Impressed with Hodgdon HS 6

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Under heavier boolits for a given cartridge it really shines. Was shooting some 170 gr. boolits over 8.7 gr. of HS 6 in .357 and had excellent performance. About 1070 fps and nice groups. 11 grains under a 250K boolit in 44 mag was also a winner. And this powder meters much better than Unique. I ordered an 8lb. jug when I got back from the range.

[Iwsbull]

It has become one of my favorite powders, when I want less than top end loads, as soon as the pressure goes up enough to clean it up it is great. Low SD too.

[Hogtamer]

6.6 gr under a 124 gr boolet is a winner in 9mm as well as HV shotgun loads. Meters great too.

[MT Gianni]

HS-6 is one of the few powders that I rarely see even in prosperous powder times.

[ACC]

Under heavier boolits for a given cartridge it really shines. Was shooting some 170 gr. boolits over 8.7 gr. of HS 6 in .357 and had excellent performance. About 1070 fps and nice groups. 11 grains under a 250K boolit in 44 mag was also a winner. And this powder meters much better than Unique. I ordered an 8lb. jug when I got back from the range.

HS-6 is a great powder although I really liked HS-7. My brother loved HS-6 in his .327 magnum. Really tight groups.

ACC

[dangitgriff]

Where does HS-6 fall in comparison to AA9, TiteGroup, Unique, etc? I don’t have my book /burn rate chart handy.

[Conditor22]

https://i.imgur.com/p36t17R.png
https://i.imgur.com/mYKqCQA.png

https://i.imgur.com/zHm4YMZ.png

https://i.imgur.com/9NHfJ3V.png

[DougGuy]

Under heavier boolits for a given cartridge it really shines.

Keyword(s): given cartridge. Meaning, the smaller cartridges and heavier boolits seem to work okay, but when you get to 44 mag and larger, HS-6 powder is too fast to make magnum power with heavy boolits. Re: the very recent thread about using WSF in the 500 S&W, that powder at number 37 on the burn rate chart is WAY too fast for heavy boolits in that caliber, and HS-6 is only a tiny bit behind it at number 40.

If you are loading warmed over factory loads in 45 Colt, HS-6 is fine up to about a 300 gr boolit but it is too fast for anything heavier than that as the heavies need velocity to gain enough spin to stabilize in flight. You can't shoot a 340gr boolit from a SBH and hope for accuracy with fast powders. You run into the pressure ceiling before you develop enough spin to be accurate.

By the pics posted in this thread, there doesn't seem to be a standard system for grading burn rate so I will post the chart I used for reference in my comparisons:

270500

HS-6 is a really good powder for getting into the "tier 2" power for the 44 Special and 45 Colt in the medium framed Ruger single action revolvers with standard boolit weights.

[USSR]

...there doesn't seem to be a standard system for grading burn rate...

Yep, pick your poison. I will only say, HS-6 is the hands down best powder for duplicating The FBI Load.

Don

[RU shooter]

Works great with upper end +p type loads in the 45 auto and 38 spl , not a good powder for low pressure work I'll use AA5 or unique instead for those applications

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I tried it because it's close to Unique in burn rate but meters much better. And I was not looking for hot loads. But a 170 gr. .38 cal. boolit doing 1100 fps is plenty good for many things, particularly when it is accurate as well. Looking forward to trying 250K boolits over 10 grains in my Model 24. Got 8 pounds of it coming so I will get to know it well.

[bluejay75]

For 38 special and 44 magnum it’s hard to beat. I’m using 12 grains as it gave better rifle accuracy than lower charges with 250-260 grained boolits in 44 magnum.

[Three44s]

Concur with about everything posted thus far.

I am a huge proponent of HS6 but never have considered it a full power powder in the 44mag nor advised with the heaviest bullets for bore size.

I have found useful loads in 9 mm autos, though I use more WSF there.

I have it in .41, .44 mags and .480 Ruger.

My most successful is the RCBS 250k in Mag cases and Mag primer at just about 12 gr (11.8) for 1066 FPS (4” barrels) S&W and 1176 FPS in my 7.5” RH.

What this combo does not serve fits in a pretty small box.

