Homemade Corned vs Screened

[Boz330]

Finally I got a chance to chrono some HM BP yesterday. This was done from a cartridge gun but should be somewhat relative to ML. The green meal was ball milled and split into 2 groups, the first pressed into a puck and ground and graded. The second was moistened and run through a kitchen strainer which yielded the equivalent of 1F.
The case was filled to the top with a drop tube and then compressed to allow the boolit to seat. The first load that I tried was my left over hunting rounds from last year. This was 3F corned powder under a 375gr boolit. The velocities are as follows;
1326
1333
1311
1345
1328
1341
The second load was corned powder with a 325gr custom boolit from Mountain Molds;
1319
1329
1321
1250 Not sure what happened here.
1307
The last load was screened powder with the same 325gr boolit;
1064
998
1035
1019
1006
Recoil and report were indicative of the much lower velocity, but the group looked surprisingly good considering the sight picture I was getting. This was also the same kind of results that I got last year when I first started on this quest, except my corned powder was only giving about 1200fps. I guess my processing has improved somewhat. I was pushed on time and this was a last minute thought so that is why I only loaded 5 of each.
This is still a lot of fun and results are way within hunting limitations.

Bob

[Boerrancher]

Bob,

Interesting results. It would seem that the corning process is a key component to the BP making process if you want maximum velocity.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Boz330]

It would seem so to me. Fly who has been a tremendous help to me has had good results from screened powder. I'm not sure what I might be doing wrong, but the amount of hassle is about the same. My corned is actually giving better velocity per grain than Swiss, but not near the consistency for long range competition.

Bob

[Fly]

Bob that really is a suprise.Did you go by the weight of the powder or volmume?My crono
testing has always shown sreened to be faster when measured by weight.Be then again
I have always tested in a mussle loader, because of the exstra volume of the screened.

Also my screened powder is 3fffg size grains.Maybe this week I can see if I can test
again with the same coal in the muzzle loader.Percent of binder & how much water added
can play into this also.
Fly

[Hanshi]

I'm impressed with those velocities and their uniformity. You guys have really raised the bar.

[Boz330]

I used 5% Dextrin and a 50%-50% water alcohol mix. I wet it until it will hold together enough to run through the screen. I don't really measure the amount that it takes. I tried running it through the 20 screen but it clogs up so bad it is tough to get anywhere. The 16 screen kitchen strainer just works better, probably more like 2F than 1.
I just used a case full (40-65) but I find that typically the corned is about 10% give or take heavier than the screened for the same volume. I can mill the stuff I have and then corn it so it isn't a lost cause.
ML deer season is coming up and I need to get on the Hawken rifle, so I might try weighing some charges and make that comparison. As bad as 95gr by weight kicked in the Gibbs I'm not so sure I'm ready for that stuff at 100gr behind that 58cal RB in that light weight Hawken.

Bob

[Fly]

If you weigh it I think you might find a huge difference in your testing.I find that the
weight of 75 grains of Goex = 116 grains of screened by volume.I weigh mine
on a Lee beam scale.

Screened powder is alot less dense.I made a frame & use just door screen to get the
the 3fffg grain size.I make up a spray bottle with predisolved 10% dextrin to the water
mix.

When you spray the predisolved mix on you end up with about 2% dexstrin in the meal
doing it like this.Being the dexstrin is already desolved it takes alot less water to get it
to stick together.It sounds like your using to much water if it's clogging in 20 mesh
screen.

Dexstrin can be hard to disolve & thats why you have to use that much water to get it
to stick together.I learned this trick from one of my pyro fireworks buddys.It made a big
differance in my powder.

The less water you can get by with the better.When you wet it to much the KNO-3 seems
to cystalize & cuts down on how fast in burns.Even when you corn it, if you see water squeezing out the puck, its to wet.

Another pyro friend I know in Fl uses no water when pressing his pucks.But then again
Florida has alot more humidity than we have here.When I corn I use about 3% for pressing
my pucks.

Dam this is fun stuff, Bob.
Fly

[Boz330]

The first couple times I corned the powder I got too much water in it, which makes a mess. That also might be why my velocities were in the 1200fps range with those batches.
I'll try some of the screened by weight with my ML and see how that does. In a cartridge rifle with a limited case capacity the corned is a must. I tried the screened in my 40cal ML last year and it seemed to work well with it.
Setting the chrono up is a hassle and time is limited sometimes so I don't mess with it. The days are getting short now so I have to make max use of practice time after work. This is the best time of year to do such things, no oppressive heat and the bug population on the farm is down.

