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Powder pictures?

Oregunner
Can anyone point me to a site with close up pictures &/or descriptions of some of the various currently popular powders? I've been in a bit of a rut for quite a while, using a relatively small number of powders that I knew worked well for a lot of our guns (my wife has as many as I do). I've been on a minor gun buying spree lately & I'm looking at loading for new cartridges for the first time in years. I use Dillon progressive presses so I prefer to use ball, flake & short extruded powders (pretty much in that order) because they flow through the powder dump more easily & uniformly than the longer extruded powders. So far I've been able to make satisfactory loads from all of these types. The problem is when I look in my three new loading manuals there are a bunch of powders I've never heard of.

<edit> It occurred to me that I should be more specific. I'll be loading 7-30 Waters in a Contender rifle 24" barrel & .45 Long Colt in a 14". What does AA2460 look like? I know Hodgens is (mostly?) ball powder but it would be nice to know. Since H-450 went the way of the Gooney Bird I'm trying some 4831SC for the magnum rifles. I always liked 4831 but it was a nuisance when it came to powder dumps, especially in my wife's .264 Win Mag's little neck. The new SC was a good idea, I hope it shoots like the old stuff. It slides through the hopper well but I haven't shot any loads yet. It got really cold a few days ago. Weird weather. I was shooting sage rats last Sunday & the weather was in the 60's, tonight it's supposed to be below zero. Too damned cold for shooting paper.

TIA
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • nononsense
    Oregunner,

    Generally speaking, all of the powder manufacturers have descriptions of their powders on their websites and in their manuals. I've seen pictures of specific powders various places but I don't have a list right off hand to give you. A search might yield a selection of pictures.

    Specifically, AA-2460 is a ball powder and yes, I've shot quite a bit of it over the years with good results. Accurate Arms has a good website with powder descriptions and load data. There is data for both cartridges that you refer to. They manufacture two lines of powder: ball and stick.

    I think most of us are usually disappointed when a popular powder such as H-450 is pulled from the market but for the most part, I think the manufactures try hard to replace it with an updated or improved product. In the case of H-450 you might want to look at the H-414 (not exactly the same) or a couple of the other manufacturers offerings in the H-450 burn rate.

    The biggest problem with Hodgdon is that they are not a manufacturer but a distributor of existing products, formerly all surplus. When the supply of surplus powder ran out, the Hodgdon product had to dropped from the market or a new variation found that was suitable as a substitute. Currently they are marketing the ADI line of powders here in the U.S. but labeled as Hodgdon products. The ADI (Australian Defense Industry) website has a cross-over chart that you can print out for reference at your reloading bench.

    The best suggestion that I can offer is this link that has a list for all of the powder supplier's websites where you can read about the individual powders and their characteristics.

    http://sst.benchrest.com/ (at the bottom of the list)

    There have also been a few changes in ownership in the last couple of years.

    Western Powders (Ramshot) owns Accurate Arms.

    Hodgdon bought IMR Powders.

    Hodgdon is now the official marketer and distributor for the Winchester line of powders.

    Norma powders will be back on the U.S. market this coming April (fingers crossed) through the agreement with Black Hills Ammuntion who will be handling the distribution. Check with your favorite supplier of reloading products.

    That's the basics, check out the specific websites for descriptions and load information.

    Best.
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  • Oregunner
    Thank you. I wondered why H450 was discontinued. I knew the IMR powders were military based but I didn't realize that Hodgdon was as well (I can't say it any better than I can spell it). I'll go see what I can find.
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  • nononsense
    Oregunner,

    I just remembered where you can find some pictures of powder.

    Wolfe Publishing sells a soft cover 8-1/2"x11" book with the title "Propellant Profiles". It has detailed articles about most powders with a picture of each powder at the beginning. I don't think it's been updated in a while so it won't have the absolute newest powders but it will have the majority.

    Other than that, each of the manufacturers will have a description of their powders on their website or in their reloading manuals.

    Best.
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  • steve4102
    If you are looking for some excellent spherical powders, check out the Ramshot line. http://www.ramshot.com/powders/
    They are all ball type, meter like a dream, temp tolerant, and clean burning. If it wasn't for my 7.62x39 having a love affair with AA2230 all of my powders would be Ramshot. They give me unmatched accuracy along with excellent velocities.
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  • Oregunner
    I'm going to a gun show next weekend & I'll look for that book. The Ramshot powder is completely new to me, I've never heard of it before, although I've seen those odd shaped bottles. I'll give it a shot. Har har.

    Thanks guys.
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