Ball powders are faster and less costly to make than extruded and flake powders

[Jim Watson]

No one has said anything about metering.

I did. AA2520 meters great and shoots well, well enough for most purposes. But Varget, 4064, and 4895 are more accurate in MY rifles. When they cut the size of the F class target in half, I went to a PACT dispenser for Varget.

 

[westernrover]

This thread is going much better than the Alliant vs Hodgdon powders thread... That's not to cast any aspersion to the OP, but it was derailed afterward. Hopefully this answers that thread. The M16 thing was itself a bit of a diversion, but the comic book manual made it worth it.

 

[westernrover]

The EPA is not the only regulatory factor in restricting powder plants and manufacturing. The EPA wasn't established until 1970, but there have been numerous oppositions to powder plants in the US throughout much of its earlier history. I don't know that much about the history of gunpowder (black powder) manufacturing in the US, but Dupont was the holder of Nobel's patents or licenses for the nitro stuff. They had plants like the Old Hickory plant on the Cumberland River, that one had a few explosions, and the one on the Puget Sound between Tacoma and Olympia. Blew up good, in 1909, 1910, 1916, 1922, December 7 and 16, 1924, December 13, 1926, June 1930, September 6, 1935, July 9, 1936, September 7, 1938 (nitrator explosion killed two), and in December of 1947. There was that one in 1928 too. 6,480 pounds smokeless and 15,000 pounds of dynamite blew up on a ship that had just left there. That one doesn't count because it wasn't on the site. It blew up and burned down the neighbors. Yeah, those are all gone. Hercules was DuPont's biggest rival in the explosives business. It was founded in the Santa Cruz mountains just south of San Francisco, and then moved to what is now the town of Hercules across the San Pablo Bay from San Francisco. No, it's not there anymore either, but it relocated to New Jersey. Wasn't better there after it blew up 51 people and leveled 15 buildings. I think it went to Delaware. It was 1995 when Hercules sold to Alliant Techsystems that mostly wanted the solid rocket fuel business. It was 2015 when ATK spun the powder and other businesses off as Vista Outdoors. The powder business is a lot easier when you don't have to actually make the stuff and risk blowing anything up. Reloaders know our propellants don't detonate, but the nitroglycerin they're often made with does. I mentioned already that Olin (Winchester) had to move their powder plant out of East Alton, IL because the St. Louis metro area grew too close. They still make ammo there, but not powder. Forget about the EPA. See if your county commissioners will listen to a proposal for a powder plant. Try a petition around your neighbors. My county has more cattle than people and we can't even get a slaughterhouse. Heck, we can't even get VHR's. We don't need the EPA to stop a powder plant.

 

[westernrover]

I don't "think" EPA-regs were the reason back in the early 60s.
It was more suitable powder availability for the req'd velocity.

To give the Devil his due (WesternRover take note):
See https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/01/09/jim-sullivan-m16-vietnam/

Great report. I learned the issues were even more complex than I suspected. I'm not convinced all of them have been solved either, and after shortening the barrel to 16" and adopting 1:7 twist, we have more issues.

 

[stacktester]

good article on ball powder and St. Marks facility

https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/ball-powder-st-marks-powder/462658

 

[OS/N]

I still prefer single base Improved Military Rifle powder when I can get it.

When you work up a load and two months later it wont print using ball powder you will enjoy single base also.

If all they made was 3031, 4895, and 4350 it would suit me just fine excluding the stuff for itty bitty pistol cases of coarse.

 

[Walkalong]

Barely on topic to start with, and opening post was more of a statement than a question or an invitation to discuss something reloading related, and the EPA is certainly not on topic.