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Curious how much is in a LOT of powder

dang472

Sergeant
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Feb 3, 2012
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    Kingston, IL
    I had a question for anyone in the know with powder manufacturing. When we talk about loading ammo from the same LOT number, how much generally is that? Is it one batch of 2,000lbs at the factory? Is it one continuous production run during one shift at the plant? Is it the run of powder for the day? Week? I'm just curious because there have been reports on hot batches of Varget and such.
     
    I just compared 4 different lot#s of Varget, you'd be damn hard pressed to see any appreciable difference.

    '04 or '05 there seemed to be an issue with some of the Varget but the rumor persists today that Varget has large variations from lot to lot. My experience with Varget has been just the opposite.

    Single lot# is probably more in the 50,000 to 100,000 lb range.
     
    My concern over different LOTs of Varget is very low on the list. I am just trying to visualize the production process of powder and how/why there could be a variance.
     
    The answer to that question will depend on the size of the machine(s) that build a batch.

    Think of it like "Moonshine" where your fermenting "tub" only holds so much mash. The production from each tub will be a "batch". Next time one adds ingredients to start another it could have variations, especially if the "cook" has done any extensive testing of the previous batch:);)
     
    I just compared 4 different lot#s of Varget, you'd be damn hard pressed to see any appreciable difference.

    From a liability standpoint, you know they gotta keep 'em really consistent.