JAYS375,
If you like the H4227 for your 445 SM, don't worry. . .
What we always knew as H4227, the Extreme Powder is still available and renamed as IMR-4227. Just make sure that the IMR-4227 container you buy says that it was manufactured in Australia and no where else and you're golden. Hodgdon made a business decision to streamline some of their powders and H4227 was one of the powders they chose to drop. Since IMR-4227 has always outsold H4227 by a large margin, Hodgdon decided to just do away with the H4227 name and keep the IMR-4227 for its higher-selling name, although the powder in the new "Made In Australia" containers has the old H4227 Extreme Powder inside - we don't know where the old IMR-4227 powder recipe went, it probably just disappeared never to be heard from again.
Hodgdon did not make an effort to let folks know that the Extreme H4227 would still be available, they just let the old H4227 name languish and sell out off the shelves for several years hoping no one would notice what they were going to do. They hoped not to lose business from all the folks who had been buying IMR-4227 throughout the years by not telling them that their favorite powder was being flushed. This two-faced approached to saving money by Hodgdon caused a lot of panic and hoarding by those who thought the old H4227 Extreme version would never be available again. Surprise! It was actually the old IMR recipe that disappeared. The good news is, the old H4227 Extreme that you know and love is easily available again as IMR-4227 as long as it has the "Made In Australia" notification on the container. Those of you who were fans of the old IMR-4227 are now getting the H4227 Extreme Powder version so act accordingly as you work up your new loads. The two powders were similar but definitely not the same!
Hodgdon, you're busted and that was a s****y thing to do to loyal customers. All you had to do was be up front about things and business would have likely not changed much at all. Now you have earned some well-deserved distrust from the powder buying public, no matter which 4227 they liked - nice job Hodgdon, that was unnecessary and underhanded and we will remember what you did.
I hope this is helpful to handloaders.
Javelina