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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Powder Stability.
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<blockquote data-quote="FAL Shot" data-source="post: 854776" data-attributes="member: 27328"><p>My "workhorse" powders are H4895, Varget and H4350. They work great in all normal non-overbore modern rifle cartridges. I see they are about the most temperature stable on the list.</p><p> </p><p>Stick powders derive their temperature stability mainly from their shape, while ball powders use a retardant coating. Ball powders leave more residue in the barrel because of the retardant coating, at least the kind that is harder to clean out. That has been reduced somewhat by modern retardant coatings that burn off as they are being deposited. Then there are the copper fouling eliminator powders such as CFE 223 which I hear is very temperature sensitive. </p><p> </p><p>Stick powders are inherently more temperature stable to begin with. For easy metering and copper fouling elimination some have gone to ball powders. The best copper fouling eliminator I know of is a chrome lined barrel polished to a mirror finish. I can shoot 200 rounds through an FN FAL or AR-15 with a military chroime barrel and have a very easy job of getting out the copper, and not much copper or carbon residue is there to begin with. Beside that, there is one FN FAL in Texas named Old Dirty that has gone at least 14,000 documented rounds with no cleaning whatsoever and it still functions flawlessly. </p><p> </p><p>While ball powders give a more consistent powder charge when thrown from a powder measure, the better temperature stability of stick powders will more than swamp out that advantage under conditions of wide temperature swings. It only takes a few seconds to trickle up a charge, so I see no reason to use ball powder just because you can throw accurate charges quickly, except for high volume pistol ammo shooting in a progressive press.</p><p> </p><p>It would be hard to imagine anybody interested in long range hunting using a progressive press to load ammo or to use a temp sensitive ball powder just because it throws quick accurate charges and saves them 15 seconds of trickle up time.</p><p> </p><p>I saw no instance on the list where a ball powder matched the best stick powders in temperature stability. The only ball powder I possess is in surplus military ammo. It suits the US military requirement of 4" groups at 100 yards.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FAL Shot, post: 854776, member: 27328"] My "workhorse" powders are H4895, Varget and H4350. They work great in all normal non-overbore modern rifle cartridges. I see they are about the most temperature stable on the list. Stick powders derive their temperature stability mainly from their shape, while ball powders use a retardant coating. Ball powders leave more residue in the barrel because of the retardant coating, at least the kind that is harder to clean out. That has been reduced somewhat by modern retardant coatings that burn off as they are being deposited. Then there are the copper fouling eliminator powders such as CFE 223 which I hear is very temperature sensitive. Stick powders are inherently more temperature stable to begin with. For easy metering and copper fouling elimination some have gone to ball powders. The best copper fouling eliminator I know of is a chrome lined barrel polished to a mirror finish. I can shoot 200 rounds through an FN FAL or AR-15 with a military chroime barrel and have a very easy job of getting out the copper, and not much copper or carbon residue is there to begin with. Beside that, there is one FN FAL in Texas named Old Dirty that has gone at least 14,000 documented rounds with no cleaning whatsoever and it still functions flawlessly. While ball powders give a more consistent powder charge when thrown from a powder measure, the better temperature stability of stick powders will more than swamp out that advantage under conditions of wide temperature swings. It only takes a few seconds to trickle up a charge, so I see no reason to use ball powder just because you can throw accurate charges quickly, except for high volume pistol ammo shooting in a progressive press. It would be hard to imagine anybody interested in long range hunting using a progressive press to load ammo or to use a temp sensitive ball powder just because it throws quick accurate charges and saves them 15 seconds of trickle up time. I saw no instance on the list where a ball powder matched the best stick powders in temperature stability. The only ball powder I possess is in surplus military ammo. It suits the US military requirement of 4" groups at 100 yards. [/QUOTE]
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