I currently reload for 223, 8mm Mauser, and 7.62x39 (and 54R occasionally). BL-C(2) has been my rifle powder since it seems to show up in a lot of load data for various calibers, even if it's not the best for any of them.
So I expect to be adding 30 Carbine and 30-06 to the mix soon, and possibly 308 also. I've been revisiting the subject of which overall powder, or powders, to stock up on for my service rifle calibers. Do you have a favorite all-around powder or powders for these?
My research has included the Hodgdon powder burn rate chart (
http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html), and the Speer #13 Reloading Guide. Although the Speer guide does not list the chamber pressures, I do like that they present their load data sorted by velocity, so that the top of the chart is "best" and the bottom the worst.
Best overall therefore = IMR4064?
After a half hour of taking notes on these calibers for the loads I expect to shoot (say 110FMJ or 120LRN for 30 Carbine, and 168 grain jacketed BT bullets for 30-06), it appears to me that IMR4064 is my best all-around powder. IMR4064 is one powder that is specifically recommended by Speer for gas-operated service rifles, it's the top powder listed for 8mm Mauser, and it's mid-range for .223 (better than the BL-C(2) I've been using, too). It does not appear to me that IMR4064 can be used for 7.62x39 (not per Speer nor per Hodgdon's site). IMR 4227 or IMR4198 might be better candidates for that caliber, but then you lose the preferred status of IMR4064 with US made gas guns and .223.
Other candidates for best powder include IMR4198 and IMR4895.
Does anyone here like anything better than you like IMR4064 for your rifle reloading? Or, would you take a different approach to determine which one or two rifle powders to stock up on?