Bob

[Fly]

Great Bob, try the weight thing with a gun powder scale for the muzzle loader & I think
it may suprise you.And yes in the cartridge gun the screened most likley will not work.

Something I have been playing with is screened powder in my 1858 Remey cap & ball
revolver.If I fill a cylinder to the top with home made screened & push it down with a
dowel by hand some, I can still get the ball to compress the powder to clear the cylinder
by 1/8 of a inch.

By weight, it comes to about 28 grains.Thats plenty good for that pistol, power wise.
If I remember a full cylinder of corned was about 40 grains, but most people shoot
35 max & 25 grains on the low side in these guns.

Yea making our own is cheap & fun.Sreened or corned you know you made it & it's
fun trading Ideas.

Fly

[waksupi]

Have you guys tried corning it into a puck to compress the wet powder, then push it through the screen? I think there would be more density, without the difficulty of dry corning.

Also, what do you know about using gum arabic for a binder? How much to use?

[Boz330]

Have you guys tried corning it into a puck to compress the wet powder, then push it through the screen? I think there would be more density, without the difficulty of dry corning.

Also, what do you know about using gum arabic for a binder? How much to use?

Fly can probably answer the gum question. The other question is interesting but I have never tried it. The pucks are pretty fragile before being dried and might crumble, but it is worth a try. After they are dried they are like concrete. Somewhere in between might be the best.
I have a bunch of green meal ready for corning, I'll give it a try. That is if people quit bringing me work. This is supposed to be my slow time of year although you can't tell it right now. I use to take off to NM to guide this time of year because it was slow. You can't make me happy though, I bitch when there is no work and the same when there is too much. The negative part of being self employed I guess.:groner: The other problem is that I'm basically lazy and would rather be hunting or shooting than working.[smilie=1:

Bob

[Fly]

Have you guys tried corning it into a puck to compress the wet powder, then push it through the screen? I think there would be more density, without the difficulty of dry corning.

Also, what do you know about using gum arabic for a binder? How much to use?

Well when you press it into a puck it is dam hard.Know way to push it threw.

Gum arabic is my faverite binder.It comes from a gum tree from Austrilia.I
use it more than Dexstrin.A friend from down under put me on it years back.

I think thats the binder they use in binding books, but not sure.:lovebooli

Fly

[waksupi]

Well when you press it into a puck it is dam hard.Know way to push it threw.

Gum arabic is my faverite binder.It comes from a gum tree from Austrilia.I
use it more than Dexstrin.A friend from down under put me on it years back.

I think thats the binder they use in binding books, but not sure.:lovebooli

Fly

What I was asking, was to make the puck, and while it is still wet, push it through the screen.

Okay, let's say I'm doing a 75-15-10 mixture. How much gum arabic do you put in? I would imagine not very much. Would you add it to the water, or in the dry mix?

[Fly]

Well if you are using it dry in the mix 2 %.But hear me out on this please.By making a
predesolved mix, you are still using about 2% binder mix.When you disolve the binder,
Dexstrin or GA by 10 % to water in the disolved solution It still comes out to 2% when
you wet your meal.

Think about this.The binder has already dissovoled in the water.So when you spray it
on the meal, it is already like a glue.Very little water is disolved in the KNO-3.It works, beleave
me.

Fly

[waksupi]

I'm not sure I am getting you. I understand you are saying the GA is equivalent of 2% of the other solids being used. Would it be mixed in the water that you use to dissolve the nitrate?

[OverMax]

waksupi perhaps I can help:
I understand you are saying the GA is equivalent of 2% of the other solids being used
Most recipe's for ease of explanation are base on a 100% measurement. Yours is (75-15-10 =>100%) If you use grams as a measurement. 2% = 2-grams. Same with ounces 2% = 2-oz. If your recipe was 150-30-20 =200% you would double the amount of GA. 2% = 4 grams. Like wise with ounces 2% = 4-oz. As I understand one recipe of fly's. One must not forget the size of his recipe. Lets say for conversation sake its based at the usual 100% quote. He measures out 10% or 10 grams or ounces of a premixed 50/50 solution of alcohol and water. Then mixes in his Gum Arabic at 2% dilution or 2 Grams of it hoping for complete dilution. Where fly may confuse some. Again is. The amount or size of his recipe. A tip: Use denatured alcohol. It leaves no strange smell behind like some brands of rubbing alcohol may. I hope this thread helps those who are wondering >"just what in the Hell are these guys talking about. 10% this 2% that." It took me awhile to understand this jargon too._:)

[waksupi]

Okay, I think I have it now, mix it in the water/alcohol mix.

