For all you reloading experts

[farmerboyMT]

I've got two questions if anybody would be so kind as to comment.  I'm reloading .223 Rem and 30-30 Win.  Have had great success with both.  I'm using IMR 4198 for the .223 and 4895 for the 30-30.  I was wondering if anybody had any comments on using 4198 for the 30-30?  I found a couple of loads for Hornady, Nosler and Sierra bullets but have yet to try them.  Are there any for Speer bullets? I'm partial to the 150gr hot-cor Also I was curious if there is some rule of thumb for annealing?  I have yet to anneal any of my brass for either caliber, haven't had any splits cracks or other wise.  If its of any value I do a full length resize every time I load.

Thanks
Bryan Danley

[John Traveler]

IMR 4198 is a relatively fast granular powder and useful in small cases like the .22 Hornet with jacketed bullets and large straight BP caszes like the .45-70 with jacketed and cast bullets.

It's more limited in larger cases but still useful in .30-30 full-loads for jacketed bullets.  Yes, you can safely substitute identical bullet weights and different brands of bullets for the same powder charge.  Reduce starting charge by 5% to be safe.

As for case annealing, yes, it is useful for prolonging case neck life, particularly if you load cast bullets where you need to flare the case mouth before seating.

The rule-of-thumb is to take two fired cases and tap the case necks together while holding the cases loosely in the fingers.  Hardened brass wil give off a bell-like ringing sound while softer brass will only go "clunk".

The need to anneal is usually when your case necks start to crack after  several (5-7) loads.

Full-length resizing will not wear out the brass or require neck annealing  any faster or sooner.

HTH
John

[Iowegan]

I anneal my cases every 2 to 3 firings. Firing and resizing cases will work harden them and after 3 to 4 cycles, the cases will reach maximum hardness. Your ammo will be more accurate with "soft cases" and the cases will last a few more shots. If you wait for splits and cracks to appear, you waited too long. The reason for annealing (shoulder to mouth) is to eliminate splits and cracks and allow the bullet to be released straight with the bore. Usually, annealed cases will give out from primer pocket problems or head separation long before splits show up. I anneal cases, then resize, then run them through the case cleaner. Probably doesn’t matter what order but my results are excellent.

[Bullseye]

I have used IMR 4198 in 30-30 and had good accuracy results.  I use it in a wide range of calibers with good results, 22 Hornet, 223, 30-30, 375 Win and 45-70.  I like having one powder to cover a variety of cases with good accuracy results.