Learn from GunBlue how to assess the many powders and use them safely to the greatest advantage for accuracy and power! Discover that powder selection need not be complicated!
Sir, I would like to personally thank you for sharing your vast knowledge with the general public. Your lifetime experience is truely a wealth of knowledge and a wonderful legacy . Like many other people, I thank you. God bless. Respectfully, Robert Auriemma
GunBlue, thank you for this informative handloading series. A trusted friend who has been into loading for decades mentored me, however, I would still consider myself a rookie. This series has provided me with numerous tips on the nuances of handloading. As you know, there is so much detail to this, you could easily load for years and still learn something new. Regarding your comment on .270 Winchester, I have an Husqvarna 640 and 1640 (24" and 22" barrels, respectively). If I'm not using them for prairie dog hunting, am I likely to burn out a barrel? I try to shoot them slowly at the range to keep the barrel cool. The hottest I've had a barrel has been during something like an obsolete bolt rifle match where you may have a short session of rapid fire. Would that be considered abusive to a barrel? Thanks in advance for your comments! Thank you again for all of your excellent videos! God Bless
I am a person who is tempted to reinvent the wheel, build a better mouse trap continually. Your explanation of a slow burning powder in the place of a fast burning powder might have saved my ass. I was seeing a flame thrower in a semi automatic that looked cool in my mind. I'm not going there now. Thank you kindly my friend.
Dear Mr. GunBlue490, Thank you for sharing you knowledge and more importantly, your time to make these video's. I think it is a great service to our Community. The imparting of experience, knowledge and the continuance of the next Generation is paramount. ~ God Bless.
This is some wonderful insight into the nebulous world of pressure, cartridge spacing. and powder burning charts. For me, up until now, I have found this to be the more difficult portion of hand loading. I have recently been reloading for the 6.5 Creedmoor and I have never understood why this cartridge loves such slow burning powders. That was easy to see in my application: .264 147gr bullet, and a 28 inch barrel. Of course it likes the slow burning stick powders such as 4350. It's quite a bit restrictive. The answer was right there all along. Thanks Captain for helping me understand what's going on here.
Just a note. Hodgdon's annual manual (2020) lists burn rates for 163 powders, including some that have been discontinued (such as Alliant Reloder 12 or Winchester 780 Supreme). The powder descriptions for the IMR, Hodgdon, Winchester powders and load data are restricted to those powder families. I buy the Annual manual almost every year as it has some really great articles and try to keep reloading manuals for Nosler, Sierra and others as I can afford. I just wish they would include load data for discontinued powders which I still have in new reloading manuals. Luckily, I keep old manuals. Thank you for your info.
Sir I respect you so much for your knowledge I have saved all your videos for a reference for me and family and friends that really want to know, I will teach them as well as I taught my friends daughter to pass her hand gun qualifying test for San Diego police Dept. much respect and God bless you sir!
Thank you so much for putting together this video with a wealth of information and knowledge. As a very new , beginner hand loader, not only did you answer questions I have,you answered questions I didn't know I had. Your examples and explanations are clear and understandable. I am glad I've decided to watch your videos before going ahead to load my first cartridges, even though all the materials Ive gathered are staring at me from my bench beckoning me to go ahead, I know by waiting my first reloads will not only be viable but safe. God bless you and of course Benny
You can use a lot of different powereds but if unsure you can get close by the burn rate and start under loading and work your loads up one shell at a time . Use a coronagraph and check your primer deformation. That will tell you if you are exceeding most normal pressures . Steves reloading pages are in the internet and is a wealth of knowledge.
Looks like I’m bringing in the New Year listening to ol GunBlue on my breaks at work and I’m quite content with that. The Mrs. packed me a nice supper tonight and I’m the only soul here tonight. Happy New Year Mr. Gun Blue and God’s blessings to you and your family.
My hat is off to you sir, you are a gifted instructor, I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from your experience. I got a Cabela's battery/electric scale several years ago as a gift and after testing against my RCBS 505 beam scale with different powder and bullet weights discovered that it had a tendency to drift sometimes as much as 2/10ths of a grain. Because of this I have not used it to weigh powder. What I am learning from this video however is that as long as I stay 1/2 a grain under max this isn't really a major safety concern. Am I understanding you correctly?
Instead, use your balance beam to set up a powder measure, and you'll dispense with greater accuracy. Please watch my latest video posted today, where I cover all details of measures and scales. But you are correct!