[OverMax]

mix it in the water/alcohol mix. Yes Sir.

[Fly]

Yea I,m not always clear.First let me say I don,t use any alky.It only serves as a
fast drying agent.It takes water only to desovlove dexstrin or GA.Some use alky but I don't.

I mix 90 grams of water to 10 grams binder.I make up a large batch at a time,
like 400 to 500 gram batch.I heat the water just below boiling & slowly add the
binder.Both binders are very hard to dissolve but they will.

Once there disolved, put it in a spray bottle.You can store it in the freige for
a long time & re use by heating it up for your next batch.I spread my meal
on a ole cookie pan & spray it some & mix with a ole credit card till it will stick
together by sqeezing in you hand.

It does not need to be very wet to stick together when doing it this way.PUSH
it threw your screen onto news paper, DONT GRATE it.Doing it this way it will dry in about 4 hours.

I just let it dry over night.Your grains will be very hard.Remember the binder took most
the water, leaving the rest for the KNO-3.If you do it as listed, it think you will find
harder grains & faster powder.

Anyone trying this post back your comment.I learned this from a season pro pyro
fireworks guy & it does work.My powder is faster, grains are more uniform.You know
you over wet your mix if you have to scrape most of the powder off the bottom of the screen.

You will always have to scrape some powder, but not much.

Fly

[waksupi]

I think I'm getting confused again! This almost sounds like you are using the spray bottle to apply the KNO3, too? I just want to be sure before I screw up a batch. I like to make sure I have my ducks in a row before starting something.


Yea I,m not always clear.First let me say I don,t use any alky.It only serves as a
fast drying agent.It takes water only to desovlove dexstrin or GA.Some use alky but I don't.

I mix 90 grams of water to 10 grams binder.I make up a large batch at a time,
like 400 to 500 gram batch.I heat the water just below boiling & slowly add the
binder.Both binders are very hard to dissolve but they will.

Once there disolved, put it in a spray bottle.You can store it in the freige for
a long time & re use by heating it up for your next batch.I spread my meal
on a ole cookie pan & spray it some & mix with a ole creit card till it will stick
together by sqeezing in you hand.

It does not need to be very wet to stick together when doing it this way.PUSH
it threw your screen onto news paper, DONT GRATE it.Doing it this way it will dry in about 4 hours.

I just let it dry over night.Your grains will be very hard.Remember the binder took most
the water, leaving the rest for the KNO-3.If you do it as listed, it think you will find
harder grains & faster powder.

Anyone trying this post back your comment.I learned this from a season pro pyro
fireworks guy & it does work.My powder is faster, grains are more uniform.You know
you over wet your mix if you have to scrape most of the powder off the bottom of the screen.

You will always have to scrape some powder, but not much.

Fly

[Boz330]

The way I understand what fly is saying is that the KNO3 is in the green meal already. Only the dextrin or gum is in the water.

Bob

[Fly]

The way I understand what fly is saying is that the KNO3 is in the green meal already. Only the dextrin or gum is in the water.

Bob

Bobs right on yes.Nothing is any differant other then the the way you apply the
water & binder by disolving the binder with water in ratio already disscussed.

Just spray the disolved water & binder mix on the 75%KNO-3, 15%charcoal &10%
sulfur ballmilled meal powder mix & screen.:smile:

Fly

[Fly]

Yea I,m not always clear.First let me say I don,t use any alky.It only serves as a
fast drying agent.It takes water only to desovlove dexstrin or GA.Some use alky but I don't.

I mix 90 grams of water to 10 grams binder.I make up a large batch at a time,
like 400 to 500 gram batch.I heat the water just below boiling & slowly add the
binder.Both binders are very hard to gum arabic but they will.

Once there disolved, put it in a spray bottle.You can store it in the freige for
a long time & re use by heating it up for your next batch.I spread my meal
on a ole cookie pan & spray it some & mix with a ole credit card till it will stick
together by sqeezing in you hand.

It does not need to be very wet to stick together when doing it this way.PUSH
it threw your screen onto news paper, DONT GRATE it.Doing it this way it will dry in about 4 hours.

I just let it dry over night.Your grains will be very hard.Remember the binder took most
the water, leaving the rest for the KNO-3.If you do it as listed, it think you will find
harder grains & faster powder.

