Modern double based powders=shorter barrel life?

[Mulligan]

Doubled based powders have changed fairly dramatically over the years. Not sure the 50% nitroglycerin is used at all now. I think most modern double based rifle powders have ~8-16% nitro with additives to make it more "cool" burning.

If the above assumptions are correct, is the barrel life issue question still valid?


Take for example a 6 dasher,
Is the barrel life shorter using the double based RL-15 vs Varget?

CW

 

[noylj]

The only time I heard this was regarding stick powder vs the hard to ignite ball powder.
I would think that a powder company like St. Marks might be able to answer your question.

 

[Liven The Dream]

This has gone around over the years ? A very well know Barrel Maker once "said No"

As for 6mm rounds small hole Big Burn=short Barrel Life .
I ran a 6mm Rem. with 115 D-Tacks at 3025 + outstanding at 1000 yards.
1700 + rounds a set back or re-barrel .

Good Luck

 

[mikecr]

According to QuickLoad Varget is hotter than RL15.

 

[falconpilot]

Varget burns fast, clean especially with a hotter load..RL 15 burns very dirty and a little slower, burning further down barrel...I would suspect that RL15 would be harder on barrel life

 

[msinc]

Varget burns fast, clean especially with a hotter load..RL 15 burns very dirty and a little slower, burning further down barrel...I would suspect that RL15 would be harder on barrel life

This is a good question...but I am not so sure it works this way. Unless my barrels are different or we are talking about something else, all the barrels that I've "burned up" had the throat scorched and eroded away. I have never seen rifling burned up down the barrel, not saying it cant be so...just that I haven't seen it, not even in fully automatic weapons.
Slower powders, that is the ones that do some of their burning further down the barrel, seem like to me that they are easier on the throat because not as much of the burn is happening right at the throat.
Reloader 26 is a good example...I have noticed that the barrel seems to me that it heats up slower but more evenly over its entire length than some of my other rifles that get hottest right at the front of the chamber, while the muzzle seems to be cool.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I have tracked round count on 3 barrels using only double base and single base powders exclusively, the single base powder burned the throat longer with less rounds than the double base powders. I was able to go a full season without a re-set and re-chamber using double base powders only on a 300WM barrel.
The flame temp must be cooler than the single base for this to be happening, it can be the only explanation.
I also found that the slower the single base powder was, the slower the throat eroded, I could not see a difference with the double base powders when using a slower powder, erosion was about the same.

I think the newer powders should reduce throat erosion even more with better technology being put into double base variants, such as those coming from Alliant.

Cheers.