Kicker charges

rodmkr

Temecula California
Sorry for all the questions but bad day for wife and nothing much else I can do.
Have been reading a lot about duplex loads.
Not that I will try any but wanted to know how it is done.
How do you ensure that the kicker charge remains against the primer?
Those tat use the kicker never explain that part!

rodmkr
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Only did it a few times with 4759 and black but you MUST have a compressed charge. The compression keeps the powders from mixing. Even a tiny bit of air space will allow the kicker charge to migrate.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
yep.
your cleaning up a dirty low pressure too slow powder at 100% case capacity.
100% could include a buffering agent and bullet compression.

but you basically start replacing powder from the bottom up on a grain for grain charge until you see results.
the faster the replacement the less you use.
IOW 5grs of red-dot, or 12grs of 4227.
they both push on the upper weight and both achieve a pressure close to 20-K.
one is a better fit for your situation however depending on your exact goals.
if your just looking to bump the overall pressure enough to not have to shake powder grains out of the barrel after each shot it won't matter all that much.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
PO Ackley had instructions in his shooter and reloaders handbook . The particular data is for the 454 Magnum , the Casuall but it hadn't been called that yet . It may even have triplex data .......

Fivers description is what I understand the process to be also .
Seem I read a thread somewhere (CB probably Fiver) regarding using an ultra slow powder .....W857 or 860 maybe as a "nert" filler in I think a x 55 or 57 ......... It's been several years ago and catalogued but not used .
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
in the 7x57 you can use stuff as slow as BMG-50 or 5010 straight up with jacketed bullets.
it isn't ideal but it would get the job done out to 200yds no problem.

the triplex data was in 45 colt cases. [it was to get and hold pressure at maximum as soon and as long as possible]
Dick had the 450 magnum before that.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Never apologize for making posts here, especially when the wife is having a bad day. We're as much a support system for each other as we are an information system. That's what being part of a tribe is all about. Hope she has a better day today!
 

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
When you talk about "duplex" reloading, you are into the upper strata of reloading where the air is thin and a mistep can create some bad karma.
Brad is correct about the need for a compressed powder column. From time to time I have used a small kicker charge of medium rifle powder (3031) under a compress load of WC872 a verrry slow ball powder designed for the 20mm Vulcan round. It is a wonderful cast bullet powder giving a slow push rather than a hard spank to the bullet base. But in some cases, it gets strewn all down the barrel. A kicker charge will give a clean burn. I have done this is the 45-70 and the 30-30. In most other rounds (30-06, 308 and 30-40) is is not needed. I don't mess with black powder.
 

flint4570

Member
Yes compression is a must to keep everything from mixing. I don't use duplex loads anymore to much trouble not enough good results.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
All the above I agree with.

I have had GREAT success using duplexed WC-860 (50 BMG ball powder from GI Brass) in 45/70 as follows--6.0 grains of IMR-4198 against the primer followed by 48.0 grains of WC-860 and about 1/16" of compression with a Lee 405 grain plain-base bullet. Fed 215 primers. Accuracy has been STELLAR in 3 rifles. Ballistics are 1873-level, with no weirdnesses. The only anomaly I have seen is that after 10-12 firings some cases (both W-W and R-P) show a small "burn-through" in the case neck area where the bullet base lodges inside the case. Their appearance reminds me of the "burn-throughs" I used to see in paper shotshell cases that had reached the end of their useful service. I discard these brass hulls like I did the shotshell hulls.
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
Agreeing with Bret as usual. There are no dumb questions
if you don't know something. There are often however
many stupid answers. It is wise to sort out the answers
given by those with the most experience. I tried duplex
many years back. I learned that it was a PIA, and have not
done it since.

Paul