Powder temp “stability” chart???

[Elktrack]

Anyone know of a chart or something that ranks the temperature sensitivity of different powders?
I’m evaluating several powders and curious how they rank against each other in the temperature sensitivity category.
It’d be cool to have a chart similar to a burn rate chart but for temperature sensitivity.

 

[elevatorman]

That would be sweet to have. Right now I just simply don't buy powders that are not temp insensitive. By labeling from manufacturer. Like winchesters staball or hodgons extreme powders

 

[Dan-06]

I like vihtivouri n 555. I don’t know of any chart that you are after. I would love to have one though.

 

[Potsie]

I don’t think there’s a published “Chart” that I know of, but I believe Hirnady’s 4Dof program has a setting to compensate for temp stability. Not sure how it’s measured or what, I haven’t played with it much.

 

[Sheltowee]

This thread might help: https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...change-per-degree-on-various-powders.7152849/

I try to stick to the Hodgdon Extreme powders if at all possible due to their temp insensitivity. I'm usually doing most of my handload development in the summer around 90degrees and most of my rifle hunting in the 20-40degree range.

 

[Elktrack]

I’ll check out that Hornady site. I’m wondering if I’m overthinking it as usual. Probably going down another rabbit hole where I obsess over details that won’t manifest any better results. Been there. Temp stable is a newer thing in the big picture of my reloading anyway. According to the “experts” I’ve been using garbage powders that aren’t capable of accuracy. Good thing I never knew that before. The thousands of rounds I loaded and shot with ball powders must have been anomalies. Haha. I guess if I was trying to get a long range precision load or bench rest competition loads it would be more important but in all reality I seldom shoot past 300.

Does it really make enough difference??

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I thought it was listed somewhere in quickload as well? I've never had it.

Hard thing to put values to because it seems to be impacted by pressure and cartridge as well. So a mild load might not have the same temp stability as a high pressure one.

 

[elevatorman]

I’ll check out that Hornady site. I’m wondering if I’m overthinking it as usual. Probably going down another rabbit hole where I obsess over details that won’t manifest any better results. Been there. Temp stable is a newer thing in the big picture of my reloading anyway. According to the “experts” I’ve been using garbage powders that aren’t capable of accuracy. Good thing I never knew that before. The thousands of rounds I loaded and shot with ball powders must have been anomalies. Haha. I guess if I was trying to get a long range precision load or bench rest competition loads it would be more important but in all reality I seldom shoot past 300.

Does it really make enough difference??

my thought on this is I reload primarily for guns I'll hunt with. I need that gun to be as consistent from a 5 degree day to a 75 degree day as possible and to some extent help protect a perfectly safe full power round at any normal temp from becoming dangerously over pressure if say it got hot sitting in my truck or if I shot a few times and it's sitting in a hot chamber. And if it's available and can offer a benefit for nothing else other than picking a powder that has that characteristic, why not?

If I was doing any form of bulk shooting or competitive shooting I wouldn't care about temp stability. I would just buy what was accurate and cheap. I shouldn't have said I only ever buy temp stable powders, that is true for all my rifles and hunting rounds, but I don't care for my plinking round powder for my revolvers. The goal there was lowest charge weight per case to stretch a pound out

 

[Elktrack]

my thought on this is I reload primarily for guns I'll hunt with. I need that gun to be as consistent from a 5 degree day to a 75 degree day as possible and to some extent help protect a perfectly safe full power round at any normal temp from becoming dangerously over pressure if say it got hot sitting in my truck or if I shot a few times and it's sitting in a hot chamber.

If I was doing any form of bulk shooting or competitive shooting I wouldn't care about temp stability. I would just buy what was accurate and cheap. I shouldn't have said I only ever buy temp stable powders, that is true for all my rifles and hunting rounds, but I don't care for my plinking round powder for my revolvers. The goal there was lowest charge weight per case to stretch a pound out

Same here. Pretty much every thing I load has to work from 0-85 degrees. I’m probably fixating more on this than I should.
A bit of homework on my end will help me figure it out. I’m going to enter some data and see just how much of a difference it will make.
This is what happens when winter hits and I have too much time to think.
Problem is that I have a supply of powders that aren’t in the temp stable category but have been proven to produce great loads.
It’s interesting how some of the load data actually recommends a few of these powders as being the better ones.

 

[Elktrack]

Reading the thread about ladder test and some other things has me wondering just how much better I could make a few loads that I have. The temp thing never seemed worth much attention before. I know serious accuracy guys that have dope for all that. I’ve never compiled dope to that extent. Which means I’ve never needed it before. If I was dialing to extreme distance I guess I would need to now

 

[elevatorman]

If it ain't broke don't fix it! If you got working loads just keep using them. For me I try not to even make up a new load for a rifle that's not temp stable. Because I'm picking out all my components from the get go

 

[MTTW]

Here is some info. It looks like foot per second change per degree Fahrenheit change.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I find the powder temp sensitivity thing to be vastly overblown.

 

[Sheltowee]

I find the powder temp sensitivity thing to be vastly overblown.

No offense, but if you're loading and shooting in Alabama where it is always 80 percent humidity and rarely below 30 degrees, you probably wouldn't see it much. I never had much speed variability when I was loading down there but I also knew I couldn't really step on the gas without hitting pressure quickly if I was doing load development in July.

Work up a load at zero degrees and shoot it at 95, you might find yourself with a problem.

 

[elevatorman]

Here is some info. It looks like foot per second change per degree Fahrenheit change.
View attachment 359794

Thanks. Pretty neat to see a chart like that.

Look at the difference alone between reloader 12 and reloader 15

 

[elevatorman]

You look at the numbers and hodgons not fibbing or misleading about it being temperate insensitive. H4350 and you could shoot at -20 and at 100 degrees and only see less than a 20fps change. That's better than I thought it was. 4831sc is less than 10 fps for that same crazy temp spread. But reloader 25 would be a 190 fps difference

 

[Sheltowee]

You look at the numbers and hodgons not fibbing or misleading about it being temperate insensitive. H4350 and you could shoot at -20 and at 100 degrees and only see less than a 20fps change. That's better than I thought it was. 4831sc is less than 10 fps for that same crazy temp spread. But reloader 25 would be a 190 fps difference

Take a gander at Varget!

 

[elevatorman]

Or more realistic you work up rounds in the winter at 25 degrees and shoot them later in the summer or a hot day in the fall at say 75 degrees and your h4350 load will be 8fps different and a powder like rl25 would be 80fps different.

I mean to me that's a substantial difference. I guess it only matters if it matters to you but I'd be real hesitant to develop a full power load with a powder like rl25. Also on the same hand as worrying about being over pressure, you'd also be losing performance just because it's cold out.

 

[Caseknife]

Take a gander at Varget!

H4831SC is about half of Varget

 

[Caseknife]

The majority of hunters wouldn't see a difference shooting under 300 yds, with the exception of a max pressure load at 30 degrees and hunting at 85 degrees, may have issues with a stuck case. I try to do most of my load work up at 50-60 degrees.