I want to understand loading for a compensator better. In particular, the S&W Performance Center revolvers that come ported from the factory or with add-on compensators, and in .357 Magnum.
So the way I understand it now, the compensator is driven by the mass of gas at some velocity. Looking at the mass of powder used in a load should be a good indicator of how much gas it can fuel the comp with, but we also have to consider the portion of the powder that's burned before the bullet base exits the muzzle. This is primarily a concern with slow powders in short barrels. I can estimate this with Quickload.
I understand book-listed pressure tells me little about compensator performance because the pressure can spike to the listed maximum while the bullet is still in the chamber and then drop very low by the time the bullet is passing the ports. So while pressure is a factor in driving comps, we'd need to know muzzle pressure rather than maximum pressure. Again, I can estimate this with Quickload. The pressure at the port(s) and the mass of gas flowing through them should give a good idea of how much the comp will work, but for practical purposes, this is best estimated from things simpler to measure like the relative mass of powder and % burned.
My immediate concern is determining when a load is going to be ineffective at driving a comp. I know I can load full charges of H110 and that will provide plenty of gas, but I have come to favor less massive powders for a variety of reasons -- powders like Longshot, BE-86, and HS-6. The book loads for these powders still have more mass than loads for Autocomp. Is that a good indication they'll work well with a compensator?
If you've loaded for comps, what can you tell me about it?
So the way I understand it now, the compensator is driven by the mass of gas at some velocity. Looking at the mass of powder used in a load should be a good indicator of how much gas it can fuel the comp with, but we also have to consider the portion of the powder that's burned before the bullet base exits the muzzle. This is primarily a concern with slow powders in short barrels. I can estimate this with Quickload.
I understand book-listed pressure tells me little about compensator performance because the pressure can spike to the listed maximum while the bullet is still in the chamber and then drop very low by the time the bullet is passing the ports. So while pressure is a factor in driving comps, we'd need to know muzzle pressure rather than maximum pressure. Again, I can estimate this with Quickload. The pressure at the port(s) and the mass of gas flowing through them should give a good idea of how much the comp will work, but for practical purposes, this is best estimated from things simpler to measure like the relative mass of powder and % burned.
My immediate concern is determining when a load is going to be ineffective at driving a comp. I know I can load full charges of H110 and that will provide plenty of gas, but I have come to favor less massive powders for a variety of reasons -- powders like Longshot, BE-86, and HS-6. The book loads for these powders still have more mass than loads for Autocomp. Is that a good indication they'll work well with a compensator?
If you've loaded for comps, what can you tell me about it?