Sorry that I just found your question as I was going through old mail. 2/10ths is not a large amount in a 50 grain case, but it can be a significant amount in a 20 grain case, proportionately. Please watch my latest two videos regarding accurate rifles and ammo, where I describe the correct use of a scale in conjunction with a powder measure, in relation to cartridges of varying proportion and powder types. An accurate powder scale should always be used when developing loads, but can be set aside for general loading, where a dispensing measure is more appropriate to the task. As with so many things in reloading, the issue of weighing charges has become very over-blown with hype, marketing of extraordinarily priced weighing systems, and is entirely unnecessary for the best accuracy. In fact, I would rank the weighing of individual charges at the bottom of my list of accuracy requirements, and is an element of least concern. But at least watch the second of the two videos, where I explain the entire issue in detail.
All excess power goes to the john.....washed away. That has been my policy. Thats also time for break, coffee, soft dri nk or what ever. Sure been enjoying your videos
Great video. And I just have to say that I trust my ultra inexpensive Lee powder dippers more than I trust those junkie Amazon digital scales for around 30 bucks. I would not trust those scales to measure fishing sinkers! But I find that you are correct once again. I am still very new to reloading and when I first sat down at the bench, I had grandiose ideas about how I was going to use water to measure inner case displacement and brought out my triple-beam agate lab scale and I began to measure out each part of my powder, water from the cases, and bullets. And I was doing great, I had it all figured out! And then I looked at the clock and then my load count in my trays. Yes, you are correct! If I continued this stuff, it would have driven me bonkers. My incremental load development now follows your suggestion, examples, and now even equipment and how you use it. And I couldn't be happier about the results! Thank you sir and as always, may the Lord bless you and your home!
I’m sorry if this was already asked but if you could only have two gun powders to be used in the largest variety of cartridges what would they be? I say two because I’m assuming one will not do of course for pistols as well as a rifle round? One being for pistols and one for rifle sorry if this is a somewhat stupid question. Im newer to reloading and I find that you are a wealth of knowledge and I would think if anyone could suggest these two suggestions would be you for that I really thank you for ur videos
First and foremost, I recommend that you get a loading manual, so you can see what powders are represented across the cartridges that you load. That is a MUST for any intelligent safe reloading. Because powders are made for specific uses, covering a wide range of cartridges and bullet weights, one must absolutely know what cartridges each powder can be used for. One cannot expect to have an all-purpose powder, because no powder covers all uses and bullet weights, and simply does not exist. Even if a powder can be used for different loads, it may not provide the best accuracy or desired velocity with every one. With a manual, you can cross reference the different guns that you load for and determine which ones have the broadest suitability for the bullets you load for. I'd recommend the Lee Modern Reloading, 2nd Edition to be a very good reference that covers virtually all powders across the board. I'm sorry that I could not boil things down better, but I'd be deceptive if I attempted to do so. If you ask about particular cartridges, perhaps I can assist.
Mr gun blue your a treasure, quick question, I'm getting into reloading, with a Lee classic turret kit,..... Mainly loading match bullets for my ruger mpr/ar15 5.56......the two bullets it seems to like the best are the 69 and 77 grain Sierra matchking...... It's an 18 inch barrel....... The three powders my local store has are imr 4895, imr 4166, and cfe 223....... Of those three, which would be your pick for benchrest accuracy at 100 yards? Sierras accurate load out of an AR is the 69 grain match King over varget, but I can't find that stuff anywhere...... The only three I can readily get are those mentioned above..... I know it's trial and error just wondering if you'd had good luck with any of those in similar circumstances
You definitely need to be using the loads published by the powder manufacturers. Most of them have data on their websites but I would buy a manual or two.
I find reloading books listing powder fill volume very helpful when loading the .223 with heavier bullets as some powder listings can list "say 35 g with a 75 g bullet" but the combination cannot work because the powder fills the case and seating the bullet results in a crushed case. Can't always believe the reload data with some powders with bullets that intrude into the powder space of the casing.
@@redrock425 the loads I'm talking about I've tried with my drop tube and compression, still will not fit at all or damages the case when seating the bullet.
I’m looking at loads for a 115 gr 9mm Berry’s plated bullet in the Lee manual. They list a charge for lead with Titegroup but no charge for plated bullets. Would the charge be the same, also does double plating make a difference.
Speaking of dangerous or at least problematical mistakes. The easiest mistake to make is misreading your scale. Just like double reading your powder and double checking again. Make Sure your scale is on the notch you think it is.
