H4198 Substitute

[The long rider]

There certainly are plenty of fine choices for powder in the .45 cal. I settled on Alliant Reloader10X powder about 10 years ago, and don't ever need to look any further. I don't think many people use it in a smokeless muzzleloader, but it flat out works! I have also found it to be as temperature stable as any, and better than most.
This one will shoot 5 shots in a ragged hole @100 yds. using 83.0 gr. and a Pittman 275 Accumax.

 

[MrTom]

I was able to find a few charges of N110 [3 weights, three of each] and N120 [three weights and three of each] from a friend to try in the Patriot with the three bullets I have on hand. In addition to those two powders I had 5744 and of course the IMR4198. I just wanted to see what, if any, of those powders stood out as better than the IMR4198 at my usual 56 grains for all three bullets. This gave me a sampling of what I could expect and I guess in the end I'm fine using the IMR4198.

The 5744 was a filthy powder and really didn't keep the sample bullets inside of what I knew they usually did with any of the three charge weights, so it's now gone to said friend. The N110 and N120 shot about the same, but I think I need a bit more bullet weight to get the most of the N120 since the heaviest bullet I shoot is 225 grains. The 225 had the best group of the three bullets using the 120 at the heaviest of the three charge weights. I like the N110 due to it's comparative small charge size and the group held together nicely with all three bullets/charge sizes.

The IMR4198, using the three bullets at charges of 56 and 56.5 grains, bullets inside blue harvester smooth sabots will deliver 3/4" to 1" groups at 100 yards. I've shot the powder at temps well below zero after the gun and components stayed out in a cold vehicle all night and had zero issues with ignition or performance, so I am confident in it. I'll still try to land some N110 locally and I plan to dink around with a couple more bullets that are a bit heavier [240 grain area] as well as a couple lighter Barnes bullets in the 155-180 grain range.

I've been following the powder pricing locally and have seen some serious rise in prices now and some of the powders that were available before are now open holes on the shelves. I have plenty of the 4198 now and feel fairly certain that it's "my" powder but what I am see trending right now I don't like. I try to keep an open mind on powders and charge weights and different bullets and such but if things continue in the direction I am seeing here I may be done playing at the range with much new stuff.

Good luck on your powder quest.

By the way Long Rider, that is one beautiful gun!

 

[LBAhunter]

If you're shooting a .45 or .50, look at Hodgdon's website. I used 444 Marlin data to get me started with my .40.

You can use bullet weight and guestimate what Benchmark powder can do for you.

I've been using 40 grains of Benchmark for the past decade. 40 grains is a pipsqueak load. Which is why I have/had a void between powder and sabot. Just unloaded the rifle and reloaded with 45 grains of Bench with a 180 grain Hornady XTP. No more void. This should put me around 1,700-1,900 FPS.

I could safely go as high as 55 grains with the same 180 bullet. But I find most rifles shoot better with less powder.

Good luck with her.

Do you have alot of unburned powder in barrel after each shot?