Unexpected Benefit From Reloading?

[wavo]

A cleaner gun?

Earlier this week my bro-in law and I shot several hundred rounds of OLD (over 12 years old) 9mm ammo. I didn't reload these rounds, they were bought at a gun show. He calls me up last night after cleaning his gun to tell me how surprised he was at how clean his gun was after all the previous days shooting. He told me that it had never been that clean after shooting factory ammo.

Has anyone else noticed this? I guess I haven't really paid attention. I haven't rolled my own rounds yet but will soon and will be paying extra attention to the insides of the gun afterward.

Does reloading your own produce less residue? If so is there a reason for this?

Read More

 

[PhysicsGuy]

It depends on what powder you are using most of the time.

 

[BlvdKing]

What is the cleanest burning powder thats still a top performer?

 

[Arkitek]

I'm looking for that info too...I recently shot some Speer Lawman Loads and picking up the brass noticed that the insides were shiny clean...I know ATK owns both Speer and Alliant...so I searched their Alliant site and found an "Ultra Clean Burning Powder" American Select...

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/powder/american_select.aspx

Wondering if anyone has tried it? How does it perform in Pistol loads?

 

[Gunner3456]

I'm looking for that info too...I recently shot some Speer Lawman Loads and picking up the brass noticed that the insides were shiny clean...I know ATK owns both Speer and Alliant...so I searched their Alliant site and found an "Ultra Clean Burning Powder" American Select...

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/powder/american_select.aspx

Wondering if anyone has tried it? How does it perform in Pistol loads?

I'd love to use American Select but it won't produce the energy I want in a handgun load, at least not as I see it. I don't load shot shells, so...

Others will chime in with better ideas than mine, but I don't find Bullseye or Titegroup to be particularly dirty.

Where I see the most crud in guns and fired brass and muzzle blast is with lubricated bullets. Now that's crud imho.

Since I keep my guns clean, and always tumble brass anyway, I guess maybe I'm not picky enough. I'm after performance first.

If someone else knows a perfectly clean powder which will safely push a .40 S&W to at least 1200 fps (165 gr,) deliver 500 ft lbs energy, and leave everything spotless, I'm all ears.

$.02

 

[HappyRoman]

for practice ammo, a little less than max loads allows for the max burn, will not normally stress the gun or shooter, and maintains a relatively clean burn. The book max loads can become dirty if there is unburned residue (powder). Lead bullets tend to be dirtier to shoot also, not for the lead fouling, if hard bullets are used, but from the case lube. A gas check on handloads over 1000fps, can help too.

There are clean powders for each load, but getting a workable load for each firearm can take some considerable time and testing. It's worth while for the reloader or individual, when wanting top accuracy, performance and repeatablity.

the enjoyment of handloading can not be measured in just cleaning the piece.
IMHO

 

[Gunner3456]

for practice ammo, a little less than max loads allows for the max burn, will not normally stress the gun or shooter, and maintains a relatively clean burn. The book max loads can become dirty if there is unburned residue (powder). Lead bullets tend to be dirtier to shoot also, not for the lead fouling, if hard bullets are used, but from the case lube. A gas check on handloads over 1000fps, can help too.

There are clean powders for each load, but getting a workable load for each firearm can take some considerable time and testing. It's worth while for the reloader or individual, when wanting top accuracy, performance and repeatablity.

the enjoyment of handloading can not be measured in just cleaning the piece.
IMHO

Those are all very valid points and I can't disagree with anything you said.

I've stated before that I don't load "practice" rounds. Every load is defensive or hunting. I want to practice with my "real" ammo. It allows me to get a feel for how my loads feed and extract, and to be sighted in. It lets me get a consistent chrony reading. I feel it would allow me to be shooting the "same" gun if under stress.

But, that's just me. By the time I go to all the work of case length sizing and chamfering and tumbling, and then process into new rounds using powder and primers, the cost of "good" bullets seems worth it to me.

Again, that doesn't make me right about it.

$.02

 

[Arkitek]

If someone else knows a perfectly clean powder which will safely push a .40 S&W to at least 1200 fps (165 gr,) deliver 500 ft lbs energy, and leave everything spotless, I'm all ears.

Gunner...I'm a newbie at reloading and all ears to learn...so tell me about the 1200fps ...not what I'm typically seeing in my load tables...what are you doin with that need for speed? Competitive shooting? or just taking it to the max...? Just interested in what you're into...

 

[Gunner3456]

Gunner...I'm a newbie at reloading and all ears to learn...so tell me about the 1200fps ...not what I'm typically seeing in my load tables...what are you doin with that need for speed? Competitive shooting? or just taking it to the max...? Just interested in what you're into...

Well, someone mentioned Speer Lawman. It's "white box" or practice ammo imho, although TMJ. Yet the 165 gr's are 1150 fps, 484 ft lbs. Link to specs.

Any day I can't push a bullet 50 fps faster than an inexpensive FMJ (or in this case Total Metal Jacket or TMJ) factory round, I'm missing something, imho. That statement excludes +P ammo which is as hot as I go, but .40 isn't available in +P AFAIK. It's already high pressure.

If you're just starting, I'd start with the very middle powder load recommended by the powder manufacturer for my weight bullet, chrony it, and check it for feeding and accuracy. I'd make a few and test them, then add a couple of grains NO! A couple of tenths of a grain! and test those until I found a reliable feeding, reasonably potent round.

I always look at the specs on a comparable factory load too. For instance if I buy a particular brand name bullet, then I do a search to find out what the speed of that bullet is in its factory load. If I can't find the specs, I buy a box and chrony them but that's rarely necessary with the internet. I also read as much as I can about it.

Every JHP bullet has a "best" speed for its design, and I want to try to match that. That's not necessarily the fastest speed I can safely get out of the muzzle. It's about the particular bullet design.

HTH

PS All of the above cries out for buying bullets in bulk and I hope with the same lot #. Same for powder and primers. I really don't like to load fewer than 1k at a time if I can avoid it, after I do all of that testing and research, and get my equipment set.

 

[Arkitek]

Thanks Gunner...I appreciate the information. Sounds like you've been doing this for a while...Lots to learn...

 

[Gunner3456]

If you're just starting, I'd start with the very middle powder load recommended by the powder manufacturer for my weight bullet, chrony it, and check it for feeding and accuracy. I'd make a few and test them, then add a couple of grains NO! A couple of tenths of a grain! and test those until I found a reliable feeding, reasonably potent round.

Wow, bad on my part. Obviously I meant add a couple of tenths of a grain, NOT a couple of grains. OUCH!!