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Anybody know a temperature stable powder with a similar burn rate as Retumbo

mtbfarms

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
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9
I have been using Retumbo with some pretty good accuracy, but I found it is inverse temperature sensitive. Velocity goes down as the temp goes up.

Any suggestions?
 
Inverse, sounds crazy :)

You need to give more data.
Are you near 100% case fill?
What caliber?
What bullet?

Powders act differently in different situations, that is why there is so much discrepancy in burn rate charts!

Hodgdon Retumbo is supposed to be less temperature sensitive and they designate it as an Extreme Power, LOL.

edge.
 
Edge is 100% correct.

I used to think the powder burn rate chart was non variable and etched in stone. After talking to Hodgdon some time back, I learned this wasn't the case at all. Hodgdon told me the chart was just kind of a general guide and that a powders burn rate was not a constant and the burn rate could change every time a new variable was introduced. He said many powders are close, sometimes, even very close but to never think you can substitute one powder for another based on the burn rate chart.
 
Both Retumbo and H1000 are in the Hodgdon family of Extreme powders, the hallmark of which is greater temperature insensitivity than most other powders out there:

Extreme Rifle Powders

That being said, as some have said already, many find that H1000 has a very close burn rate to Retumbo and many say 'there's nothing Retumbo does that H1000 won't do at least as well' and some seem to thing that H1000 is more consistent in some respects (especially when approaching max loads) than Retumbo.

Lots of variables here in individual rifles and how reloaders 'do' their craft.

I have not used H1000. I've always had Retumbo be the reccomended powder between the two for the rifles I use it for, so I honestly wonder if there is any difference at all between the two powders, save kernel size, for Hodgdon to have there be a change between the two to say that one burns slower/faster than the other. Is there a difference in kernal size? Tons of folks here use these two powders to get a combination of decent velocity and consistent performance at LR in somewhat varying temperatures.

How large a temp change did you use it in?
 
I'm using retumbo in a high performance .416 muzzleloader. Pushing a 375g cutting edge copper @ 2805 fps at 25f and 2745 fps at 70f. The hotter the slower. Colder faster. I'm getting great accuracy just don't like the velocity change with temp.
 
Re: New Reloader 33

New Reloader 33

Military has bought a big shipment for the 338 lapuagun)
good stuff-- rl33
It was too windy to chrono when I went out and tried some but it was as accurate as rl50 in the 300 rum with 225 hornady. Gotta get to the range after critter getting season is over.
 
I'm using retumbo in a high performance .416 muzzleloader. Pushing a 375g cutting edge copper @ 2805 fps at 25f and 2745 fps at 70f. The hotter the slower. Colder faster. I'm getting great accuracy just don't like the velocity change with temp.

OK, as a guess you must be in the 140-150 grain range with that load.
Unless you have powder cavity larger than the bore diameter that powder column will be about 4 3/4 inches long.
Being a "straight case" it is hard to maximize efficiency.

Have you played with different primers?
If you switch to H1000 you will need to reduce the load to keep the pressure about the same and then your velocity will almost certainly be a bit lower too.

Personally if the load is accurate at the temperature extremes I would add the info to my database and just adjust!

Summertime you add whatever clicks are needed to compensate for the 60fps and shoot.
You will have more variation than that when you go up/down a few thousand feet or shoot during a low/high pressure system...IMO.

edge.
 
There is a powder chamber that is larger than the bore.
I have some h1000 on order. It tested about the same pressure as retumbo with a little higher velocity.
 
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