So what is wrong with Alliant!

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Rule3

Rule3

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:mad:

I know this has been mentioned before but it seems the only powder that want you to use is BE 86!

Go to their website to look up loads say in this case 40 SW 165 gr FMJ.

For the 180 gr bullet they give you some other choices.:confused:

It gives you one choice BE 86!! How about power pistol, unique or all the other good powders. BE 86 the new wonder do all powder:rolleyes:

Guess that's why I buy mostly Hodgdon powders.
 
Web sites tend to be like that. Limited in scope. Usually means the company really just wants you to buy their manual.
However, if you click on 'Products' then the firearm type, then the powder, then 'All Recipes, then the cartridge, there is a bit more .40 S&W data. One is a 165(max is 5.8 of Bullseye. Reduce by 10%.). A GDHP is a jacketed bullet. Decidedly, no or very few cast bullets there though.
 
I just went to their website and found loads for a 165gr projectile in .40S&W using both Power Pistol and Unique.

Don't know what more you want for free......
 
If you look at the Alliant marketing pages of the site, they push BE-86 for all handgun uses and have shuffled the older powders (e.g. the 'Dots') to the shotgun side. I dunno why that is, but I suspect that Alliant simply wants to more to updated manufacturing processes and that means moving to new powders....
 
Well that is just wierd. If you go via the reloading guide here and click 165 JHP

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/index.aspx

You get one powder BE 86. If you click 165 Gold Dot you get more powders


If you click the individual powders like Sunray says you get more??

Hodgdon and Accurate have much better web sites IMO. I like to compare to the manuals.

Has nothing to do with free or not, it's their products and they should prove info for them as do others.
 
I have switched to the Hodgdon line just because they have outstanding online
data on their web site , min / max/ pressures / even Ramshot online data is good but Alliant has always had piss poor online data that I have seen.
 
Rule3 said:
Has nothing to do with free or not, it's their products and they should prove info for them as do others.
Click to expand...

Really? Does Hornady give you free info for their bullets? How about Speer? Nosler gives you some data, but not close to their printed manual. I think it's great that powder manufacturers/distributors give free info, even if it's incomplete or their website is not easy for a 4 year old to navigate. Buy a manual or two/three. Used to be what folks did before they started whining about not enough freebies.
 
I use nothing but Alliant powder for handguns. I use a lot of Unique Power Pistol and now BE-86. I admit only using it for one load and had to work that one up from scratch. However, it worked fantastic. I have used about 4k rounds if that load in the past year.
 
The powder manufacturers used to print pamphlets that were free to the customer. Winchester and Hercules (now Alliant) pamphlets were heavy with shotgun data but just a few pages on metallic cartridges. I think I remember the Dupont (now IMR) pamphlets were similar. I did not use Hodgdon powders at the time so I do not remember their content if the pamphlet existed at all.

My point is, the amount of data for metallic cartridges in the powder pamphlets really were not much more extensive as today's internet sites.

The bullet manuals have usually been much more detailed. Of course, for each manual, you only get information for the products produced by the manufacturer that prepared the manual.

The annual Hodgdon reloading magazine is a refreshing improvement over powder company pamphlets from the past.
 
I have most every big name manual, so relax, I just do not think much of their website,

I bought the Hodgdon yearly pamphlet once and it was full of errors. misprints and out of order pages.The website was much better.

I have no issue with Alliant powders I have several of them, just their website, Actually I find Accurate to be one of the better ones.
 
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Gotta agree with you Rule3, their website organization, navigation and data presentation is weak at best. Perhaps they can hire the folks from Hodgdon? :)

I too remember the old pamphlets, for what it's worth, but it seemed that back in that time, the "new" powders that were being introduced were few & far between...
 
Till recently, ATK (Alliant/Speer/etc) had this posted to their site:

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=182147&d=1364769070

The only data that Alliant has backpedaled on in that manual, is covered by the Safety Notice below:

http://www.alliantpowder.com/getting_started/safety/safety_notices.aspx

"Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 357 Magnum load using the 125 grain projectile (Blue Dot® recipes with heavier bullet weights as specified in Alliant Powders Reloading Guide are acceptable for use).

Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 41 Magnum cartridge (all bullet weights)."
 
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The only thing that really irritates me about Alliant is the lack of being able to find any of their powders locally. And finding some of them like Varget or 2400 on line means paying over $50 a pound. I know, it's the hoarders. Heck I would hoard some too if I could find some locally as you never know when you will see another pound of it.
 
Rule3, I have noticed the same of Alliant. With the other powder makers/repackagers providing ample data online, it has steered me more towards them than Alliant. 2400 is the only powder of Alliant's that I have used, though I have 1 lb. each of BE and Unique unopened.

Their lack of data, I have assumed is because most every reload manual have plenty of Alliant data listed. So, my assumption is that Alliant knows this, therefore they have little need to list their own. But from what I have seen, between Alliant and Hornady, they don't list test barrel pressures. While Western Powders, Hodgdon, and Lyman's do.
 
With Alliant powders in 40S&W, I have used Bullseye, Red Dot, Promo, Green Dot, Unique, Power Pistol, BE-86 and Herco with good results.

As to load data, I have referenced 2004 Alliant load data primarily for various jacketed/plated/lead/coated lead bullets - http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=182147&d=1364769070

While I also referenced Lyman #49 for my 40S&W load development, Lyman used .401" groove diameter test barrel instead of more typical .400" so I use more conservative start/max charges for my .400" barrels.

I can't blame Alliant wanting to push BE-86 for 40S&W as it produced just about the most accurate loads I have loaded in 40S&W - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9645513#post9645513
 
All the manufacturers pale in comparison to Hodgdon. I don't understand why all their data isn't online. You'd think they'd want it there so people stay w/in spec.
 
Their new pdf guide still only lists loads for Speer bullets.

All lead loads are for swaged lead - not cast

You got to expect big changes from Alliant - they don't have the contract to manufacture powder for the US Army like they used to

I've attached an older version of their guide with useful load data:D
sorry - nothing on 165 grain
but the guide is a good source for the older powders and a bunch of different bullets
 

Attachments

  • Alliant01.pdf
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I want to try BE 86, but when I go to my local shop and ask for it they say " b what ? " Like I just came from another planet. If Alliant is pushing BE86 the word hasn't gotten around yet.
 
Back when the powder companies put out free pamphlets(Alliant did) ... Hodgdon did not make powder nor does it today ... Dupont, Winchester, Hercules were the main folks back then ... there were a few others like Norma, Alcan, Scott ... probably others that i can't think of ...

I have edition #1 of Hodgdon pamphlet ... #2 of Winchester and a very early Hercules ....
 
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Average Joe said:
I want to try BE 86, but when I go to my local shop and ask for it they say " b what ? " Like I just came from another planet. If Alliant is pushing BE86 the word hasn't gotten around yet.
Click to expand...
The same response from the guys here at the LGS too! Happens when newer guns are out there. Then with a little prompting, they'll look it up on their distibutors' site and see it for themselves.

It may be that unless their distributors push a product, or have it in stock. That some LGS, not all, are content with what is coming down the pike. And that depends on where they are at in the pecking order.
 
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