Three44s

[DHDeal]

If you've never used HS6 yet, it doesn't work in any straight wall handgun case with any cast bullets. It's a subpar shotgun powder only. It's dirty, inaccurate, smoky, ugly looking, and even the bottle it comes in is embarrassing. Please try something else for our safety! Just say No!

To those of us that have and do use it (we're crazy BTW) we need to keep mentioning my examples above....

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If you've never used HS6 yet, it doesn't work in any straight wall handgun case with any cast bullets. It's a subpar shotgun powder only. It's dirty, inaccurate, smoky, ugly looking, and even the bottle it comes in is embarrassing. Please try something else for our safety! Just say No!
I agree, I'll stick with Win 540 instead ;)

[USSR]

Originally Posted by DHDeal View Post
If you've never used HS6 yet, it doesn't work in any straight wall handgun case with any cast bullets. It's a subpar shotgun powder only. It's dirty, inaccurate, smoky, ugly looking, and even the bottle it comes in is embarrassing. Please try something else for our safety! Just say No!


I agree, I'll stick with Win 540 instead ;)

For those who don't know, W540 and HS-6 are one and the same.

Don

[Tripplebeards]

I just bought a pound of it to try with a tier 2 load for my 45 Colt and I will also double duty it for 9 mm cast.

[1I-Jack]

Hate the stuff. :smile:270807 u

[1006]

I like HS-6, and have had good luck with it in 300BLK, plated 150 grain bullets, running about 1350fps in my bolt gun, 9mm major-off the charts 125grain loads over 1350fps in once fired cases, and 38 special +P loads with heavy 160grain cast lead loads. It has not been any dirtier than Bullseye, Unique, or certainly Red Dot. You do have to run it at the high end of pressure to get the cleanest burn, I use a small rifle or magnum primer most of the time. It is also more accurate at the high end.

[dangitgriff]

1006, TiteGroup runs very dirty/smoky in my 38 special loads...maybe I should add a touch more powder.

[1006]

My experience with TiteGroup has been that it is clean burning in factory power level loads, and tends to work best with Jacketed bullets. I like it for standard power to +P in the 9mm.

[rintinglen]

I am surprised at the popularity of HS-6. It has a fairly narrow window where it works well, but it is at its best when it is loaded to fairly stout levels, +P to mid range magnums, say 18,000 to 25,000 PSI. IT runs out of steam before it gets to full magnum velocities, or rather it has to go over-pressure to get there, and is dirty at low pressure, standard velocities. I have used it with good results in the 45 Colt at max load levels, but it was not much use to me for my WC 38 loads nor for standard velocity 44 Special or 45 Colt. It might do well for the 9mm Luger, but I haven't tried it.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I shot some .44 specials yesterday with 7.4 grains under a 240 grain boolit. Yes, there was some unburnt powder but it was not sooty like Unique can be. Accuracy was excellent. The recoil impulse is sharper than with Unique though and I think I prefer 7.5 grains of that under the same boolit. So far the 170 grain boolit in .357 is my favorite HS 6 load.

[black mamba]

One of my most accurate loads in any revolver is 12.0 g of HS-6 under a 265 g SWC GC in my 6½" 629 Classic. Not max, but pretty stout; a great hunting load.

[derek45]

9.5gr with a 357/158 works very well

nearly H110 / 2400 velocity with much much less flash n blast

.

[444ttd]

hs-6 is the powder for my 500 linebaugh(tc encore in 23" mgm barrel).

[Tripplebeards]

I just finished loading up some HS6 powder and some 280 grain hollowpoint‘s for my colt 45. It was a group buy mold for the 450bm. I since sold the mold to another member but I had casted up around 15 pounds prior. They are GC and clear PC with a 50/50 alloy and loader at 1.650”. I loaded a ladder test up from 12 grains to 13.5 grains to test in my Ruger New Vaquero. When I used the factory crimp I wrecked a case. I couldn’t see my crimp because I was basically getting a tapper crimp with my roll crimp die because I was crimping where there was no crimp groove and couldn’t see my crimp...till it was to late.

https://i.imgur.com/JDGB5bL.jpg

[bullseye67]

Good afternoon,

I was “gifted” several 3lb cans of WW540 and an almost full(7+lbs)HS-6 plastic jug.

