Has anyone added anything to smokeless powder to add volume (to fill the case and take up air space)??? I would be interested if anyone has. I am contemplating using shot buffer and adding it to powder to add volume. Any opinions?

Thanks,

Craig

I think mixing anything with powder would lead to inconsistent ignition plus it could cause some safety problems.

In fireforming, I heard of adding an inert substance such as grits. But it is keept separate from the powder charge.

Flour would be very explosive.

I've used dacron wad over the powder charge to fill a case, but I prefer the case be filled w/ powder, so I choose a pwoder that will give me 95-100% density & still give me good accuracy.

Would a cotton ball work?

Probably, but whatever you use as a filler, you have to watch out for ringing the barrel. The old NRA Reloader's Guide had an article about different fillers, and I'm sure you can find information about what people have used in here. Fillers are mostly used for reduced loads, and there are some real experts in that field in here. Use the search function.
- mike

What works is dacron. It can be found anywhere sewing products are sold. It comes in sheet or "ball" form. With sheet, most users cut 1/2" or 5/8" squares, with the "ball" users will tear off abit, usually the size of a kidney or butter bean. this is then put in the case on top of hte powder, but is is NOT stuffed in hard so as to creat a wad. It is simply pushed into the case 'untill it contacts the powder and is left so, seat the bullet and fire. The object is to simply keep the powder in a column rather than laying along the case at the moment of ignition.

Avoid creating a hard object with an airspace between the powder/filler and the bullet base, as this is a surefire way to damage the gun over time. Has to do with the air inbetween being compressed and the bullet then acting as an obstruction.

Fillers like cream of wheat and grits can be used, but care must be taken as they contain moisture and compression will make them rock hard. Avoid their use in bottleneck cases pn this account, and even in straight wall cases should be fired in a short period of time after loading.

There are other polymer based fillers, shot buffer can be used, but be sure to add it on top of the powder charge and to develop your loads from start with them (that is true of any load using a filler) There is also a product, Puflon that is a polymer filler developed specifically for use as a filler.

Fillers may or may not improve your loads. Recently I was using a filler in a 357 Max with a low velocity/low pressure load. While it did tighten the group, the fliers I would expect to see were thrown farther out from the main group as compared to those fired with no fillers.

Forgot, the addition of fillers can and do increase the pressure of the load, hence the caution for load development using the filler from the beginning.

Primarily, fillers are used in conjunction with cast bullets and low powder volume/low pressure loads, and with loads using pistol powders in rifle cases. I see no reason a filler could not be used in a load using jacketed bullets, but the caveat to develop the load as a load with a filler must be followed.