Anyone trying this post back your comment.I learned this from a season pro pyro
fireworks guy & it does work.My powder is faster, grains are more uniform.You know
you over wet your mix if you have to scrape most of the powder off the bottom of the screen.

You will always have to scrape some powder, but not much.

Fly

Something I think that maybe confusing here reading your question.You don't
want the KNO-3 to crystaliize once it has been milled very fine.Thats why wetting the
meal with the predisslove binder uses less water in getting the mix to stick together.
Fly

[Boz330]

Fly, you say push the wet powder through the screen, doesn't that create long string granules?.


Bob

[Fly]

Fly, you say push the wet powder through the screen, doesn't that create long string granules?.


Bob

It will if it's to wet.Bob over wetting is problem people make with sceened
powder.Using the recipe descussed really helps avoiding over wetting.
I fought this for along time.The ole way of adding dry binding with the meal
was hit & miss with getting batches the same.

Thats the way I learned when first making BP.For my fireworks it was no
big deal if one batch was different.But when I set out to get a screen
powder for my gun to be the same, it was hard.

When my friend Gene put me on to this, it really helped.Your right on
with corned powder being very consistent.Thats why Goex & the rest
do it.But where they exceed is the way they granulate there powder.

I know they screen there crushed pucks also, but there doing something we are not.But as far as us using the wetted screening process, it can make faster
powder.The problem is the exstra volume thing.

I just weigh it on my Lee beam powder scale & put it in marked viles.
You can also weigh it & put it in a ajustable powder measure & see
what it comes to & just use that measure.

For my GPR I do that.I shoot 75 grains, but with the same weight of
srceened it come out to about 116 grains by volume.:coffee:

Fly

[Boz330]

Have you guys tried corning it into a puck to compress the wet powder, then push it through the screen? I think there would be more density, without the difficulty of dry corning.

Also, what do you know about using gum arabic for a binder? How much to use?

Ric, I've just finished a small batch as you suggested. It produces a very consistent grain size and is quite a bit easier than corning, drying and then grading. Hopefully it will dry fast enough to make a 3 way comparison tomorrow. Corned, Screened, and this method. It is somewhat slow but no worse than either of the other 2 methods and maybe a little quicker. I really like doing it this way so hopefully it will yield the same results velocity wise.

Bob

[waksupi]

I certainly am interested in your testing.

[geargnasher]

Ric, I've just finished a small batch as you suggested. It produces a very consistent grain size and is quite a bit easier than corning, drying and then grading. Hopefully it will dry fast enough to make a 3 way comparison tomorrow. Corned, Screened, and this method. It is somewhat slow but no worse than either of the other 2 methods and maybe a little quicker. I really like doing it this way so hopefully it will yield the same results velocity wise.

Bob

That sounds like a good way to go. So let me get this straight: You're dampening the meal with water/binder, packing into a puck, and working the puck against the screen before it dries? Would you ellaborate on the sort of motion you're using to get it through the screen?

Gear

[Oreo]

Sounds like there's no "working" it against the screen, just pressure to push it through. That's the way I read his instruction anyway.

[waksupi]

I'm reading it the same way. We need all the info brought together in an easy to read section. A lot of the instructions are very confusing as they are.

[Oreo]

An instructional video is what we need! :)

[Fly]

Well you guys are making this way to hard.We only make pucks for corning "pressed powder" thats a whole differant process, so forget the pucks.
We are talking about screened powder.Just wet the meal with the binder, water mix till it will
stick together in closeing your fist tight .Then push it threw the screen.Thats it!Simple

Fly

[OverMax]

Three question Fly. Arabic Gum: Powder form? or the little cubes?
Who's a good supplier for it?

Made two batches adding Dextrin into the mix two hours before the batch time was complete to allow for a good mix. Afterwards I could actually sense the two identical batches were not the same when tested.(corned) Going to try your water method next time. And push the meal thru instead of dragging it across. No pucks made here. I don't shoot C&B pistol. thank yaw Sir.

[Fly]

You can buy gum arabic from most any pyro chemical supply, it's in powder form.Hobby Chemicals is a good
good one http://www.hobbychemicalsupply.com/servlet/the-Chemicals/s/21/Categories

Hope this helps Fly

[OverMax]

Thanks for the info Fly. Have to order up some now (AG) Appreciate it Sir. O/M

[Boz330]

OK here we go. I tested 3 different varieties of powder in my 58cal Hawken. The load was 100gr of powder by weight behind a 290gr RB. My control was a 100gr of Kik 2F which actually showed about 97gr on a volume measure. None of the HM could be measured with that measure because it only goes to 120gr and even the dense corned powder exceeded that volume for a 100gr by weight.

