Not true. When it comes to PCCs*, the case volume is always the deciding factor. If you were talking something bigger than a pistol caliber, such as a 444 Marlin (to keep things in the .430” bullet diameter), then, yes, different powders will perform differently in different barrel lengths. The best performance for a 44 Mag handgun is a max load of H110/W296, because that gets the most btu/case capacity. In the carbine, it is no different. There is not a powder which will create more velocity in the Carbine than H110/W296.
I have 44 Magnum Revolvers in 4, 5, 6, and 7.5” and carbines with 16, 18, and 20” barrels and the max load of H110/W296 for a given bullet always creates the best loads. Just not enough room in a 44 Magnum case to get an advantage with a slower burning powder in carbines…
*PCC = Pistol Caliber Carbines
Last edited by MakeMineA10mm; 10-29-2024 at 07:08 PM. Reason: defining my abbreviation
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A similar issue appears in rifle cartridges also, and it's related to the bore diameter, it's the expansion ratio.
With the area of the bore going up with the square of the radius, a big-bore bullet opens-up barrel volume at a much faster rate than small-bore bullets, that faster volume increase requires faster powders.
That's why for top performance we can't use real slow powders even in big cases/big bores like a .458 WM, or even a .45-70.
With the .300WM I could use 4350, with the .375H&H I had to go to a faster powder.
While single base vs double base powders exhibit a difference in energy per unit weight, all powders of the same base have the same energy per unit weight. The burn rate is controlled by shape and coating
Group Buy Honcho for: 9x135 Slippery, 45x200 Target (H&G68), 45x230 Gov't Profile, 44x265 Keith
E-mail or PM me if you have one of the following commemorative Glocks you'd like to sell: FBI 100yr, Bell Helo, FOP Lodge1, Kiowa Warrior, SCI, and any new/unknown-to-me commemoratives.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |