Is there variances in Reloading powder from lot to lot?

[Forgalspop]

OK, so yesterday I was doing some shooting here at our place in New Mexico and had a thought cross my mind. (Sometimes I do have thoughts).

I wondered if the same powder from different lots would have slightly different burn rates. For example let’s say one has loaded some rounds with Varget from a 2,009 batch and had other rounds loaded with Varget from a 2,012 batch, would the burn rates and velocities be the same?

I suppose one would have to chronograph and be sure that all the rounds had the same charge amounts of powder and the cases all being prepared the same, with the same seating depth, etc.

I wonder how much variance there is between lots. Are manufacturing tolerances strict enough that there would not be any noticeable effects in how rounds made with one batch lot to another perform?

What got me wondering is I was shooting my .270 Mossberg out to 200 yards and shot rounds with the same amount of Varget and same bullet weights and seating depths and one batch seemed to perform better than the other. The one that performed best was loaded in 2012 and the other in 2018. So I assume the powder was from different lots.

It could be I simply shot one batch better than the other and operator error was the only factor.

Thoughts??

Swampratt??

 

[Cat City Slim]

The short answer to that question is yes. No product will be exactly identical from lot to lot. The variance should be very small. My guess is that atmospheric conditions, elevation, temperature and other environmental factors will have more of an impact on accuracy than difference in powder lots. Just my opinion.

 

[PanhandleGlocker]

I heard the answer is yes.

If possible get 8lb jugs or see if the 1lb cans are from the same lot.

How much variance though I can’t imagine there being a huge difference…

 

[swampratt]

Read this.
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/3-different-lot-numbers-of-varget-target.210791/
And are you saying you loaded some of the ammo you shot way back in 2012 and some was loaded in 2018?

I recently showed a member on some old loaded ammo how a bullet can "weld" itself to the case neck
after a period of time sitting.

Take some old ammo you reloaded and stick it in the press and seat the bullet just a few thousandths shorter.
You may hear a POP when you break the weld.
If you do that ammo will NOT shoot the same as some ammo you made last night.
Now if it easily seats deeper with no POP sound you done good and it will probably shoot the same if lot numbers are the same.
I had some .223 that was less than 2 years old shooting from a bolt gun. H4895 powder and 55 V max.
I noticed one round kicked much harder and had a pierced primer and then another round kicked pretty hard no punctured primer.

I took those home and did the seating test and they all had a POP to them.
I took them apart and all had exactly 26 gr of powder.
I trickle on a beam scale.
That was the first time it happened to me.
CCI 450 primers were used.

 

[Forgalspop]

Read this.
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/3-different-lot-numbers-of-varget-target.210791/
And are you saying you loaded some of the ammo you shot way back in 2012 and some was loaded in 2018?

I recently showed a member on some old loaded ammo how a bullet can "weld" itself to the case neck
after a period of time sitting.

Take some old ammo you reloaded and stick it in the press and seat the bullet just a few thousandths shorter.
You may hear a POP when you break the weld.
If you do that ammo will NOT shoot the same as some ammo you made last night.
Now if it easily seats deeper with no POP sound you done good and it will probably shoot the same if lot numbers are the same.
I had some .223 that was less than 2 years old shooting from a bolt gun. H4895 powder and 55 V max.
I noticed one round kicked much harder and had a pierced primer and then another round kicked pretty hard no punctured primer.

I took those home and did the seating test and they all had a POP to them.
I took them apart and all had exactly 26 gr of powder.
I trickle on a beam scale.
That was the first time it happened to me.
CCI 450 primers were used.

That makes sense. Would not have thought of that.

Yes one batch reloaded in 2012 and the other in 2018. Same cases, bullets, powder, seat depth. I weigh all bullets for each batch I reload and make sure they weigh the same. Also with cases, I try to get them all to weigh as close as possible to each other. That can be next to impossible as empty cases can and do vary in weight, even from the same manufacture.

So many variances when it comes to shooting and reloading. Not sure I will ever master either!

 

[GHArms]

100% Yes. For Instance, this last week I was using a 1lb of N550 for the old 6.5. Found a nice load with 153's. Switched to my 8lb, different lot, and holy smokes the velocities changed significantly. Does the average shooter notice it? No. When I'm shooting at a 10" at 1,000, it makes a difference.

 

[Forgalspop]

100% Yes. For Instance, this last week I was using a 1lb of N550 for the old 6.5. Found a nice load with 153's. Switched to my 8lb, different lot, and holy smokes the velocities changed significantly. Does the average shooter notice it? No. When I'm shooting at a nse 10" at 1,000, it makes a difference.

Think I will pay more attention to and note different lot #s. Not at home, so I can't look at powder containers, but I think they have lot #s. I'll have to check.

It makes sense to me that there has to been variances between batches of powder; sometimes minute and at other times perhaps a wide variation, but still in specs.

 

[swampratt]

I write down lot numbers in my load data if I have more than 1 lot number.

If you have any of that older ammo left I would seat a couple of the bullets deeper and see if you get that hard to seat POP.
It's an eye opener.

I worked up loads for IMR4064 and had 4 lbs of the same powder but with the 30-06, .308 and then a .243 eating away at it I had to get more.
I got more and a different lot number and it was many years newer.
It did not shoot the same at all and looked a wee bit different.

Lucky for me the next time I was at gene sears he had got some more in and 8# jugs and to my surprise it was the older stuff with my favorite lot number.
He did not know why he ended up with powder that old (2009) but he did and I got all 3 of the 8# jugs.

 

[PanhandleGlocker]

Lucky for me the next time I was at gene sears he had got some more in and 8# jugs and to my surprise it was the older stuff with my favorite lot number.
He did not know why he ended up with powder that old (2009) but he did and I got all 3 of the 8# jugs.

I envy you and your 4064 stock.

 

[swampratt]

Not that many rounds in an 8 lb jug only 1,066 rounds of 30-06 if you do not spill any
I have 2 30-06 rifles and one I use for cast loads with 11.5gr of Red Dot powder.
608 rounds from 1 lb of that.
You can shoot 100 rounds of cast in a hurry in that 30-06 just laughing at the no recoil and plinking away.