Weights - Goex vs. Swiss

[Foto Joe]

Today I got a pound of Swiss to use instead of Goex for cartridge loading. So when I get home from work, I empty the Goex out of my Lee Perfect Powder Measure and re-fill it with the Swiss 3f. I dropped a few charges without weighing them and just dumped them back in the hopper to make sure everthing was settled.

Since the last thing I loaded was 45LC the scale and powder measure were already set to 40gr. So I dropped another charge and stuck it on the scale and much to my surprise it weighed out considerably heavier than the Goex. 11.5% as a matter of fact. With the powder measure throwing exactly 40gr of Goex, she threw 44.7gr of Swiss.

Now I've read for some time that Swiss is approximately 10-15 percent "hotter" than Goex. Might we make the assumption that it isn't really "hotter", just "heavier"? Meaning that by using volumetric measurements you are actually getting 11.5% more powder in weight when using the same volume, therefore the hotter is just a way of stating that you are actually using more powder if you are measuring by volume??

Anyway, I only had time to drop two loads into brass before I was informed dinner was done but noted that the level in the brass using Swiss is considerably lower with 40gr weighed than the Goex. I'll gonna load about a dozen with the 40gr then cut back to 35gr and we'll see what kind of difference we get.

 

[Oyeboten]

Cool..!


I was thinking of ordering swome 'Swiss' tomorrow.


Swiss might just be the Ticket for getting closest to the old Loadings for the Break Tops, or, other Metallic Cartridge occasions.

I imagine 'Goex' is about 10 percent less powerful than better Brands of BP was in the 19th and early 20th Century...which, with reduced Case Volumes of today, is kind of a double whammy.


I would like to see a reliable narrow spread centering on 850 FPS for a 260 Grain Lead Bullet in .45 Colt from my 3-1/4 inch Barrel Revolver.

Goex, with 35 Grains, allows me an honest 800 FPS...so, looking forward to trying the 'Swiss'.

 

[arcticap]

Might we make the assumption that it isn't really "hotter", just "heavier"? Meaning that by using volumetric measurements you are actually getting 8.5% more powder in weight when using the same volume, therefore the hotter is just a way of stating that you are actually using more powder if you are measuring by volume??

The granulation of the Swiss may not only be finer but it may also contain relatively more moisture. And since different charcoals are used as a major ingredient in each then that may also contribute to having a different weight to volume ratio too.
Even how the charcoal is "cooked" will result in it having varying degrees of carbon content.

 

[Foto Joe]

The other thing that started going through my mind after I shut down the computer was the dis-agreement that flask spouts have with actual weight. Out of all the spouts that I have, only one, a 30gr Pedersoli actually throws 30gr of Goex. All the others are light. Light enough in fact with Goex that I'll be they're pretty near darn perfect if I was to put Swiss in the flask.

For now, the Swiss will stay in the powder dispenser for cartridges only. Since I'm so cheap I'll just stay with the Goex for the front stuffers.

 

[Oyeboten]

Very easy to get additional Flask Spouts and shorten them to suit a particular pet load...also how hard one press one's finger tip into the end when inverting to charge the Spout, make a difference ( not much, but some...) of course.

 

[ClemBert]

Remember, I had mentioned to you before that Swiss is known to have a higher density than GOEX. That and finer or more consistent granules will give you different performance results.

 

[Foto Joe]

Remember, I had mentioned to you before that Swiss is known to have a higher density than GOEX. That and finer or more consistent granules will give you different performance results.

Some of us just don't believe it until we prove it to ourselves. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention the first time.

Actually I didn't realize that the higher density would result in "that" much weight difference. I was kinda surprised when my scale bonked down on the stop when I put 40gr into it.