Thursday, May 14, 2015

In Defense of IMR 3031

Ya know...  seems like everything has a fancy new version out of itself these days.  Cars... trucks... phones.. computers...  everything.  Every year there is some new hot shit feature or totally new concept that everyone goes gee gaw over.   And hell... I gee gaw right with them.  But I can't help but think that even in 2015... there is a place for a proven versatile classic.

Nobody talks much about IMR 3031 anymore.  Its not the new hottness in the reloading world... and really never was.  See its a long grain stick powder so it doesn't meter all that well (so they say) and it burns fast.  And its not the cheapest powder either.

Well I don't have a problem with measuring it accurately... but then I'm careful about this stuff.  And fast burning is fine with me... given that I'm partial to carbines anyway... and I really don't care about the money.

What I love about it is...I can sit there at the shooting bench...  with my IMR 3031 and my lee handloaders... and I can reload both 223 and 308... with same powder... and use the same casings for each group I shoot!  Sure there are better 223 powders... and there are better 308 powders... and there are better 30-06 powders and there are better 45-70 powders.

But I don't think there is another powder out there that performs well at every single one of those.

So that's my case for IMR 3031.  I say there should be a pound or two on every reloader's shelf.  Because it may not be the best at anything.. but its damn good at almost everything.  I mean maybe you're out of you new hotshit fancy 30-06 heavy bullet powder.  You can go buy more and wait... or you can grab the 3031 and get to work.  Maybe you couldn't find your fancy hot shit .223 powder.  Same thing.  Wait....  or....  just grab that same 3031.

Plus...

Little known fact...

3031 tastes great on french fries.

6 comments:

Giraffe said...

I feel the same way about Hodgdon 4895.

Burn rate similar to Varget. Low temp sensitivity, very versatile, max charge velocities are competitive and you can also load way, way down with it for the kiddos and the ladies.

I could load for every rifle I have with two to three powders, and if it came to it, just H4895.

The most accurate rounds I have loaded were with H4895.

Nate said...

luke is a big 4895 fan too.

patrick kelly said...

+1 on the 4895, although I have the IMR. I know, it's supposedly more temp sensitive, but haven't had a noticeable reason to care about that....

I have accurate 4895 loads for .223 and 6.5 Grendel ....gives up a bit too much velocity for my .260 Rem, but an ok accuracy load.... 3031 is probably a good powder, I've just never tried it..

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