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Leverevolution Powder Questions

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Mr. Neutron
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Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mr. Neutron » Wed Dec 28, 2022 2:59 pm

I scored a couple pounds of Hodgdon's Leverevolution powder Monday from the local gun store in Sandy. My wife gave me a gift card for that place, so it worked out well. As a side note, they had quite a few bricks of pistol primers (Large & Small, Magnum and non-Magnum), along with a few bricks Small Rifle stuff. No Large Rifle stuff, but we can be hopeful, huh? Just nice to see more or ANY primers at all on the shelves. Hope this trend continues.

I'm wondering how many of y'all may have tried this powder along with Hornady's 170 grain FP (#3060), or 170 grain FP-style offerings from Speer, Nosler, Sierra, or other manufacturers? And can ya possibly let me know how accurate it was/is, and how much of this powder was stuffed in the case?

I have 3 older reloading manuals from Nosler, Hodgdon's, and Sierra. They're of the age that they don't even list Leverevolution powder. And the loads for my Winchester 748 & Hodgdon's H-335 have quite a bit of either "not listed for this bullet" or large variations of starting and max powder charges for these 2 powders. :?

I've found a load that shows promise with the 170 Hornady FP bullets and Win. 748 powder. I worked up to a charge of 33 grains that showed some promise in the accuracy dept.. I have around a dozen each of more cases loaded up to 33.5 gr. & 34 gr. to try out when some range time becomes available.

But as I said above, I came into this Leverevolution powder, and would like to try it. Bullet availability has kinda "stuck" me with Hornady bullets for now, which isn't a bad thing at all. I have had better luck with Sierra bullets in other rifles, but can't get ahold of any of their 30-30 bullets. Probably won't be able to for awhile. So, I have Hornady's free app on my phone. I then paid $.99 to get their reloading data for the .30-30. I had been looking on other forums for their recipes of LVR powder in .30-30, and it seems to vary a bit as to what folks use. So, I got the reload data from the folks that made my bullets.

And the amount of powder they stuff in a 30-30 case for their 170 gr. FP kinda surprised me. For Leverevolution, they begin with 27.7 grains of powder, and work up in 2.2 grain increments to 36.5 gr.. :shock:

For H-335, they begin 29.3 grains, and go up in around 1.6 gr. increments to 34 gr..

For Win. 748, they start with a charge of 31.4 grains, and go up in 1.7 gr. steps to 36.5 gr.. :o This is several grains higher than my my old manuals have listed for 170 gr. bullets, and a grain or two more up from some online sources like Nosler. The Hornady app, for the .30-30, states that their best test rifle (a Winchester M94 with a 20" barrel) accuracy and uniformity came from Win. 748 powder.

I'm not one to chase velocity figures. I'm after an accurate load first, and then hopefully with enough velocity to work a 170 grain bullet inside an Elk and do some damage. I've only killed just 3 elk in my hunting career, all with a .30-06. A spike walking by at 15 paces, a cow at 40 yards, and my biggest one in Hell's Canyon was at 125 yards. It was the only bull that never knew I was ANYWHERE around, and fell upside down, dead, almost instantly. It never ran. The other two elk (the spike and the cow) were spooked by other hunters or myself, took just a few steps after being shot, and died. So I figure those Sierra 180 grainers at around 2500 fps worked well.

I'm hoping a 170 grain Hornady lauched around a "theoretical" 2000 fps. would work well at the ranges I mentioned above; hopefully 75 yards or less. If I can gain more fps and still match the accuracy I have with my 33 grains of Win 748, I suppose that's "A Good Thing". Somewhere I've seen these bullets need to be moving at 2000 or so fps to work and expand well, but I'm confused as to if muzzle velocity was what they meant. If you calculate muzzle velocity and energy down to, say, 100 yrds., there's probably barely enough speed and energy to do the job on an elk. Dunno if it would expand much at downrange velocities of 1600 fps or not.
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Vaquero
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Vaquero » Wed Dec 28, 2022 3:36 pm

Jimmie, I don't chase velocity either, don't even own a chrony. :shock: :lol:
I load and shoot for accuracy. I shoot quite a bit of those 170 gr Sierra bullets in the 30-30's and my Marlin 308 MX.
In the mx with those I use that LVR loaded to a very near max load with some good results.
Can cover a 3 shot group at 75 yds. with a quarter.

I generally use the same bullet in the 30-30's but with IMR3031, which shows a tad better than IMR4198. ;)
I've tested the LVR in it also, seems like the best was around 34.7, but don't hold me to that. as
I'm out of town at the moment so can't get to my notes.

Believe it or not it performs well in the 223 as well.
No published data to support it, but have found it is similar to CFE223.
I tested the CFE in the MX with similar results to the LVR, and why I tried it in the 223's.
That and the fact that I have several lbs. of the LVR on hand.

RP
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Mr. Neutron
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mr. Neutron » Wed Dec 28, 2022 4:44 pm

Thanks, Vaquero (Randy okay to use?)!

That helps!

No chronograph here either. I'd rather spend the money for a chrono on primers instead. Velocities and figures are nice for the mathmatical/anal machinist part of my life, but definitely not needed to put dinners on tables. Accuracy wins out every time. One nice thing about the Hornady stats for velocities and such are that they do come from an actual rifle similar to what we shoot. That helps figure real world things like trajectories out better than when different manufacturers use a 24" test barrel.

