and I hate using primers to shoot a powder up that isnt working well for me
Yep, I am pulling 200 rounds right now that I loaded with Universal, my notes say accuracy so-so,
going to reload them with come CFE-P I want to burn it up, my notes say CFE-P with that bullet gave me good accuracy.
Mixed range brass, S+B SP 5" 1911, charges as thrown after setting measure
String: 1
Date: 8/26/2018
Time: 11:45:43 AM
Grains: 124
Hi Vel: 1049
Low Vel: 1007
Ave Vel: 1027
Ext Spread: 42
Std Dev: 18
4.7 CFE-P RMR Target HP-Plated 1.08
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
1007 124.868 279.179
1010 125.24 280.845
1031 127.844 292.645
1040 128.96 297.776
1049 130.076 302.952
Yep crummy 2 digit SD, but hey they seemed to shoot well.
I would suspect the charges on rounds one and 2 might have been a little light, but on the other hand I would be fairly confident all 5 cases were a different headstamp (very mixed range brass)
CFE-P has worked really well for me in .380 at Close to MAX, MAX charges.
Kahr P380 (very short barrel, things are harder when it's short
)
Factory Federal
String: 2
Date: 8/14/2016
Time: 8:44:02 AM
Grains: 95
Hi Vel: 845
Low Vel: 826
Ave Vel: 832
Ext Spread: 19
Std Dev: 7
Federal .380 95 FMJ
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
845 80.275 150.605
828 78.66 144.606
835 79.325 147.061
829 78.755 144.955
826 78.47 143.908
Kahr P380, S+B SP, mixed range brass, charges as thrown after setting measure
Note: 4.0gr is book MAX
String: 2
Date: 8/14/2016
Time: 9:23:07 AM
Grains: 100
Hi Vel: 862
Low Vel: 843
Ave Vel: 853
Ext Spread: 19
Std Dev: 7
380 100 Xtreme 4.0 CFE-P
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
862 77.58 148.477
843 75.87 142.004
855 76.95 146.075
850 76.5 144.372
856 77.04 146.417
Better vel than the factory Federal, but SD and ES were the same, had to laugh, couldn't have done that if I was trying. (single digit SD in this load)
(have 100 rounds pick 5 to chrono, picked the right 5, LOL)
What is inferior with CFE-P compared to your other powders?
Vel
SD
ES
holes on paper (what really matters)
The only thing I have found that I prefer it for vs other powders is .380 so yes it is inferior for some loads, but at least to me I don't feel like I got ripped off buying it and it's "junk"
Other than the .380 app I prefer other powders than CFE-P
but in all the other things I have tried it in it was not so terrible that I consider it useless.
Give it to a friend, put it on the back of the shelf for hard times.
Some of the USPSA guys loading 9mm Major for matches seem to like it.
(of course they are loading charges that are above book MAX by quite a bit)
Edit
OP wonder if the batch of CFE-P you have is going bad, the things you mentioned seemed like what you could expect if a powder has started to degrade/go bad.
Powder does not keep for ever, and does go bad.
I haven't had this problem but what you mentioned seems to fit what people who have had powder go bad have reported.