Burnt powder residue on the casing

[Cooter]

I am new to reloading, and after a few batches of .45 acp, I am getting a burnt residue on the outside of my brass. What is this caused by, and is it a sign of a major problem?

I'm using:

Hodgdon HS-6
CCI large pistol primers
185 gr XTP and 230 gr FMJ
various brass
on a Dillon 550

[Tactical Gunslinger]

This may see like an obvious question but are you cleaning your brass before reloading it?

[Cooter]

yes I tumble for 3 hours in a lyman vibratory cleaner, with walnut shell media.

[stumpjumper101]

some powders burn cleaner than others. result you may have to clean the firearm a little more often

[Red Hat]

You might want to change your powder. Hodgdon HS-6 has a very slow burn rate. Using it in 45acp it becomes dirty because it can't produce a high enough CPU to burn all the powder. You may want to try a faster burning powder like Hodgdon TITEGROUP. I have very good results with it.

Here is a burn rate chart. HS-6 is 35 and TITEGROUP is 10 on the list. http://www.hodgdon.com/burn-rate.html

[Cooter]

Thanks Red Hat, I'll switch powders and see what happens.

[astute]

Case blackening is normal. The tighter your gun is the less residue you'll have. Remember this is not all bad as the tighter the fit the more prone to failures. Loose guns are dependable guns. Don't worry about black residue on your cases. Faster powder will help, but won't make it go away. HS-6 is a very good, accurate powder, but has a reputation of being dirty. I use what ever I can find cheap as long as it works for the caliber. When I store buy I use TiteGroup.

[KimberPB]

Originally Posted by Red Hat

You might want to change your powder. Hodgdon HS-6 has a very slow burn rate. Using it in 45acp it becomes dirty because it can't produce a high enough CPU to burn all the powder. You may want to try a faster burning powder like Hodgdon TITEGROUP. I have very good results with it.

Here is a burn rate chart. HS-6 is 35 and TITEGROUP is 10 on the list. Burn Rate

+1. I've been using accurate #2 for my .45 acp target loads. Its a fast burning powder and works great in my 3in 45's. Seems to be accurate and does not leave any burn marks on my cases.