list of known good lots of n133 ??

rsmithsr

Well-known member
I will be in the market this year for more n133.
any specific lots I should look for ??
currently shooting 2006
thanks
 
I asked Jack Neary what the difference was between the current 133 and earlier lots of 133 at the Cactus. He said they had started putting less graphite in it to make it a slightly denser powder making it easier to get more powder in the case. As to how it shoots from one lot to the other that there was no difference just that the later lots were easier to get in the 6 PPC case than earlier. I shot 2008 lot at the Nationals and 2019 lot at the Cactus. I couldn’t tell that the 2019 shot any better. It was slightly easier to get in the case. I still had to slowly trickle it in even with the 2019 powder. I was shooting 30.0 gr at 200.
 
I asked Jack Neary what the difference was between the current 133 and earlier lots of 133 at the Cactus. He said they had started putting less graphite in it to make it a slightly denser powder making it easier to get more powder in the case.

Interesting. Thanks!
 
They all work well; it’s just a matter of tuning your rifle to how each powder burns.



Exactly. FWIW... My experience with 133 is just "hands on". The first lot I tried was 1994. 20 plus years ago. I have not discovered a lot that consistently shot great in all my barrels. I Suspect that has a lot to do with bullets,barrels,reamers,shooter skills, etc,etc.


Glenn
 
There is no importer of N133 in Australia at the moment. Fortunately, I managed to score a couple of six packs of N133 2009 some time ago. These are one kilo bottles (about 2.2 pounds). Shoots well in my guns with around 29.8gns.
When we went to the WBC in NZ back in 2017, they had Vit but it was 2015 vintage. I found that a case full (30.2gns) was the way to go.
At the last WBC in Calgary I am not sure of the year of the powder (might have been 2019), but I just stuffed as much as possible into the case (around 30.3gns) and shot the same twenty five cases all day without having to bump them once.
Weather was quite cool so that might have helped. No way could I run pressure - this was with 65 grain Berger BT's.
I also had a bottle of 2012 given to me a while back and found that this batch appeared to be HOT. Much over 29.3 and the bolt got sticky.


Brendan Atkinson
 
change in the cap = > cap tightening problem => damaged powder

Got a problem a few month ago with a N140 1 kg bottle with the new cap size (and color). It appears that powder granules at the top of the content were not grey but more or less marroon / brownish. 1" deeper in the bottle, no brown granules.

In checking all my bottles wearing the NEW CAP (color and diameter), NONE, I say NONE of these bottles had its cap correctly tightened. All caps were lousy, all powders were more or less damaged. All bottles with the old cap (larger, light blue) were tightened OK.

I think they had a bottle caping process issue, this leading to a bunch of un-tightened new caps on the market.
 
graphite "IN" it ???

I was in the ammunition business from 1989 to 1992. As a manufacturer, we were working closely with a French powder manufacturer named SNPE and purchasing powders by tons each year to load from .25 ACP to .50 Browning. Flakes, spherical, compressed spherical, tubular, multiple tubular, coated or not coated.

In no way graphite was INSIDE the powder.

graphite was a slight coating added (or not) at the end of the process, which purpose was to help the powder to flow in the various tubing bringing the powder from the explosion area to the loading shop and the loading machine and inside the machine to the currently filling cases.

We could order powder with or without coating, depending on loading machine type / throughtput. Graphite was almost ZERO regarding powder density at that time, and I doubt about the relationship in between graphite and powder density.


Anyway, I am having no doubt about graphite and load density achieved in using long drop tubes AND graphited powders.




A powder manufacturer trick is to mix non conformant powder batches (according they are same elements in composition and same structure) to achieve conformant burning performance regarding a particular powder label. That practice can lead to various aspect inside the bottle, more or less dark graphite coating or even coated / non coated granules.

Hope it helps.
 
graphite "IN" it ???

This also spiked my curiosity, I doubt VV is talking much about it manufacturing process to anyone. In it or on it, either way it sounds a bit counter intuitive. ( As to burn rate and or flowability)

Ken


I was in the ammunition business from 1989 to 1992. As a manufacturer, we were working closely with a French powder manufacturer named SNPE and purchasing powders by tons each year to load from .25 ACP to .50 Browning. Flakes, spherical, compressed spherical, tubular, multiple tubular, coated or not coated.

In no way graphite was INSIDE the powder.

graphite was a slight coating added (or not) at the end of the process, which purpose was to help the powder to flow in the various tubing bringing the powder from the explosion area to the loading shop and the loading machine and inside the machine to the currently filling cases.

We could order powder with or without coating, depending on loading machine type / throughtput. Graphite was almost ZERO regarding powder density at that time, and I doubt about the relationship in between graphite and powder density.


Anyway, I am having no doubt about graphite and load density achieved in using long drop tubes AND graphited powders.




A powder manufacturer trick is to mix non conformant powder batches (according they are same elements in composition and same structure) to achieve conformant burning performance regarding a particular powder label. That practice can lead to various aspect inside the bottle, more or less dark graphite coating or even coated / non coated granules.

Hope it helps.
 
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