Quote: RE 15 is NOT the powder adopted for the 7.62X51mm NATO round. Both 4895 and several different ball powders with about the same burning rate as 4895 are the powders used in the 7.62 NATO. RE 15 may be similar also, but it did not even exist when the 7.62 NATO was being developed.
I thought the following might be of interest.
-Bob F.
Reloder 15 The best all-around medium speed rifle powder. It provides excellent .223 and .308 caliber performance. Selected as the powder for U.S. Military's M118 special ball long range sniper round. from: http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/reloder_15.php
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROVES ALLIANT'S RELODER 15 FOR NEW .308 SNIPER ROUND Radford, VA (December 2000) - Alliant Powder is pleased to announce that the Department of Defense and the US Army Operations Support Command have selected Alliant's Reloder 15 as the new propellant for the 7.62mm (.308), M118 Special Ball Long Range Sniper Round. This cartridge will feature Reloder 15 with a 175 grain Boat-Tail bullet. It will become the standard issue, long range .308 round for use by all military services. "After rigorous testing by the US Army of all appropriate rifle propellants, including those known as 'extreme powders', our standard, canister grade Reloder 15 was selected over all others," said Pete Jackson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Alliant Powder.
RL-22 is my favorite powder, I'm on my 4th 5lb keg over the last couple years. I've noticed no variation but I buy my powder from the same place and so it could possibly be the same lot. My third Keg of RL-25 was the same lot as the 2nd I just finished........DJ
Posts: 3976 | Location: Oklahoma,USA | Registered: 27 February 2004
It is as simple as pouring different lots of the same powder into an 8 or 5 pound caddy or keg and shaking like an oversized martini. However I like to roll not shake.
ElGordo, I hate to break the news to you, but the military named RL-15 as THE 7.62x51 powder about 5 years ago.
Posts: 2124 | Location: Whittemore, MI, USA | Registered: 07 March 2002
This weekend,I took all the different cans I had of each powder number,and blended each Powder number together so it is now all the same. At least it will take care of my "lot to lot" variation for a while.
Terry-
I know that this sounds like a "simple" question, or, better said, there is a simple solution to the question. How does one go about blending different lots of the same powder without blowing themselves up. Is it as simple as pouring different lots of the same powder into an 8 or 5 pound caddy or keg and shaking like an oversized martini?
I like the Reloader series of powders myself. I have used RE19 and RE22 very successfully. I have used RE19 in my .300 WBY and .300 WSM with great results. I have also used, RE22 in my 6.5x300 WSM.
Gosh, I hope not too many of you fall on the floor in a frenzied state of laughter at this one!
Thanks in advance.
Posts: 1323 | Location: San Antonio, Texas | Registered: 04 March 2003
Thanks for the info. However, I note that this is a special purpose, limited production item, about in the same category as the ammo loaded by the AMU for competition purposes, and is NOT standard-issue 7.62X51 NATO military ball. Now, IF the military selected RE 15 as the "standard" powder for 7.62 ball ammo five years ago, it is pretty anticlimactic, since the rifle which used that ammo was superceded about 40 years ago!
Yep, RL-15 is used just for this special purpose M118 load and not the standard issue 7.62 ammo. I think this news item, from a few years ago, is where some people got the idea that RL-15 was maybe being used for all of the military's 7.62 ammo. I have no idea what powder(s) the standard issue 7.62 ammo is loaded with. Still, it's interesting to note that the military chose RL-15 for their long range 7.62 sniper round.
Quote: Terry.....I hope you were kidding about mixing the different lots together.
I'm dead serious. I mixed several lots of the SAME NUMBER together. Then started working up loads from scratch.
I think the warning you read in most reloading manuals about "not mixing powders" has more to do with mixing different KINDS of powders. Like mixing together IMR-3031 with Unique with RL-25. A definite no no. If I have a can or two of a particular powder, say IMR-4831, that are getting near the bottom, then I'll pour the remainder into another can of IMR-4831. Yes, technically, the different lots might change the burn rate slightly, but I don't think it's something to get paranoid about.
