Bullseye Powder

e rex said:

A friend just dropped off a pound of Bullseye, said he doesn't reload anymore. I shoot some .38 Special and some 357 Mag. but never used much Bullseye. Would you share some of your favorite recipes?
Thanks a lot,
Rex

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A quick search reveals:
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?type=1&powderid=1&cartridge=26

148gr. double-ended wadcutter (DEWC) over 2.7gr. of Bullseye in a .38Spl case is about the most accurate 50ft. revolver load ever created. Bump it up to 3.3gr. and you have a half-way decent, close-range "get off me!" load, whether in a snubby or service pistol. Bullseye is a target-load powder, mostly. Thus the name.

It's also one of the oldest smokeless powders made. You can look in the oldest Ideal manuals up through the current Lyman's and find loading data for Bullseye.

GeoDude, That 2.7 in My Model 10-6 Hb… Id do competition with that combo. At 7yards, 6 Rounds Stacked on one another. If one was not touching, I new it was me.

4.0 - 4.2g with a 158g LSWC.

It has been my go to powder for 38 forever. Been around a loooooooong time but is great in 38. Plenty of load data out there for it. Doesn't take much which is also nice price wise.

Ohen Cepel said:

Doesn't take much

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Yep, it "doesn't take much," so be careful not to double-charge.

I've used it for 9mm and 40 S&W with great success.

5.0 grains of Bullseye was the WWI load for .45 ACP.

Yeah, it's been around for awhile.

That’s so neat. Learned something cool today

It’s my favorite that I have, for 38 Special, but I have to save it for 32 S&W Long. Tightgroup it is for my 38s.

Great powder. I will stay it is a bit sooty or dirty though. Bullseye been my goto powder for competition for 40 years. For my .45acp, I load 3.8gr behind a 200gr. LSWC for the long line and 3.6gr. Pushing 180gr. for the short line. Found similar results with 2.8gr. of Bullseye in .38spl shooting 148gr. LHBWC bullets.

It was kinda funny a couple of years ago when my wife and I took the Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry class together. During the shooting portion of the class, the head instructor noticed someone was "shooting Bullseye." He said he could smell it.
It turned out the instructor was right - the guy on the end of the firing line said he was the one that was burning it in his revolver. I don't know what kind of revolver he was using, nor do I know what it was chambered for.
The instructor didn't really care. It's just that I found it weird when he said he could smell someone "shooting Bullseye" when there were 7 or 8 of us on the firing line all running the required 98 rounds of ammo through our handguns at the same time.

Bullseye is one of my favorite powders for 38spl and 45acp. It's been going strong for over 100yrs.

3.5 grains for 158 grain semi wadcutters in .38 Spl, 5.0 grains for 230 grain semi wadcutters in .45 ACP

.308 Norma said:

It was kinda funny a couple of years ago when my wife and I took the Idaho Enhanced Concealed Carry class together. During the shooting portion of the class, the head instructor noticed someone was "shooting Bullseye." He said he could smell it.
It turned out the instructor was right - the guy on the end of the firing line said he was the one that was burning it in his revolver. I don't know what kind of revolver he was using, nor do I know what it was chambered for.
The instructor didn't really care. It's just that I found it weird when he said he could smell someone "shooting Bullseye" when there were 7 or 8 of us on the firing line all running the required 98 rounds of ammo through our handguns at the same time.

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Aromatherapy

IIRC 2400 powder has a distinctive smell also.

Bullseye is one of my favorites. I've burned quite a few pounds of it through the years.

2.7-3gr under a 148-158gr bullet for .38 for a light kicking accurate load.

4.5-5gr under a 230gr bullet in .45 ACP as well.

The name is very apt. if you can't make an accurate load with bullseye.. well..

any rate. BE is a great target load powder. personally - my favorite. after over using it in over 50 pistols - never found a non-magnum that won't shoot well with it yet. you can get some decent hotter loads out of it, as it's pretty predictable - but I leave that for other powders IMO.

4.0 under a 200 swc in 45acp
4.0 under a 158 swc in 38 spl is fantastic (accuracy load for every single one of my k frames, and a 70 python)
4.2 under a 158 swc in 357 mag (low speed target load to approximate 38 spl in 357 brass)
4.3 under a 115 in 9mm

None of these targets are hand picked/cherry picked by any means. Nothing more than the test targets shot the day of testing loads.

Bullseye powder:
38spl cases shot out of a 686 6-shot groups @ 50ft Left 2 targets 3.8gr H&G #50 loaded long 158gr rfn hp (640 series) 3.3gr



Same 686 this time using 357 cases 6-shot groups @ 50yds 5.5gr and 6.0gr test loads using a 158gr rn hp cramer "hunter bullet and the 640 series 158gr rfn hp bullet.


IMHO the H&G #68 swc and bullseye powder is the gold standard for target loads in the 45acp/1911's. 10-shot groups @ 50ft


Plinking loads in a 10" bbl'd contender/44mag. Put a burris fastfireIII on it was sighting it in @ 100yds using a 245gr rfn 640 series bullet and 7.0gr of bullseye. Shot the top row of targets moving the dot around. When I was close I shot the bottom left target. I turned the dot's brightness down 1 click and shot the bottom right target with that contender supported in a rest.


I don't take much stock in 3-shot groups but that final target told me to give the burring 2 clicks down and I was banging on steel. That 3 shot target @ 100yds using a 640 series bullet/245gr rfn hp and 7.0gr of bullseye.


For a generic 9mm load I use 4.0gr of bullseye and any 120gr to 135gr bullet.

It's actually pretty hard not to find a good load using bullseye powder.

I look at the constant Internet Recipe Hunt and just reflect that any pistol cartridge that has ever been loaded with smokeless, has been loaded with Bullseye. No, you can't use much in a .32 and you can't get enough in a .454 for elk hunting, but you can shoot the gun.

Jim Watson said:

I look at the constant Internet Recipe Hunt and just reflect that any pistol cartridge that has ever been loaded with smokeless, has been loaded with Bullseye. No, you can't use much in a .32 and you can't get enough in a .454 for elk hunting, but you can shoot the gun.

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Yup. I even had a recipe for Bullseye in the .221 Fireball when I had a Fireball barrel for the Contender. It makes bullets fly.

Love Bullseye. It will make a stainless revolver look like a blued revolver in about 100 rounds and will turn your hands black. Even with 35,000 psi loads in 9 and 40 it will soot up your hands and leave black speckles on your arm so don't think it's not burning completely, it's just the nature of the beast. Good powder, high nitro content but tried and true for a very long time.

2.7 (some say 2.8) with a 148 grain WC might be the most famous load in handgunnery. I personally prefer a hollow base - and think Hornady's swaged version is one of the best bullets known to mankind - but plenty of hardware has been won with the double ender as well.

You have been gifted a pound of fun. There isn’t a revolver I own that won’t shoot loads crafted with Bullseye powder well.

Let us know how your loads shoot for you once you put some together and get to the range .

Stay safe.