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Posted: 10/15/2009 4:50:32 AM EDT
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I've been reading some articles here where ammo was thouroughly tested. (To say the least) Anyhow, some ammo has "short-cut extruded" powder and some has "ball powder". Aside from the obvious, what is the difference between the two, is one preferred over the other?
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Quoted:
You choose a powder based on how well it performs with that particular bullet, achieving the desired velocity, and being relatively impervious to ambient temperature changes. What physical shape the powder has is ultimately unimportant. If you are not reloading, you don't need to worry about it. If you are reloading ammo, try asking here. |
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Quoted:
You choose a powder based on how well it performs with that particular bullet, achieving the desired velocity, and being relatively impervious to ambient temperature changes. What physical shape the powder has is ultimately unimportant. To expand on Zhukov's statements, there are two basic concerns with the physical shape of a powder's granules. First, the shape, ball vs. "short cut" or other extruded shape indicates the composition and manufacturing processes involved in making the powder-which CAN say something about how well it meters and thus how consistent powder charges can be expected to be. This is completely immaterial in commercial ammunition. The second concern comes from the chemical composition of the powder, which is SOMETIMES indicated by the shape of the grains. "Ball" powder is (as far as I know) ALWAYS double-base, meaning that it is made from both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine, which makes it pretty energetic and used to mean it would burn hotter, while extruded powders MAY be either single base (nitrocellulose only) or double base. Flake and cut grain powder is often, but not always single base. But this is all VERY old stuff, since it's now pretty standard for a powder maker to adjust not only the energy content of a powder but also the flame temperature through the use of additives and coatings. If you see it noted in the advertising materials or the box of a commercial loading, noting the shape of the powder is pretty much 100% marketing hype. If you're loading with it, powder shape can affect your powder measure's consistency-which is something that you can deal with in a variety of ways-but it's not a driving force in selecting a powder. As Zhukov says, performance and temperature sensitivity are the two main considerations when ANYONE, hand loader or major manufacturer, selects a powder. Everything else is a very distant second place in making this decision. |
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