Handloading Question

[Chriznak]

Has anyone tried handloading inside an oxygen filled inert gas glove workstation? I'm wondering if space between the powder granules being 100% oxygen would improve muzzle velocity for the maximum chamber pressure of a given cartridge.

cheers,

[Hi-Power Jack]

This might be The Solution to the powder shortage - use half as much powder, and a LOT of Oxygen.

[basman]

Please, keep us informed, this is very interesting.

[Reshoot]

This might be The Solution to the powder shortage - use half as much powder, and a LOT of Oxygen.

[Jman]

All my ammo is loaded on the ISS. So...no.

[Amerflyer48]

if it works then folks will be experimenting with a Hydrogen/powder mix ?

check out my 9mmMajor~Hindenberg BoomWhooossshh !

[xrayfk05]

Gunpower comes with it's own oxygen so I doubt it will do anything at all.

If this was a troll post, I didn't say anything

[peterthefish]

Gunpower comes with it's own oxygen so I doubt it will do anything at all.

If this was a troll post, I didn't say anything

This says it all. Environmental oxygen only speeds / enhances combustion when it is the oxidizing agent. If gunpowder lacked sufficient oxygen for complete combustion then large loads (think a .223) would simply fizzle once they exhausted the available environmental oxygen.

In fact, I just looked up the Nitroglycerin decomposition reaction - O2 is actually a byproduct.

Then again, I like experiments, so....

Edited August 21, 2014 by peterthefish

[GreenDragon64]

One would probably need to put sealant around the primer and neck.

[Steve RA]

Probably more expensive than a single stage press !!

[Chriznak]

Gunpower comes with it's own oxygen so I doubt it will do anything at all.

If this was a troll post, I didn't say anything

It's not a troll post. I didn't know gunpowder had oxygen as an element in the granules. I was just wondering if pure oxygen (or some other gas atom) between the granules would improve cartridge efficiency (ie- velocity/powder load).

Edited August 22, 2014 by Chriznak

[CZinZA]

This might work if oxygen was the rate-limiting reagent. However, I suspect the stuff that limits flame speed is powder composition and surface area (particle size). So it would probably have a very small effect.

It wouldn't give you more velocity at lower pressure though - it would probably just raise both pressure and velocity. But you might just be able to use less powder to get to the factor you want.

But that's just equivalent to using a faster powder - so you could just do that instead.

[Graham Smith]

Gunpowder doesn't contain oxygen, per se. It contains an oxidizing compound. Early black powder was made of Sulpher, Charcoal and Potasssium Nitrate. The first two are the fuel and the latter is the oxidizer. Modern smokeless powder is much different but it's still basically a fuel and an oxidizer.

[CZinZA]

It's nitrocellulose (single base) or nitrocellulose with nitroglycerin (double base)

[peterthefish]

Gunpowder doesn't contain oxygen, per se. It contains an oxidizing compound. Early black powder was made of Sulpher, Charcoal and Potasssium Nitrate. The first two are the fuel and the latter is the oxidizer. Modern smokeless powder is much different but it's still basically a fuel and an oxidizer.

It may not include free atmospheric O2, but oxygen atoms make up part of all gunpowder compounds. So I would say it does in fact contain oxygen, per se.

[usmc1974]

WOW! you guys are frigin smart.