Why do I get unburned powder on my forearms with my 45 loads

[dcrosby5]

I am relatively new to handloading. I have experimented with 45, 44 and 223 and had relative success once I worked up loads that cycled well. I thought I had developed a good recipe for my 45ACP loads, but the last couple times I went shooting I observed unburned Unique on my forearms.

I am using both 200g JHP and 225 RN hard cast projectiles with 5.5 - 6g of Unique and a taper crimp. They are not very hot loads, so I doubt that I am using excessive powder. I have observed this when firing both my Commander and full size Gold Cup.

Should I move to a factory crimp? What else should I be looking at?

Thanks for the input.

 

[mohunter55]

im far from an expert here, but i have the same problem using unique with 38 special. i think it has something to do with the light load and the powder not all catching. The easiest fix is to switch to a different powder, using light loads and unique seem to leave unburnt powder from my experience.

 

[The Bushmaster]

One quick remedy---W-231...

 

[Tallinar]

I go home from the range with similar "gunpowder freckles" when using my light cowboy rounds in .45 Colt.

They are not very hot loads, so I doubt that I am using excessive powder.

An interesting dichotomy about light loads is that it's possible to go so light to the point where less powder actually translates into more excess powder that doesn't get burned. The powder simply doesn't all have a chance to ignite.

A stronger crimp may help; or it may not. You're kind of limited in your crimping options with automatics anyway. If a firmer crimp doesn't help, I would either increase the charge or look into trying a different powder for your lighter loads.

 

[dcrosby5]

Thanks for the feedback. I will try some hotter loads and have been eager to start playing with a can of PistolPower that is kicking around.

 

[bomb dropper]

Same here I've been using 5grs of unique under a 230gr lead round nose. I've tried a little tighter crimp and a shorter oal nether helped. I'm going to try some "zip" powder this weekend and see how it does. The unique loads are just so easy to shoot uspsa with there's enough knock down for steel but not alot of recoil

I'd like to try some 231 but like most people I can't find it anywhere I've heard h38 has alot of the same traits but there's plenty of writes on that to get into

 

[Tallinar]

Alliant's website has a .45 ACP load listed for 200 gr JHP with 7.3 gr of Unique at 984 FPS. You might try something up in the neighborhood of 6.7 to 7.0 grains and see how it goes.

They also have a 230 gr LRN load listed at 5.8 gr of Unique, which is similar to what you're doing right now. <shrug>

 

[Eb1]

What primer are you using?
It happens. Maybe up the load some. I am showing 7.3 grains max for a 200 gr HP in .45 ACP. Which makes 6.5 grains your starting load with Unique. This is from the Alliant Reloaders Guide they sent to me.
Your loads might be to light to seal the bore proper, and allowing the powder to not burn properly.
What gun are you shooting? Barrel length? Can you post a pic of a loaded round? Possibly the taper crimp isn't taking the bell out completely.

If it were me, I would up the charge some (please check for yourself what the max charge is for Unique and the bullet you are shooting). Make sure you OAL is proper for the bullet, and I would still use a taper crimp, but make sure the bell was completely removed.

:::EDIT:::
Dang it! Tallinar beat me to it. I had to write a long explanation, but he said the same as me.

 

[rondog]

Might be too light of a load? Consider that when fired, all the powder is laying on the side of the cartridge, it's not at the bottom where the primer is, and the primer flash may be going over the powder and not necessarily into the powder. I'm sure this could affect ignition.

 

[Slamfire]

And why is this a problem?

You will get powder particles on you with any powder, some will just be microscopic.

You will also get lead particles on you after shooting cast bullets. You just don’t see them.

Wash up before you eat.

“Clean” burning powders burn hotter. Some folks have reported issues with clean burning powders, do you really need hotter?

Unburnt powder is a product of the chemistry and the combustion. Hotter loads are not a good solution with this powder as hotter loads will just beat your gun up faster.