The KIK powder gave1496fps and 1481fps.
The corned powder which was a mix of 2 & 3F yielded; 1618, 1425, 1519, & 1479.
The screened powder which was 1F yielded; 1433, 1721, 1475, &1479.
The powder that a pressed into a puck and grated through a screen yielded; 1651, 1546, 1506 &1595.
As you can see extreme spreads are pretty severe, but the velocities area is pretty close based on the weight of the charge. The only reason that I shot 4 rounds for group was that I had shot a number of rounds with KIK to regulate a new front sight and I was running low on patches and my shoulder was taking a beating on the bench.
Before I tested the powder I did a comparison of volume in one of my 40-65 cases which I also shoot my powder in. The case will hold more that 70gr of KIK by weight. A case full of Corned powder weighs 50gr. A case full of the screened powder weighs 40gr. And a case full of the pressed and grated powder weighs 36.7gr. That sort of surprised me since the idea was to try and get the density up by doing that and it worked just the opposite.

Now lets talk cartridges. I loaded some more 40-65s with the corned powder and some of the pressed and grated powder. I loaded with a #55 powder measure and basically filled the case as full as I could get it, then a .060 wad and a 325gr boolit. Compression was.500.
The corned powder yielded; 1214, 1274, 1277, 1258, & 1282 for an extreme spread of 68.
The pressed and grated powder yielded; 1113, 1138, 1149, 1127, & 1126 for an extreme spread of 36, almost half of the corned powder.
Based on my chrono work last week the corned and grated powder gave 100fps more than screened powder and is only about 75fps slower than the corned and the density is lower. I noticed that I was getting a fair amount of unburned powder though and when I used the blow tube I was blowing some residue out of the barrel. I believe that the powder was not quite dry yet since I made it up sat night. It is definitely worth another try though.

It seems to me that making powder is sort of like skinning a cat, there is more than one way to do it. The simplest way will work for a ML since you can add more if you need more velocity. For anything with a limited capacity like a cartridge or cap and ball revolver the the denser powder is a must.
It seems to me that the extra steps involved in loading BPCR makes the HM powder more consistent than in a ML. If you are using it at close range or for hunting, the larger velocity spreads are not as big an issue.

Bob

[OverMax]

Fly: I Googled your suggest supplier and wanted to try a little of their KNO3 besides ordering some AG as well. But wasn't sure which KNO3 to order. As all the Kno3 I've bought in the recent past from other suppliers (Haifa grade) never were offered with an Anti Cake agent. My Question: Will an anti-cake agent effect its KNO3s performance?

thanks O/M

[waksupi]

Bob, I am also surprised at the difference in weights by volume. It seems to be counter to what I would expect, also.

[Fly]

Great post Bob.I have always said this stuff is more common sense than science.I always
compare it took cooking a recipe.Mom gave her pie recipe to my wife, but my wifes pie
was just not the same (Wink).

But one thing for sure we can & do make as fast or faster powder than over the counter &
a whole lot cheaper.As far as anti cake KNO-3 I just use what ever is the cheapest.But
thats just me, & I could be wrong.

Fly

[Boz330]

Some of the powder that I tested was made with Spectracide Stump Remover purchased at Walmart.. The last I got in was from Phil's general store and was like $3.50 a lb over 5 lbs. His shipping was a lot more reasonable than some. Not sure if he carries the gum though.

Bob

[OverMax]

P/G/ Store. KNO3-1 lb =$5.75---KNO3-5lbs to 9lbs= 2.39 LB. (No >A.G.) Dextrin is available.

[Nobade]

Here is a thought, and something I am going to try. After you have your green powder, you add water to dissolve the KNO3 and really incorporate it into the charcoal. By wetting the powder and kneading it like dough, this happens. But you can't press pucks with powder that wet or you'll lose a lot of KNO3 along with the water. So what if you wet it, kneaded it for a while, ran it through a screen and let it get mostly dry and then pressed it into pucks? I wonder if this extra step would do anything toward making better powder?

[Oreo]

As I understand it, the problem with getting the kno3 that wet means it will crystalize while drying. It may not be apparent visually but on a microscopic level this reduces the quality of incorporation.

