Anyone use Chinese rifle powder?

[Malamute]

I know a guy that is selling his reloading supplies. He has some Chinese BW-36 powder. He used it for .223 and liked it. I've never heard of it, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with it? Is it consistant, and can you make accurate loads with it?


I would likely use it for 30-30 and perhaps 303 and 30-06 for plinking/practice loads.

 

[1 old 0311]

I would be afraid it would be made by the Chinese toothpaste, and pet food people. I WILL buy their TV's bit not foor, or ammo.

 

[threefeathers]

I used the hell out of it prior to 02. Jenson's in Tucson who were loading for the U S Palma team imported a bunch of it. I used at least 5 lbs for my .308 trigger time match loads. A darn good powder.

 

[Jim Watson]

Never saw any of the rifle powder, but there was a good deal of Communist Chinese pistol powder here at that time. A commercial reloader sold the powder and used it in his ammo. Seemed to do ok. Served the purpose of furnishing cheap powder to cheap Americans and paying to keep the Communist Chinese ammo factory running while they accumulate ammo to take back Taiwan.

 

[Harve Curry]

I have some BW-36 powder I was looking to see what it is suitable for. Ididn't know it was Chinese production. It looks like a IMR stick type powder, similar to 3031 maybe?

Has anyone exerience with BW 36 powder?? Good accuracy and in what cartridges?

I have a reloading data sheet that came from a Thunderbird Co in Phoenix Arizona, I can scan and post if requested.

 

[Slamfire]

I don't know about this lot of powder, but a considerable amount of chinese powder has been sold by Accurate Arms.

I used 24 pounds of Chinese made AA2495. It was as good as any IMR 4895 I have ever used. And at the time, about $4.00 pound less.

Now that Hogdgon has a virtual monopoly on US imported powders, we are not going to see much differences in price anymore.

 

[Galil5.56]

AA2015 BR was made in China many years ago as I remember. Who makes it now I have no idea.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Probably has lead in it...

I do the best I can to buy American when ever possible...Which is impossible to do 100%...

 

[dagger dog]

When I was young and dumb and full of it, I hired out to shoot off fire works displays, big stuff some as large as 15". They pack one hell of a charge and most of it is black powder.

To make a long story shorter, the supplier sold us on some Chinese stuff, a lot cheaper, and we found out why.Some of the smaller color shells and lower power stuff, we made a mortor tube box out of 3/4" plywood with the 4" tubes seperated by sand poured into the box.

All the fuses on the shells have a protective sleeve over them to prevent unintended ignition, so ever time you shoot one you have to pull the sleeve which I had done and lay the lit punk stick to it and turn your back to the box, and wait for the shell to ignite and get airbourne before you go to the next shell .

I heard the shell lift off and was just about to turn around when the other 5 went off in the mortor tubes.

Splinters, sand, unburned star material all in a large cloud,felt like some elephant had set on my chest, blew a big goober of snot out of my nose
( thought it was my brains), picked splinters out of my scalp, back, legs for a week, took just about that long to hear any thing above a shout.

Don't even mention Chinese and any thing that explodes in the same sentence

 

[W.E.G.]

Hoooooo - wheee.


...is all I can say.

 

[rcmodel]

Not on purpose!
That I know of!

rcmodel

 

[Shoney]

I saw somewhere that the only gun powder manufacturer in the US was General Dynamics, and that most of their powders were for military use,

I'll bet that if the truth be known, we are shooting lots of chinese powder. If the number of chinese goods in walmart are any indication - - - then Hodgdon and Accurate are buying, repackaging, and selling lots of chinese "junk??".

 

[Larry E]

I've still got some AA 2495 that I got about 20 years ago that was made in China. The only thing I've used it for was loading for my M1, but got the biggest muzzle flash from it I've seen. Visible in daylight, while neither IMR or H 4895 produce a flash that is visible in daylight. Maybe at higher pressures it would burn better, but in loads duplicating LC69 M2 Ball (~2675 fps with a 150 gr bullet) it's not good.

Lots of Hodgdon's powders are made in Australia, and a lot of Alliant's are made in Sweden, Western Powders are made in Belgium, and I've had AA powders made in Czechoslovakia before it split up.

 

[Soybomb]

I would be afraid it would be made by the Chinese toothpaste, and pet food people. I WILL buy their TV's bit not foor, or ammo.

Thats what I was thinking. If I won't eat stuff from there, I sure won't put explosives from there near my face.

 

[Seafarer12]

I try not to use anything made in china even if it costs twice as much.

 

[Harve Curry]

threefeathers
Senior Member



Join Date: 06-05-03
Location: AZ
Posts: 398 "I used the hell out of it prior to 02. Jenson's in Tucson who were loading for the U S Palma team imported a bunch of it. I used at least 5 lbs for my .308 trigger time match loads. A darn good powder.
Scouts Out"

I didn't know BW-36 was Chinese till I read this thread. It must have some merit?