Powder for Rifles, Pistol and Shotguns

Powder for Rifles, Pistol and Shotguns. Alliant, Norma, Hodgdon, Whinchester, Western, Accurate, Goex, Vihtavuori and IMRAbout reloading powder. If you are wanting to start reloading, choosing the right powder can be difficult due the wide selection offered today. Please follow published data from reliable manuals and never start with the maximum load due to the fact this data is often generated with very strong test guns and may not be safe in your gun. There are different types of smokeless powder available. Pistol and shotgun powders are generally faster than rifle powders and care must be taken not to use the wrong powder or your gun can blow up. Most pistol and shotgun powders are double base meaning they contain about 3% nitroglycerine. Most rifle powders like IMR are stick shaped but also common is ball powder. Pistol and shotgun powders tend to be flakes or ball type powder. Smokeless powders are manufactured in different densities, with different coatings to control the burn rate and a graphite coating so they flow easy. Powders are designed to burn at a progressive rate but in some cases when not properly used they can detonate unpredictably and destroy your gun. This can happen with some rifle powders designed for high pressure rounds like IMR powders in a 30-06 when a reduced charge is used below 80% case capacity. This is why you never want to use a reduced charge of standard rifle powders. If you want to make a squib load then you must use a small c