700X - one pound later.....

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herkyguy

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So, years ago I bought a pound of 700X for pistol loading. New to reloading at the time and in the middle of the supply crunch in 2013, I was just buying any components I could find. Last week, i finally loaded up my last batch of .38 special and retired the last few grains. A few thoughts on the experience:

1: Until i got the RCBS Chargemaster, I was ready to put my head through a wall when trying to weigh out individual pistol loads to the tenth of a grain. Not only does it meter horrifically, but it somehow manages to clump together at times. Not very friendly, thankfully the chargemaster solved that problem for the most part (and is a huge timesaver loading anything else as well).

2: I've loaded up 9mm, .380, and primarily .38 special loads. With 158 grain lead bullets, my go-to load became 3.5 grains. Per Hornady, I went up to 3.7 grains and got about 50 more fps, but recoil was more stout and my GP100 showed some leading. 3.5 grains gave me a fairly consistent ~800+ fps average velocity.

3: Over the course of 1000+ rounds, I played around with various levels of roll crimping and never really got 700X to burn cleanly. No matter how heavy the crimp, there was always some unburned powder when i got my GP100 home for cleaning. I found it to be sooty to say the least. It was also putting off a good amount of smoke, which I came to kind of enjoy, since it was cool to see a big puff of smoke get carried off by the wind. But it made my GP100 filthy, even with round counts after a shooting session sometimes as low as 50 rounds. At 100+ rounds, the cylinders were getting dirty to the point that new rounds didn't load so smooth.

4: It seemed to be a relatively fast burning powder. From my 6" GP100, there was no muzzle flash and recoil with the 3.5 grain load was commensurate with factory Federal 158 grain lead bullets. Accuracy was just fine. I also fired some loads from my Winchester 1873 in .357 with FMJ 158 grain bullets and found minimal velocity increases with the loads over my GP100.

All in all it was a good learning experience, but I highly doubt I'll pick up another pound unless we go into another powder crunch and it's all i can find.
 
I have loaded a lot of 12 ga with 700X so it seemed natural and convenient to load pistol ammo with.
Single stage with the old Redding measure was not bad, but I wasn't trying for +/- 0.1 gr, either.
Bridging in the CH AutoCHamp was unacceptable, the occasional 1 gr powder charge when 3 was wanted for .38 wadcutters was a real bust. I went to 231 for years.

Come the Obama Panic, I got it back out and worked with it. Got bridging and short charges in the Dillon, too; until I put a vibrator on the measure to shake the flakes into the bar. Then it did well enough to get me through the shortages. I have a little left that I won't likely use unless there is another shortage of pistol powder or I need to load some shotgun shells with my last bag of $hot.
 
So, something other than the old 'flaming cornflakes' next time. My experience has been similar.

Try a jug of BE-86. Other than a dearth of data, I like it.
 
700X burns real clean if you don't download it too much. 3.5 Grs is pretty light. It doesn't meter great, but shoots well. I never had any trouble with it bridging, but that might just be the measures used. It's very fast and like other fast powders carbine barrels don't gain much velocity with the added length.

With all the choices out there today I might not choose it, but it is a good powder.
 
700X ... 9mm, .380, and primarily .38 special ... I highly doubt I'll pick up another pound unless we go into another powder crunch and it's all i can find.
So stock up on Promo at $112 for 8 lbs - http://www.recobstargetshop.com/browse.cfm/4,342.html

Promo is at Red Dot burn rate and produces great light target loads for 9mm, 38 Spl and 45ACP (I currently use W231/HP-38 for 380Auto but may switch to Alliant Sport Pistol).

RMR 115 gr FMJ with 4.2 gr of Promo has become my permanent 9mm plinking load as it produces pleasant recoil yet very accurate target load for M&P Shield 9 that also shoots accurate enough for 9mm carbines. At less than $6 to reload 50 rounds, it's also the most economical load.

