OrangePwrx9
Member
Has anyone tried this powder in 9mm or 40 S&W? I saw a thread awhile back that someone had used it as a Unique substitute in .44 Spcl. with good results. I have some and am wondering if it'll work in the smaller cases.
Alliant 20/28
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Search the forum and the web for 20/28 information. There is a little bit of information out there. None of it "official" unless that has changed in the last year or so.
I've used it in 44 Magnum loaded just under 900 fps with 240 cast SWC.
I've used it in 44 Magnum loaded just under 900 fps with 240 cast SWC.
Wis-Harpo
Member
20/28
I hope you know that this powder was made for the 20 and 28 gauge shotguns? I bought a pound, and have yet to use it for my 20 gauge. I have not looked it up on the burning scale, but I assume that it was made for the smaller gauges that build pressure faster than the larger gauge shells. That is what limits the speed in the smaller gauges.
I hope you know that this powder was made for the 20 and 28 gauge shotguns? I bought a pound, and have yet to use it for my 20 gauge. I have not looked it up on the burning scale, but I assume that it was made for the smaller gauges that build pressure faster than the larger gauge shells. That is what limits the speed in the smaller gauges.
Love it.
It was made to be used in shotguns where Unique was popular, 20 and 28 gauge, go figure. Soooo, if it works well in shotguns where Unique was popular, would you suspect it might work the other way around? It does. I'm sure Alliant won't promote that because it still has Unique and is really pushing BE-86 even though it is still unobtanium in many parts.
I've tried it in 40 and 9 and it is clean burning and runs about 5-10% more energetic than Unique. With a Lee 356-120-TC, I was getting about 1100 fps with 5.0g Unique. With 20/28, I was averaging about 1144 fps so this was an excellent powder for all my handgun loads (9/38/40/45) because like Unique, it is a medium speed powder with lots of leeway and I would suspect, safety margin in mid-range loads, especially in 9mm where I want 1100+ fps for good ejection from my guns but not hairy edge pressures from uber fast powders.
I suspect the powder gets it's boost of energy and cleanliness by having a higher concentration of nitroglycerin than Unique. I am running a long term test on the affect of different smokeless powders on powder coated bullets and am seeing a direct relationship between NG content and powders sticking to the bases of the bullets. Low NG powders like Unique, Red Dot, Clays do not stick to the PC at all while high NG powders like Bullseye, Power Pistol and Titegroup aggressively stick to the powder coating. 20/28 sticks mildly which seems to mean that maybe it does contain some NG, but not as much as Bullseye or PP.
Anyway, I cannot find Unique nor BE-86 locally and if I had a chance to buy a jug of 20/28 locally, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Of course you should always start low and work your loads up carefully. To be safe, work up to no higher than mid-range Unique/Universal loads and don't try to get max velocity from the powder. Good luck.
It was made to be used in shotguns where Unique was popular, 20 and 28 gauge, go figure. Soooo, if it works well in shotguns where Unique was popular, would you suspect it might work the other way around? It does. I'm sure Alliant won't promote that because it still has Unique and is really pushing BE-86 even though it is still unobtanium in many parts.
I've tried it in 40 and 9 and it is clean burning and runs about 5-10% more energetic than Unique. With a Lee 356-120-TC, I was getting about 1100 fps with 5.0g Unique. With 20/28, I was averaging about 1144 fps so this was an excellent powder for all my handgun loads (9/38/40/45) because like Unique, it is a medium speed powder with lots of leeway and I would suspect, safety margin in mid-range loads, especially in 9mm where I want 1100+ fps for good ejection from my guns but not hairy edge pressures from uber fast powders.
I suspect the powder gets it's boost of energy and cleanliness by having a higher concentration of nitroglycerin than Unique. I am running a long term test on the affect of different smokeless powders on powder coated bullets and am seeing a direct relationship between NG content and powders sticking to the bases of the bullets. Low NG powders like Unique, Red Dot, Clays do not stick to the PC at all while high NG powders like Bullseye, Power Pistol and Titegroup aggressively stick to the powder coating. 20/28 sticks mildly which seems to mean that maybe it does contain some NG, but not as much as Bullseye or PP.
Anyway, I cannot find Unique nor BE-86 locally and if I had a chance to buy a jug of 20/28 locally, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Of course you should always start low and work your loads up carefully. To be safe, work up to no higher than mid-range Unique/Universal loads and don't try to get max velocity from the powder. Good luck.
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