Burn Rate Surprise

[poe]

Other Burn Rate Charts I've looked at show Bullseye to be faster than Reddot (iirc). This one shows just the opposite.
What??

http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

 

[poe]

Other Burn Rate Charts I've looked at show Bullseye to be faster than Reddot (iirc). This one shows just the opposite.
What??

http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

 

[Smith&Winchester]

I noticed that, too. About the only thing I ever used Red Dot for was some 45 colt loads....but, interesting, nonetheless.

 

[JohnK]

They have always been rated very close. That much difference on that chart, wouldn't make me worry about anything.

 

[armadillo]

I have always loaded 38 wadcutters with Red Dot rather than Bullseye. I think because the Red Dot load uses more case volume I would be better able to spot a double charge.

 

[Amici]

Originally posted by Smith&Winchester:
I noticed that, too. About the only thing I ever used Red Dot for was some 45 colt loads....but, interesting, nonetheless.

I found Red Dot to be an excellent pistol propellant and used it in everything from .25 through .45 ACP. Versatile, available and cheap.

It is particularly good for .38 Special target loads.

I have since gone to WST for my .40 and .45 loads, for reasons of power factor and smoke.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I have a favored hand load for my .455 Webley revolver that uses Red Dot.

 

[imashooter2]

Alliant still says Red Dot is slower than Bullseye. I think I'll take their word on it.

 

[nitesite]

I spoke with John at Hodgdon about their burn rate chart vs Alliant's and Lyman's and others.

His response was that different testing methods and protocols are used throughout the industry because there is no testing standard for everyone to go by.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Burn rates vary based upon the cartridge, bullet and primer combination. Use the burn rate as a guide to get you "in the ballpark" but if you wanted to determine it for sure, buy some powders and try them out.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Originally posted by Peter M. Eick:
Burn rates vary based upon the cartridge, bullet and primer combination. Use the burn rate as a guide to get you "in the ballpark" but if you wanted to determine it for sure, buy some powders and try them out.

I was about to say something very similar but was beaten to it. This is probably the best explanation that I know of...

 

[John R]

I use this BURN RATE chart a lot, seems to be a good one.

 

[Woodsoup]

The trouble with all the burn rate charts is that there is NO Date assigned to them. That one could be from last year or last century.

 

[John R]

Originally posted by Woodsoup:
The trouble with all the burn rate charts is that there is NO Date assigned to them. That one could be from last year or last century.

I don't use any burn rate charts, to substitute loading data, just for reference.

 

[Freischütz]

I've used burning rate charts when substituting powders, and usually with success. However, I've also had a nasty surprise or two.

Once I was shooting a P.08 in 7.65 P and decided to try Universal instead of Unique. I picked the lightest Unique load with which the gun would usually function. Surprise – heavy recoil (for a 7.65) and the cases landed 15 ft from me. The Unique load dropped cases within 5 ft of me.

The burning rate chart in John R's posting shows equal rates for Universal and Unique, but in this application that was not the case.

After that I decided to regard the charts as crude guides and never really trust them.

 

[2sigs]

Originally posted by Freischütz:
I've used burning rate charts when substituting powders, and usually with success. However, I've also had a nasty surprise or two.
--------------

After that I decided to regard the charts as crude guides and never really trust them.

very well put, burn rate charts are a good place to get an idea of "burn rate" but it is not a substitute for load data

I keep a copy tacked above the bench for reference from time to time but they do differ somewhat for a number of reasons which have been covered above. The fact is that they burn at specific rates under specific conditions

-2sigs