Much has been written and said about Hodgdon's Lil Gun in the .22 Hornet. If there is a better powder for that cartridge, I haven't seen it yet. Lately though, I have been experimenting with Lil Gun in straight walled pistol cases; specifically the 357 Magnum and have pronounced it, with few reservations, a very good powder for that cartridge, indeed.
This evening I revisited my Model 27 S&W, eight and three-eights incher using Hornady 158 grain XTP bullets and the starting charge of Lil Gun which is 16.0 grains for a listed 1504 fps. (Hodgdon's data is from a 10" barrel which I'm certain is a pressure gun barrel, not a revolver.) Accuracy was as good as I could hold. My 25M groups ranged from 1.3" to 2.4" standing. My 50M groups ranged from 3.2 to 4", again, standing... and this includes the ones that 'got away' from me because i can never get used to how exquisite the trigger is on this revolver. Accuracy is excellent, but that is secondary to the ballistic qualities.
Hodgdon lists the pressure as 24.1K CUP for the load I used. Maximum charge is 18.0 grains with a pressure of 25.8K CUP. A quick look at the two powders bracketing Lil Gun in the lists show max pressures at 43K and 42K CUP respectively. That is a huge difference! Velocities are so close between the three that there is no practical difference between them on that count. The down side of this load is it being somewhat smokey at this pressure level. I'm hoping that increasing the load will stop some of that. As it stands, I can verify that it is a snappy load and judging from the trajectory. I'm getting around 1400+ fps from this revolver. When the weather dries up I'll chronograph it.
I had great accuracy, easy extraction, and I'm certain my cases are going to last a while. Some of you lever gun shooters might want to take note. Judging from the fireball I was getting around sunset, this powder would appreciate a 20" barrel! ~Muir
This evening I revisited my Model 27 S&W, eight and three-eights incher using Hornady 158 grain XTP bullets and the starting charge of Lil Gun which is 16.0 grains for a listed 1504 fps. (Hodgdon's data is from a 10" barrel which I'm certain is a pressure gun barrel, not a revolver.) Accuracy was as good as I could hold. My 25M groups ranged from 1.3" to 2.4" standing. My 50M groups ranged from 3.2 to 4", again, standing... and this includes the ones that 'got away' from me because i can never get used to how exquisite the trigger is on this revolver. Accuracy is excellent, but that is secondary to the ballistic qualities.
Hodgdon lists the pressure as 24.1K CUP for the load I used. Maximum charge is 18.0 grains with a pressure of 25.8K CUP. A quick look at the two powders bracketing Lil Gun in the lists show max pressures at 43K and 42K CUP respectively. That is a huge difference! Velocities are so close between the three that there is no practical difference between them on that count. The down side of this load is it being somewhat smokey at this pressure level. I'm hoping that increasing the load will stop some of that. As it stands, I can verify that it is a snappy load and judging from the trajectory. I'm getting around 1400+ fps from this revolver. When the weather dries up I'll chronograph it.
I had great accuracy, easy extraction, and I'm certain my cases are going to last a while. Some of you lever gun shooters might want to take note. Judging from the fireball I was getting around sunset, this powder would appreciate a 20" barrel! ~Muir