Looking for some recipes for some older powders.

[Brian Dudley]

I have some older powders hanging around that I would like to put to good use.

I was wondering if anyone may be familiar with the powders and maybe have any good recipes that may be under 7,500 psi or so and be for maybe 1oz or less loads.

I have rem, win AA and cheddite hulls on hand and various types of primers.


The powders I have and am wondering about are:

Alcan AL7

Hodgden HS6

Hercules Unique.

Thanks for any info that anyone may be able to point me to.

[Pete Lester]

I have some older powders hanging around that I would like to put to good use.

I was wondering if anyone may be familiar with the powders and maybe have any good recipes that may be under 7,500 psi or so and be for maybe 1oz or less loads.

I have rem, win AA and cheddite hulls on hand and various types of primers.


The powders I have and am wondering about are:

Alcan AL7

Hodgden HS6

Hercules Unique.

Thanks for any info that anyone may be able to point me to.

In what gauges would you be loading? AL7 was a powder for magnum 12 ga loadings back in the day. HS-6 for 1 1/4 ounce 12 ga loads. Unique is a great 20 ga powder. The lightest loadings for Unique in 12ga published by Alliant are 1 1/8 ounce. I have some vintage reloading manuals I rounded up when I was looking for all the old 10ga 2 7/8" recipes.

[Brian Dudley]

I would be interested in 12g or 20g loads. I am not too picky about the shot charges. I have wads for heavier loads. I just want to be able to use the powder for something.

Or I may let them go when I can deliver them in person at a shoot this year.

[Pete Lester]

I would be interested in 12g or 20g loads. I am not too picky about the shot charges. I have wads for heavier loads. I just want to be able to use the powder for something.

Or I may let them go when I can deliver them in person at a shoot this year.

The unique is a good powder for relatively low pressure 3/4 ounce 20ga loads. You will see the recipes online here: https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx

Hodgdon has some 1 ounce 20ga loadings for HS-6. Hodgdon data is here: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/shotgun

Alcan AL-7 is a very slow burning powder along the lines of Blue Dot. You won't find any recipes for light loads with it in 12 and 20 gauge.

[Brian Dudley]

Ok. That is why I was not finding much on Hodgdens site as I was only looking for 12g. Thanks.
I want to start loading 20g sometime so I will use those ones for that.

[Craig Larter]

I use these 3/4oz loads published by Claybuster Wads for 20ga. I have been very happy.
http://www.claybusterwads.com/index.php/product-by-gauge/by-gauge-20/33-load-data-cb1075-20

[Mike Koneski]

Brian, I will send you my Unique loads.

[Mike Koneski]

Brian, I will send you my Unique loads.

[Gary Laudermilch]

I found an old Lyman shotshell manual and it lists AL7 for 11/4 loads only. Nothing heavier or lighter. Seems like 28 -30 grains depending on the hull was yielding 1200 fps with pressures varying from 7500 - 10000 LUP depending on hull and components. Most loads called for card and felt wads but the hulls listed are plastic. Not much help as the components are likely not available but may give you some idea.

[Mike Koneski]

Brian, the loads I have are for 16 and 10g and unique powder. If you want them I’ll email them to you.

[Brian Dudley]

Thanks mike, but I would not be looking to do anything for 16 or 10.

It looks like this AL7 may be going down the road at the next shoot.

[CraigThompson]

Brian, the loads I have are for 16 and 10g and unique powder. If you want them I’ll email them to you.

I’d be intrested to know your 10 gauge load . I have loads for 12-28 using Unique but not for the 10 .

[Pete Lester]

I stand corrected Brian. It was AL-8 that was for 12ga magnum loadings. I think I confused it with HS-7. Each of these cans are about 1/3 full. I have had them since the mid 70's. I believe recipes that came with the old Lee Loader called for them and that is what I started reloading with way back in time as teenager. $2.64 for a half pound of powder, imagine that.

[William Davis]

Unique one of my favorite powders for 20 G 3/4 oz in roomy hulls like Gun Clubs. Jug of Unique you can load almost anything shotgun rifle pistol. Not optimal for all but still useful cartridges.

William

[Carl G. Bachhuber]

Al-7 was a fairly slow burning powder used for 1-1/4 oz and up loads in the 12 and 7/8 and 1 oz in the 20. If you can find an old Lyman 'First Complete Edition' hand book you will find quite a few loads for the old Alcan powders. I am still working on a large can of Al-5 that I picked up at a garage sale a while back. Hs-6 and Unique are still common so there should be lots of data out there for them. Most of the data I have for these seem to run higher pressures, though. I still have some old Alcan Flite-Max wads in the basement.
C.G.B.

[Pete Lester]

Now I know why I had the partial cans of AL-5 and AL-7 from my youth, and why I thought AL-7 was a 12ga magnum powder. Here is the charge table from my vintage Lee Loader.