# Barrel length and the recipes in books, powder choice etc?



## prof_fate (Jan 2, 2012)

I know powders burn at different rates and the goal is to get it all burned at about the same time the bullet leaves the barrel.

Most relaoding formulas I've seen in books will list the gun and/or barrel length along with bullet, powder, primer, etc.

How does barrel length affect any of this? 

For 9mm I often see 4" barrel used, or perhaps a specific gun with a barrel around 4 or 4.5". My gun has a 5.25" barrel. All else being equal would a slower burning powder 'keep pushing' in the longer barrel and should I load for 3.8" barreled compact then want a faster burning powder so that i'm not trying to burn powder outside the barrel?

Second thing -read in a book that some of the recoil we feel is from the burning powder as it leaves the barrel like the exhaust of a jet engine - so would a faster powder than stopped burning earlier reduce recoil?


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## tom1911sigfreak (Dec 10, 2011)

Nice to see i'm not alone! I just got into reloading and see so many different loads for the same bullet! I'm just loading up 5 at a time and taking notes. Trying different OAL also, I'm loading 45acp so im going from 1.900 to 1.230 and using tightgroup,win231,unique. its really what works best for you that counts. I found my best results were best at a mild to max. charge for a 185 gr jhp honaday xtp bullet. All the stuff I found from the websites had me at a low charge. It shot through my Dan Wesson like it was a .22 and often would'nt eject. I'm not trying to shoot cheap I want it to be as close or better than factory defense loads.I have 38 acres so I can shoot as soon as I load out the back of my shop,so that helps big time can take notes quick! I'm gonna prob. get my 9mm dies soon so I will let you know what my loads come out like. P/s gonna shoot the 9 out of 3,4,5 inch barrel. hope you get a good load going! Tom


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

This may add nothing to the discussion, but back when I was doing a lot of muzzle-loader shooting, I would place a long sheet of white newsprint out in front of the rifle's muzzle and, after firing a shot, I would look at the paper for unburned powder granules.
Then I would cut the powder charge back, a little at a time, until all of the powder was burned up. From there, I adjusted the load for best accuracy (which usually involved adding a little to the charge).

I don't know whether or not this technique would work with modern smokeless powders. They may burn up too quickly.
I offer it only as a point from which to start thinking.


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## prof_fate (Jan 2, 2012)

I'm aiming for accurate and inexpensive. Max velocity or self defense isn't the goal. But I know the goal so that at least helps.

I got some lead roundnose and jacketed HP to work with and could dissassemble some factory (jacketed rn) if i needed/wanted to compare bullets.
So far I've got w231 - I'll try other powders if this won't work, and eventually out of curiosity. I hear good things about titegroup and some of the vitv. powders but i was warned (by many) that titegroup isn't a good powder to learn on and vitv is costly (relatively speaking).
Bullets are really gonna be my first trials. The local shop carries lead rn (speer - so a name brand no less) at under $60/1000, no shipping of course. Hard to beat that price.


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## Rockhound (Sep 28, 2011)

I like to use many different reloading manuals. I take the reloading information from these various manuals (and other sources) and build a matrix of minimum and maximum loads for the specific powder and bullet that I am using. I use generic bullets for my 45 ACP reloads like 230 grain lead round nose and 230 grain jacketed (ball) bullets. I refer to the overall cartridge length specified in the manuals for these bullet types and also compare them with factory ammo. You will find that these do not very that much.

Once I have all this information gathered in one place (like a notebook or a spreadsheet on your computer), then you can start working up a load for yourself. Always remember to start near the minimum powder charge. Seat the bullet to a depth that is consistent with factory loads using the same bullet shape and weight. Do the "plunk" test to verify that your bullets will chamber in your pistol's barrel properly. Then load 10 or 15 rounds. You can repeat this for several different loads increasing the powder charge slightly.

Once done loading your test rounds, take a trip to the range and test fire the newly loaded ammo. Start with the lightest load. Take notes on felt recoil, dependability (is it able to cycle the pistol's action reliably), accuracy, and cleanliness. Then try the next step up in powder charge and record the results, etc. If you have a chronograph, use it to tell you the velocity of the reloads. I recommend anyone who reloads to invest in a chronograph. If you have a chronograph, be sure to include it in your testing and record the readings.

To address your questions regarding powder and burn rates, I would refer you to the discussion section for your particular caliber on M.D. Smith's web page (Reloading Pages of M.D. Smith).

Good luck!


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