Power Pistol powder

[HiVelocity]

I've had good success with AA#5, ~1050fps in 9mm.

HV

[Oyeboten]

I got all inspired to try "Power Pistol" and find that everyone is "out of Stock" with it...sigh...

[veeman]

I put my needed powders on my favorites, and check them a few times a day, time allowing. Scored 4 1lb cans of IMR 4198 this morning from Powder Valley.

[Mk42gunner]

I'm wondering about using Power Pistol in place of Unique in rifle loads. According to every burn chart I have seen it is a bit slower than Unique but faster than Herco.

Just wondering so far, I still have powder I have data for to use in the .38-55.

Robert

[DaveN]

I use PP in 38/44 loads with an M&P 358429. One of my favorites.

[44MAG#1]

I'm wondering about using Power Pistol in place of Unique in rifle loads. According to every burn chart I have seen it is a bit slower than Unique but faster than Herco.

Just wondering so far, I still have powder I have data for to use in the .38-55.

Robert

Don't know where ON THE AVERAGE it is faster than Herco. I have looked at a lot of data on a lot of cartridges and it is slower than both Unique and Herco. In some cases several percentage points. Like in the 44 Special.

[Golfswithwolves]

Mr. DaveN- This is the application I have most wondered about, since it seems like PP would be between Unique and 2400 for using the Keith bullet in .38/44 loads. Thanks, Bob

[gc45]

One would think power pistol would be availble what with all its uses and popularity. I wonder if we will ever see it again other than an occasional gunbroker add at rediculous prices. Seems like Alliant Powders are pretty much non existant now and for quit a long time.

[Taterhead]

Power Pistol is my go-to for max 38 spl loads. I've also used it in 10mm. I discovered that BE-86 has the virtues of PP without as much report and flash. It's slightly quicker burning and awesome for 9mm full power ammo.

[AlaskaMike]

Don't get caught up on the burn rate charts. Yes, Power Pistol is generally slower than Unique. But keep in mind that the flakes are much smaller, so a given charge of PP is much more dense than a given charge of Unique, for example.

Just something to keep in mind if you load for large capacity cases like .45 Colt.

[uscra112]

Occurs to me that Power Pistol might be the powder of choice for commercial loaders of 9mm, which could explain scarcity.

My Quickload database ranks Alliant powders thusly:
Bullseye
Unique
Herco
Power Pistol
Blue Dot
2400
There are significant rate differences between each. None is a direct substitute for any other.

I've yet to find the QL data to be incorrect.

If I could not get Power Pistol, I'd try AA#5 or Ramshot True Blue in the 9mm.

[cainttype]

As previously stated by Mk42gunner, Power Pistol is listed as slower than Unique, but faster than Herco by the manufacturer.

Page 11, from Alliant’s manual…

https://www.alliantpowder.com/resour...ant_Powder.pdf

Also the burn rate chart from GS Custom bullets.
Same order of Alliant powders in declining burn rate… Unique, Power Pistol, then Herco…

http://gsgroup.co.za/burnrates.html

In the long run the difference is fairly small, so use what makes you happy.

[44MAG#1]

IF one will look at data where both Herco and Powerpistol is listed it doesn't support that Powerpistol is faster than Herco

[uscra112]

Burn rate isn't all there is to it, not by a long shot. Specific heat, Pro/degressivity, energy per unit mass, density, und-und-und. If I can figure out how, I'll post an image of the powder factors panel from Quickload. There are eight fields with numbers in them. When I compare powders, I look at the peak pressure for the loads giving the same muzzle velocity. By that standard, PP is "slower" than Herco.

Herco is bulkier. In one model I've set up for my Beretta using a 124 grain JHP, a 100% fill of Herco can only get you 1100 fps. An equal charge weight of PP yields only 1000 fps, but if I do a 100% fill of PP, the model says 1233 fps.

[cainttype]

Burn rate is Burn rate, it does not determine exactly what velocities, pressures, etc you will get in different sized cases, pressure levels, etc… each and every time and in every circumstance. It is what it is.
I’m sure Alliant would appreciate a phone call explaining that their investment in state of the art testing equipment and ballistic research on the powders THEY produce has been a total waste.
They should be made aware that the professional ballisticians they employ to use that fancy equipment are incompetent, and that fact can be proven by amateur armchair ballisticians.

I don’t use either of the powders in question, but can clearly see what the manufacturer has to say about it.
If I didn’t trust the manufacturer of any powder’s characteristics I’d avoid that manufacturer completely… YMMV.

[44MAG#1]

The question I would ask is why, if Powerpistol is faster burning than Herco why are the acceptable charge weights of Powerpistol in a given cartridge with the same components across the board higher for Powerpistol?
Closed bomb burn test does really little to determine actual burn rates in a cartridge.

[ddixie884]

6gr of PP with a 160gr swc in .38spl is a well known +P loading less than 20,000psi. I got Larry Gibson to load some with 6gr Herco and the pressures were over 23,000 if IRC so in that application it seemed to be faster burning than PP. I read that powders can change burning rates in different applications. Just my $0.02. see below...........

[ranchman]

Power Pistol is an awesome powder.. might say it's the modern day new & improved version of what Unique was back in the day when it was somewhat new. Except Power Pistol does the same thing, in same-cartridges, faster and at lower pressures than Unique can. It's become my own favourite mid-range powder by a good margin.

41colt, 41special, 44special, 45acp, 455eley, 45 cowboy-special... 900fps to 1000fps, it shines in all of them. Unique is only on my shelf as a backup these days.

[Steve E]

PP turns some pretty good performance in all my 10mm's, both accuracy and velocity. It goes good with both 180 gr cast and J word boolits.

Steve........

[Photog]

PP works well for reduced cast rifle loads in my 30 cals: 30-30, 30-06, 300blk, 308, and 30M1 carbine. Reduced loads burn well at the right velocity of 1500-1700fps, nothin is perfect but PP is reliable and works good enough in large cases. Kinda like Titegroup in terms of density, only a good deal slower. Don't go too low or you get hangfires. I don't use it much for pistols, I prefer faster powder as I am rarely chasing high velocities. Right around 8-10gr of PP is fine in reduced cast rifle loads, if I remember correctly. I can even make it cycle a M1 carbine using cast 110gr booits, but I think its still a little fast for that application.