Propellant powders: Making your choice

PROBABLY the most perplexing question facing handloaders is which powder to use in a given load. The answer is simple: Consult the reliable tested loading data in a reloading manual and choose the powder which gives the highest velocity with the chosen bullet weight in the cartridge. If you don’t exceed the maximum listed charge weight you shouldn’t get into trouble.

Pressure is what makes bullets move! No object moves from a state of rest unless a force acts on it. This is Newton’s First Law of Motion. The force which moves the bullet is pressure exerted on the area of its base. The powder burns rapidly to release the energy, which raises pressure to move the bullet down the barrel.

The equation for force created by the propellent is: F=PA, where F is force in pounds, P is pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) and A is bullet base and bore area in square inches. This force acts on the bullet to accelerate it in this manner: a=F/m, where a is acceleration, F is the force and m is the mass of the bullet.

Reloading rules of thumb

Here are a few