Longshot powder

[JO JO]

anyone use longshot, I have read some good reviews on it,
I load for 40 s&w and 9mm will also be loading 9mm lrn cast,
I normally load for plinking at the range and will also load on
the warmer side with xtp's at times,
Would longshot be a good fit or should I try something else ?
Thanks for any opinions in advance

 

[Beanie-Bean]

I use Longshot for my .45ACP, 10mm, and .357SIG loads. I've had so much fun shooting 10mm that I don't really load .40S&W--I'd rather use the projectiles for the other caliber, especially with how hard it is to find components nowadays.

You'll be good for .40S&W, according to the load books I've gone through (Hornady, Speer, Lyman, Nosler, and Hodgdon.) Don't know about that powder in 9x19. Perhaps it would work on the heavier 147 gr. projectiles OK, but I don't load with that slow of a powder for that caliber.

 

[KansasSasquatch]

I've had good results in .45acp with Rainier 230gr plated RN and MBC 230gr Softball.

Also used it in 9mm with 115gr MBC Smallball and 124gr Hornady jacketed. No problems.

It's smaller flakes than Unique so it meters a little better. It's also pretty bulky and fills the case pretty well so double charging is fairly unlikely without causing a mess.

 

[Jessie James 58]

I use Longshot for both 9MM (124G lead RN) and 10MM loads. It works very well in both.

 

[gamestalker]

Love that powder more than any other for 9mm, .40, and 38 spcl. +p. I haven't found another powder that performs as well as Longshot, in those cartridges I load.
It is very easy to manage pressures with, but it performs best when worked up to near or at maximum with jacketed bullets. I can't give you any advice relative to lead bullets, as I only load with jacketed.
In .40 cal it nearly fills the case, so it makes double charges impossible without spilling all over the bench.
GS

 

[rfwobbly]

If we look at the Hodgdon powder burn rate chart, understanding first that no burn rate chart is perfect, we can make a highly generalized statement that for plinking/ target loads you'll want the bullet traveling is the general vicinity of 1030 fps. That is best delivered IMHO from a powder with a max load speed no faster than 1100 fps. That defines a moderately fast powder, generally numbered from #25 to #37 on the Hodgdon chart.

When you use a slower burning powder to deliver slower bullet speeds, generally speaking you will fail to generate the chamber pressures needed to make the powder burn efficiently. When energy burns efficiently it burns clean. LongShot (#52) is so far down the list that I believe what you'll have is a gun and cartridge cases that are left black and sooty.

Now for delivering bullet speeds around 1100 to 1200 fps, it may be a fantastic powder. But just looking at the numbers, I don't see how you can get to general plinking velocities and have good results.

I've been wrong before. . But as a reference, consider that WSF (#36) and N340 (#37) are my favorite SD powders for 9mm, and LongShot is still miles from there.

 

[SDGlock23]

I've loaded quite a bit of Longshot in 9mm, .40/10mm and .45 Super.

I never loaded a lot with it 9mm, but some with 124 and 147gr, even some hardcast. It did fairly well, pretty good for warmer loads. Longshot has a way of acting up at times, and what I mean by that is that you can hone in on a load that's very consistent but on the way there you may get some wild velocity deviations. But once you find the sweet spot it's a very good powder.

In .40 it works very well for warmer loads, but I've not really tried it for target style loads. From a 4", it will throw a 180gr between 1150-1200 fps which is moving along. From 6" it's near 1350 fps (180gr), 1450 fps (170gr), 1480 fps (165gr), 1550 fps (155gr) and over 1800 fps (135gr).

Recently I've worked with it in my Glock 21 with KKM 4 port barrel shooting .45 Super. 250gr Gold Dot over 1100 fps and a 275gr hardcast at 1,150 fps (5" barrel).

 

[Crashbox]

Longshot is my exclusive powder for .40 S&W; 7.5 grains pushing a 180 FMJ makes a fairly decent SD emulator load in my opinion. High velocities coupled with reasonable pressures was what sold me on it for the .40... good stuff.

I agree with the others that it does seem like Longshot prefers to be pushed a bit. When I tried 6.8 grains the holes were all over the place but they sure tightened up once I ran it harder.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Longshot is probably hands down the best 10mm/40 S&W powder on the market today. (now that HS-7 is no longer available) My son's favorite 9mm ammo is made with Longshot and a 124/125gr FMJ or JHP bullet. I have also made .38 Special +P ammo with Longshot but I like HS-6 better so Longshot is out in that loading.

Longshot can also be used for medium to medium-hot .357 Magnum ammo but I like it only with jacketed bullets, not lead. HS-6 is a much better choice with lead bullets.

If you're loading 9mm ammo you will like the results you get with Longshot.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I shoot NRA PPC. I've found LongShot to be the most accurate powder through my S&W Performance CTR semi-autos with cast bullets. I've shot some national record tying scores with cast bullets (perfect scores).
My load is 120-125gr cast bullet over 5.2gr of LongShot. Gets 1170fps from 4" gun, 1200fps from 5", and 1240fps from 6" gun (PPC-9 "Limited"). However, I'm now using a Lee 105gr SWC over 5.2gr from the 4"gun and 5.5gr from the 6" gun (better slide function w/very heavy slide/gun).
The cast bullets actually out-shoot most of the plated/jacketed bullets on the market. Go figure!!!
I've only shot a few .40S&W loads w/longshot. Most were 12yrs ago or so. I wasn't able to get the advertised velocities, but results with accuracy was good.
I haven't tried it in .45acp as my .45 loads are about accuracy/target loads. Other powders are more economical...

However, with the .45colt (aka .45LongColt), I've found the LongShot really shines with cast bullets, just like the 9mm.
I'm using 10.8gr through a "Lipsey's Special" Ruger "New Model" BlackHawk. It gets 1,040fps w/270gr RCBS "SA" mould (mine casts to 275gr). Accuracy is about 1.5" at 25yds from bench/sandbags. 9.5gr with a 255 FRN (Lee) is equally accurate and gets 855fps to roughly duplicate factory LFN ammo. But, the Lee has a MUCH larger meplat.
I'm using 10.8 because the next larger powder measure cavity throws 11.5gr and gets over 1100fps and is probably too much for long term shooting from my "New Vaquero" size/weight cylinder (.357mag sized cylinder, not larger .44mag sized cylinder).

I now prefer LongShot to Unique, which LS roughly duplicates....
Not to mention that I first bought the LongShot to load 12ga Duck loads, and have worked up buck-shot loads for my 20ga shotguns using LongShot. BTW, I just finished off my second 8lb keg of the stuff. "Note" to self; reorder more....