Thoughts on Herco

[Boolseye]

Working with a couple old bottles of Herco, so far in .38 spl, .357 mag and 9mm Luger.
I'm seeing some data where it's about grain for grain with Unique, though it seems to have a burn rate closer to Power Pistol. I put 6.5 grains behind a NOE 128 HP and liked it...then 8.5 grains under a 158 HP in .357. I'd like to push them a bit hotter, and wanted to know others experience with this powder (in moderate-to-warm handgun loads).

[Eddie Southgate]

I use it with 110-135 gr Gold Dot bullets in .38 S&W . Get 1000+ fps with the 110 with reliable and classic mushrooming from my m32 Smith. Works great in .44 Special and .45 Colt with cast . Don't load 9mm and have never used anything but 2400 in .357 Mag so I have no idea how it would work in them .

[farmerjim]

I use Herco in 380, 9mm, 38 sp, 357 mag, 357 max, 9mm mak, 20 ga, 12 ga.
It works well in all of them. Loads are within .1 to .2 grains of unique. Some of the old load data manuals and the Alliant charts have a lot of herco loads. It can also be used in many of the reduced rifle loads about the same as unique. Great for cast boolits.

[MOA]

I love Herco for many handgun and shotshell loads. I've been purchasing it in 5 lb. cans forever and just keep refilling my old 1 lb. can. Face it, the old cans had class. Something the new one's lack.

https://i.postimg.cc/vBB5D5tt/20150524_144243.jpg (https://postimg.cc/PLgCRpcC)

https://i.postimg.cc/43gmYhYH/20180218-145940.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dh5qX3mJ)


Yup, Herco a favorite.

[ButchC]

I'd agree, the old powder cans rocked, not so much a factor with the new ones. Herco has worked well for me in 12 and 20 ga, both field and target loads, also .30-30 and medium .38 super loads with cast. I have read 9mm can be loaded up to +p range with Herco as well, not 100% sure about what that equates to but on the hot side I read it will get the 9mm into major class where needed.

[MOA]

Red dot was the first powder I ever used when I started reloading. Herco was the second. And Blue dot my third. Out of the three I use Herco the most.

[rintinglen]

8.5 grains of herco and a 311-245 in a 30-30 make for a great light load.

[Rodfac]

It's a good powder in my use....357, .41 & .44 Spl & Mag, .45 Colt...In these calibers, I use it for medium loads (~1000 fps) where it takes +- 0.4 of a grain more than Unique for similar velocities. As an added benefit, I find that it meters more uniformly than Unique but is equally dirty. For data, do a search on the older Hercules loading data pages...or use Unique data for more conservative loads. YMMv Rod

[farmbif]

every reloading room needs a jug of herco

[richhodg66]

I've found it good in cast rifle loads. 12-13 grains in .45-70 is great.

[farmbif]

the Lyman cast bullet books through the years has got lots of cast rifle and pistol loads using herco. lots of good data for it in old Speer load books too and it used to be that Hercules load pamphlet had load data for just about every handgun caliber using herco as well as the other powders they made. its a tried and true champion for putting together shotgun hunting loads too.

[flint45]

10 grains of Herco works great in my .44 mags for fun shooting with 250 grain bullets.

[uscra112]

I've been mucking about with Herco in small low pressure cartridges, i.e. .32 Colt and .25 Stevens. I'm liking it for my boys' rifles. Quickload computes lower peak pressure for a given M.V. when compared to Bullseye, but it still burns clean. No chrono data as it's too cold and snowy, even for the backyard range.

[Pirate69]

I can across an old can of Herco a couple of years ago. I used it to load 40 S&W. Worked well for me.

[littlejack]

Boolseye
What's not to like. I switched from Unique to Herco a few years ago, when I bought my Uberti 45 Colt. It seems to measure better, and has good case fill. I also switched from Unique to Herco in my .41 magnum medium heavy loads. It burns the cleanest at higher pressures. Herco works very well in 45 acp with 230 to 250 top end loads. I use it in my 12 ga. ball and 525 grain slug loads. It IS a very versatile powder. Others will use different powders with good effect, but Herco will definitely work.
Regards

[Old School Big Bore]

I've had an 8 lb canister of it for decades, using it in nearly everything as an alternate to Unique. It's inching slowly down but still a good bit left. Great powder for almost any pistol round, at several different levels. Haven't used it for reduced rifle yet but I can see that down the road.
Ed <><

[beltfed]

I found Herco to be excellent in 45 ARM loads in my SW M1955.
(ARM - Auto Rim Magnum.)
Have a load that got a seated out 185 gr JHP out to 1330fps.
Also used it in a 12 ga. NRA heavy shot/low velocity charge load: 1.5 Oz of shot.
Was great for No 4 Buck loads of 32 pellets(rather than "std" 28 pellets) for bowling pin matches.
beltfed/arnie

[Jeff Michel]

45 Colt and 38-40

[cowboy4evr]

I used to use a lot of Herco in 357 magnum and 41 magnum loads . I had pretty well quit Unique and Herco when I found WSF . Regards Paul

[Boolseye]

thank you, gentlemen

[lotech]

Herco seems to be far less popular now than it was some years back. Many of the newer handloaders of the last twenty years or so probably have never heard of it, let alone tried it, perhaps due to the glut in powder selection we have today. I don't know anything about shotgun reloading, but Herco remains a great handgun powder.

[Martin Luber]

Sure wish the castpics cast boolet data was still available...lots of good data there, once upon a time.

Can we donate funds to get it running sgain?

[toallmy]

I don't run my shot shells as hot as I did in my youth , so I sorta switched over to herco more so than blue dot . It works in 20 ,12 , & 10 + a good all around powder , very much like unique .

[Lloyd Smale]

i use it alot in 45 colts and 44 mags. Ive actually had better luck with accuracy with herco over the years, especially in the 45 colt then i have with unique. Only down side to it is its a bit dirtier burning.

[MOA]

I don't run my shot shells as hot as I did in my youth , so I sorta switched over to herco more so than blue dot . It works in 20 ,12 , & 10 + a good all around powder , very much like unique .

TAM, true, true, true. I use it A lot more. Finding other uses for my Blue Dot.

[ddixie884]

Larry Gibson did a pressure test on the .38spl with Herco a while back In the pushing the envelope with Herco thread..........