 

[Tallinar]

It is true that dirty-burning loads aren't necessarily a "functional" problem, depending on your application. My .45 Colt CAS loads are so light that they end up being pathetically dirty, but they have all the accuracy I need. Remember though, the longest shots in CAS will still be shorter than 50 yds, hehe.

An incomplete burn translates into an inconsistent burn. There's no way to guarentee you're getting the same amount of unburnt powder each shot. You may miss a tenth of a grain here, maybe two tenths with the next shot. Who knows? Since we're talking about light loads that don't fill the case, then the physical position of the powder within the case at the moment of primer ignition also becomes a factor in this. Too many uncontrolled variables.

All this to say: If you're actually loading for precision, it becomes necessary to pursue a complete powder burn. If you load 10.0 grains of powder, you want all 10.0 grains to burn for each shot.

 

[fecmech]

It's just simply particles that come out with and in the case when it ejects as the action opens, nothing to be concerned about. I get that from my .45 wad gun when I shoot indoors. The load (3.9 Bullseye) groups 10 shots in 2"@ 50 yds out of a Ransom rest. I could care less about powder flecs, my main concern is keeping that damn dot in the center of the black!

 

[Five of Clubs]

Unique is dirty for me also in .45ACP, but not in 9mm or .40S&W. I use 5.0 grains under a 230 gr LRN. I went up to 5.6 grains with this load but all it did was make the cases eject about a mile from where I was standing and was still dirty. I think it's just the nature of the powder to be dirty in lower pressure loadings like .45 and .38. As noted above, just shoot away then clean up when you're done. Cheers.

 

[Tallinar]

I'll have to post some pictures of my .45 Colt dirty cases sometime. They're nasty, but they work, lol.

 

[~z]

Count your lucky stars, it has got to be better than getting BURNING powder on your arms while shooting!
~z

 

[HighExpert]

I found Unique to be harder to ignite when it is in a case that leaves lots of empty space. I also don't care for it in light loads. I would either increase your powder load or change powders. I have my best luck with light loads using Bullseye and a tight crimp. Consult your loading manual for the recipe.

 

[GIJOEL]

I have the same problem, but only once in a while. When shooting my kimber 5" with my pet target load (200gr SWC over 4.8gr hp-38 / win 231), I get the "funny round" that dumps powder everywhere. A little bit of powder is one thing, if your ammo is dumping powder all over then I suggest looking at the primer flash hole. The rounds that "dump powder" seem to be loaded in cases with clogged or exesivly dirty flash holes. For me I know it's because I use a lot of dirty range pick ups, and I don't tumble for very long. This happens once in maybe 500 rounds, and really doesn't bother me much.

 

[buck460XVR]

Might be too light of a load?

Unique is notorious for burning dirty when used in light loadings. Unburned particles and residue from Unique are much easier to notice because the powder granules themselves are much larger than powder granules from powders like W231.

 

[thewilbur]

Warning: the following 45 Colt loads are +P and should not be used in original Colts or replica revolvers. I shoot them in a Ruger Blackhawk.

If you like to be dusted with unburned grains of powder try IMR-4227 in +P 45 Colt. I have a very accurate load for my Blackhawk +P consisting of 20.8 grains (Lee Dipper 1.6) of IMR-4227 and a 255 Grain Cast Lead Flat-nose bullet. Every time I return home from the range I need to wash all the un-burned powder granules out of my hair. I also need to tap my empty cases to dump out the un-burned powder before reloading.

Still, for some reason, it is a very accurate load.

 

[Ed Gallop]

I've never found traces of Trail Boss after firing thousands of rounds but that is not saying it doesn't exist. As for dirty brass... Seems to be considerably less after going from .452 to .454 and switching to Trail Boss. But they are still plenty dirty. I read somewhere that not sizing the brass also helps but I've never tried it. The dirty brass is no problem to clean.

 

[Robert101]

It just a light charge causing a few flakes to not ignite. No damage will result. In shooting light Unique or Blue Dot charges I always find a few flakes in my weapon at cleaning. No big deal.