Ball powder is ball powder, literally it is a ball shaped powder, the ingredients don't change that. None of the rifle powders Alliant makes is a ball shape, all are stick powders. Your WC872 example is a ball powder and almost all of them are extremely temp sensitive. A few of the new ones aren't but all of the older ones are temp sensitive.
28 Nosler Barrel life vs powder used and charge weight.
- Thread starter dad11345
- Start date
Stick Propellants
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Virtually all stick propellant used in small arms is single-perforation (hole) grain. It is predominantly used for rifle propellants. A chemical deterrent coating is added to the surface to slow the initial burn to further improve the progressivity. These types of propellants are available in single or double base.
Examples of single-base propellants include the old IMR line, Hodgdon Extreme and Vihtavouri 100 series. These propellants produce good to extremely good temperature performance.
Double-base stick propellants typically have 6 to 8 percent NG. Examples of double-base propellants are nearly the entire Alliant line, the IMR Enduron line, Norma propellants and Vihtavouri’s 500 series. Older double-base propellants typically produce top velocity, but some do not produce very good temperature performance.
Recent developments in both single- and double-base stick propellants have resulted in virtually no sensitivity to temperature. The single-base Hodgdon Extreme propellants are typically the best.
Application of this production technique to the Hodgdon Extreme line, IMR Enduron line and the newer Alliant propellants such as RL 16, 23, 26 and 33 have resulted in single- and double-base propellants that have little to no performance change with temperature.
If you use stick propellants for reloading, one drawback is they typically will not meter as uniformly through a powder measure, unless they are very small in grain size. If you want the best uniformity from stick propellants, you will need to weigh individual charges. If you are loading a lot of ammunition and using a powder measure, this is a consideration.
If you’re a benchrest shooter, competition match shooter or especially a long-range shooter, you should try to use the temperature insensitive propellants. Doing this will give you uniform performance and ballistics regardless of environmental conditions.
Ball Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Ball, or spherical propellant as it is commonly called, is a bit of a misnomer. Very few ball propellants are actually spheres. With the exception of a couple propellants on the market, most are shaped like a thick pancake.
The propellant starts life as a sphere, but is put through a process called “rolling.” The spheres of propellant are passed through counter-rotating rollers that flatten the spheres. Essentially what is being done is converting a sphere into a flake-type grain to improve the progressivity. Ball propellants span the entire spectrum of applications from shotshell to rifle. Ball propellants are double base because NG is needed for the deterrent process. Rifle-speed ball propellants generally are 10 to 15 percent NG. Pistol and shotshell speeds have 15 to 35 percent NG.
The deterrent coating that is placed on ball propellant is much different than the extruded propellants. The deterrent on ball propellants is actually impregnated into the grain of propellant; it’s not just a coating on the surface.
This results in a propellant grain that steadily burns faster and faster, producing more and more gas as it burns through the outer 50 percent of the grain. The net result of this is that ball propellants can be manipulated by the combination of rolling and the deterrent placement to produce very progressive propellants.
The best examples of this today are the Hornady Superformance propellants. These are highly engineered propellants that produce very high levels of performance. Recently, the ball powder deterrent coating process has been applied to stick propellants to produce very progressive stick propellants. Hodgdon Hybrid 100V is an example of this type of design.
Ball propellants have several advantages over stick propellants. The first is that they flow easily and meter very uniformly through a powder measure. The second is they have higher bulk density than stick types; you can get more charge weight in the case. If you’re having trouble getting enough stick propellant in a case, consider a ball propellant of comparable speed. You will get more powder in the case and achieve the performance you’re after.
Ball propellants have one significant performance drawback. They will usually not provide temperature performance comparable to even the older-design stick propellants. The exception to this is the Hornady Superformance propellants, which were engineered to provide improved temperature performance. Temperature performance is comparable to older-design stick propellants.
If you’re a high-volume loader on a progressive press, interested in top velocity from a given cartridge or are not concerned with velocity variation because of temperature with what you are loading, consider a ball propellant.
In the table, we show some representative changes in performance of older and newer designed single- and double-base stick propellants and ball propellants as a function of temperature.
