Anyone use this stuff? Someone just gave me 10 lbs so I am trying to figure out where it shines. Looking through my reloading manuals it doesn't seem to offer much, but the price was right. Advice?

If all you load for is overbore cartridges it might be the terd in the proverbial punch-bowl.

It works well in the 222, 223, 22-250, 308, 30/06, 35 Whelen and 45/70; not to mention stuff I've never used it in from 17 Rem. to 458 Win. (throw the 30 W.C.F. in there too).
It was the powder chosen for the 257 Roberts, though I have never used it in that cartridge.

If I had piles of it I would not hesitate to use it. Benchmark has replaced it simply because 3031 is a bitch to meter and it can fit in most cases without overcompression (222 and 45/70 for a couple).

Well, in my book 10lbs of 3031 at a cheap price would be a real gift....

like most other IMR powders it works well in a lot of cartridges...

may not deliver the top velocity in a magnum, but if you can live with a 100 to 150 fps less, with excellent accuracy, it can be used just fine in the likes of the 300 and 338 Win Mags...

I've loaded it in everything from 223 to 338 Win Mag, and accuracy was always much better than a lot of other powders...it is also more forgiving than a lot of other powders when it is accidently overloaded..

I have been running it through my Dillon 550 for my AR rounds and it has been metering pretty good. Less hangups than with Varget, thats for sure.

Works great in 45-70.

Hangups or not, have you checked the charge to charge variation with 3031?

It was most accurate in my .223 and 45/70. Just be prepared for a compressed load....which I prefer anyways. IMR3031 is very consistent over the chrono as well with variances in the 7-12fps range out of my .223.


Brett

Yep! Over and over. Comes out to within a tenth of a grain.

You've got 3031 metering consistently to +/- a tenth? What's next, cold fusion?

A bit on the obscure side, but 3031 is the powder I use in my 7.65 Argentines.

I was a little suprised myself that it metered that well. I checked 20-25 loads straight and they were all right there. That Dillon powder measure really works good. That or you can chalk it up to good clean livin.

I like it a lot in my .358 Win.

It works real well for reduced recoil loads with the 150 gr projectiles in 30-06. That's what I load for my wife.

It works pretty well in the 45-70, and I use it and Benchmark there.

It also works well in 308 Win cases. If you got a ton at a good price, you should be able to find a use fo it SOMEWHERE.

It's the only powder I use for 45-70. Ken Waters did a couple of very in depth articles on this cartridge and IMR 3031 was displayed prominently in both.

I picked up a pound a couple years ago only because the store didn't have H4198 and I was ready to load some 222 rounds. I only loaded up 20 test loads and didn't end up using it for that purpose, so not wanting to let it go to waste sitting on the shelf, I worked up a load of 46 grains of 3031 behind a 130 grain Hornady in my 270 Win. Velocity isn't the most that a 270 is capable of, but it's still pretty darn close, and the best part is recoil seems almost non-existent.

It gives good accuracy and velocity running 150's in my .300 Savage 99

Great stuff in my 32 Win spcl, and I`ve heard the 30-30 shooters like it as well. I`ve never tried it in anyother cartridge, although I know my dad used it some in his 308.

Imr 3031 worked great in my 300 Win Mag. Got expected velocity and wonderful accuracy.

3031 worked well in my first 35Wh about 25yrs ago. Should still work. Even speeds and great ackricy. Meters accurately through my RCBS Uniflow but seems to shear the last kernel or two. So what.
10# FREE!! That's the kind of friend we all need.

Great .222 Remington Magnum power.

It's terrible powder!! I volunteer to take it all off of yer hands for safeties sake I'll pay the hazmat and shipping!!

DANG-it EvilTwin, ya beat me to it!

it's very good in 308 and 3030 thats all i use for these guns

I don't think Elmer Keith used any other smokeless in his 45-70's. 3031 is also a good powder for the .308Win., and of course the 30-30.

I know one old guy that swears by it in a 7mag

If someone gave me 10lbs of powder, I'd find a way to use it. Especially given the prices these days.

Yeah, I am gonna work up some loads for plinking with the .223 and possibly the .243. Another buddy gave me around 3,000 pieces of Winchester brass from thne CHP shooting range. Swaged primer pockets, but thats fixable.

Higgins

Works great in .35 Whelen. Decent velocity and if I average the accuracy with all the loads and bullets I tried, 3031 gave the best accuracy.

I recently tried some 3031 in the 243 winchester using 75 gr. bullets and was pleasantly suprised by the results and accuracy I got from this.............

3031 is my favorite 30-30 powder when used in conjunction with a 170 gr. Speer flat point in my Marlin. Then last fall I tried it in an 8x57 Mauser with a 150 gr. Hornady, (got the idea from the Hornady 6th edition manual). The 8x57 is averaging 2799 fps with excellent accuracy. Saw some Hornady data for it in the 303 British also, so I might give it a try in a sporterized #4 Mk.I Lee-Enfield.