I have yet to see this answered anywhere. So here goes. Let’s say I have a powder and bullet combination that is not anywhere in any book.However the same bullet one size smaller by wight does have load data for my powder. Can I work up a load with my bullet weight which is heavier using the lighter bullet weights load data? Hopefully this makes sense
Thank you for the series. I am 73 and just getting into reloading and will rely on your wisdom to guide me. I don’t own a rifle(yet) and plan to reload 9mm, 38/357 and 380, 45 acp.I will order a hand-loading book. Bought used equipment including a Lyman Spar T press. Would the Lyman book be an advantage. I would like to know where to buy powder, bullets and primers. I mainly shoot targets at a range and need home defense loads as well. With the supplies I bought I received a box of 500 hundred 45 acp cast bullets= Hornsby 200 gr lead swc and a smaller box of Sierra#8800 .45 cal., .452dia 185gr. JHP..mixed in are some round nose lead bullets with two sealing rings- what are those? Also 45acp.. every thing has been sitting for years by the look of it.
Hodgdon publishes an Annual reloading manual with loads for IMR, Winchester and Hodgdon powders, both rifle and pistol data, for around 10 dollars available at Barnes & Noble, but I also back that up with A bullet manufacturer manual on occasion.
I am enjoying your many videos and your pragmatic and sensible approach to the hunting and shooting sports. I am just getting started on hand loading for the 300 SAV and 6mm REM that are becoming more difficult to find in the sporting goods stores. I am curious how you approach the development of a new cartridge. I noticed that in this video you mentioned that many types of powder can be used effectively and we don't need to wait for a particular powder to become available. Do you have a top 10 recommendations on developing accurate loads for beginners? I assume that the "law of diminishing returns" applies to hand loading (Lee dipper vs. other types of powder dispensers, Lee collet crimp vs others, seating depth to adjust jump to rifling etc). Do you start with the selection of a bullet weight? For example, I might choose 95 gr or 100 gr bullets for the 6mm for hunting antelope. Do you then try the same weight bullets with various shapes etc? Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the viewers!
Which manual if any, have you found that includes the most data and isn't so biased as to bullet type sold by the publisher (like Hornady Sierra or Nosler as examples)?
Hello Sir thanks for all the time and effort you put in i really appreciate your no nonsense straight forward process 👍. I do have a question about reloading i live in a small apartment and have no room for a reloading bench i have been looking at the lee handheld press and was wondering if you can make good cartridges with it what are your thoughts on them
Yes, you certainly can! It will do exactly the same thing that a bench mounted press will do, using the same dies, requiring only a bit more physical effort on your part. Getting bullets started is a bit tricky until you get the hang of it, but it's a very high quality tool.
Very difficult stuff this section about powders and bore diameters and their relations. if you take now the cartridges into the account this theory is quite hard to digest. Nevertheless your lessons are really a goldmine! What if you wrote a book? I wish you had, it would be much easier as cross reference and occasional repetitions. One question now, pls be patient with me. You've said when the bore diameter increases the resistence of the projectile decreases and one could use quicker powder. If so, why is it so common to use N110 VV for 44 Mag and not a quicker powder as for the 45 acp, where a Bullseye seems to be the right one?
+Panos Lolos In the context of all powders, N110 is quite fast. It is only slow in the context of pistol cartridge powders. As to your question, Bullseye is far too fast to generate the pressures associated with full power 44 Magnum loads, which are immensely more than even the hottest 45 ACP loads. Bullseye would blow a .44 Magnum to pieces if any attempt were made to generate magnum velocities with it. .45 ACP bullets don't compare to .427 diameter bullets used in typical .44 Magnum loads. A 45 measures .45, but a 44 measures .42, so weight comparisons are meaningless. The heaviest .45 ACP have a much shorter bearing surface in relation to their diameter across equivalent bullet weights, (much less sectional density) which further decreases resistance. Manuals don't generally list low power target loads for the .44 Magnum for the simple reason that they are among the .44 Special loads, which is a far more efficient, accurate, and suitable case size for reduced loads in a .44 Magnum revolver.
