IMR Classic
IMR Blue
Intended for heavy 12-gauge field loads, including the longer magnum hull lengths.
Discontinued, and short-lived. Blue was the slowest of the five REACH-compliant IMR shotshell and pistol powders introduced and then dropped within a few years, intended for heavy and magnum 12 gauge field loads. It never had time to build a following, and independent experience with it is thin. If you have a jug, load it only from archived IMR data for the exact hull, wad and payload.
- heavy 12 gauge field loads
- magnum 12 gauge waterfowl loads
Who has IMR Blue 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 | $199.99 | $28.93 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $104.99 | $34.11 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $26.99 | $58.43 est. | 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 →
Discontinued. Canisters still circulate, but the maker no longer produces it — and load data for it may be withdrawn or archived.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | IMR |
|---|---|
| Product family | IMR Classic |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Application | shotshell |
| Grain form | flake |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0921 cc per grain · 0.70 g/cc |
| Typical cartridges | 12 Gauge |
Grain shape
Flake, and therefore degressive: burning surface falls as the flake thins, so energy comes out early and fast. That suits a shotshell, and it is also why an overcharge in a flake powder is punished harder than in a tube powder.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Introduced by IMR in late 2016 as part of a five-powder family (Target, Red, Green, Unequal and Blue) marketed as REACH-compliant 'green technology' propellants. Discontinued. Hodgdon no longer lists this powder among current IMR products and it does not appear on Hodgdon's current relative burn rate chart.
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 IMR'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.