As always, the manufacturers dont tell the "whole truth".
They say 100-200fps increase in velocity over standard ammo. Without boosting the pressure.
This is B.S.!
Physics dictates you have to have pressure to create velocity.
The old saying that comes to mind is:
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Velocity is equal to pressure over time(time meaning effective barrel length)
If using one single firearm, and you want to increase velocity, there is only two or three ways to do it.
1) boost peak pressure.
2) boost peak pressure for a longer time.
3) boost peak pressure while having a longer barrel ( longer accelleration curve/time).
Number one and two both increase the risk of pressure related ruptures. Potentially excceeding the yield point of both the cartridge and/or chamber.
If you excceed the elastic limit of the brass, and very slightly, excceed the elastic threshhold limit of the chamber, (thus the chamber returns to original cut dimensions after the pressure of the fireing process), you get a sticky case.
The more sticky the case, the closer to total rupture you got!
Scary huh!?
Just be careful guys, I believe the manufacturers dont always really care about the customer at times, they will lie and twist technical information to bolster sales.
I prefer to see "REAL" performance/safety improvements over all that HYPE.
Thats my two cents on the subject.
Have fun and straight shoot'in you gunnutz!
Number three is the only realistic way to increase velocity.
"BUT", even this can change the burning characteristics of a cartridge load.
The best way to increase performance in the same rifle is to REDUCE the peak pressure (where components start to fail) but push the bullet for a longer period of time. Larger area under the curve.
This is exactly what slower burn rate powders do and they do this by burning MORE powder.
But a case is only so big so there is only so much room to stuff it full of powder AND the burn rates offered to us as component powders may not be ideal.
If all powders of decreasing burn rate have the same physical shape/size, you quickly run out of room before ideal pressures and performance are met.
Prime example is extruded powders in the 308. Varget works great for most everything but pretty fast for the super heavies. H4350 is the next slower powder but you can't get enough into the case to get pressures and speeds up to where they are exciting. Long throats of course will help here.
Options like Re17 and Vith powders of varying sizes and 'tween' burn rates help to push the performance while keeping pressures in check
What we don't get to play with is all the BALL powders that have been designed over the last 10yrs. This is the stuff that hodgdon is using and there are a bunch they play with. They can blend this ball powder to whatever characteristic they want and being ball powder, you can stuff a whole lot more powder into the case.
I have played with Leverolution and it does indeed offer MORE speed then a similar burn rate powder like Varget. Lev is a smidge slower then Varget.
Not magic but simply that you can get MORE powder into the case and the lower burn rate lets you push longer without breaking things. This powder has also proven to be very accurate in my 223's. Burns dirty and is temp sensitive.
So keep the bore clean and adj as needed and it works great. Loading with a ball powder speeds up things so much that I don't mind tweaking a tenth or two from summer to fall. Cleaning every 50rds.
My SWAG puts Superformance (our stuff we can get in cans) in the H4831SC/1000 burn rate making it a wonderful burn rate for all those F Open chamberings that need a bit more speed but have no room to put in more powder.
260R/improved, 284's come to mind.
Of course, tuning for temp and likely cleaning more often will be needed. BUT I fully expect the powder to shoot accurately.
Sorry to hear that the batch of ammo wasn't made well. I would have expected the charge weights to be within tenths not grains - big reason ball powders are so popular with commercial and military loaders.
I am sure the tech/process will get figured out in time and we will be able to enjoy more performance from the same cases.
All about how much fuel you can burn without blowing a head gasket....
Jerry
