Power Pistol, bought some for the heck of it...

[gonoles_1980]

I load 38spl lead, moderate loads, 357 lead moderate loads, 357 copper plated heavier loads, 9mm copper plated moderate loads, 44spl lead light loads, 44 mag lead moderate loads, 44 mag copper plated heavy loads.

What load type, caliber would you recommend for the Pistol Powder? I'm thinking of using it on the moderate lead loads where I normal use Bullseye.

 

[CZ9shooter]

You mean PowerPistol?

It is one of the best 9mm powders. Particularly at medium to high charge levels. Works pretty well in 38special with +P-type loads too.

Not sure about your other calibers. It will probably do OK in 44 spl and less than full power 357. Personally, I wouldnt use it for 44 mag.

 

[Dudedog]

Works ok at medium loads, happier on the heavier side of it's charge range, IMO. Nice muzzle flash, (if you like that) loud.
I have used it in 9mm, medium 357 loads.

 

[Average Joe]

I use it in 9mm, 38 spl, and light ,357 mag ....Great metering powder.

 

[gonoles_1980]

Sounds like a good replacement for where I was using Bullseye, the medium 357 loads.

 

[Toprudder]

Out of the calibers listed, the only one that I have used with Power Pistol is 9mm. I shoot reduced loads with that and it works great, very consistent and clean. I load 5.3-5.4gn for somewhere between 1000 and 1050 fps with 115gn Xtreme RN.

I also use it in 380 and 40, where it also works very well. I did not have great results in 45acp with it, though, there are other powders that work better for me.

 

[Rule3]

It is great in 9mm and 40 SW. It is in no way similar or replacement to Bullseye.
Much slower powder.

I use it a lot in the 9mm.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

It works great for medium power .357 with jacketed bullets.

 

[RussellC]

I had good results in .45 with stronger loads, above 7.1 I would have to check, but I think I went as far as 7.7? Very loud! That was with 230 gr FMJ RN at 1.265 ( Whatever it was, it didn't exceed Alliants max )

Just checked, max is over 8 grains! (230 FMJ RN) With what 7.7 sounded and felt like I cant imagine. The RO even came in to see what was being fired!
Russellc

 

[XD 45acp]

I find it very good in a 357 snubby. I burns fast, which is good in a snubby because you dont have barrel length for burn time.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I use it for .327FM, .357mag, 9mm on occasion, and 41 mag. It works well in every caliber I've tested it in.

 

[Archie]

I like it...

Power Pistol is just a bit slower than Unique, and it fits nicely in that niche.

I use it to duplicate .45 ACP hardball loads (under maximum pressures), high velocity but standard pressure loads in both .38 and .44 Special cases and does well in Super .38.

Not suited for low power type loads like wadcutters and such. Will probably work more or less, but not really suited.

 

[Richard Head]

It's my powder of choice for the 7.62x25 Tokarev it's also one of the better 10mm powders and gives top velocity with light bullets in the 357 Magnum. It's a very good powder that doesn't have any surprises which is good.

 

[john44402]

I don't load 10MM with anything other than Power Pistol.

 

[Toprudder]

I had good results in .45 with stronger loads, above 7.1 I would have to check, but I think I went as far as 7.7? Very loud! That was with 230 gr FMJ RN at 1.265 ( Whatever it was, it didn't exceed Alliants max )

Just checked, max is over 8 grains! (230 FMJ RN) With what 7.7 sounded and felt like I cant imagine. The RO even came in to see what was being fired!
Russellc

I think I only went up to 7.0gn w/ 200gn RN - very dirty. I never went back to work up any higher loads, as I was mainly interested in reduced loads at the time, and there are much better powders for that in 45acp. From everything I have gathered, it is more suited for the higher pressure rounds, and only works well in 45acp at the higher levels.

