Author Topic: First Time Reloading - Unburnt Powder? (Read 660 times)

dan61psu · « **on:** February 13, 2005, 04:26:58 PM »

Hey all,

My pops finally got all his needed doo-dads and supplies to begin reloading for his Ruger Bisley .44 Magnum. He went with the Lee Anniversary Kit for reloading. We tried our hands today for the first time at reloading, and only screwed up two loads (we didnt have the seating die set up right so the bullet got pushed all the way into the shell, and somehow we got a primer on backwards on another round-- not bad for first time I think

.

Today we loaded 50 rounds, of Light, Light .44 Specials. We used spent PMC cases with Hornady FLP bullets (180 grain i believe), HP38 Powder, and Federal LP primers.

We went with pretty much the smallest load for the .44 special, I think 4.5 grains of powder.

When we went to the range to shoot my new Taurus Model 66 and his reloaded rounds, we found that all of his shells still had unburnt powder in them, turned slightly greenish. And wow were those rounds LIGHT! (but that was the goal)

We have theories about why this happened, but since we are both rookies at this, I wanted to bring it up here and garner your input, since you all have probably been doing this much longer than we have.

Can anyone shed some light and provide some possible causes and fixes?

Thanks!

Dan

ricciardelli · « **Reply #1 on:** February 13, 2005, 07:34:10 PM »

Put a good strong roll crimp on the cases.

ajj · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2005, 05:45:50 AM »

Ordinarily the cause of unburned powder is that insufficent pressure is generated to burn all the granules. Steve's suggestion may be the solution and, assuming you stay within loading manual recommendations, just increasing the charge might do it.

Rustyinfla · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2005, 07:37:53 AM »

Some people don't like HP38 for just that reason, they say it burns dirty. I have a friend that uses it for just about every hangun he shoots. That way he can afford to buy it in larger quanities and get a better deal on the powder. I've used it myself in .357's and it worked OK for me pushing a 158 grain SWC at 1100fps. It seems that with HP38 as with some other powders the hotter the load the cleaner it burns.

Rusty <><

myronman3 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 14, 2005, 09:40:47 AM »

Quote from: ricciardelli

Put a good strong roll crimp on the cases.

i would second that, and also add to use cci primers. i have had other primers cause problems before, cci's give good ignition. beyond that, as others have said, some powders are not good for light loads. others are. follow your manuels and read all you can about it. it will help you learn. you can also contact most powder manufactors online and ask them what powders they would recommend for the loads you have in mind. i have had good luck with them answering.

or, you could always ask here. be careful of advise you get online, always cross reference it with you manuels. most folks here are knowlegable; but still, be careful.

dan61psu · « **Reply #5 on:** February 14, 2005, 12:05:31 PM »

Thanks guys for your tips and advice. I figured it was a combo of insufficient pressure and powder type. I will tell my dad to try a heavier crimp with a heavier load to see if that increases the pressure enough to burn all powder.

smokey66 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2005, 01:08:54 AM »

all these guys have given you great advice. i would just like to add one more thing. whenever i am working up a load on a caliber that is new to me, i take lots of notes, and since you are just beginning, every caliber is going to be new to you. if you keep notes about everything you try, you will be able to go back and see what worked well, what didn't work etc...you will also be able to see what minor changes had the most positive or negative results. so, to sum it all up...write EVERYTHING down....