Sub 1" cluster at 25 yards with occasional flyers is good enough for minute of toilet paper rolls and soda cans at 50 yards - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-what-am-i-in-for.824002/page-3#post-10606695

index.php


Dardas/MBC/Z-Cast 200 gr SWC with 4.0 gr of Promo produces very accurate yet light recoil target load that is a dream to shoot in various 1911s, M&P45 and very comfortable in PT145. Promo will also be used for RMR/X-Treme 200/230 gr RN to shoot in my Just Right carbine with 45ACP barrel.

Why not in 40S&W? That's because I like Herco/BE-86 for 40S&W so much.

I am on my 4th jug of Promo with 2 more on the shelf. While I like the newer powders like IMR Target and Alliant Sport Pistol, Promo will be my plinking load powder of choice for 9mm/45ACP deep into my retirement regardless of component shortage or not.
 
I use/used 700X in 38 and 45 acp. Smokey, yes. Not dirty, even with cast. (all i load)

Using Magnum primers for 38 special and WLP for the 45 acp.

Both Dillon RL450 and my Ohaus Du-O powder measure show no sighs of bridging (like 800x)

Bullseye is my first choice for target loads, but the 700x is left over from loading shotguns. Started with 8 lbs.

I agree with Walkalong.
 
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So, years ago I bought a pound of 700X for pistol loading.

Depending on how many years ago, a "pound" container of 700-X only weighs 14 ounces. Back in the Dupont, metal tin days it weighed only 8 ounces.:)

I can't tell you how many "pounds" of 700-X I bought before discovering that fact.

700-X has been my main powder for 45 ACP for decades. Recently, I've been loading some 44 Special and 38 Special with it. On and off, I've used 700-X in 380 ACP.

When I was loading on a single stage press, charge variability was quite low using a drum style powder measure but I would carefully operate the measure the same way every time and mounted the measure on it's own floor stand to minimize vibrations from the reloading press.

Since moving to a progressive, charge variance has increased greatly, mostly the charge drifts to higher levels. Much of this is settling of the powder in the measure due to the operation of the press but I also have problems with metering stem moving (I forget to lock it down at times or the measure does not have a lock down feature).

700X burns real clean if you don't download it too much.

Interesting comment. I don't get my shorts in a wad over cleanliness of my guns after shooting. It is part of the hobby and if the powder works well, so what. But the muzzle end of the slides on my 1911's are always covered with soot after shooting my near max 230 RN/700-X loads.

I guess gun cleanliness is in the eye of the one pulling the trigger.
 
I actually just found another 700X load I like for my Ruger SP101:

38spl
COL: 1.447"
ACME, 125gr, FPHTC, 700X, 4gr, WSP
Average: 803
ES: 39
SD: 14.1
Force: 179
PF: 100
Velocities: 807, 802, 824, 785, 799

I load these on a single stage with a Lee dipper, trickler and beam scale. This is actually one of the easier loads to dip and trickle since it needs .54 cc of 770X for the 4.0gr load. One good scoop using the .5cc dipper, and maybe a few turns with the tricler and it is at 4.0gr. Loading 50 of these actually goes very quickly for me.
 
Interesting comment.
Merely a counter point to:
never really got 700X to burn cleanly. No matter how heavy the crimp, there was always some unburned powder
Soot on pistols? I'm with you, I don't pay much attention to it. Unburned or partly burned flakes all over? I try to avoid that, and 700X was never an issue there unless you got too light. But that can be said for many powders. :)
 
700X is my go to powder in 230 grain 45 ACP loads whether using lead or jacketed. Burns super clean and recoil is not a problem for me with it. Years ago I purchased several of the large square metal kegs of 700X for about 1/2 price of retail at the time. I am down to my last one and will be buying a couple more 5 pounders in the near future. That and the kegs of Promo I had stacked deep kept me shooting throughout the last shortage with hardly a hiccup. Seriously, I was more worried about lack of replacement primers than anything else back then. Though I never got to the point that I curtailed my shooting time to conserve things.
 
700x is my favorite powder for 38 special and light 9mm loads. I find it burns completely at nearly any pressure and temperature. It does leave the gun very sooty but it wipes right off.

Oh and it meters perfectly and accurately though my auto drum measure but others have reported difficulty with that.
 
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