IMR 700X?

Arlon

Member
Never used the stuff but in the manuals I see a lot of loads for cast bullets. Seems similar to red dot, maybe a little faster and tighter band of charge weights. I've used a lot of red dot so today I ran into a decent deal on 10lbs of IMR 700x. Now I have to figure out where to use it.

Any success stories with it? Seems more suitable for lighter bullet weights/caliber.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Shot up lots of it in mild loads for a Super Black Hawk. 6.2 grains of 700-X and the 429215 bullet. That happened to be the only 44 caliber mould available at the Sporting Goods Store I patronized in Green Bay in 1975. The 700-X was on hand from trap loads.
 

dale2242

Well-Known Member
I was gifted 15# of 700X and like you I needed to find a use for it.
It is not the easiest powder to meter. I tried my Uniflow and Lil dandy and was not happy with the consistency.
I use my Auto Charge to dispense it. It is some what slower but very accurate.
I have tried it in all my pistols and revolvers with good results.
I have not tried it in my rifles with cast as yet....dale
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
been shooting it in my 45 acp recently.
It is similar to red-dot but at just a bit lower charge, it's been around since forever too.

if you guys ain't sure about it you can re-gift it over Idaho way I could dispose of about 30lbs of it this summer and let you know how it went.

if it helps think of 700-X as a cross between red-dot and clay's.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I got my start in this addiction sequence via the reloading of shotshells at age 15 on a prehistoric MEC loader of some sort. I got The Holy Writ early-on that AA hulls--W209 primers--18.0 grains of Red Dot--WWAA-White wad columns--and 1-1/8 oz. of #7-1/2s was The Standard by which all other 12 gauge loads were assessed. 700X was about as locally-popular as a temperance revival on Fat Tuesday. I remember seeing it listed in the old Dupont and later the IMR powder data handouts for handgun loads, but seldom saw the fuel in local shops.

The sitch must be different in other areas of the country--Remington primers are well-nigh unobtainium locally, and have always been scarce around here (inland So. CA). Those Rem #6-1/2 small rifle primers are MAGIC in small rifle applications, and I buy them a sleeve at a time about every 3 years at the BRGS from Miwall. (Da, tovarischi--is code-speak, to dodge Cheka) :)
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
be happy you can't get Remington shot shell primers, I'm pretty positive they use platinum in their priming make up [JK] and they like to charge accordingly.
 

Rally

NC Minnesota
Oh, the stories I could tell about 700x and my dad!! He thought that was the only powder ever made. Remember when the Mec charge bars were fixed capacity? My dad used to make bushings from brass sheeting to get close to the 700x load listed with the Mec charge bar instructions. Never mind that he didn't have a powder scale at the time!
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I still have a couple of those bars.
they ain't as close as the chart indicates, thankfully they weigh their shot charges with #9 [as does Ponsness Warren] so anything larger weighs a bit less giving you a little wiggle room.
 

Intheshop

Banned
Arlon,I have probably a lifetime supply of it.

Meters fine to pretty dang well out of our Lyman Accumeasure's.... can't remember the loads but it's about all I use for 38sp and 45acp for target work.

The Lyman rotors are so easy to make and the smaller hole sized examples,you get a hole on each side of rotor. I had to machine the bodies to accept over the counter clear tubing cause the originals all just fell apart. Got 3 of them...... 2 are setup in Lee powder through expanders on a Lyman turret press. One 38,one 45..... 3 dies each,6 hole turret. Just a dang pleasure to use and the 700X is right there with it's performance. Good luck with your project.