Hodgdon Perfect Powder?

[Tom Bullweed]

With Reddot and Amer Select more rare than an honest politician, I bought a pound of Hodgdon Perfect Pattern to try.

There is load data for 12 gauge, but I want to replace revolver large-caliber loads: .38/40, .44 Mag, .45 CS.

Anyone tried this powder?

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

You wanting to make cowboy (gallery) loads, or full-power factory type loads? 

 

It's made of about the same ingredients and technology and plant as TiteGroup, so it will PROBABLY make good cowboy loads with a little less charge weight than TiteGroup.   Since it may be years before Hodgdon decides to publish more cowboy level load data, like most powders used for our sport, you are kind of on your own.   Start what you think is low level, take a squib rod and go out to the range and do the testing.

 

If you are thinking about full-power loads, I would CERTAINLY call the Hodgdon tech support line and ask for any data they may already have.  They will either help you work something up, or they may "take notes" that you would like to see some data in the future and perhaps put it on the "to be tested" list.  My guess - They will be somewhat reluctant to test it as a handgun powder when they designed it to be a shotgun powder, but they have done the "expansion of suitability" testing the other way with TiteGroup in the last year (from handgun to shotgun).  They will probably NEVER test a Cowboy 45 Special loading.  But you probably realize that.

 

I have used it in tons of sporting clays shotshell loads (12 gauge 1 ounce) for the last 2 years where it does perform very well - about a match to Red Dot or slightly faster.

 

If all this sounds like too much hassle, then buy some TiteGroup.  It's widely available, and lots of us have shot TiteGroup in cowboy loads for years.

 

good luck, GJ

[Leroy Luck]

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[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

OP is trying to find handgun loads.  Not shotshell.  There's lots of data now available for that.

 

good luck, GJ