IMR Powder, HI-SKOR 700-X in handgun.....

[Mikej]

So, who's used this powder? For what calibers?

Just looking for some input. I'm really excited to find ANY handgun powder, and at a decent price too from a good member!

I always look at the "Burn Rate" chart to see how it falls in with my regular (diminishing) powders, HS-6 for the .40 and W-231 for 9mm, .45 and .38special.

So, what do you know?

Mike

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[xlsbob]

I've been using a lot of it in .45 acp and 10mm mainly cause a friend traded me a 10 or 12 pound can of it. It doesnt meter for crap so I run it through my Chargemaster. 700x works well enough that I'm saving my supply of 231 for special occasions. 4.7 gr with a 230gr cast bullet is my basic backyard load for .45

 

[Mikej]

Yeah, the powder looks an awful lot like Unique, and I didn't care for the way unique measured in my Uniflow.....
I did get the pistol cylinder for it, not that that will make a difference. Live and learn I 'spose, if I hate it I'll see if on of them "Shot Gunners" would buy it from me. We shall see.

Thanks Bob.

 

[deadshot2]

Just about any powder will work in most cartridges. The real question is how well it will work and how safe it will be.

Big issue is that small loads tend to lie on the bottom of the cartridge and there is a high risk of detonation. Shotgun shells have a real small powder chamber beneath the cup and don't have as much risk. Move a shotgun powder into handguns, especially larger cases, and it could be an issue.

As for the "decent price" comment in the OP, good luck on seeing that anymore. Just like the gas crisis of the mid-70's, once prices go up due to a shortage, funny how they just stay there. A regular "stair stepping" process with increases at every crisis.

 

[noylj]

>Big issue is that small loads tend to lie on the bottom of the cartridge and there is a high risk of detonation.

Yes, Bullseye shooters have SO MANY mythical detonations every year with their very light loads of fast powders -- and they have been doing so for about 90 years. Yeah, that is something to really worry about.
700X is a great powder and will produce nice, accurate light loads in almost every pistol cartridge. It's not my favorite, but I would certainly buy it if my preferred powder wasn't available.
Won't give you top performance in terms of velocity in most, but accuracy has always been my goal.
700X will hold +/- 0.2 gn with most powder measures and that is all you need. You won't generally be shooitng loads with it beyond 50 yards, and volume has, until recently with new loaders, always been considered more important for accuracy than charge weight -- try it and surprise yourself. If you don't believe it, then a ChargeMaster or other trickler is your only hope.
What you do have to watch out for are squibs, but that is almost always due to lack of any powder and not due to a light load.

 

[jib]

700X is a shot gun powder that is similar to w-231 burn rate and works well in low pressure handgun cartridges. But as stated it is a large flake powder that does not meter well in most powder throws.

 

[RVTECH]

I remember the last can of powder in 2009 on the shelf at Sportsman's Warehouse was one of 700X, and the last box of bulk bullets was a 500 count box of .357 158 grain RN Laser Cast - and they both went out the door with me. I figured I could at least shoot my Winchester Trapper when I ran out of everything else!

 

[cybin]

Years ago when I shot skeet I switched to 700x because it burned cleaner than other shotgun powders. Might be a bit cleaner to shoot 7oox than Unique.

cybin

 

[bhuch5]

Mikej, you have a pm. Bruce H