See Photo Gallery
Virtually all stick propellant used in small arms is single-perforation (hole) grain. It is predominantly used for rifle propellants. A chemical deterrent coating is added to the surface to slow the initial burn to further improve the progressivity. These types of propellants are available in single or double base.
Examples of single-base propellants include the old IMR line, Hodgdon Extreme and Vihtavouri 100 series. These propellants produce good to extremely good temperature performance.
Double-base stick propellants typically have 6 to 8 percent NG. Examples of double-base propellants are nearly the entire Alliant line, the IMR Enduron line, Norma propellants and Vihtavouri’s 500 series. Older double-base propellants typically produce top velocity, but some do not produce very good temperature performance.
Recent developments in both single- and double-base stick propellants have resulted in virtually no sensitivity to temperature. The single-base Hodgdon Extreme propellants are typically the best.
Application of this production technique to the Hodgdon Extreme line, IMR Enduron line and the newer Alliant propellants such as RL 16, 23, 26 and 33 have resulted in single- and double-base propellants that have little to no performance change with temperature.
If you use stick propellants for reloading, one drawback is they typically will not meter as uniformly through a powder measure, unless they are very small in grain size. If you want the best uniformity from stick propellants, you will need to weigh individual charges. If you are loading a lot of ammunition and using a powder measure, this is a consideration.
If you’re a benchrest shooter, competition match shooter or especially a long-range shooter, you should try to use the temperature insensitive propellants. Doing this will give you uniform performance and ballistics regardless of environmental conditions.
Ball Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Ball, or spherical propellant as it is commonly called, is a bit of a misnomer. Very few ball propellants are actually spheres. With the exception of a couple propellants on the market, most are shaped like a thick pancake.
The propellant starts life as a sphere, but is put through a process called “rolling.” The spheres of propellant are passed through counter-rotating rollers that flatten the spheres. Essentially what is being done is converting a sphere into a flake-type grain to improve the progressivity. Ball propellants span the entire spectrum of applications from shotshell to rifle. Ball propellants are double base because NG is needed for the deterrent process. Rifle-speed ball propellants generally are 10 to 15 percent NG. Pistol and shotshell speeds have 15 to 35 percent NG.
The deterrent coating that is placed on ball propellant is much different than the extruded propellants. The deterrent on ball propellants is actually impregnated into the grain of propellant; it’s not just a coating on the surface.
This results in a propellant grain that steadily burns faster and faster, producing more and more gas as it burns through the outer 50 percent of the grain. The net result of this is that ball propellants can be manipulated by the combination of rolling and the deterrent placement to produce very progressive propellants.
The best examples of this today are the Hornady Superformance propellants. These are highly engineered propellants that produce very high levels of performance. Recently, the ball powder deterrent coating process has been applied to stick propellants to produce very progressive stick propellants. Hodgdon Hybrid 100V is an example of this type of design.
Ball propellants have several advantages over stick propellants. The first is that they flow easily and meter very uniformly through a powder measure. The second is they have higher bulk density than stick types; you can get more charge weight in the case. If you’re having trouble getting enough stick propellant in a case, consider a ball propellant of comparable speed. You will get more powder in the case and achieve the performance you’re after.
Ball propellants have one significant performance drawback. They will usually not provide temperature performance comparable to even the older-design stick propellants. The exception to this is the Hornady Superformance propellants, which were engineered to provide improved temperature performance. Temperature performance is comparable to older-design stick propellants.
If you’re a high-volume loader on a progressive press, interested in top velocity from a given cartridge or are not concerned with velocity variation because of temperature with what you are loading, consider a ball propellant.
In the table, we show some representative changes in performance of older and newer designed single- and double-base stick propellants and ball propellants as a function of temperature.
RL338
Handloader
- Mar 23, 2017
- 3,369
- 5,491
^ This sums it upStick Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Virtually all stick propellant used in small arms is single-perforation (hole) grain. It is predominantly used for rifle propellants. A chemical deterrent coating is added to the surface to slow the initial burn to further improve the progressivity. These types of propellants are available in single or double base.
Examples of single-base propellants include the old IMR line, Hodgdon Extreme and Vihtavouri 100 series. These propellants produce good to extremely good temperature performance.
