reloaders: how come my reloads burn so dirty?

Midget

Midget

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Jun 1, 2002
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hey all, i just got into reloading and i've noticed that my reloads tend to burn considerably dirtier than normal, factory rounds.


that is.. when i retrieve my reloaded brass, the cases are always have more black sut on them than brass that's been factory loaded... what gives? is this common? am i doing something wrong?
 
Are you making your loads hotter? That could have something to do with it. Also the brand of powder you use could affect the soot aspect.
 
Personally I like the old-fashioned dirty powders like Bullseye & Unique; I clean my guns every time I shoot anyway, but there are more modern powders that are cleaner burning if you care about that.
 
i see. so the factory ammo i'm shooting (magtech) is using a different kind of powder that burns cleaner?


cougar allen called it-- i'm using bullseye powder. so it's a "dirty" burning powder? how come you like it over modern powders??


i'm not loading any of my rounds hotter than i should be. i get my numbers from "lyman's 48th annual reloading handbook." i'm loading 158gr 38SPL lead semi-wadcutters at slightly above the mininum powder load.
 
how come you like it over modern powders??
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Well, I haven't done a lot of comparison testing, but Bullseye is a fast burning powder that works well for short barrels (and also for light loads in longer barrels) and it's very consistent and accurate, and I don't mind that it's dirty so I see no reason not to go on using it.
 
If you are loading to the low end of the safe spectrum in the load data. That is, say 4.0 grains when the data says start at 3.5 and runs to 5.0, you will get dirtier cases. The answer is simple and yet complex.

Powder burns in a geometric progression based on heat and pressure. The higher the heat, conversely the higher the pressure, which raises the heat back again. At lower levels, the heat and pressure of the combustion is not enough to convert all that solids into gasses and you are left with residue.

Likewise when manufacturers make powder, they use surfactants and deterrents to control the "speed" or Burning rate of the powder. Seeing as all powder is made from the two basic same ingredients, that is nitroglycerin and nitro cellulose, they have to add other chemicals to the energizers to control the speed of flame spread.

Crimp can also help raise the velocity and cleanliness of loads. A firm roll crimp will help pressure spike faster, meaning that velocity and combustion should function better. Using the fastest powder that meets your velocity goals helps too.

Modern powder chemists have also come up with better cleaner buring powders as they use new deterrents and coatings that leave less dirt behind and are more temp stable as well. The new Unique is particularly clean compared to its old version. In light loads in a .357 carbine, it was particularrly effective but dirty as can be. The new version swabs out in three or four patches...
 
I haven't tried the new Unique, but I switched over to Universal Clays quite a few years ago for most of my handgun reloads and have never looked back. However, if there was a significant price different between the Clays and the Alliant powders, I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Like Cougar said, I clean my firearms when I get home from the range and it isn't really a big deal. :thumbup:
 
A lot of times, sooty cases are caused by loads that are low in pressure and don't seal the brass neck tightly to the chamber.

Bullseye is the best thing since sliced bread. :-) Don't worry about a little soot.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
You do not say which cartridges you are reloading. If they are pistol cartridges with straight walls then the problem is not uncommon and is not really something to worry too much about.

You really start to notice this if you load black powder into your cartidges. A .38 or .45 case will be a lot blacker than a 44/40 as the slight bottleneck of the latter case will do a much better job of gas sealing.

You can reduce the problem sometimes by tighter crimping which will raise pressure in the case. Sometimes a slightly bigger (as in diameter) bullet can help. At low velocities a softer bullet may also help. If it is not causing any actual problem then don't get too concerned about it.
 
Check your lube wax. We used to get considerable soot when the lube sizer was using the wrong mix (home made) of lube wax. Cleaning each round after reloading helped considerably although there was no loss in reliability (pistol).
 
I always found Bullseye to be absolutely filthy. That's what we'd get in our commercially-reloaded "practice" rounds on the police range back in the 70s.

I went to unique for almost all my handgun shooting back then.

Heaven only knows what's available now....Haven't done any reloading in about 25 years.
 
I've been a bullseye shooter for years. I use Bullseye powder in my 45 ACP and .32target loads. I've shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of Bullseye powered target loads. It is an excellent powder for light loads and allows the pistol to group far better than I can. Dirty? Sure. I've always liked my handloads to look nice so I use one of those vibrator brass cleaners before I reload.

The ball powders in general burn cleaner.
 
There are several new powders to use, and they are worth checking out.

New Unique is 1/10 as dirty as old unique.

Titegroup has become my powder of choice in loading up training loads.

Clays, int'l clays and Longshot are Very clean especially when loaded to max or near max loads.
 
Titegroup is a good powder for plinking loads even though it produces lots of smoke in rapid fire mode. It doesn't take much per load either which can lower you cost per round significantly.
 
desmobob said:
A lot of times, sooty cases are caused by loads that are low in pressure and don't seal the brass neck tightly to the chamber.

Bullseye is the best thing since sliced bread. :-) Don't worry about a little soot.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
Click to expand...

+1, he said it!

Sounds like your cases aren't obturating sufficiently to provide a good seal between the case and chamber wall.

Up your loads slightly (1/2 grain or so at a time) and that should solve your problem!

If you start to flatten primers then you've gone a tad too far........
 
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