HS-6 and Magnum Primers

[ColColt]

I know there's quite a few here that use HS-6 and it's one of my top three favorites. I get good groups with it and don't quite follow why some think a magnum primer is necessary. Some of the reloading manuals specify a magnum primer while others don't.

The only different aspect of going to a magnum primer with this powder is maybe a little more pressure. I use this powder in 357(9 gr) and 44 Magnum(11 gr depending on boolit weight) and have had good success. With 240-245 gr boolits I use 11 gr and drop to 10.5 with the heavier 260 gr RNFP style. If someone could extol the virtues of using magnum primers with this powder for me so I can understand more. It seems the opinions of this is quite extensive.

[Three44s]

I use magnum primers with HS-6 for loads like you are using.

I started with maggies ........... my manuals seem to concur on them.

I have tried standards just a bit and the burn looked more dirty even though I inside flashhole debur ALL my metalic cartridges for a cleaner more efficient burn.

If you are curious try the standards and maggies and chrono and check for accuracy in your guns.


Three 44s

[geargnasher]

I burn a lot of HS6, if the peak average pressure is there is doesn't matter very much how you light it. If the pressure isn't there, a .50 BMG primer won't burn it cleanly.

Gear

[ColColt]

The groups I get using standard primers are good and I thought, why look a gift horse in the mouth? Still, I know magnum primers are recommended by some folks and some manuals list them as well. The 7th Edition of Hornady's manual doesn't show HS-6 listed with any loads be it jacketed or lead. Speer's old #9 manual does list it and they recommend magnum primers. Oddly enough, they recommend magnum primers for ALL loads including using Unique with jacketed boolits! However, their #14 indicates standard as well as magnum depending on the boolit weight/type. They show standard on the 240 gr LSWC but, magnum primers are called for in the same weight in jacketed.

The Lyman Pistol and Revolver handbook shows magnum primers for just two lead boolit weights and they don't use magnum primers with HS-6. It all seems to be a toss of the coin. Maybe I just need to try 15-20 rounds of each and see if groups shrink/enlarge and watch for any pressure signs.

[bobthenailer]

IME either primer will work but one type may be more accurate ! every gun is different

[dougader]

I could never get a good burn with HS6 in the 9mm, even with magnum pistol primers. I also tried small rifle primers and always ended with a bunch of unburned powder (little spherical balls) in the action of my gun.

When that pound was gone I never tried HS6 again. Maybe it works better in high pressure revolver rounds?

[Rocky Raab]

Speer used to have an in-house rule to always specify magnum primers with ANY spherical powder, no matter what cartridge or other variable. They have since revoked that silly rule.

Only very slow spherical powders, or charge weights of 60+ grains, or loads intended for use in sub-freezing temps need magnum primers.

All powders have a design pressure window where they burn efficiently. Use a charge that doesn't reach the low side of that window, and your powder will not burn well. Using a magnum primer to "correct" poor burning is a mistake because while it may increase the initial pressure, it cannot provide enough evolved gas to sustain the pressure. The small charge cannot maintain that pressure, either and so you end up with a load that shows a high peak pressure but a very small total gas volume. That means low velocity despite the high pressure. The correct way to correct incomplete burning is to up the charge weight. If that generates too much pressure by the time you get clean burning, that powder is simply too slow for that application.

[ColColt]

I had some"left over" granules in the cases and barrel but not what I'd call unburned-or, they didn't look that way. That's no big deal to me as I've seen that with other powders. It wouldn't have amounted to no more than maybe a grain going by the size of this powder. I loaded up 15 with magnum primers and 11 gr of HS-6 and will try them on for size.

[blackpowder man]

The magnum primers with HS6 have been more accurate in my guns for medium type loads. In the .45 colt the difference between regular, magnum, and winchester LP primers is big. The WLP primer is supposed to be both regular and magnum, but it shoots differently than other brand primers. I think the others are right about shooting what you determine to be better for your gun. In my .44s the magnum primer is more accurate.

[Stampede]

I use HS-6 with SPM primers, it seems to work the best in my .38SP and .357Mag loads.

A good frend of mine blowed up his revolver (cylinder and barrel in pieces) with a approximately 30% over load of HS-6. He did not check his powder charge in his progressive press. He never reloaded again and stopped shooting all together.

Since than i have more respect for the HS-6 powder.

[ColColt]

I use HS-6 with SPM primers, it seems to work the best in my .38SP and .357Mag loads.

A good frend of mine blowed up his revolver (cylinder and barrel in pieces) with a approximately 30% over load of HS-6. He did not check his powder charge in his progressive press. He never reloaded again and stopped shooting all together.

Since than i have more respect for the HS-6 powder.

That's one of the many reasons I don't use a progressive loader and not the first time I've heard of problems like that. I just do it the old fashioned way I've been doing it since 1969 and that's to use a powder measure like the Ohaus DU-O-Measure and then check every fifth or so charge with the Lyman M-5 or 5-0-5 to be sure I haven't accidentally bumped something then visually check before seating a boolit. That sort of thing can happen with any powder-not just HS-6. Bullseye is a big culprit in that it's way too easy to double charge without knowing it. I don't use Bullseye. In this business of reloading you're not allowed mistakes.

[Freischütz]

I use HS-6 with standard primers in the 7.65 Browning, 7.65 Par and 9 mm Par. In all cases there's a little bit of partially burned powder left. But velocities are as expected, and accuracy is good. So, I've never felt the need to try magnum primers.

[Three44s]

To err is to be human but ANY powder overcharged is an overload. I've never found any with a pressure release built in other than stretching or bursting the gun.



This load is my drop dead favorite upper medium field load in the .44 mag:

Trimmed case to make for consistent crimps, same head stamp (brand not an issue)

Federal mag primer (I can't tell you if the brand matters, I use this old stock Federal as I have a couple of tunned revolvers that need them)

RCBS 250K from WW plus 1/2 to 1% tin added

HS-6 at 11.8 gr. (Source the Hodgons #26 manual, 24,000 psi)

I run all my metalics with inside debured flashholes. Once upon a time I was running some old Red Dot and I resorted to a batch to see if it helped ..... it did. Previous to that, I was using that tool on varmint rounds. After the test with Red Dot everthing got it!

That said, I get 1066 fps from a Smith Mountain Gun -- 4" barrel (it's not the primer sensitive one) and just 7 fps SD with groups that beat my best groups from 2400 and enough punch to defeat most things that bump around in the night around here and recoil is modulated.

My 7.5" Redhawk runs 1176 fps with 15 fps SD. I have not chronoed my 9.5" SRH but it feels like a pop gun in comparision!

I pack 2400 loads but play mostly with HS-6 particularily after it's bed time for bears.

Three 44s

[ColColt]

I finally got back to the range today with 15 rounds each of 10.5 gr of HS-6 with the 260 gr RNFP from Accurate Molds using standard primers and 15 using magnum primers. Both did very well as for grouping but the ones with the magnum primers appeared to have the primer flattened a bit more. The extraction wasn't much if any different with the magnum primers over the standard-just they looked a touch more flat. I don't know if I was getting into pressure using them or not. Looks wise they was no bulge at the case head(visually not mic checked) and no soot or pierced primers which is a dead giveaway. They only appeared as indicated, to be a little more flat.

I think I'll stick with the standard primer as I saw no less powder residue using the magnum primers over the standard ones.