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Barrel Length vs Powder Burn Rate

I've never subscribed to the theory you have to go to a faster powder with shorter barrels. I agree that an accurate powder is an accurate powder, no matter the barrel length

Case in point.....

I used to shoot a 6.5x284 in 1K BR, and averaged 3075 in several 30" barrels with 142 SMK's using H-4831-SC.

We decided to have a 1K pistol class, so I had a 18" Broughton fitted and chambered in 6.5x284 to my X-P-100. After load work in that barrel, the accuracy charge weight ended up the same as I had used for previous 30" barrels. I was running the 142's at 2740, which averaged 28 feet per second per inch loss over the 30's.
 
savagedasher said:
dalej said:
Load to cartridge capacity, forget about barrel length. Cartridges that require slow burning powder will perform best with slow powder in long and short barrels. If your barrel is spitting unburned powder it will do so with all barrel lengths.
Dale if that was the case their would only be one powder for all guns. Larry
There would also be only one barrel length..
Fellas, nothing is free.
 
mikecr said:
savagedasher said:
dalej said:
Load to cartridge capacity, forget about barrel length. Cartridges that require slow burning powder will perform best with slow powder in long and short barrels. If your barrel is spitting unburned powder it will do so with all barrel lengths.
Dale if that was the case their would only be one powder for all guns. Larry
There would also be only one barrel length..
Fellas, nothing is free.
;D The advice in here is ;D ;D ;D ;D Larry
 
Back in the good old days we used a Powley Powder computer to determine safe charges for cartridges that had no published load data. Powder was selected by case capacity to bore ratio numbers. Higher ratios required slower powders. Barrel length supplied an estimate of expected velocity only. Bullet weight to bore diameter was also calculated. The more things change the more they stay the same.
 
damoncali said:
Not everything printed in PS was correct. At all. That doesn't sound even close to making sense to me. You would have to ignore the volume of the bore for that to be true, and that's just not sensible. The bore volume is bigger than the chamber volume, and it matters. Even the most basic internal ballistics calculation rely on knowing the barrel length.


Take a few minutes and read Rocky's posts on all three pages...http://www.shootersforum.com/handloading-procedures-practices/48081-reloading-short-barrel.html

Bill
 
And to add to the info that Kevin Thomas and Dale J posted,
here are some expansion ratio's for the 260 case in 3 different bbl lengths,

1. 10" bbl = 3.1
2. 18" bbl = 5.1
3. 26" bbl = 7.2

IMHO, you have to choose and compromise on which value you want,
and this is where QL shines, as you can pretest the powders before buying powders that are not the best,
for your values etc.

Just remember speed is fine, but accuracy is final.

Dale J,
Do you still have the complete Powley Powder computer, with all of the sheets?
I still have mine, and it has been many yrs since it has been looked at. ;D

Tia,
Don
 

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