Why is AA5744 talked down so bad?

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Jakal

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I keep hearing it is "the slowest powder out there"!

I love the fact that I can go to 2 different Savage forums and read what is working for everyone else but I am not a tinkerer or experimenter, and don't shoot matches.

I don't have the money for 15 different types of powder, bullets and sabots and I don't have the time to get to the range as often as I like, so when I go I have to make it count.

I understand that AA5744 is very good for dependable ignition in wide climate ranges, and as hunters from Indiana can attest too, temperatures swing from -20 to 50+ degrees during the firearms and muzzleloading seasons here. I need a powder that will be reliable for that kinda temp change.

I am using 42.5 grains of AA5744, a 250 grain Hornday XTP and the HPH24 (trimmed) sabot. This is REALLY HARD to get down the barrel, I understand that this is a good load and if I could get an attachment on here I could show you a .291 group that I shot last year but my questions are...

What other powder can I use w/ what sabot (thats not so hard to ram down) and bullet combo. Most of my shots will be under 250 yards.

What do I gain by going to a faster shooting load?

I would love to shoot a faster load but I am looking for a good hunting load for Central Indiana.
 
There ain't a thing wrong with AA5744. In fact its the powder the 10ML-11 was designed to use. If its hard to load try the MMP short black sabots. I shoot almost the same exact load. My gun likes 43 grains of AA 5744 with 250 grain .452 XTP with the short MMP sabot. I am going to try some VV N110 with a 250 grain Barnes Expander but I would not hesitate to shoot AA5744. If that load and powder combo works GREAT shoot it. :wink:
 
shockwave

the new style 250 grain shockwave with the yellow super glide will go down my barrel easily. 45grains of 4759 will give you 2,100 f.p.s. and good trajectory over 200 yards. i have shot 5744 with good results out to 100 yards with very good groups but the bottom seems to fall out after that and the trajectory was not what i wanted. using a single rectical scope i can zero in 3" high at 100 yards , dead on zero at 150 yards , and appox. 3" low at 200 yards. this seems to give me a 2" high zero at 50 yards so i will not have to take my rectical off the deer out to 200 yards.after 200 i do not know. i have also ordered some VV N-110 AND 120 to try once the weather cools down some as the temperatures here have been above 90 for a long time.i have tried the hornady sst and the old style shockwave and the results were similar but the super glide pushed down my savage barrel easier.no lubes of any type were used and my savage shoots better when the barrel is dirty!the vent liner should be measured using a wire drill bit and once it measures appox. .035" you may want a new one. this is a decision open to discussion as there are many different ideas on the vent liner.size.
 
There's nothing wrong with 5744. I've shot 225gr. barnes xpb , 250 gr. and 300gr.xtp's , and 300gr. shockwaves with 44gr. of 5744. All which shot great groups at a 100yds. and good groups at 200 yds .

Your not going to get a blistering MV out of this powder but that's not that important anyway. What's nice about 5744 is that you can shoot a wide variety of bullets accurately.

As far as sabots go short mmp sabots work well with the 250 xtp's.
 
snuffy said:
There ain't a thing wrong with AA5744. In fact its the powder the 10ML-11 was designed to use. If its hard to load try the MMP short black sabots. I shoot almost the same exact load. My gun likes 43 grains of AA 5744 with 250 grain .452 XTP with the short MMP sabot. I am going to try some VV N110 with a 250 grain Barnes Expander but I would not hesitate to shoot AA5744. If that load and powder combo works GREAT shoot it. :wink:

Good post :yeah: :yeah:
 
Jakal said:
I keep hearing it is "the slowest powder out there"!

I understand that AA5744 is very good for dependable ignition in wide climate ranges, and as hunters from Indiana can attest too, temperatures swing from -20 to 50+ degrees during the firearms and muzzleloading seasons here. I need a powder that will be reliable for that kinda temp change.

I would love to shoot a faster load but I am looking for a good hunting load for Central Indiana.

My main hunting load at this time is 44 gr. of 5744 and the 250 XTP w/hph12 sabot(long petal- clipped to length). Accuracy has been right at 1 moa to about .75 moa if I do my part. I hunt in all types of weather and like the igniteability of 5744. Killed a nice 8 point last year at 165 yards with this load in southern Indiana. Load is sighted in to be good out to about 200 yards.
Personally, I see no need to go beyond this in the heavy wooded areas that I hunt. 200 yards would be a maximum shot for me.

I do plan on experimenting with the 275 xmp Barnes and some VVN120 or perhaps VVN110.According to Doc White, VVN110 is very temperature insensitive.I have shot many other bullets and loads, but always fall back to the 250 xtp/5744 combo. Even though it is a slower load, it kills deer just as well as anything! :D :D
 
Jakal, I have harvested untold numbers of deer with AA5744.No one has killed deer any deader! 44 grn of AA5744,Fed 209,Short black mmp,300 XTP.or the 250 XTP.One was laser verified dead at 267 yards,not bragging, just facts.There are faster loads out there,but they do not kill them any deader IMO.For all intents and purposes it is not a 3-400 yd wonder load.It is a solid 200 yd performer.
 
Tar-12 said:
Jakal, I have harvested untold numbers of deer with AA5744.No one has killed deer any deader! 44 grn of AA5744,Fed 209,Short black mmp,300 XTP.or the 250 XTP.One was laser verified dead at 267 yards,not bragging, just facts.There are faster loads out there,but they do not kill them any deader IMO.For all intents and purposes it is not a 3-400 yd wonder load.It is a solid 200 yd performer.

I agree it's just a shorter yd performer and there are a lot of better powders for that like VV n110 & 120. I just never got 5744 to work for me in any of the Savages I've owned.
 
No bad 5744 talk by Loggy!!!

Before giving-up "Non-smokin" i found AA-5744 to be the most consistent & accurate smokless powder considering "all" temperature ranges correlating to most hunters seasons. It can be accurately dipped with Lee Dippers (although I weighed). Lot to lot has proven outstanding consistency plus the 10 ML-II has been designed around by inventor (which in itself is hard to argue with by us novices or self proclaimed xperts :lol: ). :lol:
 

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