Trail Boss Success

[black44hawk]

I have been using Trailboss with good success recently. I am loading the lee 400 grain in the 45-70 with 18.5 grains of Trailboss. THAT LOAD IS WAY OVER FACTORY RECOMMENDATION. However, it shoots exceptionally accurately with very little recoil and no signs of excessive pressure. I am guesstimating velocities around 1300-1600. This powder really takes up space in the case: I think that may add to its accuracy potential. I am now experiementing with 357 and 44 loads. Has anyone else been getting their pb bullets to shoot well? I would like to hear about your experience.

[shooter93]

I'll probably be the odd man out here but I've had very little luck with Trail Boss. I've used it mostly in pistols and I fully understand it's Cowboy applications but that being said..I've had low velocities and dismal acciracy with it as compared to Unique. I've also used it in a 45/70 case that is used with a suppressor. It does bulk up the case well and delivers decent accurcy in that application (sub sonic) But again it doesn't match Unique by a long shot. Even in that cavernous case with Unique being in all different posistions that rifle shoots one ragged hole at 100 yds. and maintains that to 300 yds. atleast. I haven't grouped it at longer distances yet but all this shooting has been for several thousand rounds so I'm confident in the results. No doubt trail Boss is a decent powder for it's intended use and I have some other things to experiment with but it's not one of my best picks for anything yet.

[dubber123]

I have had very good results with Trailboss as well. I have an oddball 6-1/2" shorty Contender in 50-70 Government, and TB is THE powder in this. My best 50 yd. group is just over 1/2". It averages under 1" at 50 yds. with 3 different bullets. My .44 T/C will shoot under 3/4" consistantly with TB at 50 yds. The only other cal I have used it in is .38 spl., where it shoots in 1-1/2" at 50 yds. which is as good as that gun has shot to date. I use the factory data for start points, but just load it as a normal powder, and look for pressure signs as I normally would, meaning I don't necessarily stop at their max points. A ballistician said to never compress TB, but gave no specific warnings about this powder misbehaving, and it really doesn't seem "spikey" pressure wise. Play around carefully, and this stuff may surprise.

[Dr. A]

Long before any data was available, I followed Gunblast experimentation and tried Trail Boss at 10gr. with a RCBS 270-SAA boolet loaded in a 454 Casull case. Extremely accurate, somewhat over max, and even gave decent velocity. This all with a ED of 4fps. Never had one close to that low. The powder is basically loaded to the base of the boolet with no compression. This shoots well in my Ruger Alaskan, as wll as my 7.5 in. BFR and Super Redhawk. I find it to be very accurate as well in my 45 ACP in all pistols AND revolvers. No overdoses eeven possible here. Simply isn't enough room. I have good case filling loads for my 45 Colt already, but would suspect that a 255gr. boolet with 7 or 8 gr. would be super! My 45-70 likes it also, but have not gone up as far as you have. I have taken it up to 1450fps, and had very good results.

I think one of the things that stands out to me is AVOIDING the Kaboom of a Dillon 550B. The potential is very great to have an overdose with a poorly metering powder. This powder is filling and meters well.

I really like this powder, but would have preferred a Unique like speed. This would meet my neeeds a bit better.

[scrat]

very good results i love that stuff. I use if for my 30-30 seems like it was made for the 30-30. excellent combination.

[dmftoy1]

I've had great results with 13 grains under a 405, and 16 grains under a 300 grainer. They're not moving real fast but they seem to hit what I'm aiming at and I don't get any leading. It's amazing to shoot 40-50 of those and then load in two of the hot loads with H335 sitting under a 350 grain Hornady XTP . . . .gotta remember to hold it tight to the shoulder.

Have a good one,
Dave

[sledgehammer]

I love it in my Blackhawk 41 Mag. I also load it in my 41 Spcl. loads and let my 11 yr old daughter shoot it. I use a 220 SWC over 6.5 gr. for 41 Spcl. at around 850 fps.
I also load it in my Mag loads, I use 220 SWC over 9.0 gr. and it does well, though not a barn-burner load. But , then, it's not supposed to be. It was designed for reduced loads in CAS, to minumize the chance of double-charging cases. I hope to try it in my 30/06 w/cast.
Jon H

[Bent Ramrod]

I tried Trail Boss in the .32-40 in a High Wall. Was hoping it would mimic the old Dupont No.1 Bulk Smokeless that was supposed to fill the case and work so well.

IMR, IMHO, does reloaders a real disservice by recommending this powder only in wimp, toy and mousepfft gamer loads as "maximums." They ought to test it for real and get an idea of pressures obtained for higher loading levels. I was able to creep, in painful increments, over several weekends, from the recommended minimum (5 gr), which gave the 319162 (nominal 185 gr) plain-base boolit subsonic velocities and an 8-1/4" group on the target, to 10 gr, which gave 1259 ft/sec and a 3-3/8" group. After 8.5 gr or so, the load was somewhat compressed, but no pressure signs exhibited themselves. I didn't go any heavier in the loading, not because anything bad looked imminent, but because nothing really stellar, acccuracy-wise, seemed to be developing. Your circumstances, of course, may be different, so I do not recommend any of my loads. (Professional explosives worker, closed range, a murrain on tort lawyers, don't try this at home, etc. )

My best load for the 5-shot groups I was shooting was 1-3/4" at 100 yards with 6.75 gr of Trail Boss. I finally concluded that, in this caliber at least, Trail Boss was no better (and in many cases not nearly as good) as a dozen other powders which were much cheaper and didn't require all this development time. Of course, the next rifle and caliber I try it in, it might be the bees' knees and the cat's meow, but so far, Trail Boss, at least for the purposes I hoped to use it, has been kind of a "frost."