I've got a question on bullet choice / powder charge that hopefully you can clear up for me. I notice that some manuals include specific bullets in the load data (Lyman does this), though some only list bullet grain (such as in the Lee manual). Provided that I stay within the min/max range for a listed bullet weight, does it matter much what brand of bullet I use? I'm asking because I have a moose hunt coming up and I'd like to use handloaded bullets on the hunt. I've got some Sierra 180gr SBT ordered (and have published load data to go by), though im concerned that they wont arrive in time and I may have to buy some bullets locally, the only thing I have available to me locally are Speer 180gr HPSC, and I do not have any published data specifically for that bullet. The Lee manual does have a listing for 180gr .308, though being new to this I wanted to double check that I can go by load data that is non bullet specific. Thanks.
Tea Es Lyman has been publishing data that they work up in their own test facility, for generations of shooters. It's specific data, generated from actual components they used. Because they don't make bullets or other components, other than cast bullet dies, they test samples of components, with no favorites. Bullet manufacturers list their bullets. Powder manufacturers list their powders, sometimes listing the bullet brands and other components by name. Lee obtained all his data directly from the powder manufacturers, and compiled it according to velocity, in order of highest first within bullet weights and other secondary categories, such as lead bullets, copper, etc. Their compiliation is a mixed bag of all the powder brands that cooperated with his data collection, and makes no further distinction, which would have really made a frustrating mess to compile and digest. As to your question, the brand or type of bullet even of the same weight can significantly affect pressures and velocities, which the standard rules of loading take into account. Any of the starting loads listed in any manual, whether Lee, Sierra, Hornady, Lyman, Nosler, or whomever, can be safely used. Maximum loads, regardless of their origin, can be assumed to be dangerous unless approached from the starting load, or 10 percent less than maximum, unless otherwise stated. Loads should never be reduced below an amount listed as minimum, as with certain slow burning powders. Some cannot be reduced by 10 percent without incurring dangerous pressures from a phenomenon called detonation, or such low pressure that hangfires can result. You should take time to test some incremental loads with whatever bullets you can obtain, and develop a baseline. After establishing a good load, you can safely try loads with your hunting bullet that are 2 grains below your maximum. The relevant video on this subject is my recent one on developing accurate ammunition, where I go into the process in detail. It's a very rewarding process that will teach you much about your rifle.
Thank you for that write up, I really appreciate you answering my questions on here (and your videos, they're very informative). I'm hoping that my Sierra bullets will arrive on time. Being new to this, I would really rather load using published data that is specific to my bullet/powder combination. Though if I need to go with the Speer bullets, I'll be sure to start low (I'll do that even if I go with the Sierra / specific published data as well too though). I did notice something with the Lee manual. I've got a PDF of the first edition and a physical copy of the second edition. In the 2ed edition, the powder I was planning on using (H380) isn't even listed, though it is in the 1st edition. Would they have a specific (safety) reason for omitting it from the 2ed edition? I would think that if it was published in the first and loads were safely worked up, that it would be fine to use. Though this is not a hobby I want to make assumptions in, which is why I'm doing this pre loading / hunting research on my planned combination. Edit: I just had someone send me a photo of the Speer reloading data I was looking for. There's somewhat of a discrepancy between the Lee and Speer data, though where the Speer is specific to what I may be using and Lee is generalized, I would be inclined to go with the Speer data. Lee says that with H380 I should seat a 180gr bullet to 2.530"OAL, whilst Speer data with H380 says 2.800"OAL and that at max load it will be a compressed load. I'll avoid listing any charge weights here, but but the listed max loads were within 1 grain of each other (Speer data having the higher one). That difference of 0.27" seems quite large... Hopefully my fretting will be a moot point and the Sierra bullets will arrive on time... Edit 2: I have loaded some 22-250, so i'm not entering this entirely green, though it is still a new hobby, and these will be my first .308 loads
Tea Es The overall length of a cartridge has only one safety limitation, being the minimum. Too deeply seated, a bullet intrudes on chamber size, reducing powder combustion room, and effectively making a smaller cartridge that is overloaded. As to the maximum, it is where the bolt of a given rifle will close on a loaded round, or the length of the magazine, whichever of the two are smaller. Hunting loads should be seated at least 010" short of the rifling, to prevent bullet jam and potential outpulling of the bullet in the field. It also slightly reduces internal pressure. Otherwise, the seating depth is a factor that individual rifles and bullet shapes correspond with regard to a sweet spot for accuracy, whuch can vary from one bullet and rifle combination to another. However, the difference will have no meaningful relationship to field accuracy. When I find the