Stick vs Ball powder - what's the real scoop?

[Tommie]

I'll start by stating that I hate loading stick powder. It's a complete pain in the rear - especially when loading in high volumes. Matter of fact, I dislike stick powder enough to have given away and/or traded all that remained at my loading bench.

For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would put themselves through the agony when so many alternatives are available. I've been told that stick powder tends to be more stable in extreme temperatures and that may be true, but I can't see why the military would use ball powder if it were so unstable,and those cartridges certainly get exposed to some extremes).

Some people own guns that nothing, but nothing, will shoot well except 3031 or 4064 or 4831 or fill in the blank. Guess I'm lucky. I've never had a gun that amazingly picky! The only advantage with stick powders that I can see is higher loading density for any given burn rate.

Am I missing the boat?

Tom

 

[Forum Boss]

Actually ball or spherical powders, such as Win 748, generally offer the most energy for any given volume, so they often win the prize for the most velocity within a given volume. They pack tighter so they generally are considered to offer the best trade-off between density and velocity in smaller cases.

However, extruded,stick) powders often have an accuracy edge, often provide the best ES/SD, and can offer the greatest temp stability. This is because the little sticks can be coated with various chemicals that provide desired properties such as burn uniformity in wide temperature ranges. Also the way stick powders burn is different than spherical powders, resulting in more consistent and uniform combustion.

We all hate throwing long stick powders from powder measures, because the kernels can jam in the rotors, requiring extra force to "cut" the kernels. The answer is one of the digital powder dispensers. These dispense extruded powders with ease. In fact, if anything, they work better with stick powders than very fine ball powders.

 

[wnroscoe]

You can also throw your charge short and trickle up. FWIW, I hand weigh every charge. I've beaten 6.5x284's at 750 yards with my 6BR, they threw their charges, I weighed mine. Extruded powder, VVN140.