Powders burning well at low pressure?

[andym79]

Hi guys does anyone know of a comprehensive list of powders and how well they burn at lower pressure?

How well do the following powders burn under low pressure conditions:

N110
Benchmark
H4895
Varget
H4350
N550
H4831SC

[Old Caster]

In general the faster they are the cleaner they burn at low pressure.

[Outpost75]

I use Bullseye in everything from the .32 ACP to the .375 H&H.

Great .375 plinker is #375449 no GC, 12 grs Bullseye, 1200 fps. Pleasant, acccurate, kills game like a .38-55

[runfiverun]

the benchmark, 4895, and varget can be tricked into burning cleaner in cast boolit applications [1800-2,000 fps] with the use of a filler.
4350 and 4831 won't do well until about 45-50k in pressure a filler can help them some but not until you get close to those pressures.
the VV powders I have no idea about, but would think the N-110 is similar to H-110 in it's traits and trying low pressure with it will lead to umm 'less than stellar' results at best.

[andym79]

I use Bullseye in everything from the .32 ACP to the .375 H&H.

Great .375 plinker is #375449 no GC, 12 grs Bullseye, 1200 fps. Pleasant, acccurate, kills game like a .38-55

A man after my own heart, big a slow knocks um down!

I am asking about those specific powders especially, as I have loads in mind for them.


the benchmark, 4895, and varget can be tricked into burning cleaner in cast boolit applications [1800-2,000 fps] with the use of a filler COW type or Dacron.
4350 and 4831 won't do well until about 45-50k in pressure a filler can help them some but not until you get close to those pressures.
the VV powders I have no idea about, but would think the N-110 is similar to H-110 in it's traits and trying low pressure with it will lead to umm 'less than stellar' results at best.


Thanks. From what I gather N110 is a different animal from H110

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?249172-Difference-between-H110-and-N110

[303Guy]

H4895 is the low pressure powder for reduced loads (jacketed) because it burns well at low pressure, according to the reloading manuals. The lowest pressures listed for it in loads is something like 28 CUP. I have tried Varget and H4350 in reduced loads but always with a filler and never below 60% of case volume and with heavy boolits. I've used W748 at lower levels and with Dacron as a positioner (I must check that). I have tried W748 as low as 10gr under a 194gr boolit using grits as a filler and that seemed quite fine. I have also tried W780 with a kicker charge in reduced loadings and that seemed to work OK. I did find a point where there were partially burnt kernels with one of the powders. Bullseye is well known for low pressure loads but it does have a sting in its tail if you're not careful (pressure spikes).

[andym79]

I have tried Varget and H4350 in reduced loads but always with a filler and never below 60% of case volume and with heavy boolits. Was that filler wheat bran or germ, or was it dacron? In the 303? I've used W748 at lower levels and with Dacron as a positioner (I must check that). I have tried W748 as low as 10gr under a 194gr boolit using grits as a filler and that seemed quite fine. Wow that is low. I have a

I don't suppose you have done any reduced loading with N550 have you?

[Paul Tummers]

Over here and in Germany the N110 is THE powder to go to when it comes to reduced loads or BP substitute loads for cartridge rifles.

[andym79]

Over here and in Germany the N110 is THE powder to go to when it comes to reduced loads or BP substitute loads for cartridge rifles.

Nice to know, thanks.

I had a look through so manuals, I could find no loads for cast and H4831SC at all! The lowest pressure I could find listed for this powder for jacketed projectiles was at 23000CUP.

Varget is listed in a fair few cast bullet loads as low as 8200CUP.

So far I have only seen reference for H4350 down to 31000cup for jacketed!
I will trawl through the other powders.

[runfiverun]

4350 can get weird when used in low volume settings.
it has a history, I like it's burn rate but avoid the powder itself if I had to pick one it would be the accurate version..

varget is very similar to 4064 in burn rate, I treat it like a slow version of 4895.

[Larry Gibson]

As indicated every powder has its own minimum psi where it begins to burn efficiently. The faster the burn rate generally the lower the psi. Other variables do come into play; double or single base, extruded, flake, or ball and the type and level of deterrents used. As mentioned they all can be "tricked" by the use of a filler but all that really does is decrease case capacity and increase the pressure level.

Additionally the weight of the cast bullet, the caliber and the expansion ratio all contribute as variables.

