Dangerous Powder Blending?

[NoDopes]

So, I know it's pretty much all over the internet that blending powders is the fastest way to lose your face and gun.

But there are folklore of people doing this, sometimes with seemingly safe siblings, N110 and N120 for example, but a few scattered reports of people mixing fast/slow powders (non-duplex it seems).

I'm curious the mechanics of this and assume that a faster powder mixed with a slower powder greatly increases the pressure and burn rate of the slower powder completely changing it's burn/pressure profile. I've seen a couple posts that some people added a few granules(?) to a powder to cause it to burn cleaner.

My curiosity stems from H110 in 330BO subs with low % burn and if there was a way to get that up in a 'safe' way. The answer seems to be a resounding no, but curious if people just don't want to talk about it due to the dangerous nature. I did see a person talking about working up loads but never sharing them because they are gun/chamber specific..

Is this just a hunt for bigfoot?

 

[MDof2]

I've mixed lot numbers of the same powder (i.e. 4 single 1lb into 1 batch) much to the chagrin of the internet telling me I'd meet baby jesus himself on the first trigger pull. (never saw him btw.....)

Haven't heard of mixing slow and fast into a new batch though. However H110 is damn near the middle of the road for burn speed, so you've got a lot of options for a faster powder without cooking up something new on Boom St. And without pressure trace / measuring equipment, etc. it's nothing more than a blind guess, no? While I don't reload 300BO, I'd be more inclined to play with that, versus mixing two different powders. There's just a whole lot that go wrong in a short amount of time in that scenario.

 

[lightman]

For years I have emptied the dregs from a nearly empty can into a new can of the same powder and mixed them together. But I'm not about to mix different powders together. Your average handloader does not have the resources to test this and the possibility of this going wrong is too great.

 

[NoDopes]

I'm thinking of adding 5% of an H110 load to 95% of a fast N32 load and go from there. I'm also trying to think of some redneck ways to test this at home before trying in my rifle. I have a few ideas. N32 is clean and 100% burning, but I think just a tad too quick to cycle the AR according to GRT. Problem is I probably can't fully test this unless at chamber pressures, but I figured starting with a fast load and working towards slowing it down is the safer route.

 

[trialboss]

I'm toying with the idea of 95% Trail Boss and 5% LT-30. Trail Boss is quiet under suppression but doesn't cycle the receiver. LT-30 is hot and quite loud under suppression.
Thoughts?

 

[jakelly]

You should try it. Come back in 2025 and tell us if it works.

 

[eod_tek]

I'm toying with the idea of 95% Trail Boss and 5% LT-30. Trail Boss is quiet under suppression but doesn't cycle the receiver. LT-30 is hot and quite loud under suppression.
Thoughts?

My thoughts are that its impossible to tell how much of each powder you're getting if you mix a 5% ratio of LT-30 into a jug of Trail Boss. Especially that low of a rate, no guarantee there is LT-30 in every charge. Now if you wanted to mix by weight and load into each case......but still, probably not a good idea unless you're a chemist.

 

[JoshPutman]

 

[308pirate]

So, I know it's pretty much all over the internet that blending powders is the fastest way to lose your face and gun.

But there are folklore of people doing this, sometimes with seemingly safe siblings, N110 and N120 for example, but a few scattered reports of people mixing fast/slow powders (non-duplex it seems).

I'm curious the mechanics of this and assume that a faster powder mixed with a slower powder greatly increases the pressure and burn rate of the slower powder completely changing it's burn/pressure profile. I've seen a couple posts that some people added a few granules(?) to a powder to cause it to burn cleaner.

My curiosity stems from H110 in 330BO subs with low % burn and if there was a way to get that up in a 'safe' way. The answer seems to be a resounding no, but curious if people just don't want to talk about it due to the dangerous nature. I did see a person talking about working up loads but never sharing them because they are gun/chamber specific..

Is this just a hunt for bigfoot?

You're either a PhD in organic chemistry with a long professional background in munitions and explosives or you have a death wish.

I'm gonna vote for death wish

There's another, even dumber thread similar to this one on "duplex" loads.

 

[308pirate]

While you guys are at it mixing shit, I read somewhere on line that a little diesel fuel added to the mix tends to make it pack easier in the cartridge.

 

[308pirate]

Here's that other fountain of stupid ideas

Mixing Different Powders Together

Here....I found were you can get a copy of the book if interested. http://www.riflemagazine.com/catalog/detail.cfm?ProductID=820 Thanks. I just subscribed to Handloader Magazine and ordered that book, too. I think it would be a fascinating and educational read.

www.snipershide.com

 

[RTH1800]

In the past we had a poster @kraigWY.He was a nice guy with a lot of knowledge and common sense. He had lived and worked in Alaska. He posted once about his job as some form LE like Anchorage PD. Anyway one of his jobs was to investigate illegal bombs, bomb makers etc. . Part of that job was to literally "pick up the pieces" after things went badly.

You might consider pre arranging for his services if he is still available.

 

[JM4590]

What could go wrong?

 

[semperfireloading]

Is there anyone alive that wants to mix Titegroup with Varget and test it out? What kind kind of moron would do it? for what purpose?

 

[NoDopes]

Necro thread... I'm still alive.. didn't try it.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I've done it with similar burn rate powders in 223. I pulled down about 30 rounds that had three different powders, mixed all the powder together, and reloaded it on the lighter side. No issues at all when I shot it.

I wouldn't dare mix a fast pistol powder with rifle powder.

 

[ZA206]

I’ve mixed lots of the same powder to homogenize them. I’d never mix different powders, as they wouldn’t be homogeneously mixed throughout and your pressures would be all over the place.

I‘ve always wanted to play around with duplex loads, but never got around to it (I just keep buying new powders… lol).