might be a dumb question

[Girthy]

Newb question:

As i was loading today, i noticed there is quite a bit of room left in the brass. the powder can move around quite a bit. does the powder burn different if a shooter was pointing down a mountian vs up a mountian? is there any affect that is measurable in relation to how the powder sits when the primer is struck?

 

[Preacher]

Not sure of outcome of having loose powder in a case, but I'll assume it will act differently.
It's always better to have a case full of powder if it's the correct burn rate for that cartridge..

 

[Larryh128]

It makes a big difference in pistol cases & probably to an extent in rifle cases but I doubt it's as big a factor. The only way to really tell is to chrono them after the rifle has been barrel down & muzzle up & see what the difference is. If you're at 85% or more in the case, it's probably not a huge factor, Preacher is very correct that a full case usually is better.

 

[4xforfun]

There was an article in PS a few years ago where they did a test. There was ZERO difference between the powder in the front vs powder at the rear of case. They tested velocity and accuracy if I am not mistaken.