Generial Powder Help - ball or spherical

[MarkInNashville]

I was at OK Corral range last weekend (if you've never been it is an AWESOME place! Woodbury is a 2 hour drive for me and very much worth it) and my 9 stopped picking up the next round. Doing it manually worked fine. I think I was driving my slide to fast... maybe I used to must grease on the slide? lol Seriously, I have read that ball powder is very susceptible to temperature changes but what does it do? When I was shooting my test loads in an indoor range it worked perfectly (even with .4 grains more powder, in them). This happened last Saturday which was a very cool day (temp in the 30s or 40s) so if its cooler outside does the powder burn more potently?

[Guest FroggyOne2]

No, as temp goes up, so does the pressure..

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Dunno, but have read that a few powders have a negative temp response, generating more pressure at low temperatures. And supposedly a very few powders have been adjusted to be temp-insensitive, which supposedly the military likes to buy.

I read that Ramshot Silhouette is one that has a negative temp response, and last week shooting in cold weather, the primers did seem to get a better squashing than the same loads last summer.

It seems that if they can make em with either a positive or negative temp response, that they could make most of em with no slope at all, but maybe that would be expensive or damage some other desirable characteristics?

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Typically, ball powders are known to be temp sensitive, as is double based powders. Hogdgon Extreme powders have additives that reduce the temp sensitivity. Like say Varget is very temp tolerant, but even that powder is affected by temp change. In my .223 that I am currently using, the elevation change at 600 yards using 24.0 grains of H4895 between 80 degrees and above vs say 50 degrees is 1.5 MOA. I know as you say that there are some powders that have neg response to temp.. say like Winchester Super Target has been known to have a neg temp sensitivity.. But in general, most powders have a positive reaction of temp. As the temp increases, so does the pressure. My knowledge of pistol powders and how they react in extreme temp changes is limited, fore I don't shoot that much pistol. But as to rifle powders, it is a different story and I can say, I stay away from ball powders generally. Extruded powders are what I normally use. Double based extruded powders in general are designed to give more velocity, like say Reloader 17, but it is very temp sensitive. It will give approx 75-150 fps more velocity over say H4350 which is a powder that is in the same burn rate scale as RL-17. Burn rates and other caracteristics of powders will also dictate recoil impulses. For instance back to H4350 and RL-17, the H4350 will push as compared to RL-17 will slap your shoulder.

[glockster157]

I have never heard of pressures increasing with a lower temp. I am not saying it doesn't but it does seem very likely. What is your load? If I had a load that functioned at 70 degrees but did not pick up a round at 30 degrees, I would have to assume the low temp lowered pressure enough that the slide did not come back far enough to pick up a round. Or the lube on the slide was thick enough to slow the slide or a combination of the two. Ball powder typically gives more velocity, leaves more residue, and is more temperature sensitive. It usually measures better and is a good choice for progressive reloading presses. I love a lot of the Winchester powders like 231, 748, 760.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

There are a few, not many, but they are out there..

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Yes I haven't used many powders and it is said that most of them burn faster at higher temps. Was surprised to read that some have an inverse temp response. I don't know how that would work, thermodynamically speaking, but dunno a lot of things.

[Caster]

I haven't noticed major accuracy differences in the ball powder I use, when shot at the TN extreme temps. I'm a ball powder fool. I like AA2520 and WC846. They meter flawlessly, and give extremely satisfying results. All my powder and loaded ammo are stored in sealed ammo cans, but my shop is not insulated. They do feel cold of winter. My shop doesn't get too hot in the summer though. Shade and ventilation help a lot. I find accuracy to vary little to none, but then again, I'm not the worlds best shooter either.

All I know is, I have had the best success with ball powder especially in my AR's. WC846 & AA2520 burn VERY clean and give better accuracy than I am capable of utilizing.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Take your ammo, as stored in that cool room of yours.. and shoot it in the morning.. leave it out doors say in a bag.. that you would carry it in.. let it sit there and get warm in the middle of summer.. and then shoot it again say 3-4 hours later in the middle of the afternoon..

[Caster]

Take your ammo, as stored in that cool room of yours.. and shoot it in the morning.. leave it out doors say in a bag.. that you would carry it in.. let it sit there and get warm in the middle of summer.. and then shoot it again say 3-4 hours later in the middle of the afternoon..

I may do that this summer. This has peaked my interest. Maybe I'll refrigerate some and put it in a cooler, then while I'm testing it, I'll set some more out in the sun of midday. I should have already done this, shouldn't I?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I may do that this summer. This has peaked my interest. Maybe I'll refrigerate some and put it in a cooler, then while I'm testing it, I'll set some more out in the sun of midday. I should have already done this, shouldn't I?

Cool half the ammo down in the beer cooler and heat the other half on the BarBQ grill along with the hot dogs!

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Yeah, that would truly be cooking some of that ammo!

[MarkInNashville]

I am loading 4.2 grains of Titegroup under a 115 grain Zero FMJ, using CCI 500 primers @ 1.125" OAL.

I had been using Unique and it was a real pita in a Uniflow (not to mention it was dirty as crap!)... the ball of TG was AWESOME! I had seriously thought about using W231 as I have heard good things about it.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

In my Dillon, which is set up to make .45 ball ammo, I am currently using 4.6 grains of Bullseye.. meters well. Going to shoot some tomorrow.. well today really.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I've been loading 9mm closer to max than min nowadays. 9mm recoil ain't bad and powder isn't especially expensive compared to the price of bullets or primers. A little hotter ammo seems to work the different pistols a little more consistently. Maybe reloading for quick followup shots would be better a little light. But I'll never be quick on anything, so for me its a non issue.