Can someone give me a run down on powders?

sweaver

Now that I have the basics of reloading down, I want to better understand what the difference powder makes. I load .40 cal for my Glock and currently using AA#7. The guy I bought all my stuff from said that was the best for a Glock because it burns slow. Slow, fast? what the heck I thought it was all instant...I dont expect someone to go over every powder (although it would be nice [:D]) but I would appreciate some suggestions on powder and maybe a reason why you would/would not use that type.

Thanks,
Shane

ContacFront

Sweaver,

Next time you you buy powder try Titegroup in your 40. I think you will be pleased with the results.

The scoop on powders. Hmm, I am sure Mr. JustC will be here shortly to give you the technical answer to this.

JustC

Powders are all invented/manufactured with a specific "burn rate". The coatings, size, shape, amount of nitrocellulose per gr etc will all cause changes in burn rate. The faster a given powder burns, the more quickly it reaches peak pressure (given a constant internal capacity). The slower a powder burns, the longer it takes to reach peak pressure and therefore will be burning more as the projectile traverses the rifling toward the muzzle. The ability of slow powders to possess a more gradual pressure curve,..makes them more forgiving with heavy bullets. A Heavy bullet and a fast burning powder make for a dangerous combination (not unsafe, but MUCH attention must be payed to charge weights) as that heavy bullet doesn't move away from the neck as quickly increasing the compression space and therefore keeping pressures under control(physics dictates that the heavier object requires more force to move at the same velocity as a lighter object, assuming equal diameters) Therefore, the quick pressure curve and the heavy bullet makes for inefficient loads. Now,..a slow powder burning longer as that bullet moves away from the case, will continue to accelerate the heavy pill longer whereas the faster powder would have been completely burned at some given point and no longer forcing the expansion of gasses behind the bullet. The longer burn time makes for the greater speed, and hence the MV will be less with faster powders and slower bullets than with the slower powder. Keep in mind all of this is relative and the best way to explain it is to give examples of very fast and very slow powders rather than some that are quite close together in burn rate.

Now,..the opposite reaction can also take place. A light pill shoved by a very slow powder, will not stay in the bore long enough to get as complete a burn as with the faster powders more suited to lighter pills. This will result in much more carbon fouling due to unburnt residue as well as reduced MV's.

Now when discussing straight walled pistol cases,..this means even more. The straight case does not allow a slow and deliberate buildup of pressure, therefore pistol powders are always VERY FAST compared to rifle powders. The powder must burn efficiently and completely in the very short time it takes a pistol bullet to traverse a very short bore length. The shoulders on a rifle case make for a much higher degree of initial ignition INSIDE the case and build greater pressures but the longer barrel is needed to completely burn that slower powder while continually accelerating the projectile. Pistol powder in a rifle case is a sure way to get hurt and very easy to make a mistake with. You can fit 4-5charges of pistol powder in a rifle case,..which if you make this mistake, you will be VERY SORRY[xx(][B)] And vica-versa, a slow rifle powder in a pistol case will make for very slow, underpowered, and extremely dirty combustion with anemic MV's.

do a search on "powder burn rates" and you will come up with some great info as well as some charts to print and keep yourself out of trouble.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?

ibffsteve

Here is a chart of powder burn rates.
http://stevespages.com/powderrates.html

check out his other pages...he has a boat load of loading info.
http://stevespages.com/page8.htm

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do;the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.

mrbruce

This is exactly what JustC meant when he said you will be VERY SORRY
if you put to much fast burning pistol powder in a rifle case and then be STUPID enough to touch it off...I didn't get a T-shirt either !!!!
Of course it wasn't on purpose, it goes back to the old different powder in a different container problem. Lots of Bullseye makes lots of parts.


Gun control is hitting what your aiming at.

sweaver

Ok I now know some info on powder burn rate, that type of stuff. I looked at a burn rate scale, now to another question. What powders do you guys recommend for my Glock reloads? Should I go slower or faster? I want to avoid hot loads at all costs. I mostly use 135, 165, and 200 jacketed bullets.

One thing to note, my first batch I made and shot the cases were really black/dirty as compared to the inside of some factory loads I shot. Am I experiencing some of the symptoms of the powder burning too slowly for the bullet size?

Thanks,
shane

perry shooter

Hello along with fast and slow powder you also have some that burns dirty at low pressure and cleaner as pressure goes up "BULLS-EYE" and others that burn clean "CLAYS" and "VITIVORIE" 310 & 320

bpost

By using a proper amount of powder you will see the loads clean up to the limitations of the powder. Upon firing the primer ignites the powder charge. At that point it is desirable for the case to quickly expand, creating a gas seal in the chamber. This helps keep your cases clean(er). As pressure builds the bullet starts to move, now there needs to be a balance between the seal needed to prevent gas from escaping around the case AND the thrust needed to start the process of unlocking the gun and getting it ready for another shot. As pressure increases the burning of the powder may become more efficent. It will create optimum pressure to function the firearm, make the case act as an efficent gas seal and give optimum speed to the bullet.
The fun of reloading is learning what works. bullseye, WW231, clays, blue dot, green dot herco and the other pistol type powders should all be tried to see what YOU and YOUR firearms like. You will soon get a feel for how the recoil is. Some powders will assist in function with light loads. Some will burn cleaner, some work with light bullets and others with heavy. You can't go wrong sticking to loads recommended by the manuals.

JustC

The dirty loads can be from not enough tension on the bullet. If the grip/crimp is too loose,..the projectile can move foreward upon primer ignition and be moving before the full charge is ignited and brought up to pressures where it needs to be to burn cleanly. Check to see how tight they are seated/crimped. Next,..try a hotter primer (federal) and see if that burns it cleaner.

why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?

Bittersweat

Try 7.+ grains of Winchester Super Field with 180 gr. bullets in your Glock .40. It is flaked so it's easy to reload, runs through the powder measure evenly. Also very shootable and clean burning.