Bottom line is there is no hard "comprehensive list of powders and how well they burn at lower pressure".

Larry Gibson

[243winxb]

H4895 See Hodgdon youth loads. https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Reduced%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf

[runfiverun]

when you do reduce most of those powders you face the issue of inconsistent ignition leading to velocity variations.
this shows up as vertical stringing on the target.

[Outpost75]

Outpost’s Alliant Bullseye Data – These are What I Use, Your Mileage May Vary

.32 ACP 71 FMJ 2.2 850 Min. OAL 0.955 Do Not Reduce
2.4 905 Max, Do Not Exceed
88 LFN 1.5 620 Quiet for inserts, don’t reduce
1.7 720
2.0 800 Max, do not exceed

.32 S&W Long 88 LFN 2.5 850 Max. Older S&W Hand Ejector
3.0 950 Max. for postwar J frames
93 LHP 2.5 830 Max. S&W Hand Ejector
3.0 900 Max. postwar J frames, Rugers
98 SWC 2.0 750 Approximates Factory Velocity
2.5 850 Max. S&W Hand Ejector
115 LFN 2.5 750 Good in S&W M31
3.0 850 OAL 1.32” to feed in Marlin 1894 CB

.38 Special 148 HBWC 2.8 750 Do Not Reduce
3.2 800 Do Not Exceed with HBWC
146 DEWC 3.5 850 Do Not Exceed with DEWC
147 LFN 3.5 750 Practice and Cowboy Load
4.0 850 Approximates +P Service
160 LFN 3.0 750 Cowboy load, Do Not Reduce
4.0 850 Approximates +P Service load

.357 Mag. 180 LHP 4.0 950 Rook Rifles, quiet, accurate
4.5 1080 “adjust as needed for best accuracy

.44-40 WCF 200 LFN 5.0 750 Cowboy Load, Do Not Reduce
7.0 950 Do Not Exceed 1873 Win, Colt SAA
8.0 1180 Winchester ’92 and Marlin 1894

.44 Magnum 246 LFN 6.0 850 Do not reduce in Mag. brass
260 LFN 7.0 950 “Medium Velocity” plainbased bullet
240 SJHP 8.0 1030 Jacketed “Medium Velocity”

.45 ACP 200 SWC 4.5 860 H&G68
230 LFN 4.5 800 Saeco #954
260 LFN 4.0 900 Saeco #955

.45 Colt 230 LFN 6.5 880 Saeco #954

7.62x39 162 NEI 5.0 1300 Lee C312-155-2R, manual op.

.30-30 152LFN 4.0 900 Do Not Reduce
6.0 1200
175LHP 7.0 1300 Do Not Exceed

.30-40 Krag 162 NEI 7.0 1200 Do not reduce
And .303 Brit. 220 CBE 8.0 1200 Do Not Exceed

.30-’06 120 FN 4.0 1050 Do Not Reduce
162 LFN 5.0 1080 Do Not Reduce
162 LFN 8.5 1300 Do Not Exceed

.375 H&H 260FN 10.0 1000 Do Not Reduce
260FN 13.0 1300 Do Not Exceed

[303Guy]

I don't suppose you have done any reduced loading with N550 have you?No, I haven't. The H4350 load I tried was 28gr under a 202gr boolit and the filler was wheat bran. The load density would be 61.1% with wheat bran being lightly compressed. This one I never tested in the field, only 'test tube'.

When I tested reduced loads of Varget I thought it was a suitable powder for the purpose but I like H4350 for full power loads and Varget and H4350 look identical and me being over cautious, decided to dispose of the Varget. I'm surprised that H4831SC can go as low as 23,000 CUP! I might just try some. It should in any case work in my 25-303 with full power j-word loads.

[243winxb]

Reduced loads or starting load may have more consistent ignition with magnum primers? http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_st_mamotaip_200909/
We tested loads at both maximum normal pressures and at the starting loads (some labs calculate start loads—we shot them). Standard primers caused no ignition issues at the max load but posted higher extreme variations in pressure and velocity in the lower pressure regimes of the start loads. In extreme cases, the start loads produced short delayed firings—probably in the range of 20 to 40 milliseconds but detectible to an experienced ballistician. Switching that propellant to a Magnum primer smoothed out the performance across the useful range of charge weights and completely eliminated the delays.

Read more: http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_st_mamotaip_200909/#ixzz39cP1SDyo