Single Vs. Double Base Powders

[revchuck]

In the context of handgun ammo reloading, are there specific statements we can make about each kind of powder? For instance, does one burn "hotter" than another? Is one more more likely to add or lose velocity based on temperature changes than another, and if so, in which direction? Is one more likely to be smoky/dirty/yucky than another? Is one more likely to show a change in performance based on primers? Does one work better with lead bullets than another?

I've been wondering about this stuff, and it's quicker to pick y'all's brains than it is to do the necessary experimenting.

TIA!

[3GunF1Guy]

As a GENERAL rule most single based powders are cleaner than double based powders. This information I got out of the shotgun manual from Ballistic Products. There are of course exceptions to this rule. Alliant E3 is supposed to be the cleanest shotgun powder made and it is a double based powder.( I use it and it is the cleanest shotgun powder I have used) Most VV powder is very clean and I think most of it is double based. If you look at some of the “clean” powders they are Clays, Solo 100, Ect., all single based powder. The “dirty” powders, Red Dot, Unique, ect. All double based. ( I think Unique is the dirtiest powder made.) What I can’t figure out is, why does adding nitroglycerine make nitrocellulose burn dirtier. You would think it would be the other way around.

Scott

[JD45]

I believe I once read that single-based powders are more sensitive to temperature changes and don't have the storage longevity of double-based powders.

[XRe]

Most VV powder is very clean and I think most of it is double based. If you look at some of the “clean” powders they are Clays, Solo 100, Ect., all single based powder.

Except for the "high energy" rifle powders - the N5x0 series - all VV powder is single base.

[Harmon]

http://www.hodgdon.com/smokeless/msds-clays.php#top

clays and universal clays are two of the cleanest powders you can use in a handgun and they are both double based.

E3 is double based and clean

VV is single based and clean

i guess as long as its not made of charcoal and sulfur, it doesnt matter.

harmon

[XRe]

The base material used to create the nitrocellulose might have something to do with it. Also, the exact construction of the powder grains, the burn rate, and the conditions it's burnt under have a lot to do with it, too. For instance, in my racegun, 3N38 isn't exactly what I'd call "clean". The rest of the Vihts seem to be. In my .40, N320 is uber clean.

I've seen Universal loads that cornmeal to all hell and back... again, depending on the load, etc... Nothing is constant... well, except that Unique is uniquely gnarly and dirty....

In general, nitroglycerine can be used to raise the energy content per charge volume/weight, given the same powder geometry and coatings. So, in theory, against a powder that's exactly the same in all respects except nitroglycerin content, the one with nitroglycerin will release more energy - so, hotter, more pressure, etc. But, the forumulations, geometries, and coatings of the various powders make it pretty much impossible to generalize on that one factor - and then there's the load and firearm variables to contend with, so.... tough question to answer with any authority