{{Short description|Form of nitrocellulose used in small arms cartridges}} thumb|500x500px|right|This magnified image of H110 illustrates propellant spheres passed between rollers to produce a uniform minimum dimension. '''Ball propellant''' (trademarked as '''Ball Powder''' by Olin Corporation and marketed as '''spherical powder''' by Hodgdon Powder Company<ref name="jw1">Wootters, John ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company pp.95,101,136-138,141,149&155 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref>) is a form of nitrocellulose used in small arms cartridges. Ball propellant can be manufactured more rapidly with greater safety and less expense than extruded propellants.
Ball propellant was first used to load military small arms cartridges during World War II and has been manufactured for sale to handloading civilians since 1960.
== History ==
The United States military replaced black powder during the first decade of the 20th century with smokeless powders formulated from nitrocellulose colloided with ether and alcohol.<ref>Davis, Tenney L. ''The Chemistry of Powder & Explosives'' (1943) pages 296-297</ref> Large quantities were manufactured for World War I and significant amounts remained unused after the war. Nitrocellulose deteriorates in storage, but military quantities of old smokeless propellant were sometimes reworked into new lots of propellants.<ref name="Naval39">Fairfield, A. P., CDR USN ''Naval Ordnance'' Lord Baltimore Press (1921) p.39</ref>
Through the 1920s Dr. Fred Olsen worked at Picatinny Arsenal experimenting with ways to salvage tons of cannon powder manufactured for World War I. Olsen was employed by Western Cartridge Company in 1929 and developed a process for manufacturing ball propellant by 1933.<ref name="Ball">Matunas, E. A. ''Winchester-Western Ball Powder Loading Data'' Olin Corporation (1978) p.3</ref> Reworked powder was dissolved in ethyl acetate containing small quantities of desired stabilizers and other additives. The resultant syrup, combined with water and surfactants, is heated and agitated in a pressurized container until the syrup forms an emulsion of small spherical globules of the desired size. Ethyl acetate distills off as pressure is slowly reduced to leave small spheres of nitrocellulose and additives. The spheres can be subsequently modified by adding nitroglycerin to increase energy, flattening between rollers to a uniform minimum dimension, coating with deterrents to retard ignition, and/or glazing with graphite to improve flow characteristics during blending.<ref name="Chemistry328">Davis, Tenny L. ''The Chemistry of Powder & Explosives'' (1943) pages 328–330</ref><ref name="Profile136">Wolfe, Dave ''Propellant Profiles Volume 1'' Wolfe Publishing Company (1982) pages 136–139</ref>
This manufacturing process also worked with newly manufactured nitrocellulose. Manufacturing time was reduced from approximately two weeks for extruded propellants to 40 hours for ball propellants.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Sharpe | first = Philip B. | title = Complete Guide to Handloading | publisher = Funk & Wagnalls | volume = Supplement | edition = Third | year = 1953 | location = New York | page = 7 }}</ref> Rate of burning is controlled by deterrent coatings eliminating precision forming and cutting machines required for surface area control of extruded propellants.<ref name=rrc>{{cite book |last=Camp |first=Raymond R. |title =The New Hunter's Encyclopedia |publisher =The Stackpole Company |edition =Third |date =1966 |location =Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |pages =756&757 }}</ref> Safety was improved by performing most of the manufacturing process in water.<ref name=dew>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegunzone.com/556prop.html |title=The Great Propellant Controversy |last1=Watters |first1=Daniel E. |work=The Gun Zone |access-date=29 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722235300/http://www.thegunzone.com/556prop.html |archive-date=22 July 2013 }}</ref> Olin subsidiaries began manufacturing ball powder specification WC846 for .303 British ammunition during World War II. Hodgdon Powder Company salvaged 80 tons of WC846 propellant from disassembled .303 British military rifle cartridges in 1949 and sold the propellant to handloading civilians as BL type C. The C was to indicate the propellant burned "cooler" than traditional Improved Military Rifle propellants. Olin continued manufacturing WC846 for both civilian ammunition and 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges<ref name="clay">Harvey, Clay ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company pp.90,145,146&157 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref> after the war.