Making custom powder blends. Is this ever done?

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  • bstewrat3

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    Not by people without a laboratory, but it is done frequently by ammo manufacturers. Cut open several Federal bulk pack shotshells from different lots and you will see different mixtures of powders. It is all about getting to the advertised velocity.
     

    Mgderf

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    Dick Casull did, but I have no idea how he kept from blowing himself to bits, especially when you look at what he ended up with.
    The .454Casull is a hand-held Howitzer.

    I've read in many places that combining powders is possibly one of the WORST ideas in reloading.
    The simple act of mixing them can cause static electricity causing detonation.

    Nope, not for me.
     

    Old Syko

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    I've done it with excellent results. I once bought a box full of reloading supplies that contained three one pound containers that had been partially used. I had always heard that gunpowder made good fertilizer so I mixed together equal parts of H110, Red Dot, and Herco and poured it around one of the wife's roses. It soon after had the largest blossoms ever. Guess I should have kept the lot numbers.

    I will never use powder that has been opened and kept by someone else for this very reason. You never know who has some off the wall ideas and tried to implement them or maybe they just screwed up. I'm no self taught bomb builder and never will be. You never get the chance to learn from your own mistakes trying such things.
     

    natdscott

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    It soon after had the largest blossoms ever. Guess I should have kept the lot numbers.

    Bahahaha!! :): I've always just thrown mine on the grass on a windy day, but I guess that proves there's a better use!


    OP: They have you well-informed here. Mixing of powder is a "no, never" in reloading unless you are GD Olin. The trouble is that reloaders don't know sh@# about the chemistry...you think you're mixing 5w20 and 10w30, when in reality you might be mixing Jet B and ammonium nitrate.
     

    bigedp51

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    KISS - Keep it simple stupid.

    The powder factories will mix/blend lots of powders to maintain the same burn rate and pressures.

    The military recycles powders and re-blends them "BUT" the charge weight can vary between lots.

    And mixing powders by the average reloader is a good way to create a kaboom and blow up your firearm.

    Bottom line, do not mix different powders and play it safe, you can't replace any missing body parts.
     

    two70

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    Some Savage ML shooters dabbled with duplex loads(two different, unmixed powders on top of each other) but it really wasn't worth the risk. In metallic cartridges the risk is far greater. Just don't do it.
     

    praff

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    Some Savage ML shooters dabbled with duplex loads(two different, unmixed powders on top of each other) but it really wasn't worth the risk. In metallic cartridges the risk is far greater. Just don't do it.

    This....

    While I wouldn't recommend it, I do know someone that has successfully used surplus 50BMG powder on top of a fast pistol powder by running two powder drops on a Dillon 1050. He got functional results in a M1A, albeit there was still quite a bit of unburnt powder.

    But....Do not try it based on my friend's story
     
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    rhino

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    As the others have mentioned, it's not a great idea for the end user to mix propellants.

    You probably should not mix the same propellant from different lots, because there is no guarantee that they are the same. Manufacturers package propellants to match the burn rate and pressure characteristics from lot to lot. How they do that can vary, and a batch of WW 231 from 2008 might be very different from a can of 231 from 1998.

    The combustion properties of powders is not just a function of chemistry. The shape and size of the particles can play a huge role because it affects not only surface area, but how the particle stack and how much space there is between adjacent particles.
     

    billybob44

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    YES it is DONE...

    I just HAD to "Weigh In" (see what I did there??) on this topic:

    YES, I and most handloaders have, mixed powder in measure hoppers..

    Like add when low of WW-231 with HP-38

    Like add when low of WW-296 with H-110

    Like add when low of WW-760 with H-414

    Sometimes-NOT OFTIN:

    Add H-335 to WC-844

    Add BL-c(2) to WC-846

    Folks they (These powders listed!!) come out of the SAME containers at the Powder Mfg. Plant..

    Winchester brands are usually higher $$ than Hodgdon powders to pay a fee back to WW for their "Branding"

    With ALL the Anti's I HAD to chime in...Bill
     

    VinceU1

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    Dick Casull did, but I have no idea how he kept from blowing himself to bits, especially when you look at what he ended up with.
    The .454Casull is a hand-held Howitzer.

    I've read in many places that combining powders is possibly one of the WORST ideas in reloading.
    The simple act of mixing them can cause static electricity causing detonation.

    Nope, not for me.

    I think what Casull did with the case was to put a small brass tube from the primer pocket to the top of the powder column. And then he didn't blend the powder, he would put in two or three layers of different speed powders to get the bullet moving and then the different burn rates helped keep the pressure up to get some incredible speeds out of the gun. Lot's of DANGEROUS work that nobody in their right mind would want to try.waaa2

    And I agree with everything else MGDERF said!!!
     

    patience0830

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    Not far from the tree
    I just HAD to "Weigh In" (see what I did there??) on this topic:

    YES, I and most handloaders have, mixed powder in measure hoppers..

    Like add when low of WW-231 with HP-38

    Like add when low of WW-296 with H-110

    Like add when low of WW-760 with H-414

    Sometimes-NOT OFTIN:

    Add H-335 to WC-844

    Add BL-c(2) to WC-846

    Folks they (These powders listed!!) come out of the SAME containers at the Powder Mfg. Plant..

    Winchester brands are usually higher $$ than Hodgdon powders to pay a fee back to WW for their "Branding"

    With ALL the Anti's I HAD to chime in...Bill

    Good info to have but I'm curious where you got the info and how you verified its accuracy?

    I'll just use that little dab at the end of the can for rose fertilizer if that's ok.
     

    Old Syko

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    On a bit more serious note; It's poor practice to even try to mix lots of the same powder. If you load, for example WC844 which is one of the most variable powders from lot to lot that is commonly available, mixing lots can kill you for the simple reason different lots can be made from completely different compounds. Plain and simple, powder isn't so expensive that one needs to put their life on the line playing with it and if you think you can out guess the experts you need to think again.
     

    billybob44

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    Good info to have but I'm curious where you got the info and how you verified its accuracy?

    I'll just use that little dab at the end of the can for rose fertilizer if that's ok.

    I will try:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNu5Ar5GIfc Frames 1:35-1:58

    https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1489020#post1489020

    https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/ww296-powder.12160/#post-152893

    https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/ww296-powder.12160/#post-152893

    There ARE more if you want to spend more time..This is it for my time...Bill..
     

    Sniper 79

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    I've always dumped the end of a can into the next. Give it a shake and keep loading. My rose plants could use a boost. I'd rather be shooting though.

    I heard of a guy separating all the red flakes out and loading only those:dunno:
     
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