Every reload I have made so far has left the spent brass with powder residue all over them after firing. Im pretty sure that means my powder charge is not high enough, correct? I am working up loads for 9mm and .223, all show no signs of any problems, just seems like the cases should not be so dirty.
Powder residue
- Thread starter jojo4711
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g.willikers
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Or a too soft bullet, if you're using lead ones, or maybe a too small diameter bullet.
Lots of things can cause poor case sealing in the chamber.
Even too large a chamber.
Or by just using a dirty brand of powder.
Lots of things can cause poor case sealing in the chamber.
Even too large a chamber.
Or by just using a dirty brand of powder.
If you are unwilling or unable to increase the powder charge, you might also try increasing the crimp on the projectile by just a little, like 1/8 - 1/4 turn. It sometimes helps and sometimes doesn't.
The responders to your post are also correct. The more they know about the reloads you are using, the better the advice they can render.
The responders to your post are also correct. The more they know about the reloads you are using, the better the advice they can render.
9mm
Autocomp 5.3gr, 1.120 COL, 115gr Hornady XTP (max is 5.6gr)
Autocomp 5.1gr, 1.225 COL, 115gr Remington plated RN
I have ran the Remington RN down to 1.075 COL and they were still dirty
I have some bullseye loaded from 3.9gr - 4.5gr at 1.100 COL and also 1.125 COL, with 115gr plated RN bullets I haven't shot yet, just trying to work up to a plinking load that won't give me dirty cases. Makes me feel like I'm wasting powder because it isn't burning up. Maybe I'm wrong.
223
H335 21.5 - 22.5gr, 2.200 COL, 55gr Hornady FMJ-BT (max is 24.2gr)
All of these I do very little crimp because I don't want to over crimp. The rifle bullets don't get crimped at all, but I check the case neck tension by pushing on the bullet hard and checking if it moves, it doesn't.
Autocomp 5.3gr, 1.120 COL, 115gr Hornady XTP (max is 5.6gr)
Autocomp 5.1gr, 1.225 COL, 115gr Remington plated RN
I have ran the Remington RN down to 1.075 COL and they were still dirty
I have some bullseye loaded from 3.9gr - 4.5gr at 1.100 COL and also 1.125 COL, with 115gr plated RN bullets I haven't shot yet, just trying to work up to a plinking load that won't give me dirty cases. Makes me feel like I'm wasting powder because it isn't burning up. Maybe I'm wrong.
223
H335 21.5 - 22.5gr, 2.200 COL, 55gr Hornady FMJ-BT (max is 24.2gr)
All of these I do very little crimp because I don't want to over crimp. The rifle bullets don't get crimped at all, but I check the case neck tension by pushing on the bullet hard and checking if it moves, it doesn't.
Two paragraphs on generalities, then to your specific powders.
A general rule of thumb is the slower the powder burn rate, the higher the peak pressure has to be for it to burn cleanly. One result of this is, the lighter the bullet the faster the powder has to be able to burn to make gas fast enough to keep up with how quickly the bullet accelerates and expands the space behind it. However, slow powders make more total gas when loaded to maximum pressure, and so produce higher velocities from a given barrel length. This means those powders that produce the highest velocities, because they have the slowest burn rates that can be used to advantage with a given bullet, often won't burn very cleanly until you have worked the load up to near maximum pressure in your gun. Choosing an even slower burning powder, you will find it is unable to make gas fast enough to reach adequate pressure to burn completely and is always dirty.
For that last reason, it is good to avoid choosing a powder slower than the one listed as producing the highest velocity with your bullet choice. On the other hand, I think a lot of times folks will buy a powder listed as producing the highest velocity with a bullet weight so they will have the highest velocity capability if they want it, but then load it lower when they don't need the velocity or extra recoil, then be disappointed that it burns dirty. The other thing is someone will look at their powder stocks and try to use something slower than optimal because they already have it, and then are unable to stuff enough into the case to get near to full peak pressure, and then find it burns dirty for lack of pressure. Going to a heavier bullet or buying a pound of faster powder are the only way to clean that up.
In the case of AutoComp, it is listed by Hodgdon as one place slower than HS-6, a powder known to be dirty if not right up at near maximum and the powder that produces maximum velocity with your bullet weight in Hodgdon's data. So AutoComp is a little slower than the fastest powder with your bullet weight. It is going to burn a lttle cleaner with 124 grains and especially with 147 grain bullets. Even though they list it, I would not expect it to be clean with plated or lead bullet loads. I would choose something like Hodgdon Universal or Winchester 231 for that, with Universal being the cleaner of the two.
