Power Pistol Review

[alfsauve]

[No.  This isn't about a "powerful" pistol.]

Finally.  I've been waiting for an review of Power Pistol powder.

The current issue of Handloader, December 2012, features PP in their Propellant Profiles column.

Not as new a powder as I had thought, though it has only been available in canister form since 1996.   It has gained acceptance in a wide variety of pistol cartridges which is good.   Those for which no loading data exist are primarily due to the time needed to develop loads for the less popular cartridges, not because the powder wouldn't work well in them.

The author lists "standard" loads for pistol cartridges from .32ACP through .45ACP.  Great to see confirmation that my loads are proper and reasonable.   I now use it for all pistol shooting except for the highest power loads.  (Think .357Maximum.)   For all auto loads it's great.  On top of that it's only runs about $15/lb.

Every powder has it's downside and with PP it's the residual ash.   The powder burn cleans (very little smoke) but there is left over residue.  But then I clean my guns after every couple thousand rounds anyway  so it's not particularly bothersome.

[tombogan03884]

Why not for .357 Max ?
No data ?
Or do you not use a pistol powder in that cartridge ?

[alfsauve]

Tom,

You can't beat H110 for the really high end loads in .357Mag, .357Max or .44Mag. (Probably also .41Mag)   It's  able to develop some impressive velocities without going sky high in pressure.  It is "THE" go-to powder for those calibers to get maximum velocity.  At any given, high-end pressure, you'll get more velocity out of H110 than the other powders.  (If I'm remembering correctly.  Of course I'm still using Lyman #1 loading manual )

The problem is with H110 is it requires, absolutely requires, magnum primers.  It also is a waste if you're not pushing the envelope.  So for run-of-the-mill .44mag and .357mag I use PP (or in the past Unique, or HS6 or HS7 2400).

Now that said, data on PP is limited, compared with H110 and other older powders.   That's why I was excited to at least see this review even though it wasn't  terribly in-depth.

[tombogan03884]

Oh.

[alfsauve]

So I thought I double check.

The one fly in the ointment is Lil' Gun.  Hodgdon lists it as yielding a very high velocity at a very, too-good-to-be-true pressure.    Some independent testers have found the pressures of Lil' Gun to be higher in their labs.   But measuring these rather short, high pressure events is a little tricky.  Some feel that the older powders were possibly tested back in the days with less reliable equipment and newer powders might have numbers resulting from more modern tests. 

In .357 Mag, the max SAAMI pressure is 45,000cup.

Using a 158gr Jacketed bullet:

H110 (same as W296) yields ~1,575 a 40,000cup 
but Lil' Gun, according to Hodgdon, give a similar velocity at ~26,000cup

Too good to be true?  Or is the number possibly PSI, which is a lower scale?  Hodgdon has stuck by this data though on-line as well as in print for many years.

Everybody has their favorites though.   There are some that swear by Lil' Gun, some by Unique and some by 2400.

Both Lil' Gun and H110 (296), btw, are ball and are hard to ignite, hence the need for a magnum primer.  Neither works well with reduced loads.  Both work best when they fill the case and have very tightly crimped bullets.  They aren't "all around" powders and should only be used for high-end loads. 

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