Help - Olin Special Lot

[Mack Heath]

Guys,

I need to tap your collective knowledge. I did a quick inventory of powder and found two 8# jugs of powder I purchased a number of years ago that are called "Olin Special". One is "Olin Special Lot" The other is "Olin Special Ball" They both carry exactly the same lot number, which I cannot recall right off. I tihnk it was 474xx.

I cannot remember the project that I bought it for as it has been at least 15 years ago now. Possibly from Pat McDonald.

Do any of you remember this stuff? What was it suited for originally? My current need is for large quantity loading of .223.

Any help would be appreciated.

[felix]

I ASSUME it would be a slow lot of 748, too slow for the objective on hand for the time. Your 223 case will suffice to check out the speed, once the powder is verified not to be some pistol powder gone bananas during manufacture. You can do that check by loading a full case in your Ruger 357. ... felix

[Shiloh]

Can you call Winchester?? Aren't they Olin or is Hodgdon now Olin??

Shiloh

[felix]

That would depend on who named it special ball. Not a good label. Best would be LOT number so a call to alliant would be in order. I think alliant is the operations manager for the powder facility at st. marks, where most of Olin's powders were made in the last 20 years or so. Who owns alliant? Some big military contractor who owns a bunch of stuff now. ... felix

[swheeler]

lOT# SL7256 Special Ball from Pat 5-6 years ago, sold as just like H380. I still use it in 06/150, 22/250 50+55 gr and 308 168 SiMK, it is a true spherical powder(just like H380 and AA2700)speed is very close to H380.

[swheeler]

I also believe it was offered by other tear-down contractors as WC852 Non-waivered (as in NOT flattened ball) H380 speed, although I can't prove it because I didn't buy any of it, I bought the 4831 speed H450 derivative.

[Ricochet]

I believe WC852 was originally a spherical powder, not flattened. WC870 was another like that. That's a reason for the burning rate variations, if the size of the little spherules varied the surface/volume ratio changed rapidly. Flattening the grains to a uniform thickness helped to make the burning rate more uniform and made the process of stirring the lacquer into droplets less critical. And reduced the waste of screening out spherules that didn't fit into a narrow size range.

[TCLouis]

I do not remember all the facts now, but got them to list two speeds of WC 852on Cast pics, but there were actually three distinctly different speeds of powder with the WC 852 label.
I can't remember if I have two or all three in storage.

[felix]

Rolling or flattening will increase burn speed, intentionally, of course. ... felix

[swheeler]

I believe WC852 was originally a spherical powder, not flattened. WC870 was another like that. That's a reason for the burning rate variations, if the size of the little spherules varied the surface/volume ratio changed rapidly. Flattening the grains to a uniform thickness helped to make the burning rate more uniform and made the process of stirring the lacquer into droplets less critical. And reduced the waste of screening out spherules that didn't fit into a narrow size range.

All I know is WC 852 Lot BAJ 47287 from HiTech mid 1990's was flattened ball and was a close match to H450/4831 speed, but around the same time there was WC852 offered, Listed as "WC852 non-waivered H380 speed". Later there was WC852F that was supposed to be close to H380, but I did not buy any so I can not tell you if it was flattened ball or true spherical. For years I have wrote the approximate speed and date recieved on the jugs, sometimes load data after testing, sure saves a lot of confusion and discussion, although discission can be a good thing.

[Bullshop]

I have a cupla keggs from Bartlett that are marked wc852 and he has a page printed from the Hodgdons manual for h 450 on the can.
I have and do use both h450 and the lot of wc852 I have interchangibly.
I can get the lot # if needed.
BIC/BS

[swheeler]

Dan you got same lot speed I did of WC852, except mine came from Dan Johnson, loaded tit for tat with the last bit of H450 I had, both were flattened ball. Maybe that is where "SPECIAL BALL" came from, too many WC852's confusing people. I sure wish I had several more jugs of Pat's special ball

308-168SMK-47.0 gr Special Ball-2679-+78F-ES11-3.214"oal 6-28-04
3 shot group .783"@300 yards

06-57-58grs with 150
22/250 37-38 grs with 55 both clean,fast and accurate

And yes H870 was true spherical