What powder does Remington use in 9mm Golden Saber?

[Shivahasagun]

I think Freedom Munitions uses the same thing in new 147 gr plated RN 9x19.

It's terrible! Leaves large, gold / yellow colored grains everywhere.

I want to be sure I never buy that powder!

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Gold/yellow colored grains? Can't say I've ever seen a powder that was gold/yellow colored.
Interesting!
I don't think the ammunition companies are going to tell us their trade secrets. I doubt we see half of the powder formulations the ammo companies are using at any given time. Good or bad.

 

[JO JO]

Leaves large, gold / yellow colored grains everywhere.

flash suppressant ?

 

[Hartkopf]

I’ve seen what the OP describes in 45 ACP Golden Saber. It always performed pretty well but was just dirty.

 

[ericuda]

Doesn't that indicate unburnt or improper burning powder.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I had them yellow dots from winchester 231 loads in my 45 colt.

 

[N555]

I don't recall seeing yellow unburn powder load developing with HP38/231 in 9mm and 45acp.
For the moment HP38 is my silencer load because it will get a 230gr bullet moving about 850fps and it's fairly clean.

 

[1KPerDay]

You'll never be able to find out exactly which powder X manufacturer uses in X cartridges. Used to maybe 70+ years ago, but not now.

 

[Shivahasagun]

They are big yellow / gold grains and they get everywhere.

Golden Saber is a good bullet but I won't buy anymore because of this.

 

[Palladan44]

IMHO I believe the closest powder we could get to what youre describing is Alliant BE-86.

Its made to give the highest possible energies, with great case fill, and have low flash.... ideal for semi auto defensive ammunition in service calibers.

It's not meant to be the cleanest burning powder for high volume target shooting, or at least not the best at it anyways.

Powder cleanliness is only a concern of mine in my high volume target or blastin' loads. Cleaner powders are usually faster on the burn spectrum, but aren't ideal for higher velocities.

Yes, they can get up there, but with higher chamber pressures ;-)
Since Remingtons ammunition has to give the best performance in every gun on the planet, they will use a powder that has a slower burn rate and better case fill for a margin of safety.
Unfortunately for you, you have a few unburnt kernels left in your barrel..... a great trade off IMO.

Remington has got the right powder in there for the job, trust me.

 

[Shivahasagun]

IMHO I believe the closest powder we could get to what youre describing is Alliant BE-86.

Its made to give the highest possible energies, with great case fill, and have low flash.... ideal for semi auto defensive ammunition in service calibers.

It's not meant to be the cleanest burning powder for high volume target shooting, or at least not the best at it anyways.

Powder cleanliness is only a concern of mine in my high volume target or blastin' loads. Cleaner powders are usually faster on the burn spectrum, but aren't ideal for higher velocities.

Yes, they can get up there, but with higher chamber pressures ;-)
Since Remingtons ammunition has to give the best performance in every gun on the planet, they will use a powder that has a slower burn rate and better case fill for a margin of safety.
Unfortunately for you, you have a few unburnt kernels left in your barrel..... a great trade off IMO.

Remington has got the right powder in there for the job, trust me.

I wish it was just left in the barrel!

It gets all down in the frame and every moving part in there. Big honkin' flakes of it.

Not a powder I ever want to accidentally buy.

 

[Palladan44]

I wish it was just left in the barrel!

It gets all down in the frame and every moving part in there. Big honkin' flakes of it.

Not a powder I ever want to accidentally buy.

Wow, OK. That's bad.
The Golden Sabres I've used (9mm 124gr +P bonded LE) work great. A few unburnt kernels in the barrel, that's it. Never a problem. Maybe make an attempt to contact Remington on the issue....as futile as that might be....

 

[Shivahasagun]

Wow, OK. That's bad.
The Golden Sabres I've used (9mm 124gr +P bonded LE) work great. A few unburnt kernels in the barrel, that's it. Never a problem. Maybe make an attempt to contact Remington on the issue....as futile as that might be....View attachment 1145476

That's the stuff I have. 124 gr +p.

Shoot 50-100 rds and you'll have a mess.

I bought a case 4 or 5 years ago. Not much left of it.

 

[NMexJim]

I pulled one. See attached. No gold in mine - shiny graphite.

 

[Zendude]

I thought yellowish color is a sign of powder that has gone bad.

 

[Hartkopf]

I thought yellowish color is a sign of powder that has gone bad.

I’ve wondered about that too. Especially with some of this old box Golden Saber sold online. Was it police trade in, ten years ago, and then stored in a Texas or Florida warehouse with no A/C? Some great deals might not be so great.

 

[herrwalther]

Unburnt powder. I saw the same results shooting 124gr +p Golden Saber through a compact 9mm with a 3.2" barrel. But shooting the same ammo and even the same box of ammo through my 4 inch or more guns, no such issue. I just use a different ammo in my compact gun.

 

[blackhawk44]

The big factories do not use over-the-counter canister grade powders. They buy by the ton and adjust the charge by lab pressure and velocity. At times they may even change suppliers (brands) between between ammo lots. Guessing powder amounts and types in factory ammo is fruitless.

 

[JDeere]

Wish I could find some GS ammo as I don't have much left. Officer size 1911s in .45 run well with this ammo. Runs well in the 9s and the ballistics test are positive on both fronts. I have never noticed any issue with gold on the bench after a box...

 

[Palladan44]

That's the stuff I have. 124 gr +p.

Shoot 50-100 rds and you'll have a mess.

I bought a case 4 or 5 years ago. Not much left of it.

I test ran 100 in my G19 before carry service, and have no recollection of such mess.
Powder does burn differently in different guns, as pressures vary.

For example, I have a Smith and Wesson Model 28 Highway Patrolman that is a pretty "slow" gun. It cannot even utilize the full powered Magnum loads using say H-110 or WIN-296. They don't achieve enough pressure in that gun to burn efficiently (get a complete burn) and they run extremely dirty. And really slow, pushing a 158gr XTP to only 1250 or so with the 6" barrel.
When ball powder burns some (but not all the way) it will turn golden white and dirty up the gun a bit. It's not dangerous, just annoying. I use a faster burning powder for loads for that particular gun, and the velocity is about the same, and no dirtiness.

Ammo manufacturers can't Taylor make ammo for your particular gun, so the results will vary from hot to not.........
Being able to handload ammo, one can solve every little problem that arises and then some

 

[NMexJim]

I pulled one. See attached. No gold in mine - shiny graphite.

BTW, that was a 124 grain Golden Saber and the powder weighed 5.2 grains. AA2 was about 1/2 as fine. I suspect that if you use AA5 you’ll be close.

 

[Zendude]

This is the only yellow powder I’ve seen

 

[Palladan44]

All I can say is that looks like some UGLY powder. Different size granules in the same powder usually isn't a real good sign.
Uniformity in grain sizes is usually better for consistent metering, and settling of the powder with different bulk densities....
The fine stuff settles lower in the hopper, and you can get inconsistencies in powder quantity among other factors as the batch progresses through the powder. ..... just a thought.

 

[FROGO207]

In the past using Blue Dot for light loads in 38 SPL would result in lots of yellowish/gray powder skeletons all over everything. If I upped the load it all went away. You are just seeing unburned propellant.

 

[sparkyv]

Thanks for sharing the pull down, NMexJim.
Looks like ball powder, to me. Not HP38/W231 or BE-86 or Blue Dot.

I pulled one. See attached. No gold in mine - shiny graphite.

Eeek, run away!

This is the only yellow powder I’ve seen

View attachment 1145645