Double-base stick propellants typically have 6 to 8 percent NG. Examples of double-base propellants are nearly the entire Alliant line, the IMR Enduron line, Norma propellants and Vihtavouri’s 500 series. Older double-base propellants typically produce top velocity, but some do not produce very good temperature performance.
Recent developments in both single- and double-base stick propellants have resulted in virtually no sensitivity to temperature. The single-base Hodgdon Extreme propellants are typically the best.
Application of this production technique to the Hodgdon Extreme line, IMR Enduron line and the newer Alliant propellants such as RL 16, 23, 26 and 33 have resulted in single- and double-base propellants that have little to no performance change with temperature.
If you use stick propellants for reloading, one drawback is they typically will not meter as uniformly through a powder measure, unless they are very small in grain size. If you want the best uniformity from stick propellants, you will need to weigh individual charges. If you are loading a lot of ammunition and using a powder measure, this is a consideration.
If you’re a benchrest shooter, competition match shooter or especially a long-range shooter, you should try to use the temperature insensitive propellants. Doing this will give you uniform performance and ballistics regardless of environmental conditions.
Ball Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Ball, or spherical propellant as it is commonly called, is a bit of a misnomer. Very few ball propellants are actually spheres. With the exception of a couple propellants on the market, most are shaped like a thick pancake.
The propellant starts life as a sphere, but is put through a process called “rolling.” The spheres of propellant are passed through counter-rotating rollers that flatten the spheres. Essentially what is being done is converting a sphere into a flake-type grain to improve the progressivity. Ball propellants span the entire spectrum of applications from shotshell to rifle. Ball propellants are double base because NG is needed for the deterrent process. Rifle-speed ball propellants generally are 10 to 15 percent NG. Pistol and shotshell speeds have 15 to 35 percent NG.
The deterrent coating that is placed on ball propellant is much different than the extruded propellants. The deterrent on ball propellants is actually impregnated into the grain of propellant; it’s not just a coating on the surface.
This results in a propellant grain that steadily burns faster and faster, producing more and more gas as it burns through the outer 50 percent of the grain. The net result of this is that ball propellants can be manipulated by the combination of rolling and the deterrent placement to produce very progressive propellants.
The best examples of this today are the Hornady Superformance propellants. These are highly engineered propellants that produce very high levels of performance. Recently, the ball powder deterrent coating process has been applied to stick propellants to produce very progressive stick propellants. Hodgdon Hybrid 100V is an example of this type of design.
Ball propellants have several advantages over stick propellants. The first is that they flow easily and meter very uniformly through a powder measure. The second is they have higher bulk density than stick types; you can get more charge weight in the case. If you’re having trouble getting enough stick propellant in a case, consider a ball propellant of comparable speed. You will get more powder in the case and achieve the performance you’re after.
Ball propellants have one significant performance drawback. They will usually not provide temperature performance comparable to even the older-design stick propellants. The exception to this is the Hornady Superformance propellants, which were engineered to provide improved temperature performance. Temperature performance is comparable to older-design stick propellants.
If you’re a high-volume loader on a progressive press, interested in top velocity from a given cartridge or are not concerned with velocity variation because of temperature with what you are loading, consider a ball propellant.
In the table, we show some representative changes in performance of older and newer designed single- and double-base stick propellants and ball propellants as a function of temperature.
Charlie-NY
Handloader
- Mar 11, 2005
- 1,432
- 887
Very interesting read IdahoCTD - thanks for posting.
TXbaldhunter
Handloader
- May 12, 2007
- 406
- 339
Ridge_Runner
Handloader
- Sep 29, 2006
- 1,388
- 739
your calling it by the shape, back when I started reloading there was extruded powder which was single based and ball powder which was double based. back then all double based powder was "ball" powder, because thats how they made it, then the RE powder line came up, its still double based, still more temp sensative than single base powder due to the volatile state of nitroglycerine. the only thing that makes the shape relevant is if you want to use a measure.Stick Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Virtually all stick propellant used in small arms is single-perforation (hole) grain. It is predominantly used for rifle propellants. A chemical deterrent coating is added to the surface to slow the initial burn to further improve the progressivity. These types of propellants are available in single or double base.
