Reloading 101: Exploring Different Gun Powders | Gun Talk
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 гру 2021
- Gun Talk's Kevin "KJ" Jarnagin talks with Chris Cerino about Hodgdon Powder's variety of gun powders - what makes each different from burn rate to ball size, how to choose which one to use in your reload, and how easy it is to use the data at Hodgdon's reloading website to find the perfect formula (www.hodgdonreloading.com/).
For more videos like this one, subscribe to Gun Talk at www.guntalktv.com, on Gun Talk's Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS app, Android app, Chromecast, or find Gun Talk on UA-cam, Facebook, or Instagram.
Copyright ©2021 Freefire Media, LLC - Розваги
I've been reloading now for probably 6 or 7 years, and absolutely loved it. It has been very frustrating lately due to covid trying to get components for reloading. I've learned so much from reloading and enjoy reloading 9mm, 40 cal, 10mm, 45acp, 300blkout, 300hamr', and 450bushmaster. I'm sure in the future I will be adding more calibers. 😁
Some REALLY sweeping statements here... Chemically there are only two sorts of nitro powder used in small arms (yes there is a third, but it is really only used in artillery and tank guns..). That is single base nitrocellulose powder and double base nitrocellulose and nitro-glycerine based powders. Double base has a higher energy content and burns at a higher temperature for a given pressure. The main physical differences between powders comes from its density, surface area and shape. Generally the lower the density and the bigger the surface area per unit mass, the faster the burn rate at a given pressure. UK military used only one propellent (cordite) for nearly everything from pistols to 18" guns by just making it in different shapes.
Deciding the "correct" powder for a firearm depends mainly on the volume and shape of the chamber and the cross sectional density of the projectile. Burn rate increases with pressure for a given propellent and you need to ensure that the peak pressure does not exceed the designed pressure for the breech. You also need to ensure that the propellent is all burned before the projectile gets about 2/3 the length of the barrel. If the propellent is not all burned before it reaches the muzzle, then your velocity will vary from shot to shot. The trick to give maximum stable velocities is to choose a powder that burns slowly enough to keep the pressure down but does not leave powder still burning as the bullet leaves the muzzle.
Chemically the differences between powders come from the stabilisers added to give longer shelf lives and inhibiters added to control the relationship between pressure and burning rate. Ideally you want to reduce the "gearing" between pressure and burning rate as this makes powders very sensitive to temperature and chamber sizes. To combat this, some powders contain "platonisers" which flatten the pressure/burn rate curve over a range of pressures and lead to more predictable performances. Military powders can also contain materials to reduce smoke and muzzle flash, usually one at the expense of the other, but all additives can result in residues..!
Most rod and flake powders are made from extruded pastes, the shape and length being decided by the size of the extrusion die and the speed of the cut off blade. If you look at spaghetti machines this will give you the idea. Ball powders were invented by the Olin corporation after WW2 as a means of recyling ex government single base cannon powder. The old powder was pulped and made into a slurry. The slurry was then mixed in a homogeniser with another liquid to break the propellent into bubbles which then went through a drying process to form spheres. You could add nitro-glycerine to make double base powder if you wanted. You could also make a sort of flake powder by rolling the soft balls between rollers to form discs which had a faster burn time.
The smell you get from powder is usually the remains of the solvent used to make the initial paste. In many cases this is acetone (nail polish remover). You need to be careful when smelling double base propellent as this gives off nitro glycerine fumes which can give you a splitting headache.
Most manufacturers produce a range of powders to cover most small arms calibres. The only reliable way of testing these is to use an instrumented pressure test barrel which allows you to plot the pressure/time curve and "all burned" point. If you don't have one of these (in all the calibres you use!) then stick to the data produced by those folk who have (Hint - they are usually the companies that make the powder!)
Y'all keep safe out there!
I love hearing what Chris has to say. His years of experience and depth of knowledge is impressive.
HP-38 is not flake. It is the same as W231 Ball powder. Made at the St Marks factory in Florida. They only make spherical powders at that plant.
Trail Boss also works well with 45/70 @15.5 grains and a 300 grain RNFP bullet. For BAMM I also use Trail Boss at 16 Grains and a 170 lead gas checked bullet from an 03A3.
Good stuff thanks bud for sharing
Grate information thanks
What is a good powder for a 14.5 inch barrel on an AR15 223
"Why would you choose anything else"? Because...other powders may work better for that bullet (brand or weight) you choose! For instance...CFE 223 only works pretty good on heavier grain bullets 69 and up than on down! My grouping with 55 and 62 arent anything to brag about using CFE 223! There are so many variables when reloading...that's what I love about it! Getting your load data takes up a lot of time! And you have to put in that time with your rifles! Twist rate is also a factor. Right now...my best load in a 55 grain bullet is 25 grains of N133!
Would that work for a 14.5 inch barrel?
Having enough pressure isn't what makes subsonic 300 blk function in the AR15 it's how much gas it produces. You can use fast burning pistol powders that will still give you high pressure, but most of them wont produce enough gas to cycle the action. Powders like accurate 1680, imr-4227 or lilgun produce enough gas to cycle the action, but they are relatively lower pressure powders by volume.
Excellent informative video guys, thanks.
I too am just starting the journey towards reloading. Currently still looking at presses trying to figure out what I want to start with. I have already made up my mind, I will not begin reloading until I can find primers locally.
Been reloading on a Dillon RL550B since 1986. Currently load for 17 different calibers. Mike Dillon changed the market for reloaders in the early 1980's, is pro-American and a machine-gunner. All hits for me. Best customer support in the industry. Enjoy.
So I have just started this journey too, in a very unique space… sabot shotgun load development… I am currently testing Longshot with a lighter weight projectile, but I think the pressure is ramping up too fast… Shotguns have a max pressure of ~12,000 PSI. Anyone have any experience with anything in this area?
Always take what's said on UA-cam about powder for handloading, with a grain of salt. Just because someone says, "I use (insert any powder here) because it's the best thing since penicillin...", (which invariably someone always does) doesn't mean you should use it. Too many contributing variables to consider, for each of the myriad rifle/cartridge configurations you might want to handload for.
After thirty years of rolling my own I know that in order to maximize the experience with the results you want, you have to pay your dues. That starts with the reloading manuals of the powder and bullet manufacturers, not with a five or ten minute blurb about what someone else uses or does.
You take the exhaustive research data from the folks who actually make the stuff, and do it for a living. From there, you can develop a load that will optimize your particular shooting and hunting success. There's no substitute for your own hard work; social media platforms and local range or huntin' buddy ballistics experts, notwithstanding!
I fell down the reloading hole starting in 2019. Then Covid hit, and I haven't been able to get the powders I want to use for a long time. So, my journey has been sitting in the rest stop for many months now. Oh well. Next up, developing a load for my new 300 winmag...
Guess I’m the only guy that still has IMR PB on the shelf . Can’t find 1 video on it .
Could you combine 2 kind of poweder
NO... NEVER do that!
IMR4064 should be a cologne😁
WMR1 should be a clone.👃
Well today I did not learn anything 🤦🏽
Yea, too bad their egos get in the way of real information…