I have used it in reduced rifle loads....8-12grs depending on what. 8.5grs with a 170..ish boolit on any 30 caliber works really well. I use that load with 303 British and a 160 LEE boolit for the 7.62’s for shooting hanging bowling pins at 50-100 yards.

Also use it in 44 Mag and several other pistol calibers. Best I have found for 200gr 357 boolit in a Rossi mares leg. I have shot many sub-2” 5 shot groups at 50 and not much bigger at 100. I have tumble lubed, grease lubed and PC’d with and without some lube.

Lots of fun!! I seem to see it is always available when I am at the gun shop......

[Don Purcell]

13 grains under a 300 grain WFN in my .45 Colt Ruger Bisley is a perfect match. VERY accurate.

[bluejay75]

I just finished loading up some HS6 powder and some 280 grain hollowpoint‘s for my colt 45. It was a group buy mold for the 450bm. I since sold the mold to another member but I had casted up around 15 pounds prior. They are GC and clear PC with a 50/50 alloy and loader at 1.650”. I loaded a ladder test up from 12 grains to 13.5 grains to test in my Ruger New Vaquero. When I used the factory crimp I wrecked a case. I couldn’t see my crimp because I was basically getting a tapper crimp with my roll crimp die because I was crimping where there was no crimp groove and couldn’t see my crimp...till it was to late.

https://i.imgur.com/JDGB5bL.jpg

Those are some good looking boolits. Let us know how they shoot.

[bigboredad]

13 grains under a 300 grain WFN in my .45 Colt Ruger Bisley is a perfect match. VERY accurate.If you have never tried that load you are really missing a great load. I've shot it out of 8 different tuner. 45 colts and they all love that load.

I also love hs-6 in my .475 Linbaugh with 410 and 425gr bullets.

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

[Tripplebeards]

Those are some good looking boolits. Let us know how they shoot.

Wish I still had the mold. I got frustrated since I couldn’t get them to feed in my 450 BM and sold it to a member here. I still have a good 15 pounds or more casted up. Just wished I casted some in 16.:1.

[Tripplebeards]

I loaded up a ladder test using HS-6 from 11 to 12.5 grains in .5 grain increments along with a stout crimp and a lee 255 grain boolit using 50/50 COWW and pure alloy mix along with 2% pewter added to the total weight. Figured which ever boolit and load shoots the tightest it will be used as a close range deer load.

https://i.imgur.com/jJlIFUv.jpg

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Shot this group today;
272023

[Ban]

Nice work.
I used hs6 extensively during one of the panic times years ago. I kept it around for 357m but found It even works in 380. Something like 1.3- 1.6gr made for a load that functioned a p238 & was so light children could fire it one handed. Always try to keep some around.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Nice work.
I used hs6 extensively during one of the panic times years ago. I kept it around for 357m but found It even works in 380. Something like 1.3- 1.6gr made for a load that functioned a p238 & was so light children could fire it one handed. Always try to keep some around.

Got 8 lbs. of it recently. Also got a jug of VV 310. Even the darn powder is drying up.

[cpaspr]

I found that for me, the max load on the bottle for .40 S&W of 7.4gr under a 175TC cast boolit matched POI with my SD ammo.

However, I sold that gun last year. So, I've been testing a bit, to see about using up the nearly 2# I had left.

I loaded some up in .357 magnum under a 155gr cast SWC-HP, don't remember the specifics, but it's a good midrange load.

It seems to prefer being loaded at near max load for caliber, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did pretty well in .45 ACP, behind a cast 200gr SWC. 8.0gr for my Blackhawk convertible, and 8.4gr for my semi-autos. Those work well for me, work up loads for yourself, all the usual warnings, etc.

[samari46]

Have a Beretta 92FS new from the distributor. Wouldn't shoot store bought cast bullets for beans. Massive leading led me believe that the bore diameter was causing this. I slugged the bbl and got .357". Ordered 1000 Rem 125 JHP's which miked at .357 and using HS-6 gave great accuracy. Unfortunately the dim bulbs there decided to stop making them. So when they're gone they're gone. Frank

[dangitgriff]

Hornady makes a 125-grain XTP. Aren’t they .357 or .358”?