Pulled powder or new powder?

[the86d]

I have been looking into buying some pulled powder so I can have a boat-load of reloading supplies at a low cost. I do remember that a reloading employee at my local gun shop stated that some powders require way less powder, but I do not know if this also applies to rifle powder, or just pistol powders.

I don't know if there is a chart anywhere to see if I could actually save some money by using more "efficient" new powder by using less. For example if I could use 13 grains of powder rather than 26+, then it could be more cost effective even if new powder was a bit more expensive than pull-down powder.

Are there sites like gun-deals.com that list powder prices per QTY?

Is there a even a list of all typical rifle powders available to go off of a list and research cost?

I really don't know where to begin in researching rifle powder, as a comparison... other than parsing through the forums and just researching all powders mentioned.

[NotEnufGarage]

I think most powders are formulated so that in a given case the proper charge weight will fill the case to between 70% and 90%, in order to get proper ignition. Having too much empty space can lead to strange results, including overpressure.

Some powders even warn against downloading more than 3% (H110).

I"m having good luck so far with pulled powder for .223 and .308.

[XDRoX]

Most rifle powders fill the case. It's not like pistol where in some cases you have a 90% full case and other times you have a 10% full case.

This is after all a good thing because it lessens the chances of a kaboom. And a rifle kaboom is bad news.

Of course some rifle powders will be more cost efficient. But not like with pistol. The difference won't be as great.

Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable purchasing large amounts of pulled powder. It just sounds dirty and not as pure to me. I wouldn't trust it.

Typically I would suggest that powder is not the place to try to save money. Most powders that will save you money are either uber fast or low volume or both. And low volume, uber fast powders don't play well with rifle rounds.

But since you sound like you really want to buy in large quantity and save money I'd suggest you ask the question, "What is your favorite powder for XXX, and how much does it cost you per round to load?"

For example, my favorite powder for 223 is TAC and it costs me 5.7cents per round to load when I buy it by the 8lb keg.

I assume you want to load 223 or 308 because no one really loads large quantities of other rifle rounds.

[jbilling85]

Me myself I'd be apprehensive . I guess you can do it if you were confident that your supply is reliable... A short looking around brought me to patsreloading.com... 8 lbs of pulled 5.56 for 85$ sounds appealing. I know for black powder its no bueno to have airspace in your cartridge but I believe it's fine within a certain degree with smokeless....id look it up via more knowledgeable sources first. what has me guessing its fine to have airspace in there is the fact that surplus 7.62x54r sounds quite empty when shaken.im not for certain if it would be a problem- but there may be some issue over time if the carriage is shakena lot...ive tried putting complete cartridges in a brass tumbler to clean them up..but i looked it up to find some people warning that the powder might break up into smaller granules...possibly making the powder expand more quickly than it is supposed to... shrug

[the86d]

Yes, it is for .223, but for .308 also, when I get one...

[OldShooter32]

Whether stored in a can or in a loaded case, powder characteristics remain the same. Use good data and start with the "bottom" load. Increasing -- or reducing -- quantity should be done with great caution. I shot some "squib" loads as a teen-ager, but did a lot of other foolish things then too!
Damage to an expensive firearm (and/or your body) costs a lot more than some powder!

[jbilling85]

A good place to look for info is the powder manufacturers web page. :-)

[the86d]

I ALWAYS weigh each cartridge after loading on a digital, looking for squibs. It is time consuming, but on 9mm it usually is pointless as there is so much variance in brass weight from range pickup brass.

[joelogic]

I usually dont recommend surplus powder for novice reloaders because burn rate can vary lot to lot. But if you like working up load then have at it.

Usually the consistency and piece of mind of canister grade powder is worth the extra money. $90 pulled vs $130 canister grade.

[lpspinner]

Here's a chart I made to determine cost...it also list the mfg suggested starting charge.

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=552074

[the86d]

Here's a chart I made to determine cost...it also list the mfg suggested starting charge.

www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=552074

"Error 404: File Not Found"

[lpspinner]

OK Link fixed. Sorry bout that.

[joelogic]

WC846 $31?

[lpspinner]

OK corrected...Thanks.

[the86d]

OK Link fixed. Sorry bout that.

Still: "Error 404: File Not Found"

What you running, a Mac?