Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Excessive carbon fouling with new powders?

A local gun shop guy was telling me that the new powders with anti-copper fouling properties tend to burn dirty and build up a carbon ring in the leade of the barrel. He cited Hodgdon CFE 223, Alliant Reloder 16 & 23, and other new IMR powders as culprits. Have any of you heard of this issue or is it just gun counter babble?

Who cares. The older H414/760 and other ball powder were always cited as burning dirty but so what. I shoot and clean when necessary no matter what the rifle or powder is so in the end, if it shoots well every time I use it. it is a good powder.
Just my thoughts....
John

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he says.

I'd have asked the gun store cowboy how he knows that they build up a carbon ring.

I did. His response was that several folks have told him the same thing. I failed to challenge the notion further since I was there getting a generous donation for my RMEF Chapter’s banquet! Happy Trails

I don't know as I am the clean it every time I shoot more than 40 rounds type but I suspect some think that because the powder has anti copper agents you never need to clean it.

I havent noticed CFE 223 to burn dirty and I ran about 6 lbs of it shooting prarie dogs last year.

Mr. Walker - tell me what you do to "Shokting" a pd ?


Jerry

Easy,now....this is a family site....

I have burned a bunch of CFE-223 in my .223's and have yet to run into much powder fouling and very, very little copper fouling at all.

I think your LGS guy needs to get out more and shoot the stuff he sells.

Ed

Pressure has a lot to do with cleanliness of the burn, too low and it will be dirty. As for the powders you've cited, I tend towards it being a little babble..

That would explain my experience with CFE-223. It likes to be run at max or near-max loads for accuracy in all of my rifles.

Ed

WAM,

I've the powders the gun-counter guy mentioned clean-burning as long (as somebody else already mentioned) the powder charge is near published max. Have also found the decoppering agent works, but exactly how well they work in a specific load and rifle depends on several things, including the bullet, and size of powder charge. But that's been true of decoppering agents since they were first used over a century ago.

Powder is the one thing reloaders seem to have the need to get hot and bothered about but in my opinion matters much less than brass lots/brands, bullets or even primers. Some worship it in the tenths of grains.

I look at carbon fouling as "lubrication", so long as its soft. Hell, some guys roll their bullets in moly like its a pancea for cramming in more powder....

Maybe he has lots of old stock he's not shifting as everyone is buying the new stuff.

After shooting a couple of cases of FFg black, nothing seems dirty burning in the smokeless area.

Mule Deer, No worries about running loads much below max in my case! Thanks to all for your responses. I have only fired about 18 rounds of CFE223 through my .35 Whelen and it didn’t appear to be dirtier than normal. It’s not like it’s going to be a high volume shooter in a dog town anytime soon. Happy Trails

With my fat thumbs I have not mastered typing on a smart phone yet.

Superformance seems sooty in 22/250 but speed and accuracy with 65 grain Sierras is TOPS ! Still looking for something to best H4350 and 127 LRX in the 6.5 CM.

I don't think the fouling is carbon so much as it's the decoppering agent.

Apparently this is quite true.

The 7mm magnum book starting load using Ramshot Magnum & the 139 grain Hornady is one of the filthiest loads I've ever had to clean up after. It sure shoots well though, my last three shot group at 100 yards out of a cold barrel was a perfect triangle @ .50"

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