Reloading history: Dupont Bulk Smokeless powder

Poodleshooter · January 18, 2015, 12:36 AM

This is more of a reloading history question: Does anyone know what happened to "bulk smokeless" powders, and why they fell out of favor for large BP era cases and shotgun hulls? I read an old patent for it, and it appears that they were simply single base powders where the grains were not graphite tumbled, and were not condensed and formed the same way that "regular" single and double base smokeless powders are today. This apparently made them very slow burning and inefficient. This seems to use a different production method to achieve a similar end to powders like IMR Trail Boss.

It seems strange that for cowboy action reloaders, many have come full circle from efficient propellants to bulky Trail Boss, when a comparable niche powder was available from about the '20s onward. I wonder why manufacturers didn't simply remake the old powder? It seems that, barring some unforeseen variable, this would be a cheap powder to make, and also very safe to load with/hard to screw up.
Perhaps heavy fouling or corrosive properties would make it unsuitable for use today?

Gaucho Gringo · January 18, 2015, 05:45 PM

Both of these links may help answer some of your questions.

http://books.google.com/books?id=bKq...powder&f=false

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/Gen...-Smokeless.pdf

January 18, 2015, 12:36 AM	#1
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	Reloading history: Dupont Bulk Smokeless powder This is more of a reloading history question: Does anyone know what happened to "bulk smokeless" powders, and why they fell out of favor for large BP era cases and shotgun hulls? I read an old patent for it, and it appears that they were simply single base powders where the grains were not graphite tumbled, and were not condensed and formed the same way that "regular" single and double base smokeless powders are today. This apparently made them very slow burning and inefficient. This seems to use a different production method to achieve a similar end to powders like IMR Trail Boss. It seems strange that for cowboy action reloaders, many have come full circle from efficient propellants to bulky Trail Boss, when a comparable niche powder was available from about the '20s onward. I wonder why manufacturers didn't simply remake the old powder? It seems that, barring some unforeseen variable, this would be a cheap powder to make, and also very safe to load with/hard to screw up. Perhaps heavy fouling or corrosive properties would make it unsuitable for use today?

January 18, 2015, 05:45 PM	#2
Gaucho Gringo Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 366	Both of these links may help answer some of your questions. http://books.google.com/books?id=bKq...powder&f=false http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/Gen...-Smokeless.pdf __________________ 357 Taurus Gaucho, 22 Heritage RR, 2-Pietta 1858 44 NMA Remingtons, Pietta, Euroarms & ASM 36 1851 Navies, 31 Uberti 1849, 12 ga H&R Topper, 16 Ga Western Field, 43 Spanish Remington Rolling Block, 44 ASM Colt Walker, High Point C9 9mm, Winchester 1906 22, Rossi 62 22 rifle, Uberti 1860, H&A & IJ 32 S&W BreakTop, 36 Euroarms 1858, 32 H&R 04, 22mag NAA SS BP revolver, .44 Rodgers & Spencer, IJ 38 S&W BreakTop, IJ 22 Sealed 8