- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Canister and Bulk
Home > Small Arms Ammunition > Components > Canister and Bulk
A canister propellant is sold in small quantities to hobbyists who reload ammunition. Each cartridge is limited as to how much powder can be safely loaded behind a particular bullet weight or style. Most bullet and propellant manufacturers have tested a range of cartridges with many propellant and bullet combinations and published the data in reloading manuals.
| 135 gr SPEER Short Barrel Gold Dot HP Coal Tested 1.450" Part Number 4014 BC=0.141 SD=0.151 |
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| Propellant | Start Charge, gr |
Start Charge Velocity |
Max Charge, gr |
Max. Charge Velocity |
| Power Pistol® | 6.0 | 983 | 6.4 | 1065 |
| AA #5 | 6.6 | 1000 | 7.0 | 1052 |
| AA #7 | 7.8 | 954 | 8.2 | 1030 |
| HS-6 | 6.8 | 944 | 7.2 | 1027 |
| Viht. 3N37 | 6.0 | 969 | 6.4 | 1007 |
| Unique® | 4.8 | 867 | 5.2 | 988 |
| H. Universal | 5.0 | 937 | 5.2 | 977 |
| PB | 4.3 | 818 | 4.7 | 936 |
Bold type denotes MAXIMUM loads; use with caution. Test Conditions—Case: SPEER; Primer: CCI® 500; Test Firearm: S&W M14; Barrel: 6" 1-18 ¾" twist; |
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Bulk propellants are sold to manufacturers that possess standard pressure-testing equipment making reliance on published data unnecessary. Based on concurrent testing, the lot control for bulk propellants can be less rigorous because the ammunition manufacturer determines the proper charge weight at the time of loading.