Examples of single-base propellants include the old IMR line, Hodgdon Extreme and Vihtavouri 100 series. These propellants produce good to extremely good temperature performance.
Double-base stick propellants typically have 6 to 8 percent NG. Examples of double-base propellants are nearly the entire Alliant line, the IMR Enduron line, Norma propellants and Vihtavouri’s 500 series. Older double-base propellants typically produce top velocity, but some do not produce very good temperature performance.
Recent developments in both single- and double-base stick propellants have resulted in virtually no sensitivity to temperature. The single-base Hodgdon Extreme propellants are typically the best.
Application of this production technique to the Hodgdon Extreme line, IMR Enduron line and the newer Alliant propellants such as RL 16, 23, 26 and 33 have resulted in single- and double-base propellants that have little to no performance change with temperature.
If you use stick propellants for reloading, one drawback is they typically will not meter as uniformly through a powder measure, unless they are very small in grain size. If you want the best uniformity from stick propellants, you will need to weigh individual charges. If you are loading a lot of ammunition and using a powder measure, this is a consideration.
If you’re a benchrest shooter, competition match shooter or especially a long-range shooter, you should try to use the temperature insensitive propellants. Doing this will give you uniform performance and ballistics regardless of environmental conditions.
Ball Propellants
See Photo Gallery
Ball, or spherical propellant as it is commonly called, is a bit of a misnomer. Very few ball propellants are actually spheres. With the exception of a couple propellants on the market, most are shaped like a thick pancake.
The propellant starts life as a sphere, but is put through a process called “rolling.” The spheres of propellant are passed through counter-rotating rollers that flatten the spheres. Essentially what is being done is converting a sphere into a flake-type grain to improve the progressivity. Ball propellants span the entire spectrum of applications from shotshell to rifle. Ball propellants are double base because NG is needed for the deterrent process. Rifle-speed ball propellants generally are 10 to 15 percent NG. Pistol and shotshell speeds have 15 to 35 percent NG.
The deterrent coating that is placed on ball propellant is much different than the extruded propellants. The deterrent on ball propellants is actually impregnated into the grain of propellant; it’s not just a coating on the surface.
This results in a propellant grain that steadily burns faster and faster, producing more and more gas as it burns through the outer 50 percent of the grain. The net result of this is that ball propellants can be manipulated by the combination of rolling and the deterrent placement to produce very progressive propellants.
The best examples of this today are the Hornady Superformance propellants. These are highly engineered propellants that produce very high levels of performance. Recently, the ball powder deterrent coating process has been applied to stick propellants to produce very progressive stick propellants. Hodgdon Hybrid 100V is an example of this type of design.
Ball propellants have several advantages over stick propellants. The first is that they flow easily and meter very uniformly through a powder measure. The second is they have higher bulk density than stick types; you can get more charge weight in the case. If you’re having trouble getting enough stick propellant in a case, consider a ball propellant of comparable speed. You will get more powder in the case and achieve the performance you’re after.
Ball propellants have one significant performance drawback. They will usually not provide temperature performance comparable to even the older-design stick propellants. The exception to this is the Hornady Superformance propellants, which were engineered to provide improved temperature performance. Temperature performance is comparable to older-design stick propellants.
If you’re a high-volume loader on a progressive press, interested in top velocity from a given cartridge or are not concerned with velocity variation because of temperature with what you are loading, consider a ball propellant.
In the table, we show some representative changes in performance of older and newer designed single- and double-base stick propellants and ball propellants as a function of temperature.
All about Powder – Custom Reloads of Dallas
dallasreloads.com
Last edited:
Ridge_Runner
Handloader
- Sep 29, 2006
- 1,388
- 739
call it what you wish and I'll do the same, however whatever you call it does not change the characteristics and results from them.
xphunter
Handloader
- Sep 15, 2005
- 1,239
- 2,223
Use the powders you have and find what your rifle likes best...Then go shoot and kill stuff with it.
Don't worry about your throat life. Enjoy! Shoot steel!
I run a 26 Nosler, and I am going to shoot it until it no longer has acceptable accuracy, then replace the barrel
