Will's 7383 Data
All data here is presented for study purposes only. It was safe in the firearm used by the original author at the time it was used. Due to lot to lot variation that occurs in all powders but especially in surplus powders, the data presented here may not be represent all the lots of that powder.
My observations:
I have had 2 lots of 7383 and they do vary significantly. One is faster and bulkier, the other is slower and slightly more dense. Make no mistake, both are bulkier than any other IMR stick powder, but volumetric measurements should only be used within a single lot # as variation between lots is substantial.
Both lots share the characteristic of liking pressure to work properly. Neither makes a good reduced load powder and I would refrain from loading it below 80% load density. Both lots do their best work at or near 100% load density. As load density passes 100%, you quickly go from safe to pressure spikes that indicate this powder does not like more than very mild compression. I would not recommend any load over 105% case fill. In general, as you work up a load, stop at the first clean burning load. Going further rarely results in anything good and often results in pressures spikes that can be dangerous.
My Data
| Cartridge | Bullet in Grains | Powder in Grains | Velocity | Barrel Length | Firearm |
| 220 Swift | 55 | 31 | 2500 | 24" | Ruger 77 |
| 22-250 | 55 | 28 | 2350 | 24" | Remington 700 |
| 257 Roberts (AI) | 100 | 40 | 2320 | 22" | Remington 700 |
| 300 Wby Mag | 180 | 65 | 2955 | 26" | Wby MK5 Accumark |
| (Overload is possible with this case, use caution) | |||||
| 30-06 | 150 | 54 | 2500 | 24" | M1 Garand |
| 303 Brit | 200 | 39 | 1950 | 25.2" | Enfield # 4 |
| 30-30 | 170 | 26 | 1500 | 18" | Winchester 94 |
| (Very poor load - not enough space for powder to burn clean) | |||||
| 30-40 | 180 | 38 | 2165 | 22" | 1898 Krag Sporter |
| 308 Winchester | 165 | 40 | 2115 | 22" | Howa 1500 |
| 358 Norma | 250 | 67 | 2600 | 24" | P17 Action |
| (Very poor load - not enough space for powder to burn clean) | |||||
| 357 Maximum | 180 | 22 | 1020 | 14" | Contender |
| (Very poor load - not enough space for powder to burn clean) | |||||
| 458 Lott | 500 | 68 | 1540 | 24" | Ruger #1 |
| 6.5x55 | 120 | 38 | 2900 | 29.1" | M/96 |
| 7x57 | 120 | 40 | 2350 | 23.5" | 95 Chilean |
| 8x57 | 185 | 42 | 2300 | 23.5" | 98K |
All velocities are rounded for ease of entry - your results will vary.