Making a lot of powder.

[tokatee]

Because powder is hard to find in larger containers,and with burn changes between lots, and you pick up a pound here and there,I was thinking I might make my own lot by mixing a number of one pound containers ,(all RL 17) as a example, what's your opinion? Then of course you would have to work up your load with this (New) lot of course...now I will sit back and learn.Thank you.

 

[FearNoWind]

Frankly, I don't find enough burn rate changes from one lot to another and, as long as I'm not working up at the extreme limits of my loads, I don't worry about using the same load from one lot to the next. I load a few, see how they perform and (only if it's obvious that something needs to be tweeked) make adjustments as needed.
Mixing lot of power would not, IMO, be a good idea. I'd shoot up one lot, open the next and press on.

 

[bushwackr]

I did it when I found retumbo with 3 different lot numbers, I put 4 pounds in empty bottle gently mixed and poured them back into the lb er's. Works just fine for me.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I've done it at times... I stick with Alliant rl series with most rifles and notice no real difference between lots though now...

 

[gohring3006]

I do it with IMR 4350. If i get different lot #'s i pour them all in a 8# jug and mix it up. As others have said, I haven't noticed a difference in accuracy when i went from my mixed lot to a 1 pound container. This tells me it is consistent from lot to lot.

 

[tokatee]

Thanks for replies ,good to know it has been done,I had a problem with RL 17 in my remington 300 wsm.My load with the old lot was one grain less than New lot.I did not catch this until I had loaded about 300 rounds ,ended up pulling a bunch of 208 a max and reloading to match my previous loads performance. I am now of the mind to mix any one pounders,when I have enough and make my own lot. I do most of my loading in the winter and don't want to do load development every time I open a pound of powder.Thanks again.

 

[shphtr]

I chronograph all my loads even when working up different loads. There can be and usually are variances between different lots of the same powder - usually between 25 and 75 fps, but on one occasion I documented a 250 fps difference. The different vel's you might get with different lots of powders may or may not make a difference in your particular load. To try and obviate this predicament I TRY to buy all my powder in 5 - 8 lb jugs. Of course this is not as easy as in the past. In addition, once I find an optimal load that I am happy with, when ever I have to use a different powder lot number I just load to the known velocity for the predetermined optimal load.

 

[J E Custom]

I know times are hard and sometime we have to adapt. But when you mix powder you run the risk of not getting a uniform mix of different batches and if this happens the SDs will shift from load to load.

Mixing uniformly is difficult and takes more than just poring them into a large container and then mixing it. Also to much mixing can break the grains and destroy the stabilizing coating on the powder that helps control burn rates.

Some powders seem to have a greater velocity spread from one batch to another and others have very little and without a chronograph almost impossible to see.

I feel like FearNoWind does, if I change batches of powder I check the load with a chronograph
and also check POI for any changes. This process is not a waste of time , because over time things will/may change with the rifle even if you use the same batch of powder.

I know people that mix primers of the same kind and cant figure out why their rifle/pistol is giving them trouble

This is just My Opinion

J E CUSTOM