[Boz330]

I'm not sure that you really get enough water into the powder to do what you are suggesting. My powder that I press into pucks is just barely clumping up or moist enough to settle the dust and as you can see it is the densest per volume. If you get it as wet as you are suggesting, you will have a real problem screening it, been there done that.
My take is that the ball milling does the incorporation and wetting it just allows it to stick together along with the compression.
I might be all wrong on this but I'm no chemist, (in fact I didn't do so well in that class). When you add the water and dry it out it leaves the grains with voids where the water was in the grains thus the lack of density. Does that make sense? If you have unlimited powder space it doesn't make any difference since you can load the gun by weight of charge. That was pretty obvious to me in my above testing.
However if you are limited on space then the denser powder gives more energy per volume. The only fly (no pun intended Fly) in that ointment is the puck through the screen. That seemed to yield a lighter yet good performing powder, although not as good as the corned, but close. For that reason I'm going to give it another try. What I liked about it is that I got a very uniform grain without having to deal with all of the fines that you end up having to reprocess with the corning process. I usually end up with more fines going through the screens than 2F or 3F that I use.
I'm not saying that any of this is definitive, just my take on it from what I have done, and deduced.:veryconfu

Bob

[Fly]

The less water the better.You "don't" want the KNO-3 to crystalize.Thats why I posted
the post above.Reread & you will understand this.Sceened or pressed the least water you
can get by with.

BOB try doing it threw widow screen. Fly

[Boz330]

I got a chance to run a few more tests on Saturday. I shot 10 rounds each for velocity and group size. All cases were loaded strictly by volume, not weight. For the sake of brevity I'm only going to give the average velocity, extreme spread, and group size.
First up was the powder that was pressed into a puck and then grated through a screen. The velocity avg. was 1247fps, extreme spread was 37 fps and group size was 4.5"H by 4'W. That extreme spread is almost exactly the same as for the last test and this powder shot the best group. I think that it has some real potential and I'm going to concentrate on this method in the future.
Next up was made with sandbar willow and this was left over from my hunting powder from last year. It is a corned powder. Velocity avg was 1310, extreme spread was 75fps and the group 6'H by 6"W.
The next load was black willow CC that was corned. Velocity was 1340fps, extreme spread was 85fps, and group size 8.5H by 6'W. Not sure why this was so bad.
The last load was a mix of black willow and sandbar CC and it was corned. The velocity was 1340fps, extreme spread was 38fps, and the primary group size was 3.5"H by 4.5'W. There were 2 flyers that were way out in left field and I'm not sure what caused this but it would have made the group in the 10" area.
All shots were over sand bags at 100yd with iron sights. The pressed and screened powder gives velocities completely out of line with it's weight. The only thing that I can come up with is the fact that it is a very uniform granule and small. I'm going to try that powder and actually weigh the charges and see what that yields.

Bob

[Fly]

Keep us posted my friend.
Fly

[Nobade]

The less water the better.You "don't" want the KNO-3 to crystalize.Thats why I posted
the post above.Reread & you will understand this.Sceened or pressed the least water you
can get by with.

BOB try doing it threw widow screen. Fly

Yep, further testing has proved this is the case. Spreading the milled dust on a tray, lightly spritzing it with water and stirring it around with a spoon lets the very minimal water get distributed around and makes for a nice hard uniform puck.

Pressing any powder that isn't at least slightly damp results in a weak puck that turns back to dust when it's crushed. If it is uniformly wetted I get nice hard grains.

Oh, the latest pressed powder weighed 96 grains in a 100gr. volume BP measure! Only one grain less than KIK, I finally have gotten the weight up enough to get respectable loads in cartridges.

[Boz330]

What are you using to press your puck? I sure can't get close using a vise, but then I'm not unhappy with my velocities either. I have been really surprised at the good results that I have been getting from the grated puck powder. Consistency seems to be the big issue for me.

Bob

[Fly]

Well something I might add here if I may.Manufactor corned powder weight should be
1.7 grams per cc of density.To get that I use a hydralic press.It takes about 1600 psi
for me to get that.I also whole pressure on the puck for about five min.

Thats why I said I could not screen them once pressed.They are as hard as a rock.
After they dry for a few days there like china.

Thats the way I was taught to corn powder.I,m no exspert, but I would think differant
density of grains would make a big differance.

Just my thoughts Fly

[Nobade]

Yep, same here. Last month Harbor Freight had their 20 ton presses on sale pretty cheap so I got one. Made a press die out of a chunk of Dana 60 axle housing and some solid bar. It's about 2.450" ID and makes pucks as Fly described - they look and sound like ceramic when they're dry. I can't come close to breaking one with my hands after it's dried.