Problem with Hogdon Lil'gun powder?

[usmcvet]

Anybody heard this or experienced this in their 300blk weapons. I know a lot use lil'gun to load mid-weight 308 bullets. There have been multiple reports of lil'gun being too hot and causing rapid throat erosion and destroying barrels, especially those using lil'gun in revolvers. After reading GDS' thread "finally wore out a barrel", it made me wonder. I asked in his thread but would like to ask a broader audience.

Here is a post from Bob Baker of Freedom Arms:

We have seen numerous barrels damaged by using Lil'Gun. According to customers, some had as few as 30 rounds using Lil Gun through them, some had several hundred. Before we figured out what was happening one customer had sent his gun in for a new barrel. Then 600 rounds later it came back for another new barrel.

A couple years ago we did a test with a M83, .357 Mag. using Hornady 180 gr. bullets. We loaded 50 rds. of three different loads. One was a heavy H-110 load and the other two both used Lil Gun in different quantities.

We fired the H-110 loads first, then cut off the threaded end of the barrel. Rethreaded the barrel and shot one of the Lil Gun loads then rethreaded the barrel and shot the last Lil Gun load.

We found even the light load of Lil Gun caused the gun to get extremely hot. The heavy Lil Gun load had the gun so hot the only place we could touch the gun was on the grips and they were very hot.

Under magnification the surface appeared to have heated to a point of flowing using the Lil Gun loads and the heavy load was worse than the light load. This is probably due to Lil Gun having about 10% more nitro glycerin in it than H-110.

Here is a direct link: http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/ ... 437.0.html

[AxleSlider]

I read this as well. Asked the same question a while back but didn't get any conclusive answers. When I was using it for supers, the barrel did get noticeably hotter than N110. I only use it for subs now. Probably not an issue, but my barrel cost me too much, and there are better options out there.

[usmcvet]

Yeah, I have W296 and IMR4227. I think Im going to use the imr4227 for my 147gr pulls instead or maybe w296. The only issue with 4227 is that in order to get even close to lilgun velocities, the pressure is way on up there. I am in the process of working up loads for both powders using the M80 bullets, so Ill see which will get me the best accuracy with high velocities without any pressure signs.

[jwb47]

flame cutting and forcing cone erosion are an issue in magnum revolvers reguardless of the powder used unless your shooting low velocity target loads.
I damn near went blind shooting a 44 mag with 240 grain bullets and 2400 powder . I use lil gun for my 458 socom , 480 raging bull , 44 mag desert eagle ,300 blackout and soon will be using it for my 50 beowulf when I get some dies for it .

[usmcvet]

I'm sure you are correct, but per the warning, lil'gun seems to make the process go much quicker.

[Black Friday]

Not sure I get it... lil gun and H110 are right next to each other on the burn rate chart. How is one going to run that much hotter than the other?

[TMD]

I can attest to the damage Lil Gun can do to a revolver. A few years back I used to have a S&W .460 mag. It was performance center model with the 10.5" barrel. My pet loads were a 300gr hornady XTP with 44 grains and a 395gr hclgc with 37 grains. Well after burning through 3 pounds of Lil Gun the guns accuracy began to drop off dramatically. The throat erosion went into the firsgm2 inches of the barrel. S&W replaced the barrel and suggested I switch to H110. Lost a little velocity and accuracy but no more erosion.

[Badger175]

The company I work for has loaded between 50-60 thousand of BLK rounds with Lil Gun with bullet weights from 110-180. Several thousand rounds fired through various test rifles and such. I can say I love loading with it and shooting with it. Compared to H110 I can find no reason to stop using it at all. And we have experienced no issues with rifles. Granted we load to generally conservative powder charges, the same of which cannot be said for all other ammunition manufacturers.
I love Lil gun

[Sithlord]

My guess is that throat erosion is entirely dependent on the steel and possibly the treatment of the bore, esp given the recent issues gds posted and others have suggested.

4140 vs 4150, stainless vs chrome vs melonite.

For those that haven't had issues, can you describe your barrel and any treatments?

Might be worth a question to hodgdon too.

$0.02

[usmcvet]

Not sure I get it... lil gun and H110 are right next to each other on the burn rate chart. How is one going to run that much hotter than the other?

Per Freedom Arms, they seem to think it could be due to the higher nitro glycerin content in Lilgun compared to H110. I dunno though, Im no ballistician. Im just throwing this out there to see others opinion of it.