Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Powder Burn and Barrel Length

Print Thread

Hop To

Powder Burn and Barrel Length #6996729 10/23/12
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 34,268 Likes: 4 MN S steve4102 OP Campfire 'Bwana
OP steve4102 Campfire 'Bwana S Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 34,268 Likes: 4 MN	I have often read that shorter barrels will have more Muzzle flash because the smokeless powder is still burning as the bullet exits the barrel. Therefore, shorter barrels require a faster burning powder for complete combustion of the powder. I always thought that the powder was completely burned within the first few inches of the bore and barrel length had nothing to do with complete combustion. Question, how does smokeless powder burn in a rifle barrel? All the way down the bore or within the first few inches of the bore? Thanks Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.

GB1

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length steve4102 #6997157 10/23/12
Joined: May 2003 Posts: 31,273 Likes: 7 Ogden, Utah RockyRaab Campfire 'Bwana
RockyRaab Campfire 'Bwana Joined: May 2003 Posts: 31,273 Likes: 7 Ogden, Utah	First few inches. Muzzle flash is due to an entirely different thing: flammable gasses igniting in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. Gun propellants "burn rich" and there is fuel left over after all the oxygen in the powder is consumed. Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length RockyRaab #6997979 10/23/12
Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 10,817 So Cal B bigsqueeze Campfire Outfitter
bigsqueeze Campfire Outfitter B Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 10,817 So Cal	+2..........More gas is what you get from the muzzle with shorter barrels. Whether using faster burning powders or slower burning powders, the powder granules are all burned up within the first few inches down the bore. Regardless of barrel length, load for your particular round the same. 28 Nosler,,,,300WSM,,,,338-378 Wby,,,,375 Ruger

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length bigsqueeze #6999297 10/23/12
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 7,942 Likes: 3 Georgia J JMR40 Campfire Outfitter
JMR40 Campfire Outfitter J Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 7,942 Likes: 3 Georgia	There are lots of guys who are convinced that shorter barrels require faster powder. It makes perfect sense, but I've read from several on various internet forums that this is not true. That the same powders that give the best speed from longer barrels will also give the best speeds from shorter barrels. From my somewhat limited loading and chronograph work this certainly seems to be the case. My question is this. Can someone offer some documentation to back this up. I've discussed this with several others in the past and telling them "I read it on the internet" just doesn't seem to convince them. A little proof would be helpful. Most people don't really want the truth. They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length JMR40 #6999329 10/23/12
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 44,862 Likes: 4 M mathman Campfire 'Bwana
mathman Campfire 'Bwana M Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 44,862 Likes: 4	Have them look at Hodgdon's data for a few rifle cartridges that were also tested in 15" barrels for the pistol data section. There isn't any significant rearrangement of powders vs. performance.

IC B2

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length mathman #6999427 10/23/12
Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 4,320 1 1234567 Campfire Tracker
1234567 Campfire Tracker 1 Joined: Nov 2007 Posts: 4,320	Several years ago, I had a TC in .30-30. It had a 10 inch barrel. I thought the same thing, that I needed a faster powder than what would be used in a .30-30 rifle. I contacted Sierra, and their reply was, after the results of much testing and chronographing, the same as the comments above. If it is a rifle cartridge, use a rifle powder, regardless of barrel length. I did not see the documentation that would back this up, but I trust Sierra's testing and results. Rocky's explanation for this is about the best I have ever read.

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length JMR40 #7002213 10/24/12
Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 16,152 Likes: 5 S.W. Wis. aalf Campfire Ranger
aalf Campfire Ranger Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 16,152 Likes: 5 S.W. Wis.	Originally Posted by JMR40 There are lots of guys who are convinced that shorter barrels require faster powder. It makes perfect sense, but I've read from several on various internet forums that this is not true. That the same powders that give the best speed from longer barrels will also give the best speeds from shorter barrels. From my somewhat limited loading and chronograph work this certainly seems to be the case. My question is this. Can someone offer some documentation to back this up. I've discussed this with several others in the past and telling them "I read it on the internet" just doesn't seem to convince them. A little proof would be helpful. I don't know about the "best speed", but I've got custom X-P 100's in 223, 6 BR, and 6.5-284, all using the same powders in them as in their long barreled counterparts, accuracy being the more important aspect .

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length aalf #7009400 10/26/12
Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 294 Ventura, CA. D DeerSkinner Campfire Member
DeerSkinner Campfire Member D Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 294 Ventura, CA.	Hi all, Some time ago I read a book about "Interior Ballistics of Bullets" or what they do while still in the barrel and factors related to performance(or something like that, I am out and about and not sitting in my house where the book is) and the explaination of the increased muzzle speed from longer barrels is because the expanding gas from the gun powder has a longer time to push the bullet down the bore, so the speed increases. In addition, I think JB did an article on this subject as well in Handloader. Rick Life is not a spectator sport, get out and have fun.

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length DeerSkinner #7011317 10/27/12
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 10,500 Western NY State 22250rem Campfire Outfitter
22250rem Campfire Outfitter Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 10,500 Western NY State	Twelve years ago when I got my 15" barreled T/C Encore handgun in 7mm-08 I heard some of that "use a faster powder" school of thinking. After a few years of experimentation, chronographing, reading HANDLOADER, and consulting folks who know a lot more than me, that gun now runs on IMR-4064 and mostly with 139 gr. Hornadys. Seems to me that faster powder for shorter barrels stuff is another one of those myths that seem to hang on in spite of tons of evidence to the contrary.

Re: Powder Burn and Barrel Length 22250rem #7011493 10/27/12
Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 11,116 Likes: 1 Layton, UT D denton Campfire Outfitter
denton Campfire Outfitter D Joined: Jun 2004 Posts: 11,116 Likes: 1 Layton, UT	Quote Question, how does smokeless powder burn in a rifle barrel? All the way down the bore or within the first few inches of the bore? There is a calculator available that shows the point at which the powder is all burned. There are cases you can contrive where it requires 12" or so for the powder to completely burn. But those situations are few (really heavy load of very slow powder). "All burned in the first few inches" isn't always correct, but more often so than not. Download NABM here. Scroll down. Be not weary in well doing.

IC B3

Moderated by RickBin

Link Copied to Clipboard

AX24

605 members (1minute, 160user, 10Glocks, 22250rem, 1936M71, 007FJ, 66 invisible), 2,592 guests, and 1,241 robots.

Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod

Forum Statistics

Forums81

Topics1,192,480

Posts18,490,058

Members73,972

Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023