Blending powders (8208XBR and H322)

[82boy]

I was wondering after reading a recent thread about blending powders. In the thread someone made mention of blending equal amounts of powder, I would imagine this would by by weight rather than volume. The mentioned taking a 1 lbs cantainer of this and a 1 lbs container of that and blending them, wich would give you 2lbs of powder, how can this be done with smaller amounts, I cant imagine wanting 2 lbs of powder if it dont work out. How do you make a 1/2 lbs of powder? Is it as simple as weiging out 1/4 lbs of one lbs, and a 1/4 lbs of another and mixing them togeather? Anyone shooting a mix of 8208 XBR and H322? How is it working for you?

 

[TheoW]

Mixing different powders! I had a friend who experimented with this concept.
MAY HE REST IN PEACE.

 

[caroby]

PM sent...

 

[Chism G]

What is the experimenter trying to accomplish by mixing different powders that can't be accomplished with one powder?

The risk of injury outweighs the gains of extreme accuracy. Like Francis says,there's no way to guarantee loaded round mix ratios. Especially when mixing stick powders. I tried mixing powders of close to similar burn rates. I could see no advantage over using a single powder.


Glenn

 

[goodgrouper]

Is it as simple as weiging out 1/4 lbs of one lbs, and a 1/4 lbs of another and mixing them togeather? Anyone shooting a mix of 8208 XBR and H322? How is it working for you?

Yes, it's that simple. That's how I did it. I weighed it out, dumped it together and shook it up. If it settles in the car on the way to the range, I sure couldn't tell. But I'd always shake it again before putting it into the hopper just to make sure.
It shoots ok but not as well as XBR mixed with N133. I call that mix 8341 (8208+133). Because of the black kernels of N133 being mixed with the green kernels of XBR, it's easy to see if they settle out during transport. I've never seen it happen. And even if it did, one shake of the can would be all it would take.

Like you mentioned, lots of folks mix old 8208 with H322 and do well with it. One of the best shooters I've ever watched shoot was a guy from Wyoming by the name of Mike Lewis. He shot a 22 ppc 100 short and he mixed N130 and N133 for it. Boy did he shoot some great aggs in high wind. I guess that comes from living in Wyoming....

 

[Chism G]

Mixing gun powder is like mixing medications. The side effects could possibly be unfavorable. When you mix smokeless powders, you create a burn rate with no published(Tested) load data. While this reality may not be a problem for an experienced competition shooter,it could cause unpredictable results and possible injury to the uninitiated experimenter. Its always good to put safety first..


Glenn

 

[goodgrouper]

Glenn is right. Mixing powders isn't a good idea for the average Joe. In my opinion, it should only be done by experienced reloaders who load the ammo they are going to shoot @ the range the day they are going to use it. This gives the necessary control of components needed for the unknown. I don't think it would be a good idea to mix powders and pre-load 200 rounds to take prairie dog hunting.

The reason why I tried mixing H322 and XBR was because I was trying to see if I could "mellow out" H322 for warmer weather. I've had really small aggs with H322 in the past but only in cold to cool temps. Once it gets above 80 degrees, I can't figure the stuff out for the life of me. I thought mixing XBR with it might do the trick. It helped, but all I probably really did was just make another batch of Benchmark!

 

[Steelhead1]

All I can add is that the argument for powder kernels seperating just isn't so in the case of the two powders I blend! I drove back from the Cactus some 975 miles ,put all my gear away and just started packing for Utah and opened the container and it is as well blended as it was when I started. Yes there can be hazards to blending powders, but the couple of powders that are being discussed here have been blended for quite some time and by others that are far more noteworthy in the benchrest community than I! The reasons are obvious, like goodgrouper said 322 shoots good when its cold , and VV-133 goes crazy when iot gets really warm, 8208 shoots great but once agin it seems to be affected by temp changes, maybe as it gets warmer there is an associated jump in velocity or pressure, the reasoning I think behind blending is to see if you can produce something that maintains its consisitency through temperature swings. I may not be on the right track with this but I can say that the combination of the 8208 PD and H-322 that I'm currently shooting shoots better thah either one of the powders shoots individually. As for guys blowing up guns or getting fired, it happens but as you all know Benchresters are notorius for experimenting! Would we ever have a new wildcat but for the adventures of P.O. Ackley or how about the inventors of the PPC, all good things have to start with someone experimenting, and thats all this is about!

 

[double s]

you are exactly right it changes the temperature mood of the powder. in my 30x47 i would use n-135 certain temps it worked great when it got hot it went to crap,, so i blended n-135 and varget, which by the way are right next door to each other on the powder burn rate chart and the varget is considered an exstream powder meaning it is not so temp sensitive and when i shoot it, it works super great in any temp. i mix it 50/50 by weight. been doing this for 10 years or so and i shoot rounds that i loaded last year... guess what? no problem... i guess its all in what a person knows about powder. and n-133 blended with h-322 works well too.