Different powder, different fireball?

[603Country]

I had some guys over this morning to pig hunt (no luck) and afterward we shot a few rifles. Most days it's just me shooting and nobody watching, but today I mostly watched. First up was the Ruger in 223, with a 40 gr Nosler BT loaded over a close to max load of H335. I was surprised to see a bright and very noticeable fireball out of the 22 inch barrel. Next up was the 220 Swift, with a 55 gr Sierra GK over a near max load of IMR4064. Out of the 21 inch barrel, there was no noticeable fireball. Same thing with my 270 (H4831sc) and the 308 (IMR3031). The only fireball was with the ball powder. Is that a common thing with ball powders? I can't think of anything else that would explain the fireball out of just the 223 barrel.

 

[thump_rrr]

I have a 14.5" AR-15 with a JP Rifles compensator on the end.
This has no flash suppression whatsoever.
If I reload using IMR 8208 (XBR) I have zero muzzle flash with Varget not so much.
With XM193 ammo it turns night into day.

 

[wogpotter]

Not really. Sometimes the load combination is just "flashy" & some powders are worse than others. Its not a ball Vs Stick or single Vs Double base thing though.
As an example I've been using H335 to reload .303 British for a Lee-Enfield. Its pretty much flashless with 150 Gr & 174 gr bullets. But I had some 130 Gr .311" Norma ones & there is a very noticable flash even at moderate loads.

 

[Paul B.]

Simple. H335 is a double base powder. IMR 3031, 4064 and H4831 are single base powders, no nitroglycerin in the formula.
For years I hunted with a Remington 660 .308 Win. My powder of choice was H335 with a max loading. (I forget what it was.) it was the midle of Auguest on a cloud free day, my hunting partner and I were out in the Nevada desert shooting for fun and pleasure when he tried my .308. The ball of fire that came out of the muzzle that was brighter than the sun and the very loud boom was a sight to see. I always noticed the blast but never the flash when shooting that rifle. Probably why I can't hear worth a hoot.
I've used other ball powders that I know are double based, W748, W760 and WMR but never had that extramely loud muzzle blast nor the bright flash. W296 gives a bright flash in my .44 mag. though. I think it's due to the amount of nitro G in the mix.
Paul B.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Different powders have different burn characteristics.

In the instance of H335 under a 40gr bullet is .223, it is being used at relatively low pressure, pushing a light for caliber bullet, exhibiting (according to QuickLoad) only about a 92% burn in a 22" barrel.

4064 in a .220swift, it's an even slower powder, but it's operating at higher pressure and pushing a high-average weight bullet for the caliber. It's burning about 98% in 21"

The other two, you'd have be to more specific for details but 3031 is the fastest and operating at high pressures, both of which lead to more complete burn.

 

[mehavey]

"Next up was the 220 Swift, with a ... 21 inch barrel"

Who makes a 21" Swift ? (That kinda negates a bit of that hotrod's advantage)




*
FWIW, I'm a big fan/owner of a Swift. It produces 22-250 velocities at 10% less pressure. (And I can reeeeely soup it up if I want... but that pressure/barrel-wear advantage is not to be sneezed at))

 

[603Country]

My 21 inch barreled Swift is a rebarreled Swift that I've had for many years. Back in the 80's I got the itch for a rifle in that caliber and finally found one. It was a Ruger 77V and the barrel had been cut down to 20 inches. The previous owner had cut it down so that it would fit on the dash of his pickup truck. He was a rancher and shot every coyote he could find. I bought the gun for $200. It had a 10 power scope on it - a Lyman, I think. It was a true tack driving rifle until I just finally shot out the barrel. I had it rebarreled and asked the gunsmith (Lex Webernick) to put a 20 inch sporter weight barrel on it, and I told him that I wanted it to be a "real shooter". He put a Douglas barrel on it, but it's 21 inches. Maybe he just couldn't bear putting a 20 inch barrel on a Swift. I shot it yesterday, to check the POI. I shot a hole about 1 inch above the tiny little bullseye dot and then shot it again. Same hole. That'll do.

The rifle, with me as the new owner, is still primarily in the coyote removal business, though I've changed bullets. Now that I see quite a few pigs, I've shelved the 55 gr Nosler BT's and gone to the Sierra 55 gr GK. Both bullets will shoot in the same hole.