Thread: General approach to powder selection for a new load

Hi All,
I've been dabbling with reloading for about 9 months and have a general question as to how people choose what powder to use or when/why to change if the results aren't what they are after.

My example is I reloaded for my Tikka 270 and started with AR2213SC... I had issues getting groups I liked so I changed to a faster powder, AR2209 and ended up with something pretty accurate although a little slower then I'd like.

What's everyone's general approach? start with slower or faster powders? at what point would you decide it's not good and try a different powder?

Too many bloody variables with this reloading game .

Mark

To be honest there generally is a lot of info on load development on the net. Especially for something as commom as the .270
I only shoot a few centerfire rifles and apart from one of them I found the best powders for those calibers here on the forum.

I also used to chase speed as I thought that was important for terminal ballistics. I slowly grew up and worked out the fastest bullet is usless if it doesnt go where intended
I now load for accuracy and couldnt give a toss about a hundred feet per second here or there. My barrels, wallet and I are much happier as a result.

iv been reloading off & on for years but still an amateur with the bare basic gear , never had a chrony so always for accuracy though I do tend to look up the charts & pic a faster combo , always learning especially when you can talk to someone who really no,s what they are talking about , recently a mate has been giving advise & dropped me off a folder I can keep nice clear records on so now I can consolidate all my little bits of paper !
generally when im organised I get around 3 different bullet types the sample pac,s , think you can get 15 or 20 projectiles in each pac , as often it could be the projectile the gun doesn't like so it sux when youv just brought 100 of them !! , this last lot of reloading iv done for the 308 I put close to 40 rounds through it before I found what it really likes & funny enough it came down to .1 of a gram between ok/average to really good it was a pac of 50 so only had 10 more to spear after that I would have changed projectiles for sure , I didn't bother playing around with the seating depth as I worked out at max mag length its miles of the lands anyway , pluss don't be shy to let someone else have a shot as not everyone can shoot bits of paper that great anyway ...no no not talking about myself if that's what your thinking

+1 for info on this forum - there are some very knowledgeable folks with solid experience who are happy to share their knowledge.
I’ve reloaded for about 5 yrs now and for the 12 or so different rifles and calibers. I am no expert, & U never stop learning !!
As a general observation over quite a few calibers I have found slower powders tend to give better outcomes in both accuracy and speed.
As you approach max case capacity this seems to favour better results & consistency.
There are always exceptions as u mention, I found similar with a 284 bush pig.
2209 was better than 2213, but not too surprising given a short barrel.

As you have rightly noted there is a great deal of variety in reloading ....even in one caliber you have the wide choice projectile weight / style. It can be annoying when starting out or changing to a new caliber to try and find the best powder / projo combination.
To save a bit on powder do a fair bit of online research first to narrow down the powders you want. Ask on here as you have done, my best bit of advice would be to try and stay with the more common powder styles such as ADI, get a book or two for refference. The ADI powder book is good for a start, and pretty cheap, and is also online.
If its any help i found 2209 better in 270 than 2213 as well. If your funds are limited try the Buy / sell section for part tins. Just remember though that each "bach" will be slightly different and you need to work up a load again just to be sure ..... anytime you change ANY component

I agree with what's been said. I look for the top three powders in the book with good case fill and speed and then check the sites on the net to verify if others are using the same powders with good results. One thing I'll say as a rule with normal barrel lengths the heavier for caliber projectiles the slower the powder works better. You might find 2213 may be better with 150 gn and heavier bullets. I was told and read h 1000(2217) was the bees knees in the 300wm and it is very good. When I started loading 212-225 bullets 2225( retumbo) was far better even though it wasn't popular it works better in my rifle( similar groups ,better es and no pressure signs). I'm loading 2217 in a mates 270 using 150 gn bullets and although he's happy with the groups I feel they are average. I believe either a change of projectile or maybe a slightly faster powder could be of benefit like you are using

you will probably find accurate loads arent always the fastest loads if you want fast you might have to sacrifice accuracy and vice versa

my .270 has never been a fussy tart to feed and will put any and all loads into playing card sized combined group at a hundy........whoopdeedo says you...well for bush stalking it never mattered what load went in,only in these later years have I dabbled to try to get better groups (last 2 shots fired to check zero were 3/4" apart) 2213sc or its hodgdon equivalent has always worked well for me. try speer projectiles if rifle a tad fussy,they seem to be a bit softer and group really well for me.
unless you are shooting at 300 plus consistantly which really calls for a rangefinder you wont need super hot loads,your rifle,shoulder and ears will prefer a slightly more mld one too.

Thanks for all the replies guys. Seems like a few here use the approach of - Start with the slower powders on the tables that mostly fills the case and work with that to begin with, then change if not working. Think I will stick with that approach for the next one I do and see how it goes.

The 270 load I was referring to was for 130gr SST. I've gone heavier now to 145gr ELD-X now so will go back to the 2213 and see how we go.

Another approach not mentioned yet is to use Quickload (google it, I'm a slow typist) - this allows the reloader to compare a whole range of powders and select one that looks as if it will give a nice balance of a fullish case, 100% burn (many many loads both good and bad don't have anything like better than 95% burn) and good velocity. It also generates barrel times, which some gifted folk (not me) are able to use to predict likely accurate loads based on barrel harmonics.

Depends on how analytical you like to be. Always verify Quickload data against a manual.