Wish I could get ahold of some Sierra 170gr flat points. I emailed them awhile back, and the response I got was they may start a production run of them later next year. :(

Well, I've got a lot of tree limbs from our recent storm to pick up on my 2 acres that I mow. That'll give me time as I work to mull over if I wanna use some of my remaining primers for the LVR powder, or just keep playing with the Win. 748. I've kinda proven to myself that my gun prefers 170 grainers to 150s, so I'll stay that course, as far as bullet weight is concerned.
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Vaquero
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Vaquero » Wed Dec 28, 2022 6:02 pm

Lol, Randy or RP is just fine.
And yes some prefer one over the other, I like that 748 also.
I was given some some years back and it works well in the 30-30, and surprisingly good in the 6.5 Creed that I picked up earlier this year.
This was back in the summer I believe, a little comparison I did.
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mags » Wed Dec 28, 2022 8:43 pm

Sorry, can't contribute to this one. I don't reload 170gr.
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Mr. Neutron
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mr. Neutron » Wed Dec 28, 2022 9:46 pm

Nice shootin' there, RP!!!! 8-) 8-)

Nice groups all over. Because of the "75' RC" written on the target, were those at 75 yards, or at 75 feet? Really good groups at any distance.....

I'm thinkin' that Marlin likes 170 grainers the best? Have you by any chance tried any of the Hornadys 170s, and if so, how did they group for ya?

Well, Dang it, Mags! Yeah, I think I recall that you pretty much stay with the 150s, don't ya? Have you pushed any of those with the LVR powder?
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Vaquero » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:06 pm

Mr. Neutron wrote:
Wed Dec 28, 2022 9:46 pm
Nice shootin' there, RP!!!! 8-) 8-)

Nice groups all over. Because of the "75' RC" written on the target, were those at 75 yards, or at 75 feet? Really good groups at any distance.....

I'm thinkin' that Marlin likes 170 grainers the best? Have you by any chance tried any of the Hornadys 170s, and if so, how did they group for ya?

Well, Dang it, Mags! Yeah, I think I recall that you pretty much stay with the 150s, don't ya? Have you pushed any of those with the LVR powder?
:lol: The '75 is the year of the Marlin, RC is regular carbine.
The distance that day was around 55 yds. as I was shooting from the picnic table in the side yard to the berm in the backyard.
Never tried Hornady's 170's as I have like 4= boxes of the Sierra's, and another 100+ Speer hot cor's that print the same and are very effective on the deer. Not knowing for sure but would think that would perform similar.
I have a store brand Marlin (Westernfield) from the mid 60's that shoots my hand loads just as accurately as that Marlin.
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by 5shot » Wed Dec 28, 2022 10:57 pm

Mr. Neutron
I have nothing to contribute about Leverevolution but did have an interesting experience with 748. I was cooking up loads for Rem 700 Varmint model in .223 for a South Dakota prairie dog trip. This took place 20 some years ago in March and April here in Wisconsin. I had the rifle cooking real well with no pressure signs and little bughole groups.
Memorial day weekend in White River S. Dak was HOT!! Early on in the carnage I noticed I was getting sticky bolt lift and flattened primers. :shock: Then it sunk in...my ammo was sitting in the sun. Luckily I had other rifles along (.22 BR and .22/250 IIRC) but the only way I could use the .223 was to put the ammo the cooler. Upon our return home I took the .223 and a chrono to the range on a warm day. Some ammo was kept in an ice chest and some left in the sun. I can't quote exact numbers now but there was a BIG difference in velocity so 748 was temperature sensitive. These were not looney tune overloads either...book max as I remember. Maybe the composition has changed since the 90's and you'll probably never encounter extremes like this. And....I think Leverevolution might be advertised as temperature insensitive? Just a "for what it's worth".
Also a Randy but to avoid confusion I'll go with 5shot. :D
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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mr. Neutron » Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:24 pm

Nice info to know, 5shot!! Very nice to know.

When I used to shoot the pistol matches with my Kimber 1911, I too can recall in the summers needing to keep the match ammo in a little lunchbox sized cooler. It could evidentally get hot enough sometimes to shift the point of aim a little higher than the gun would normally shoot. Never chronographed the loads myself, so I don't have a number to put on the difference. Some clubs at certain IPSC matches would check our bullet speeds to be sure we were meeting the required power factor. My loads for that .45 auto never had a problem making power.

But I'm gonna check on the Leverevolution temperature stability claim. Thanks for that info, 5shot Randy! Much appreciated!

Vaquero, thanks for clearing me up on the target! Still great shootin', Sir!!!
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Jimmie

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Re: Leverevolution Powder Questions

Post by Mags » Thu Dec 29, 2022 12:08 am

Mr. Neutron wrote:
Wed Dec 28, 2022 9:46 pm
...
Well, Dang it, Mags! Yeah, I think I recall that you pretty much stay with the 150s, don't ya? Have you pushed any of those with the LVR powder?
Yes I use LVR for the 150s. It's my preference for .30-30. I stopped short of compressed loads though. I try to stay 36.3 - 36.6gr. These work well for plinking the paddles on my shooting tree and for hunting nutria.

I have nothing against 170gr bullets. I just choose not to go there 'cause I have a lot of others reloads I have more interest in.
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UPDATES: OR passes 114, "one of strictest gun control measures in U.S." https://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic. ... 34#p213234

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