H335 is the canister grade version of Western Cannon 844, a military ball powder. All the powders in that series are known for their deterrent coatings being hard to ignite, and in 1989 CCI reformulated their magnum primers specifically to better ignite this series of powders, so using a CCI 450 or a CCI #41 (for the AR and other self-loading floating firing pin guns) is a good idea, even though this is not a magnum cartride. You didn't say what primers you are using. Personally, with its similar burn rate and velocities produced, I prefer Hodgdon Benchmark for cleaner burning. It doesn't require a magnum primer (for the AR, the Federal GMM205MAR primers are available and which are very good for non-magnum application with a floating firing pin rifle).
A general rule of thumb is the slower the powder burn rate, the higher the peak pressure has to be for it to burn cleanly. One result of this is, the lighter the bullet the faster the powder has to be able to burn to make gas fast enough to keep up with how quickly the bullet accelerates and expands the space behind it. However, slow powders make more total gas when loaded to maximum pressure, and so produce higher velocities from a given barrel length. This means those powders that produce the highest velocities, because they have the slowest burn rates that can be used to advantage with a given bullet, often won't burn very cleanly until you have worked the load up to near maximum pressure in your gun. Choosing an even slower burning powder, you will find it is unable to make gas fast enough to reach adequate pressure to burn completely and is always dirty.
For that last reason, it is good to avoid choosing a powder slower than the one listed as producing the highest velocity with your bullet choice. On the other hand, I think a lot of times folks will buy a powder listed as producing the highest velocity with a bullet weight so they will have the highest velocity capability if they want it, but then load it lower when they don't need the velocity or extra recoil, then be disappointed that it burns dirty. The other thing is someone will look at their powder stocks and try to use something slower than optimal because they already have it, and then are unable to stuff enough into the case to get near to full peak pressure, and then find it burns dirty for lack of pressure. Going to a heavier bullet or buying a pound of faster powder are the only way to clean that up.
In the case of AutoComp, it is listed by Hodgdon as one place slower than HS-6, a powder known to be dirty if not right up at near maximum and the powder that produces maximum velocity with your bullet weight in Hodgdon's data. So AutoComp is a little slower than the fastest powder with your bullet weight. It is going to burn a lttle cleaner with 124 grains and especially with 147 grain bullets. Even though they list it, I would not expect it to be clean with plated or lead bullet loads. I would choose something like Hodgdon Universal or Winchester 231 for that, with Universal being the cleaner of the two.
H335 is the canister grade version of Western Cannon 844, a military ball powder. All the powders in that series are known for their deterrent coatings being hard to ignite, and in 1989 CCI reformulated their magnum primers specifically to better ignite this series of powders, so using a CCI 450 or a CCI #41 (for the AR and other self-loading floating firing pin guns) is a good idea, even though this is not a magnum cartride. You didn't say what primers you are using. Personally, with its similar burn rate and velocities produced, I prefer Hodgdon Benchmark for cleaner burning. It doesn't require a magnum primer (for the AR, the Federal GMM205MAR primers are available and which are very good for non-magnum application with a floating firing pin rifle).
So what your saying is it wont matter really how deep I seat the bullet with Autocomp, its going to be dirty with 115gr bullet? What if I went up to the maximum load around 5.6gr, should that improve the powder burn? I have been thinking about switching to 124gr bullets anyway, guess this is another good reason. I have Bullseye, Power Pistol, Unique, BE-86, HP-38 and AutoComp pistol powders, all are probably better with 124gr.
In a cartridge as small as 9mm, I prefer not to decrease overall length unless I simply must, because chamber pressures can increase in a hurry. If your reloads are feeding well, without failures to feed, I'd leave the overall length alone.
Increasing the powder charge from 5.3 gr. to 5.6 gr. (in 0.1 gr. increments, please) may increase pressures enough to induce a cleaner burn. Before doing that, I would try increasing the crimp on the case mouth by perhaps 1/8th to 1/4th turn. If this doesn't clean up the burning, THEN going from 5.3 to 5.6gr. may clean things up. Watch for pressure signs after increasing the crimp. There shouldn't be any, but it's certainly possible.
You list some powders that are faster burning than Auto-Comp. W231 is generally regarded as a fairly clean-burning powder, even at rather modest pressures, so it might be worth a try. BE-86 appears to be essentially a cleaner-burning, better-metering UNIQUE, so a work-up with it may give you fairly good results overall.
Increasing the powder charge from 5.3 gr. to 5.6 gr. (in 0.1 gr. increments, please) may increase pressures enough to induce a cleaner burn. Before doing that, I would try increasing the crimp on the case mouth by perhaps 1/8th to 1/4th turn. If this doesn't clean up the burning, THEN going from 5.3 to 5.6gr. may clean things up. Watch for pressure signs after increasing the crimp. There shouldn't be any, but it's certainly possible.
You list some powders that are faster burning than Auto-Comp. W231 is generally regarded as a fairly clean-burning powder, even at rather modest pressures, so it might be worth a try. BE-86 appears to be essentially a cleaner-burning, better-metering UNIQUE, so a work-up with it may give you fairly good results overall.