How important is a "clean" powder?

[dan97526]

Browsing reloading forums, I come across quite a bit of characterization of powders as "clean" or "dirty." I have some experience of this using Bullseye which seems to dirty up autos more than factory loads.

The reason I'm asking here is there's no one outside competitive shooters who shoot more us varmint guys, and no one more concerned with accuracy outside the benchrest ranks.

So do you find yourself seeking out "cleaner" powders? Do you find that you can shoot longer strings without accuracy dropping off if you shoot a clean powder? Myself, In my experience, barrel heat is a much greater enemy of accuracy than fouling.

Lastly, what are some of the "cleaner" powders?

Thanks,
Dan

[MZ5]

Myself, In my experience, barrel heat is a much greater enemy of accuracy than fouling.

Lastly, what are some of the "cleaner" powders?

Thanks,
Dan

Yes, heat will unquestionably kill a barrel. Not temporarily throw it off, _kill_ it. As in permanently. Don't overheat your barrel if you don't feel like replacing it.

Clean vs dirty is a little bit about perception. For example, W-748 is generally considered to be a 'dirty' powder. However, I have found (as have many others) that it does leave a lot of soot, but that soot is very soft and easily removed. Some of the apparently 'cleaner' powders tend to leave diamond-like hard carbon deposits in barrels that only scrubbing and Flitz or JB Bore Paste will remove.

Vihtavuori's single-base powders (the N100 series) are very clean burning, and I've not experienced the ultra-hard carbon with them. Also haven't bought much of that expensive stuff for several years, though. I have no significant experience with their double-base (N500 series) powders.

[surfclod]

Another thing to consider, especially with high velocity rounds like the 204 Ruger, is copper fouling; (though this is more bullet related than powder).


When a barrel gets "dirty" enough that accuracy drops off.......

• is it carbon fouling from the powder
  or
  copper fouling from the bullets.

Or more realistically its a bit of both I suspect.



I wonder this after reading a bit about the new Hogden CFE 233 powder, is it real or gimmicky?

[MZ5]

CFE's copper-control ingredients are real, and they really work. So do the similar/same ingredients in the Ramshot powders. Alliant also puts similar/same ingredients in most of their Reloder series of powders, both the Swiss and Swedish sourced ones. The main difference is that Hodgdon markets the dickens out of the stuff, whereas Alliant, for example, has extremely rarely mentioned it.

[Bill K]

CFE's copper-control ingredients are real, and they really work. So do the similar/same ingredients in the Ramshot powders. Alliant also puts similar/same ingredients in most of their Reloder series of powders, both the Swiss and Swedish sourced ones. The main difference is that Hodgdon markets the dickens out of the stuff, whereas Alliant, for example, has extremely rarely mentioned it.

Same with Winchester 748, been in it for years.. Bill K