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Old March 2, 2013, 04:12 AM   #1
grisbald
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Handloads louder than factory?

I was at the range the other day shooting my 7mm-08 and .223. Some of the folks around me asked what I was shooting and were surprised by my calibers because of the bang. I load both of them with Varget. Loads are a little above middle in the reloading books, and Quickload has them in the yellow, so I know these aren't hot loads So my question is do different powders give bigger or smaller "BOOMS" than another?
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Old March 2, 2013, 05:24 AM   #2
chris in va
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I imagine it has to do with combustion rates. A slower powder may still be expanding past the muzzle.
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Old March 2, 2013, 07:13 AM   #3
rebs
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Just to add, I have had people tell me my AR is really loud. I am not loading max loads. I use H335 powder and my AR is a 16" barrel. Could it be that H335 powder is still burning as the bullet is leaving the barrel ?
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Old March 2, 2013, 08:00 AM   #4
Sport45
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I imagine the powder is all burnt before the bullet is a foot down the bore. The supersonic cloud of expanding gas at the muzzle makes the bang.

Quote:
I use H335 powder and my AR is a 16" barrel.
The 16" barrel has more to do with it than the powder, IMHO.
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Old March 2, 2013, 08:46 AM   #5
Ted D
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Does that cause muzzel flashes as well?Not to change the subject
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Old March 2, 2013, 09:00 AM   #6
hodaka
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That plus the flash inhibitors that are a component of the powder. Many powders, military in particular, have grain coatings that surpress flash. I don't know what they are but i suspect graphite is involved.
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Old March 2, 2013, 11:13 AM   #7
Brian Pfleuger
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Check the muzzle pressure values predicted by QL. The bullet's exit essentially uncorks a very high pressure bottle. The higher the pressure, the louder the "POP!" when the corks comes out, just like a wine bottle.

It effects the muzzle flash and can also effect accuracy too, because the bullet is directly effected by the muzzle blast.

It also has a dramatic effect on recoil. Use QL to find a powder with lower muzzle pressure and check it's recoil calculation, then check one with a much higher muzzle pressure but similar velocity.

One of my favorite features of QuickLoad is its ability to predict low muzzle pressure powders for short barrels.
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