RE: Hodgdon Extreme vs. the rest
I Am confident that at least some of the extreme powders offer consistently more reliable pressures & velocities over different temperature ranges than most of the pack. I am learning like any one else, although a few of the extreme powders seem to shine as best of the best.
If you are reloading for 204 ruger or 223 may one recommend you give Varget a try. One still needs to be sure to pick the best application for the burn rate of the powder. I also like H4198 in the 223 and 221 fireball.
On the other hand H4895 has been giving me fine accuracy despite the three-digit velocity spread. Still have to wonder about the extreme spread in this case.