Hodgdon CFE Pistol Powder

[popper]

Tried the 6gr starting load with 165gr plated, very snappy compared to my normal 40sw 4.5gr 231 load under HiTek coated 165gr cast TC. Of course a 100 fps more and supposedly less flash, lower pressure. Hard to shoot one handed. Wonder if it can be downloaded 10%.

[tazman]

Tried the 6gr starting load with 165gr plated, very snappy compared to my normal 40sw 4.5gr 231 load under HiTek coated 165gr cast TC. Of course a 100 fps more and supposedly less flash, lower pressure. Hard to shoot one handed. Wonder if it can be downloaded 10%.

I would expect you could reduce the charge until your gun no longer cycled properly. The powder is used in low pressure cartridges such as 38 special after all.

[KVO]

Old thread but I thought worth a revisit, not much new news on this powder...

CFE Pistol is working for me as a slightly slower Unique, in many of the same applications.

This is 7.5gr CFE under an Arsenal Molds 210gr RNFP, .44 magnum brass in a 6" S&W 629, 25 yards. Basically the Skeeter load. The powder didn't behave well with lighter loadings, erratic POI and some unburnt powder.


4.5gr CFE Pistol, 9mm cylinder in a Ruger flattop Blackhawk. Boolit is the Mihec 135gr RNFP, again fired at 25 yards. (If I can stop throwing the ever present one round flier I'll die happy.)

FWIW I tried it in .40 S&W and had short cycling with a Glock 22, multiple failures to feed per magazine, but it worked fine in a S&W M&P40 compact.