THAT THAT POWDER IS NOT 4350!! Factories use uncanistered powders that give them the loading density, pressure, and MV that their specs call for. IF the powder they used turns out to be identical in all respects to a canister powder that's available to reloaders, it is merely a coincidence, and nothing more.

The ammo you reassembled should work just like it did before you pulled the bullet and weighed the charge. The fact that your bullet compressed the charge when you seated it makes no difference at all. Mostof the ammo I load has compressed charges because I tend to gravitate toward the use of the slowest powder I can find for a given bullet and cartridge case that gives the velocity/accuracy I want. The reason for this is that using the slowest powderresults in the lowest possible pressure levels for a given velocity......