The tradition and
experience of UEE Cartuchería
Deportiva, S.A. in the fabrication of gunpowder
dates back to the last century when one of the
companies, which founded the present firm, started
production of military gunpowder for the Spanish
Navy.
Since then, we have kept
in the vanguard of the
explosive propellant sector — incorporating the
latest technological advances in our manufacturing
processes.
At the present time
UEE Cartuchería Deportiva, S.A. gunpowder is being used by the world’s principal manufacturers
of sporting ammunition for the loading of their better quality and most
prestigious cartridges.
It is not surprising. Our
wide range of products covers all the needs of the market for any kind of
hunting or sporting shot shell in 12, 16, 20, 28, and 36 gauge (.410 bore).
Based on our double
experience as manufacturers of powder and sporting shot shells, we are pleased
to offer our smokeless powders, types CSB and
PSB.
Our production plant is
located at Galdácano (in the Basque Country) in North Spain. These
installations are equipped with the latest technological developments and with
the most rigorous safety measures. All of them are highly automated and this
results in the quality and uniformity of the products produced as well as in the
safety of the manufacturing processes.
Thanks to the uniformity
of the flakes and their graphite treatment, the CSB and PSB gunpowders allow
precise dosing even in the fastest and most sophisticated filling machine —
whatever the speed of operation.
UEE Cartuchería
Deportiva, S.A. guarantees that all batches of their commercial powder
produce the expected speed and pressure of the shot shells in which they are
used.
For this reason, prior to
sale, each batch is subjected to rigorous quality control which verifies its
physical characteristics (dimensions and relative density), chemical
characteristics (composition, ash and stability) and ballistic characteristics.
The ballistic testing merits special attention. It is carried out with the most
advanced instruments and allows us to verify the performance of the powder in
the shotshells.
In order to monitor the
performance of each batch, live firing tests are performed with shotshells in a
gallery. These tests measure the ballistic characteristics of ten cartridges
loaded with the powder being tested compared to another ten which are loaded
with a control batch. The average and standard deviation of the pressure and
velocity are calculated. In addition, five shots are made with a shotgun to
compare the ignition flame and combustion residues.
BALLISTIC
PROPERTIES
Ballistic properties are
determined on shotshells loaded beforehand with the powder in question (besides
other components such as case, primer, etc., described in the previous section),
and conditioned afterwards for 24 hours at temperature of 21 ± 1°C and 60 ± 5%
of moisture. The velocity values at 1.2 m. and pressures are read from the fired
shotshell using a 700 mm. unmodified cylindrical gun bore. A pressure switch set
at 17 mm. from the brass base is used to read pressure.
Since first-rate
nitrocellulose from our own manufacturing plants is used for PSB and CSB powders
an efficient and complete residues-free burning is achieved. PSB and CSB powders
have been specially designed to hold continuously their ballistic properties
regardless of significant temperature and moisture changes and can be,
therefore, successfully used all over the world.
Efficient combustion,
absence of residues, excellent ballistics. These are the mark of today’s CSB and
PSB powders, but tomorrow we want them to be even better. For this purpose a
team of scientists and technicians, equipped with the most advanced technology,
work tirelessly day by day in the ballistic research laboratories of UEE
Cartuchería Deportiva, S.A. to develop new processes and products which
will make the cartridges manufactured with our powder more efficient.
