Hodgdon Extreme
Hodgdon H4198
A fast-burning extruded rifle powder for small- and medium-capacity cases and short-range lever and military-pattern cartridges.
A fast extruded powder that suits small rifle cases and the straight-wall lever rounds — 7.62x39, .222 Remington, .444 Marlin. It is also a favourite for reduced and cast-bullet rifle loads, where it lights reliably and fills the case usefully. Extreme-series, so it holds its velocity through temperature swings, and Hodgdon shortened the kernels specifically to make it behave at the measure. Being fast, small charge variations move pressure more than they would with a slower powder, so this is a weigh-your-charges powder in the small cases.
- 7.62x39
- 444 Marlin
- 222 Remington
- cast-bullet rifle loads
Who has Hodgdon H4198 today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 8 lb | $405.95 | $54.67 est. | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $397.99 | $55.61 | Out |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 8 lb | $460.99 | $61.55 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $457.99 | $61.93 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $57.95 | $89.39 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $61.99 | $99.44 | Out |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 1 lb | $69.99 | $101.43 est. | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $55.99 | $102.89 | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Hodgdon |
|---|---|
| Product family | Hodgdon Extreme |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | rifle |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0750 cc per grain · 0.86 g/cc |
| Composition | single-base |
| Temperature stable | Yes — claimed by the manufacturer |
| Burn-rate position | 90 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 222 Remington, 444 Marlin, 7.62x39mm |
Grain shape
Short extruded kernels with a thin web — the thin wall the flame must cross is exactly what makes it this fast. The shortened cut is what stopped the original from bridging in a drop tube; it now throws acceptably, though a measure will still cut the occasional kernel.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Hodgdon shortened the kernels of the original H4198 to improve flow through powder measures while keeping the same burning speed, and reformulated it as an Extreme powder so performance holds across hot and cold ambient temperatures.
Burn rate
Fast rifle, immediately slower than IMR 4198 and faster than Vihtavuori N120.
Chart agreement: consistent across charts - listed in the same relative neighbourhood by every publisher that carries it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Alliant Reloder 7 (position 87)
- Accurate LT-32 (position 88)
- IMR 4198 (position 89)
- Shooters World SOCOM (position 91)
- Vihtavuori N120 (position 92)
- Alliant Reloder TS 11 (position 93)
Sources
The specifications above come from Hodgdon's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.