<ref name="layne">Simpson, Layne ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company pp.81 & 82 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref> Manufacturing operations moved in 1969 from East Alton, Illinois, to the St. Marks Powder plant in Crawfordville, Florida.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwpowder.com/history.html |title=A Brief History of Winchester Smokeless Propellants |publisher=Winchester |access-date=17 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221045405/http://www.wwpowder.com/history.html |archive-date=21 February 2015 }}</ref>
== Composition ==
Olin's safety data sheet indicates the following composition of ball propellant:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.winchester.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/pdf/msds/msds_w64.pdf |title=Material Safety Data Sheet |work=Winchester |access-date=29 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424090752/http://www.winchester.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/pdf/msds/MSDS_w64.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2014 }}</ref>
* 40 to 70 percent nitrocellulose * 10 to 60 percent nitroglycerin * 3 to 7 percent ethyl centralite * 1 to 5 percent dibutyl phthalate * 1 to 5 percent polyester adipate * 1 to 5 percent rosin * 1 percent diphenylamine * 1 percent ethyl acetate * 1 percent potassium nitrate * 1 percent potassium sulfate * less than 1 percent graphite * less than 1 percent N-Nitrosodiphenylamine
== Comparison with extruded (stick) propellants ==
Aside from the manufacturing advantages, ball propellants metered more uniformly through powder measures used to load cartridges, had a longer storage life in loaded cartridges,<ref name=rrc/> and reduced erosion of rifle barrels when those cartridges were fired. On the other hand, ball propellant loadings were more difficult to ignite, produced brighter muzzle flash, and left heavier fouling in rifle barrels than had been common with extruded propellants. Some ball propellants burned satisfactorily over a narrower pressure range than extruded propellants. Some handloaders accustomed to extruded propellants had difficulty determining appropriate charges for the unique components they were assembling. Light loads might fail to ignite and burn properly while heavier loads might cause abrupt pressure increases to dangerous levels.<ref name="jw1"/><ref name=wcd>{{ cite book | last = Davis | first = William C. Jr. | author-link = William C. Davis, Jr. | title = Handloading | publisher=National Rifle Association of America | year = 1981 | location = Washington DC | pages = [https://archive.org/details/handloading00will/page/33 33–35] | isbn = 0-935998-34-9 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/handloading00will/page/33 }}</ref>
Fouling difficulties increased as military loadings shifted from the .303 British and 7.62 NATO to the 5.56×45mm NATO. Some propellant lots clogged the gas tube of M16 rifles until concentrations of calcium carbonate stabilizers were reduced in 1970 as reformulated WC844 for the 5.56mm NATO cartridge.<ref name=dew/> Civilian handloaders experienced similar fouling problems with smaller bore diameters. Some attributed the problem to residues of unburned deterrent coatings and suggested using magnum primers to improve ignition and burning at lower pressures.<ref name=wcd/> Ignition was ultimately improved by blending in a small percentage of uncoated propellant granules to improve the performance of standard primers.<ref name="jw1"/>
== Expanded handloading options ==
Hodgdon's original 80 tons of surplus BL-C introduced ball propellants to handloaders. Handloaders were ready to pay for newly manufactured ball propellants when the surplus supply was exhausted about 1960.<ref name="layne"/>
