The effects of cutting powder

[williamlayton]

I have read, with interest, many post on the metering of powder and how some will cut/crush certain types of powder.
What is the effect of crushing powder when metering it.
Blessings

[Questor]

I've used stick powders and they crunch while being cut by the measure. The measure throws them with a weight of plus or minus a grain. It doesn't seem to matter. Accuracy is still into an inch at 100 yards.  

I prefer the short cut and ball powders, though. They work well. The trend seems to be toward the design and manufacture of powders that meter well, and I'm with that trend.

[New Hampshire]

I dont think enough kernals could get cut to really affect the burn much.  Dont know, though.
Brian M.

[williamlayton]

Well, just for conversation lets say you took a mortar and pistil( sp-I think, well, I have no idea) and ground powder. What would the effect be?
Blessings

[Questor]

Williamlayton: You'd probably blow up the gun. You will have removed the retardant coating from the exposed powder, and increased the surface area of the powder.

[williamlayton]

Well, that was a devistating though.
Blessings

[Jack Crevalle]

I prefer the short cut and ball powders, though. They work well. The trend seems to be toward the design and manufacture of powders that meter well, and I'm with that trend.

Get an electronic dispenser. They won't cut or crush extruded powders.

[rpseven]

You should read the Q&A's in the new Sierra Loading manual. They highly recommend NOT crushing any types of powder.

[ricciardelli]

I've used stick powders and they crunch while being cut by the measure. The measure throws them with a weight of plus or minus a grain. It doesn't seem to matter. Accuracy is still into an inch at 100 yards.

If you are thorwing charges with a 2 grain variation, you have more to worry about than cracking a couple of kernels.

(And unless you are loading .50 BMG, I doubt that you are maintaining a 1 MOA group with such a large variation.)

As for the original question, a couple of crunched kernels will have no effect whatsoever.  BUT...there is a big difference between simply crunching a few and pulverizing the entire charge!

[Mikey]

Steve:  thanks for that input.  There have been times when during reloading my old powder measure has 'crunched' some of the longer or more extruded powders and I had always wondered if I was settin'  yself up for any trouble.  

And, you know that I agree with you on the issue of throwing a grain weight of powder plus or minus - that's way too much variation.  I get miffed when my old Lyman measure throws more than 2/10s variation.  

Thanks again.  Mikey.

[williamlayton]

So, what kind of dispenser would work well with this type powder. There is one suggestion on an electronic dispenser. What brand name?
Blessings

[Jack Crevalle]

So, what kind of dispenser would work well with this type powder. There is one suggestion on an electronic dispenser. What brand name?
Blessings

Of the two I know of, Lyman and Pact, I'm partial to the Pact because it is made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty on everything but the load cell for the scale ( you have to buy both an electronic scale and dispenser from them that are linked via infrared ). The Lyman is a bit cheaper and is all in one package, scale and dispenser. The Lyman is made by ChiComs and I think the warranty is 90 days. It's not a bad unit and has a couple of things the Pact doesn't  but I think with the warranty the Pact is the better deal. I believe that the units RCBS sells are also made by Pact. Electronic dispensers are not as fast as throwing charges by volume unless you are weighing each charge or working up a load.

[Questor]

Oops. I meant plus or minus .2 grains.  There was an unintentionally humorous article in Handloader by a guy who put quite a lot of effort into getting his powder measures to throw within .1 grains.  Unfortunately his experiments didn't work.