Hodgdon
Hodgdon H4227
A fast-burning extruded powder historically used in small rifle cases and heavy magnum handgun loads.
A very fast extruded powder from an older generation, used in the .22 Hornet and behind heavy bullets in .357 and .44 Magnum. Hodgdon no longer sells it, though data remains in the Reloading Data Center. Where it survives it does honest work in the Hornet, and its bulk fills a big revolver case better than the ball alternatives. There is no reason to chase it — Lil'Gun and H110 cover its ground with current support — and I would not claim detailed knowledge of how the last lots behaved.
- 22 Hornet
- heavy 357 Magnum loads
- 44 Remington Magnum
- using up an existing supply
Who has Hodgdon H4227 today
Checked October 10None of the retailers we track list Hodgdon H4227 right now. See what is in stock.
Discontinued. Canisters still circulate, but the maker no longer produces it — and load data for it may be withdrawn or archived.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Hodgdon |
|---|---|
| Product family | Hodgdon |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Application | rifle, pistol |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Burn-rate position | 77 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 22 Hornet, 357 Magnum, 44 Remington Magnum |
Grain shape
Short extruded grains, bulkier for their weight than the spherical powders in the same speed band — that bulk is the useful part in a large revolver case. Sticks meter less evenly than ball, so weigh rather than throw.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
No longer catalogued or sold by Hodgdon, but load data remains published in the Reloading Data Center. Physical and chemical details beyond the extruded form are not stated on any current Hodgdon page.
Burn rate
Very fast rifle powder in the IMR 4227 class; not shown on Hodgdon's current burn rate chart.
Chart agreement: coverage gap - absent from Hodgdon's own 2024 chart. Vihtavuori bands it with H110 / H4198 / Lil'Gun, and Wolfe/LoadData places it just slower than IMR 4227. Positioned here per Wolfe. Ranked by: Vihtavuori, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Winchester 296 (position 74)
- Accurate No. 11FS (position 75)
- IMR 4227 (position 76)
- Alliant Power Pro 300-MP (position 78)
- Accurate 5744 (position 79)
- Shooters World Buffalo Rifle (position 80)
This powder is obscure enough in the US that its practical character is thinly documented. The note above is deliberately short rather than padded.
Data confidence
We flag entries we could not fully verify rather than presenting them as solid:
- Discontinued — no live manufacturer product page; details drawn from archived or secondary manufacturer material.
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.