When Western completed its review, WC297 was released under the Accurate label as No. Now handloaders have three powders that are, at the very least, derived from the same source. It, too, as far as I can tell, contains no flash suppressant.
When I asked, I was told Power Pro 300-MP was 297 that had been “tweaked” to produce slightly higher velocities than H-110/W-296. Included in the line, referred to as Power Pro, was P ower Pro 300-MP. In about 2010, the Alliant PowderĬompany, formerly Hercules and now a part of Vista Outdoor, recently separated from parent Alliant Tecsystems, decided to expand its canister powder lineup to include spherical powders.
When, in 2005, the Hodgdon Powder Company entered into an agreement with Olin to develop and market Winchester canister powders, it became widely known that the old Hodgdon standby H-110 and W-296 are, in fact, the same powder.
Subsequently, General Dynamics purchased Primex from Olin and renamed it St. I was told this was the same as Winchester 296, but with a flash suppressant, and was used primarily in ammunition for law enforcement and other entities where a reduced muzzle flash would be advantageous. Included in the list was one called SMP297. Coming across the Primex booth at a trade show shortly after its formation, I was given a table of then-available Primex powders. The first step was to establish a separate subsidiary, Primex Technologies, Inc., that would assume manufacture of all powders and sell them on the open market. Sometime in the early days of this century, the Olin Corporation, parent company of Winchester Ammunition, decided to divest itself of its powder manufacturing operation. Marks lots of powders to compare to those previously made in Belgium, I received them and, to my surprise, a few other powders in plain labels with the manufacturer’s nomenclature that Western would release in the future under either its Accurate or Ramshot labels. Perhaps a year ago, when I requested samples of the new St. Marks Powders, also a General Dynamics subsidiary.