LightTheTower
Hammer Time Executive member
So… how do we find out if a powder is degressive, neutral, or progressive?
Gday LttSo… how do we find out if a powder is degressive, neutral, or progressive?
I found this on the subject: Reloading - different powder typesSo… how do we find out if a powder is degressive, neutral, or progressive?
Good question, I'm not sure. I just took it as an explanation of how powders achieve varying degrees of burn rate. I wouldn't be shocked to find out that this isn't the only way for the manufacturers to adjust burn rate, as seems to be implied in piece that @darkeagle10x found. After seeing the diagrams though certainly made a lot of sense to me even though never really thought about how the manufacturers achieve different burn rates. This piece I referenced was written in 1998 so manufacturing processes likely been refined since then.So… how do we find out if a powder is degressive, neutral, or progressive?
Yes! I suspect this whole article actually explains why RL 26 is magic dust, but I can’t prove it.Good question, I'm not sure. I just took it as an explanation of how powders achieve varying degrees of burn rate. I wouldn't be shocked to find out that this isn't the only way for the manufacturers to adjust burn rate, as seems to be implied in piece that @darkeagle10x found. After seeing the diagrams though certainly made a lot of sense to me even though never really thought about how the manufacturers achieve different burn rates. This piece I referenced was written in 1998 so manufacturing processes likely been refined since then.
I thought the pressure curves were particularly interesting. Prior to seeing those I just simplistically thought pressure was pressure and was more or less 1:1 correlated with velocity. To see that middle pressure curve chart that overlays the curve of a fast burner with the curve of a slow burner and indicates slower burning powders can achieve higher velocity with a lower peak pressure was eye opening. It seems to indicate that the highest velocity powder will be the slowest burner that achieves peak pressure farthest down the barrel? Maybe that's the real reason longer barrels are faster? Anyway, interesting but this stuff can make your hair hurt after a while.
@Farleg, thanks....100% agree!!