I picked up a 4 lb. container of this todeay at my local gun store for $39 total cost. While I don't load steel shot the burning rate of this powder fall out between 2400 and Accurate Arms N0.9. With this burning rate it should be good for medium to heavy loads in the .41 and 44 mag pistols as well as the .357 mag etc.

Most of the shoot gun powders can be used in pistols and loading dats is avialible but i can't find anything on loading the STEEL powder in a pistol.

Without any loading data I thought I would try some light to moderate loads using Accurate Arms #9 data

Has anyone thried this powder in pistol loads or have any knowledge as to why it should or shouldn't be safe and work?

THANKS!

I found a bunch cheap also it well be interisting to see what comes up some pistol data would help.

But like you I haven't found any.

I can only get 14 gr of STEEL to fit under 200 gr in 10mm at 1.3" OAL.

It is about as dense as Blue Dot and kicks about as hard. Nothing to write home about. Try 800X or Power Pistol instead.

The only thing I see it had going for it was or is the price. I wanted to load some .44 Mag. rounds with cast bullets at moderate velocities at the minimum cost. It appeared to be about the correct burning rate to accomplish the tack.

Might also try it my .500 S&W - the cost of powder for the gun is significant.

Thanks for the feedback - that is the first data on the powder I've seen. I'll post mine when I try it out - perhaps next weekend if the sonow and wind dies down a bit.

quote:

I can only get 14 gr of STEEL to fit under 200 gr in 10mm at 1.3" OAL.

It is about as dense as Blue Dot and kicks about as hard. Nothing to write home about. Try 800X or Power Pistol instead.

I talked to a Alliant rep about Steel powder
As I reload a bunch of steel shot loads and other non toxic shot's I have a good supply of this powder on hand

They recomend against using it to load anything expect shot shells
Because it flows thru a powder measure for SHT because it is so bulky

I tryed it in several powder measures
I finely just started running it thru the Lyman 1200

I did try it in the 44 mag
I got the best consistancy when it was compressed
Not sure of the pressure's
But I could get better velosity with other powders , ass the bulk of the powder limited grains I could get in the case

Where did you get it at $39.99 per 4 lb
As I need to stock up

I try to buy 40 lb at a time and work up loads
As there is more lot to lot variance than in any other powder I have used

John

I will second the above. Steel is not a good powder for loading anything except steel shot, and it isn't very good for that, unless you have an auto dispenser. I ended up buying a dispenser because most of my reloading is for steel shot.

It is not the performance which is good, it is the metering, or lack thereof. You HAVE to weigh every charge. I tried metering it, got huge variations.