Alliant Powder Data   En Construction 20/04/97

Alliant Powder Pistol Loading Data   hile Alliant Powder (formerly Hercules) may have just begun to offer Power Pistol to John Q. Public, it is not a new powder. On the contrary, this powder goes back to the mid-1970s and was primarily developed for the government with its then-new 9mm Luger program. Until now, it has only been sold to commercial ammunition companies like Winchester, Remington and Federal. They know it as Bullseye 84. To show how popular this powder has been with the ammunition companies, enough has been sold to them to load over one billion rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition. Obviously it has some advantages. Cartridge Bullet (grains) Primer Barrel length (inches) Maximum charge (grains) Velocity (fps) Pressure (psi) Winchester Small Pistol 4 9mm Luger 95 Speer FMJ 7.8 1,445 32,900 115 Speer FMJ 6.7 1,280 33,500 125 Sierra FMJ 6.6 1,235 34,000 147 Hornady XTP 5.7 1,095 34,000 9x18mm Makarov 95 Sierra JHP 4.7 1,010 21,600 100 Sierra FPJ 4.7 995 21,400 100 LRN 4.2 950 21,600 .40 S&W 135 Nosler JHP 9.3 1,340 34,000 150 Sierra JHP 8.2 1,215 33,300 170 Hornady JHP 7.3 1,105 33,300 180 Sierra JHP 6.9 1,050 33,700 190 Sierra JHP 6.9 1,020 33,100 200 Hornady FMJ 6.3 960 33,700 On the powder charts, it is slightly slower than Unique. Since its grain size is the same as Bullseye, it meters perfectly and burns cleanly. Its main applications are for small, high-pressure cases like the 9mm Luger, .38 Super +P and .40 S&W. For .357 Magnum fans, 9.2 grains will move a Hornady 110-grain JHP bullet at 1,690 fps from a 5.6-inch barrel. Another critical factor about Power Pistol is that it generates these velocities at moderate pressures. Economics with this powder will also help its popularity: It takes 21 grains of VV-N110 and 16 grains of Blue Dot to yield similar velocities with a 110-grain bullet. So far, I've had a chance to test Power Pistol in my 9mm Luger, .357 Magnum, .38 Special and .45 ACP guns. Taking into consideration the variations in brass, primers, chamber and barrel dimensions (bore and groove), this powder lives up to its published figures. It is now available in one and four-pound canisters. .357 Magnum 110 Hornady JHP Federal 200 5.6 9.7 1,690 34,000 125 Speer JSP 9.2 1,555 33,500 158 Speer JSP 8.0 1,305 33,800 170 Sierra FMJ 8.0 1,195 33,300 180 Sierra FPT 7.0 1,145 33,800 .38 Super Auto +P 115 Hornady JHP Remington Small Pistol 5 7.3 1,345 24,400 130 Sierra FMJ 6.8 1,245 34,600 147 Hornady XTP 6.2 1,155 34,900 .38 Special +P 90 Hornady XTPFederal 100 5.6 6.5 1,200 17,100 125 Speer JSP 6.3 1,165 17,200 160 Speer JSP 4.9 880 17,300 .380 Auto 90 Hornady XTPWinchester Small Pistol 3.7 4.8 1,105 21,500 95 Speer FMJ 4.7 1,065 21,000 100 Hornady FMJ 4.6 1,035 20,600 .44 Magnum 300 Hornady HPFederal 150 5.7 9.1 1,015 34,500 .45 ACP 185 Speer JHP 5 8.6 1,025 18,800 200 Speer JHP 7.4 965 19,900 230 Speer FMC 7.2 895 20,000 .45 ACP +P 185 Speer JHP 9.1 1,075 21,700 200 Speer JHP 8.2 1,030 22,200 230 Speer FMC 7.5 930 22,000 240 Sierra JHC 7.1 890 22,200 Caution: The above loads are maximum and should be approached with caution. Start 10 percent below and work up with caution. Be alert - Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.