My reference was to AA5744 in my Savage 10ML-II, and it's perfectly safe. The load data is provided by Savage in the owners manual. They did the necessary pressure testing in their ballistics lab and published it both in the manual and, I believe, on their website. There have been a number of others who've worked up reliable and tested, but "unofficial," load data with other powders than those recommended by Savage using their own pressure measuring equipment, that's been posted on various places on the internet. Of course, just like data for a CF rifle, one uses this data at their own risk.
As for forward thinking... are we talking about as forward thinking as the dudes who stuffed the first smokeless powders into .45-70 and 45 Colt cases without any pressure tested load data, circa 1870? Smokeless powder IS the first commercially successful BP substitute, with a full century on Pyrodex.
I find it mildly humorous that so many people will rush out to buy BH209 at outrageous prices, but will poo-poo the use of smokeless powder in ML's designed for it. In case anyone hadn't noticed, BH209 is IDENTICAL for all practical purposes to "modern" mid-burn rate smokeless powders (like AA5744 and Vihta-Vouri N110), except that it makes a cloud of smoke and can be volumetrically measured with conventional BP powder measures.
Let's look at a few of BH209's properties to compare:
1) It's a progressive burning powder, with burn rate effected by chamber temp and pressure... just like smokeless.
2) It's a cylindrical extruded powder of uniform size and shape rather than a crumbled mass of ground powder that's sifted through a screen to create a roughly uniform size... just like most smokeless powder.
3) It has a much higher energy density than BP and other subs... just like smokeless.
4) It leaves very little fouling in the bore, and requires a nitro solvent rather than water or a water-based solvent... just like smokeless.
5) It is totally non-corrosive and non-hygroscopic... just like, you guessed it, smokeless powder.
6) It makes a significant and satisfying quantity of smoke to obscure your view of the now running and wounded animal so you have no idea exactly which direction it's running. This is apparently Western Powder's way of both comforting and bamboozling uninformed ML shooters that what they're shooting isn't kinda-sorta smokeless powder.
The Savage is made and proofed the same as any CF rifle, and the official published loads (like 45 grains MAX load of AA5744 with a 300 grain 45/50 sabot bullet) are fully tested and safe.
My point was that people talk about how wildly expensive BH209 is, and how they're willing to pay so much for the convenience of it, when they could have bought a Savage (which is an EXCELLENT ML, IMHO), and could easily make up any difference in cost to the other "premium" ML's in just a few pounds of powder. For the cost of a single 10 ounce can of BH209 in many places I can buy TWO pounds of 5744 (32oz, or over three times as much), and burn roughly the amount by weight to get the same performance. I get 5 times the shots for my money.
I bought my Savage 4 years ago, and I'm less than halfway through my third pound of powder... which would have been my 13th or 14th can of BH209.
Mike