Anyone ever use Hi Skor 800x in handgun cartidges?

[PsychoKnight]

Im going to start using 800x in my 32acp. 4lbs ought to last a life-time. hahaha.

No I don't think you can do that.

The flakes won't fit through the case mouth, silly!



But seriously, when I shot a 10-1/2" barreled Super Blackhawk, 800x was the best; highest velocity, tightest long-range groups, and clean burn. With magnum revolver rounds, its worth your time to drop and trickle, even with a pro100, just use a funnel and powder drop die. But if it meters well in a lee measure for you - just go at it.

 

[Clark]

Dr.Zubrato
Could someone provide more information for HiSkor 800x in 38 special or 9mm?
I will be using 125 plated flat point berry's bullets, and I'm having trouble locating any new data for 800x, much less anything for plated bullets.
I found the max load for 38 spl : 125 Rem SJHP is 6.9gr using imr 800x. the manual says to reduce to 10% then work up, but I'd like to know if anyone could point me to another source, or more info.

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

Back in 2002 when I started reloading I tried to overload every 9mm bullet and powder to see what would happen.

I could not get much 800X to fit, but I shot them anyway.
124 gr 7.7 gr [max book load is 5 gr]
147 gr 6.6 gr [max book load is 4 gr]

While not as wimpy as the book loads, I did not feel like I got anywhere with those experiments in 2002.

But this year in 2013 shooting 380 115 gr with 6 gr 800X with only a .979" OAL, I did get some noticeable power. The max book load for 380 90 gr is 4.1 gr, so this one was way over. And that was in an LCP, the lowest of 3 levels of 380 I load for. That pistol has .270" of feed ramp intrusion and will case bulge with minimum overloads.

 

[Rodfac]

Yep but it's a royal PITA to get consistent charges using any measure. Rod

 

[orionengnr]

I bought a pound of 800X specifically to try with 10mm. After seeing how many respondents noted 10mm in their posts, I think I made the right choice.

Wow, eight pounds? That should last you a while. One option is to trade 1# at a time to people with other powders, otherwise you'll be shooting 800X till the cows come home. Which might not be a bad thing, if your powder dropper will meter it well.

Reminds me of the time I was talking to a guy about a bunch of powder he had gotten from an estate sale. After some research, I made him and offer and walked out with a big box full of powder for about $100. There was an 8# keg, a 4# keg and two-three one-pound cans of Green Dot, one pound each of Unique, HS6, Red Dot, W760, and a couple others I can't recall right now. I started loading Green Dot in the rounds I load most for (.45acp, some .45LC). The 4#er and the 1#ers are gone; just about to start on the 8#.

Hey 243winxb--great photo (post 22). Another example of a picture being worth a thousand words...

 

[Elkins45]

I'm afraid of it in the Lee auto disk. I've had it bridge before.

What I haven't tried yet is using a dipper to measure charges, but it's on my list of things to try. I would think dipped charges wouldn't have the problems that thrown ones do.

 

[Schwing]

So... I got the powder today and it does NOT meter well in my lee powder measure. I haven't had any bridged loads but I am already resigned to doing what many of you have mentioned which is to drop a light load and trickle up. I started with a .357 158 grain LRN bullets with a BHN of about 18. I am going to do my first test at 8.1 grains and go from there... It sure slows down the reloading process having to meter it this way.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

So far my best results for 158 gr LSWC was 7.5 gr. But I have more loads ready for testing. I'm showing a max of 8.9 gr.

 

[Schwing]

I was able to finally test some of my loads out and am VERY happy with the results. 8.1 grains behind my 158 grain lrn bullets is pretty stout but not uncomfortable and they are dead accurate. I can see why people like the powder even though it is such a challenge to work with.

I think weighing each charge is going to have to do for now. I have been recording the weight of every charge I have done and, so far, they don't vary more than +- .4 grains (the majority vary less than 1 grain). I am going to test out some 7.1 grain loads and, if they are even close to acceptable, I might just consider using my disk that throws 7.5 and accept that they are going to be between 7.1 and 7.9. I don't seem to have the issue with loads bridging.

Having said all of the above, I am going to weigh every charge until I have done a few hundred to make sure I'm not going to go boom.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

You have learned the zen of 800x. Now you have to figure out how YOU can load it from YOUR measure consistently.

I avoided 800x for years because all I heard was "you can't meter it", "it always bridges", "trickle and weigh every charge".....

I bought some and started loading it with my uniflow and weighed very charge. I played with my techniques until +/- 0.1 grn routinely. Now it is my go to powder for 10mm and I don't even stock AA7 anymore.

Just sit down at the press, ignore conventional wisdom and work on it until you figure out something that works for you. That is how I did it. My well worn uniflow helps though.

 

[40-82]

See if you can find a copy of Ken Waters book "Pet Loads." 800X is often listed as his preferred accuracy load in several pistol cartridges. 800X's poor metering characteristics bother me, but it doesn't seem to affect accuracy nearly as I would have expected.

 

[Schwing]

So far my best results for 158 gr LSWC was 7.5 gr. But I have more loads ready for testing. I'm showing a max of 8.9 gr.

LOL! I should have just jumped on the 7.5 grain load. I tried the gambit and came to the same conclusion. Having said that, I loaded a couple of hundred ranging between 7.1 and 8.1 and found virtually NO difference in accuracy out to about 100 yards. I shot some test rounds through my gp100 at about 12 yards and the 100 yard rounds with my rossi. I am going to go with my last post which is to use my lee disk that is supposed to drop 7.5 and just accept that some will be as low as 7.1 and some will be as high as 7.9.

 

[Schwing]

You have learned the zen of 800x. Now you have to figure out how YOU can load it from YOUR measure consistently.

I avoided 800x for years because all I heard was "you can't meter it", "it always bridges", "trickle and weigh every charge".....

I bought some and started loading it with my uniflow and weighed very charge. I played with my techniques until +/- 0.1 grn routinely. Now it is my go to powder for 10mm and I don't even stock AA7 anymore.

Just sit down at the press, ignore conventional wisdom and work on it until you figure out something that works for you. That is how I did it. My well worn uniflow helps though.

I am already absolutely sold on the 800x, at least for my .357s. I am happy enough with the loads I am getting that I would probably do it even if I had to hand measure every charge. It burns clean, I have no leading at all and they are accurate well beyond my skill level of accuracy. As I said earlier, I think the lee disk that drops 7.5 will do. Now to move on to .45 and see what they do there.