338 fed propellent

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oldfart

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Just as a matter of interest, i disassembled a factory Fed Fusion 200 gr cartridge. The propellent is very strange looking. There seem to be two different sizes of what i would call, not flakes, but more like a flying saucer shape. Also there are at least two different ball powder sizes.

The velocitys claimed on the box are slightly exceeded in my rifle. Reloads with h4895 also slightly exceed the Hogdin reloading pages, so i have cut back .5 a grain.

I supect the propellent is blended. Any thoughts on this?
 
I took one apart and it was 49 or 49.5 grs of powder, looking at the manuals, W748 would be close. H4895 is THE powder for the 338F, at least in my gun with 185+ gr bullets. I use Benchmark with 160 gr Barnes TTSX
 
todbartell said:
I took one apart and it was 49 or 49.5 grs of powder, looking at the manuals, W748 would be close. H4895 is THE powder for the 338F, at least in my gun with 185+ gr bullets. I use Benchmark with 160 gr Barnes TTSX
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Tod, the powder charge in my fact loads was 48.5 behind 200gr projectile. My reloads, 215 sierra 46gr h4895 were 2641 ft/sec, that was 90 degree day.
 
It is not unusual for a given rifle to be faster than average. I sometimes build rifles in groups of threes (me, wife and son). Barrels come from the same lot from same source. Chambered by same guy with same reamer. Each rilfe has its own preference for best load and velocities for same ammo vary by 150 fps. One rifle is always fastest. Another is always slowest.

As for the powder - never saw anything like that. Sounds like someone swept the loading room floor and loaded your ammo. Flying saucer powder sounds like a shotgun powder. If it was, you would not have the normal velocity/pressures you report.
 
GANDERITE said:
It is not unusual for a given rifle to be faster than average. I sometimes build rifles in groups of threes (me, wife and son). Barrels come from the same lot from same source. Chambered by same guy with same reamer. Each rilfe has its own preference for best load and velocities for same ammo vary by 150 fps. One rifle is always fastest. Another is always slowest.

As for the powder - never saw anything like that. Sounds like someone swept the loading room floor and loaded your ammo. Flying saucer powder sounds like a shotgun powder. If it was, you would not have the normal velocity/pressures you report.
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Yes there appears to be at least 4 different sizes of powder two different sizes of ball powder and two different sizes of "disc" for a better description. I havent seen any thing like it.
 
Ammo companies are terrified of loading mistakes. There is a lot number of the ammo box flap. Why not email or write them with the lot number and mention what you found. If it is normal they will tell you. If not, they might send you a case of better ammo.
 
I have two pairs of rifles, 243 and 30-06, that vary about 100 feet per second on same loads.
However, in both cases, rifle A, the slowest, can be loaded to equal, or exceed riflle B. That is, a perfectly safe load in A will be as high, or higher velocity than rifle B can safely be loaded to.
Great care must be taken in loading like that, to insure the "hotter" ammo is not loaded in the rifle that normally shoots the fastest.
 
oldfart said:
Yes there appears to be at least 4 different sizes of powder two different sizes of ball powder and two different sizes of "disc" for a better description. I havent seen any thing like it.
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Top secret powder, they won't tell you the origin...
 
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