; Hodgdon: * BL-C (Lot 2) for full-charge loads in the .308 Winchester and .223 Remington<ref name=wcd/> was newly manufactured by Olin in 1961 with 10 percent nitroglycerin, 10 percent diphenylamine stabilizer, and 5.75 percent dibutyl phthalate deterrent, but without the flash suppressant used in the surplus military propellant.<ref name="layne"/> * H110 was surplus .30 carbine powder<ref name="jw1"/> introduced in 1962<ref name="lab">Labisky, Wallace ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company pp.83-97 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref> for loading the .30 carbine and magnum revolver cartridges.<ref name=wcd/> * H335 was surplus Olin WC844<ref name="layne"/> for full-charge loads in the .223 Remington and .308 Winchester.<ref name=wcd/> * H380 was Olin WC852<ref name="layne"/> for full-charge loads in the .30-06 Springfield.<ref name=wcd/> * H414 was introduced in 1967<ref name="jw1"/> for full-charge loads in the .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield<ref name=wcd/> * H450 was for large capacity and magnum rifle cartridges.<ref name=wcd/> * H870 was surplus M61 Vulcan propellant introduced in 1959<ref>Hagel, Bob ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company p.109 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref> for loading very large capacity magnum cartridges with bore diameter of {{convert|0.3|in|mm}} or less.<ref name=wcd/> * HS5 was introduced in 1963 with 13.5 percent nitroglycerin<ref name="lab"/> for shotgun field loads.<ref name=wcd/> * HS6 was introduced in 1963 with 18 percent nitroglycerin<ref name="lab"/> for heavy shotgun loads.<ref name=wcd/> * HS7 was introduced in 1973 with 18 percent nitroglycerine<ref name="lab"/> for magnum shotgun loads.<ref name=wcd/> * Trap 100 was introduced in 1973 with 13.5 percent nitroglycerin<ref name="lab"/> for shotgun target loads.<ref name=wcd/> * HP38 was introduced in 1975 (similar to Olin 230)<ref name="clay"/> for target loads in handguns.<ref name=wcd/>
; Olin: * 230P Pistol propellant with 40 percent nitroglycerin introduced in 1960 and replaced by 230 in 1973 for handgun target loads.<ref name="jw1"/> * 231 reformulated 230 with 22.5 percent nitroglycerine and no deterrent coating so grain size and shape could be changed to minimize bridging in loading machines.<ref name="edm">Matunas, Ed ''Propellant Profiles'' (1982) Wolfe Publishing Company p.143 {{ISBN|0-935632-10-7}}</ref> * 295P Pistol propellant introduced and discontinued in early 1960s.<ref name="clay"/> * 296 reformulated 295P introduced in 1973 with 10 percent nitroglycerin for magnum revolver loads.<ref name="clay"/> * 450SL Shotgun Loading propellant introduced in 1960 and discontinued in 1972.<ref name="Profile136"/> * 452AA replaced 450SL and AA12S in 1973.<ref name="jw1"/> * 473AA replaced 500HS and AA20S in 1973.<ref name="jw1"/> * 500HS High-velocity Shotgun propellant introduced in 1960 and discontinued in 1972.<ref name="Profile136"/> * 540MS Magnum Shotgun propellant introduced in 1960 and replaced by 540 in 1973.<ref name="Profile136"/> * 571 magnum shotgun propellant introduced in 1973.<ref name="jw1"/> * 630P Pistol propellant introduced in 1968<ref name="jw1"/> and replaced in 1973 by 630 with 35 percent nitroglycerin and no deterrent coating for magnum revolver loads.<ref name="clay"/> * 680BR Ball Rifle propellant introduced in 1968 and replaced by 680 in 1973 for .22 Hornet, .218 Bee and .256 Winchester Magnum.<ref name="jw1"/> * 748BR Ball Rifle propellant introduced in 1968 and replaced by 748 in 1973.<ref name="Profile136"/> * 760BR Ball Rifle propellant (similar to H414) introduced in 1968 and replaced by 760 in 1973.<ref name="layne"/> * 780BR Ball Rifle propellant introduced in 1968 and discontinued in 1972.<ref name="jw1"/> * 785 (similar to H450)<ref name="layne"/> introduced in 1973 for the .243 Winchester.<ref name="clay"/> * AA12S introduced in 1968 for standard 12 gauge shotgun loads and discontinued in 1972.<ref name="jw1"/> * AA20S introduced in 1968 for standard 20 gauge shotgun loads and discontinued in 1972.<ref name="jw1"/>
== References ==
{{refs}}
{{Handloading}}
Category:Firearm propellants