 

[rsrocket1]

7g in a 200g SWC is way too low on the pressure scale for Power Pistol. That will get you sooty cases, smokey shots and probably blowback in your face. You want at least 8g. Power Pistol is the wrong powder for reduced recoil loads. For that, you want a low charge of a really fast powder like Red Dot, Clays, Titewad, e3, Clay Dot or Extra Lite (if you know what you're doing).

These fast powders build up pressure quickly without driving the bullet very fast. The downside is that you can't drive the bullet above mid-speed without going over pressure with the charge.

Power Pistol is at the other end of the spectrum. It builds up pressure slowly so you can use a higher charge and drive the bullet faster without going over the pressure limit of the gun. It's ideal if you want to drive a 45ACP bullet faster since that caliber is lower than most modern pistol pressure ratings (21,000 psi compared to 35,000 psi for 9mm, 40 S&W and 357 mag)

 

[gonoles_1980]

In my 357 I fire lead with Bullseye for moderate loads, right now I'm using AA#5 for the heavier copper plated loads. Would it be better to use the Powder Pistol for the copper plated loads when my AA#5 runs out?

 

[CZ9shooter]

I haven't tried it in 357, but that's only because I dont own one. If I did, I would certainly give it a try. I doubt you are gonna get top velocities like you would with a real "magnum" powder. With plated bullets that is probably just fine anyhow. Alliant has some limited data on their website.

 

[gonoles_1980]

Based on the Alliant site, it is pretty versatile. I'll probably use it to replace the AA#5 when out. Looks like it's slightly faster than the AA#5, but a lot slower than Bullseye.

BTW: I don't shoot full house magnum loads out of my snubby 357, my hand would hurt after a while.

 

[meleors]

It's my powder of choice for the 7.62x25 Tokarev it's also one of the better 10mm powders and gives top velocity with light bullets in the 357 Magnum. It's a very good powder that doesn't have any surprises which is good.

I also loaded 7.62x25 with PowerPistol. What a light show! The flash was so bright, people thought the range had been turned into a disco.

As for 9mm (124gr rn copper plated), [email protected] was my load.

 

[BBQJOE]

I've only used it in 9mm.

And I too can attest it is a heck of a lot louder than say, Unique, which is what I pretty much use for everything.

 

[Elkins45]

It's a very good powder for 10mm.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

Apparently BE-86 is similar to power pistol, just flash suppressed. I've been using that in 9mm and 40 S&W loads with good results.

 

[Toprudder]

7g in a 200g SWC is way too low on the pressure scale for Power Pistol. That will get you sooty cases, smokey shots and probably blowback in your face. You want at least 8g. Power Pistol is the wrong powder for reduced recoil loads. For that, you want a low charge of a really fast powder like Red Dot, Clays, Titewad, e3, Clay Dot or Extra Lite (if you know what you're doing).

These fast powders build up pressure quickly without driving the bullet very fast. The downside is that you can't drive the bullet above mid-speed without going over pressure with the charge.

Power Pistol is at the other end of the spectrum. It builds up pressure slowly so you can use a higher charge and drive the bullet faster without going over the pressure limit of the gun. It's ideal if you want to drive a 45ACP bullet faster since that caliber is lower than most modern pistol pressure ratings (21,000 psi compared to 35,000 psi for 9mm, 40 S&W and 357 mag)

Your second sentence pretty much nailed my experience with it. Your explanation is pretty much what I figured out about PP in 45. The reason I first tried it was because I had such great luck with it in 9, and 40 and is the powder I first started reloading with. But, 9 and 40 are higher pressure rounds. I've never gone back to try the higher charges yet, will probably revisit that when I get a chance.

I've tried a lot of different powders in 45, probably more than 20 so far. Red Dot has worked well, and I really like Nitro 100NF for reduced recoil loads.

Apparently BE-86 is similar to power pistol, just flash suppressed. I've been using that in 9mm and 40 S&W loads with good results.

I really like BE86, has worked well for me in pretty much everything I have tried so far. I love it for plated bullets in 357mag, at around 1100fps for 158gn bullets.