Does barrel length sway your powder decision?

[Fatelvis]

Is it logical to use faster burning powder in a shorter barrel, for the sake of an efficient burn? I'm looking to load for a 9mm XD Mod2 with a 3" bbl. and 115 JHPs, and was wondering if I should lean towards the faster side of the pistol powder burn spectrum. Thanks!

 

[JDGray]

Slower powders give you more velocity in any barrel.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

NO... There is very little difference between a 3" and a 4" barrel in a handgun. Like said above, slower powers will deliver higher velocities in any barrel. Most times all the powder will be burnt before the bullet leaves the barrel, even a short barrel.

 

[gamestalker]

Barrel length has no bearing on the rate of burn one uses. No, the powder burns the same is it does in any length barrel. Barrel length only effects muzzle velocity, not the efficiency of the burn.

GS

 

[R.W.Dale]

I agree with the above

But IME there's one exception. At the extreme end of the scale with snub revolvers in magnum cartridges using the slow "magnum" powders associated with these rounds have significant challenges in such short tubes.

But that's really the only exception to the posts above.

 

[Dudedog]

I agree, as long as the powder is in the correct range for 9mm it won't make a difference.

Be aware that some powders do have more muzzle flash than others, just the nature of the beast.
BE86 is flash suppressed, but still has more flash than some other powders, but not as much as say Power Pistol.
I tend to like the powders in the medium range of the powders for 9mm.
Titegroup, Bullseye. Red Dot/Promo (fast for 9mm), HP38,Universal, WSF, BE86 (medium for 9mm) CFE Pistol, Longshot (slow for 9mm)
Others fall in these ranges as well these are just some of the ones I have used.

 

[spitballer]

I realize this discussion centers around handgun barrels but I must respectfully disagree with the statement that slower powders produce faster velocities in any barrel. Obviously rifle powders are not suited to handguns for this reason, and thus it probably makes sense to consider barrel length/volume when selecting from a range of handgun powders, just as it makes sense to consider barrel length/volume when selecting from a range of rifle powders for a rifle. A powder suited for a really long barrel may even require advanced loading techniques to be used effectively.

 

[jmr40]

With rifles it matters not, but with handguns it could. I don't load for handguns so I'll let others chime in with details.

Most powder burns within 4-6" with any powder, longer barrels give more time for pressure to act on the bullet increasing speed. But that has no bearing on powder selection with rifles. With handguns and 2" to 6" barrels it could matter.

 

[ku4hx]

Not really; accuracy and consistency is what I work toward. For hunting, any marginal gain in muzzle velocity is generally not significant so long as the bullet is in its optimum design velocity window at point of impact.

For long range gong bustin', higher muzzle velocity coupled with a high ballistics coefficient might make for a meaningful advantage.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

gamestalker,

Slower powders give you more velocity in any barrel.

Any sources for this? I would appreciate some data if you have anything on hand. I don't mean to sound like a jerk (it can be a challenge to sound genuine through text), I am honestly just curious about this as I am still a little new to the reloading scene.

Does this hold true for rifles as well? Lets say I had a 16" 243win (like Ruger's compact m77). Would slower powder give me faster velocities than the faster stuff?

Much appreciated,
-TNG

 

[ljnowell]

gamestalker,







Any sources for this? I would appreciate some data if you have anything on hand. I don't mean to sound like a jerk (it can be a challenge to sound genuine through text), I am honestly just curious about this as I am still a little new to the reloading scene.



Does this hold true for rifles as well? Lets say I had a 16" 243win (like Ruger's compact m77). Would slower powder give me faster velocities than the faster stuff?



Much appreciated,

-TNG

I'm not a rifle reloader so I can't speak to that but he is dead right for handguns. Even in a snubnose revolver in a magnum cartridge. The powder achieving the highest velocity in a 6" barrel will do the same in a 2".

It's been a long standing myth that a faster powder will make higher velocity in a short barrel.

 

[R.W.Dale]

gamestalker,







Any sources for this? I would appreciate some data if you have anything on hand. I don't mean to sound like a jerk (it can be a challenge to sound genuine through text), I am honestly just curious about this as I am still a little new to the reloading scene.



Does this hold true for rifles as well? Lets say I had a 16" 243win (like Ruger's compact m77). Would slower powder give me faster velocities than the faster stuff?



Much appreciated,

-TNG

Yes. Even a cursory look at hodgdons data for rifle and handgun data for the same rounds.

And yes there's handgun 243,308 ect data

 

[murf]

any reloading manual and a relative burn rate chart will show that the slower powder will have the higher velocity regardless of barrel length.

murf

 

[someguy2800]

The only time I would really factor barrel length in is with a magnum revolver. Snub nose 357 revolvers with slow powders just make big pointless fireballs.

a 9mm being a low volume high pressure case will make very little difference between a 3 and say a 5 inch barrel in terms of burn efficiency. Any powder suitable for a 9mm will burn in that barrel length. Higher capacity low pressure rounds are a different story such as the 38 special. Slower powders in 38 special loads just leaves you with unburnt powder everywhere. I prefer powders on the faster end of the scale for cleaner burning and economical loading.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

Not sure about the slow powder always being faster regardless of barrel length. My Lyman 49th lists AA2230 being the fastest powder for a 150gr bullet out of a 15" 308win (2618fps). However, for a 24" barrel 748 is listed as being the fastest at 2996fps. AA2230 is listed as being faster than 748. Furthermore, the Varget load for the 15" barrel only yields 2505fps even though it uses an extra 2.5gr of powder over the AA2230 listing (varget being even slower than 748).

Wouldn't a faster burn equate to a more rapid acceleration of a projectile? Therefore a slower powder would need more time/barrel length to accelerate a bullet when compared to a faster powder in a shorter barrel?

 

[SC Shooter]

I would think that if barrel length affected powder use, the various load data would reflect that. None of them do.

 

[ljnowell]

The only time I would really factor barrel length in is with a magnum revolver. Snub nose 357 revolvers with slow powders just make big pointless fireballs.

a 9mm being a low volume high pressure case will make very little difference between a 3 and say a 5 inch barrel in terms of burn efficiency. Any powder suitable for a 9mm will burn in that barrel length. Higher capacity low pressure rounds are a different story such as the 38 special. Slower powders in 38 special loads just leaves you with unburnt powder everywhere. I prefer powders on the faster end of the scale for cleaner burning and economical loading.

Snub nose 357s still make more velocity with those big fireballs.