I know that Hodgdon have recalled one lot of Lilgun. I recently started using this powder - NOT part of the lot under recall, and the results cause me a little concern. I am getting velocities significantly in excess of those suggested in the Hodgdon loading data. I am using new .22 hornet r-p brass, 13grs lilgun, rem 6-1/2 primer, .224 35gr vmax. Hodgdon suggests a velocity of 2842fps, but on Saturday I chronoed a 5-shot string at between 3189 and 3202 fps. No discernible pressure signs.

Now having never used this powder before, I don't know if this is normal behaviour or not. It would certainly be unusual for a powder manufacturer (or in Hodgdon's case a powder re-packager) to underquote velocities by so great a margin.

Other things to mention: All charges were trickled to exact weight. The scales are OK. The chrono is OK. It wasn't a hot day. It is not a long barrel, it is .224.

So go figure. Do I keep using lilgun? At the moment my instinct is to buy another can, but from a different lot, and see what sort of velocities I get. Any other suggestions?

Patrick

I am really amazed with LIL'GUN.

I got 5 Colt Police Positive 38 special's for destructive tests from AIM as police surplus with the department name welded over for $80 each .
I converted one to 357 mag with a .380 straight flute reamer.
I tried AA#9 and incrementally worked up until the cases stuck too bad to get out of the cylinder with the extractor.
Then I blew it to pieces with AA#5.
I converted the second one and blew it to pieces with LONGSHOT.
On the third one I used LIL'GUN and I double compressed the powder and got performance I never thought possible with 357 mag. Hundreds of rounds later, the gun is still in perfect condition.

I wrote to Hodgdon and asked why they only have 18 gr LIL'GUN and 158 gr XTP, and not higher powder charges and lead bullets like me. They wrote that that was all the powder they could get to fit, and the LIL'GUN was melting the base on lead bullets.

For 357 mag 158 gr, LIL'GUN is as much higher velocity than H110/W296 as H110 is higher velocity than Bullseye.

[ 04-14-2003, 18:27: Message edited by: Clark ]

I too have chronied velocities higher than Hodgdon stated would be seen, using their data. Lil Gun in my 221 Fireball produced consistent 3575 fps velocities (40 gr Vmax), exceeding their reported velocities by 150 fps. No indication (bolt lift, primers, etc) of excess pressure. I have shot this same rifle for years, and thought 3400 fps using 18.5 gr AA1680/ 40gr pills was the fastest I would see.
Check out Hodgdon's data for the 32 H&R mag...Lil Gun is amazing.

Patrick: I'm using 13gr Lil'gun w/ Win. brass, CCI 400 primer, 35gr Vmax in my Ruger VHZ Hornet with the chrony showing an average of 3150 in the 24 inch barrel with no signs of excess pressure.

Thanks guys. I just had to check - 3200fps from a hornet..... I would not have thought it possible within safe pressures.

So now it's time to see what the rabbits think of it

Patrick

I was told by Hodgdon (their techs) that you can't get enough LilGun in a Hornet case under a 40gr bullet to cause pressure. I'm not selling that idea it's just what I was told, I called em when I first started shooting LilGun with your exact question, for the same reasons your asking it. All powders vary lot to lot. The fact there was a recall doesn't scare me, they knew which lot, sent out notification, mistakes happen. Hodgdon is a great company with lots of great powders. I shoot 13.3 gr of LilGun behind a 40gr V Max in WW cases with WSR primers. I don't usually post loads cause I believe strongly each firearm is differant, and safe in one might not be in another. I also STRONGLY believe any one who trys to wring absolute max velocitys out of everything they shoot ought to leave the joys of the mild mannered Hornet to those with more laidback attitudes.The Hornet is not designed for high pressure loading, thin cases etc. Having said all that I must confess that after buying severl 1lbs cans three at a time I was so impressed that I bought an 8lbs keg,( thats a lot of shooting at 13.3gr per load) all of those lots by the way varied slightly over the chrono, not unusual in my experience. I think that the first impression of LilGun, has always been that a guy gets more out of it then he ought to. Hornadys book says 13.7gr with a 40gr V Max ought to be around 2900ish if memory serves. I use 13.3 and get a little over or a little under 3,000 (depending on outside temps) Hornadys max (a case full by the way) nets 3,150+ but I lose accuracy. I get 3,250 out of my K Hornet, again with far less than max loads, and way over advertised velocitys. LilGun is hot stuff for a Hornet, did I mention both those loads shoot sub 1/2 inch in an Anschutz and a Cooper?( no bull!) The one oddity is standard deviation, (not very important on a 200 to 250 yard rifle) in my Anschutz Hornet it's huge, 60 to 80 fps on occasion, sometimes more, in the Cooper K it is extremely low single digits to maybe 12 or 13 , quite amazing. Thats my experience with LilGun, I love it. Hope it helps.---Shoot Safe---montdoug