Quick Tip: Selecting the Right Powder for Your Reload
This video from Brownells Gun Tech™ Steve Ostrem provides essential guidance on selecting the correct gunpowder for reloading ammunition. It emphasizes consulting loading manuals as the primary step to identify compatible powders for specific cartridges. The video differentiates between fast-burning powders typically used for handguns and shotguns, and slower-burning powders favored for rifles. It illustrates how powder choice impacts velocity and economy, offering examples like light .357 Magnum loads using powders like Winchester 231 or Alliant Bullseye, versus maximum loads requiring more of a slower-burning powder. The advice extends to different rifle cartridge types, from smaller straight-walled to large magnums, and crucially, stresses the importance of weighing every powder charge when approaching maximum loads due to the risk of catastrophic failure.