sweet spot in my 257 Roberts, it shoots 3/8ths of an inch. If I just take a stab at it and load just shy of the rifling, without fussing about OAL with my calipers, I will get 3/4ths of an inch. It's an important factor from a bench, but has no bearing on its field performance. Don't assume that the differences found in various literature signify eroneous reporting by one or another laboratory. The folks who do the testing use standards that the have developed, apart from the ways another lab has established. Both are valid, within the context of their procedures and equipment. You should also be aware that these humans even have disagreement with regard to loading procedures, which has no small influence on the data they publish. One lab may stop at even the slightest flattening of a primer, while the other may regard flattening as an entirely appropriate pressure signature, only capping their data at the mushrooming of a primer, or just below case head growth. As to the omission of H380 powder in the second manual, I cannot say. Lee simply transcibes powder data supplied by the powder manufacturers, and does not develop the data. Hodgdon has a phone number that you can call, and they will certainly and most happily give you any information you desire. That brings to mind the most important thing of all. Bullet manufacturers and all the folks in this loading business, are very, very nerdy about reloading. They love to engage loaders about their products and will extend an amazing amount of time and energy to assisting those who need help with their products. It's not infrequently that an owner of the company will pick up the phone, just as the late John Nosler used to do when I occasioned to call for assistance or advice. He never stopped loving the bullets that he invented out of the love of hunting and reloading, and had a sincere interest in talking to anyone who would care to listen to him. Call these people and ask them anything. Their resources, knowledge, and expertise go WAY beyond the pages of their loading data.
You will need more precise powder measurements for good results when target shooting past 300 yards. Velocity variances of 50fps are not discernible at 100, but can mean a couple feet at 1000.
After a reloading session I have cases (9mm parabellum) which I have had to remove from the Dillon progressive press due to the primer not seating properly. I don't mess with these and just put them in a container to be discarded. (Casings with no powder or bullet). I have had people tell me that you can put these in a container and cover with oil to render them inert so they can be discarded safely in the trash. What do you recommend as to how to go about this safely? Thanks so much.
BCNUBYNBY Much depends on how your trash is handled. From an environmental perspective, disposal of the oil is more hazardous than the rather low potential of individual primers detonating, and oil depositories don't want solids in it. It's actually safer and simpler to simply bury them among your shrubs or along your foundation where it's not likely they will be a nuisance. The primers will degrade very quickly.
I know of no such powder as H385 of modern manufacture. I suspect you are speaking of Hodgdon H335 for which loading data is available for free from the Hodgdon website, or Modern Reloading manual by Richard Lee. H335 powder was developed as a military propellant for the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, and is not particularly efficient in larger calibers such as the .308 Winchester. In the .308 it can only provide modest, less than standard velocities, except with the lightest bullets. If you do in fact have powder labeled as H385, I strongly recommend that you safely dispose of it, because powders are discontinued when they are found to be unreliable and potentially unsafe.
Thank you for your truly knowledgeable and in formative videos, which have inspired me to take up hand loading. Following your recommendation I have purchased both the Lee and Lyman Reloading handbooks, which appear to contain all the information needed. However on reading the Lyman handbook, on the various load combinations where it gives the bullet weight, description and overall length, it shows a picture of the bullet and two sets of initials in bold capitols, with a number opposite. The initials are BC: and SC:. Although I have searched throughout the handbook I can find no reference as to what these initials stand for. Could you please explain. Many Thanks
Hello, Do you use the barrel length as a consideration when picking a powder? For instance, would it be more preferable to pick a faster burning powder listed in the manual when shooting a 270 Winchester with a 22” barrel?
TheFarmdawg Only to a certain degree in extreme cases, but there is nothing unusual or short about a 22 inch 270, which works well with slower powders in that caliber. I have cataloged many tests with 270s over chronographs with barrels ranging from 22 to 24 inches, in Sako, Remington, Husquavarna, and Winchester rifles using such powders as H4831, and IMR4350, and the velocity variation was within the expected range of 75 to 120 fps, at most. I would expect such powders to be adversely affected with carbine length barrels, but that would be a rather silly contradiction to the use of a cartridge traditionally considered a plains specialty.
When I was reloading .45 acp in the past I used 3.2 to 3.6 grains of bullseye powder with a 200 grain Hensley and Gibbs #68 LSWC . The 3.2 seemed a little to light not always actuating the slide correctly but 3.4 grains worked ok. I picked up a Kimber gold match two weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet. Do you think this load would work in the Kimber? Thanks Al