perfect pattern powder usage

[matt koepnick]

Hello all. I have been searching for a good cheap substitute for my Titewad loads. Wound up getting an 8-pounder of Perfect Pattern (Hogdon) last weekend from LGS. Had earlier researched some loads with with this powder for my needs, and components I have. It's an avail powder so I bought it.
Loaded up 2 boxes of 7/8 oz at 7k psi , 1200 fps (advertised numbers).
I used Hogdon load data: 14.8 Gr PerfectPattern, CB 0175-12 wads, Win 209, and GunClub hulls. Loaded and crimped nicely.
When shooting them Sun at the club it seemed I felt a little more recoil than my Titewad 7/8 oz ones. Both loads list the same speeds. The big surprise was looking down my bores after shooting all 50 shells. Both bores and chambers were pretty spotless, and were actually shiny like just cleaned too. ..
Perfect Pattern shells shot with the same results as normal and I scored 70 percent as norm. With current pricing (switching to Cheddite 209) I can load these at 6.41 a box so it looks like this powder is ok as backup for when my Titewad is gone. Mattly

[Mike of the Mountain]

If the Perfect Pattern shells felt a bit snotty, back off one bushing with your powder and try that.

[J.B. Books]

I have gone through about a pound of it recently. It's a very fine grain powder and I thought there would be some leakage on a MEC single stage. With the MEC brass washer under the rubber grommet and the powder bottle screwed on very tight I haven't experienced much leakage at all. For 7/8 12ga loads the Claybuster grey wad gives good crimps in the Winchester AAHS hull. In the older AA Compression Formed hulls I have to use the Claybuster 3/4 ounce wad for a proper crimp. I am using a #16 MEC bushing and it's throwing 14.7 grains of PP.

[matt koepnick]

Thanks J.B. I'm using same bushing with basic same weigh in. I also had no leakage issues, even with bottle just snugged so as to allow bar to travel more easily. My next trial batch was going to be with those gray wads also as I love my titewad loads with them. Thanks for the input. Mattly.

[J.B. Books]

At the present time all powder is quite scarce, Perfect Pattern is probably the most widely available but usually I find only one pound bottles when I see it. It is proving to be a good powder for light 12ga loads and when velocity is kept to 1200 fps or less it gives low pressure. It's also quite a bit less expensive than the old favorites of mine from Alliant, and who knows if Alliant will ever resume production.

[Cold Spring]

Many of my regular shooting friends (modern guns) have gone to Hodgdon's Perfect Pattern and High Gun powders for 7/8 and 1-ounce loads respectively in 2-3/4”/12-gauge They're loading to 1200-1250 speed but it's easy to drop a powder bushing number - or two or three - for increasingly lower velocity/recoil loads. Stack height is a consideration with both low volume and high energy powders, and an expedient as Pete mentioned is to use a wad made for a lighter payload, i.e., 3/4 ounce wad for 7/8 ounce load, etc. Alternately a shot cup filler can be used but that's one more step to complicate things while frequent shooters are loading in volume and especially so on a MEC progressive press.

Perfect Pattern and High Gun are more readily available and it seems that the old standbys like Red Dot, 700-X, Clays, Clay Dot, American Select, etc are far on the way out. I suspect Hodgdon is simplifying its distribution/sales by contracting for fewer shotgun powders; and it remains to be seen if Alliant will ever get back in gear insofar as shotgun powders. What a sad chapter for its forerunner Hercules that many of us grew up with.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Well, now you guys have done it, I might have to work up some 8g loads and send them to Tom for testing.

It's burn rate is right there with E3 and Nitro 100 NF so it should be a viable powder for the big gun.

[Rob Lewis]

Stack height is the issue with Perfect Pattern. It is a fast burning, very dense powder, so is really best suited for compression formed hulls. 7/8 load data is available on the Hodgdon website, but there is a general paucity of load data. There was mention of using a 3/4 oz wad for 7/8 shot loads. That suggestion was to deal with stack height. Stack height with perfect pattern is the biggest issue, when I say that, I mean because it is so extremely dense. All powder swapping takes some work to get crimps right though, it's just harder with PP.

It would not be my first choice for the short 10, I think. I use the 1 oz Clays load (10 ga) Sherman Bell initially developed, but that bottle is very light these days, and will be out soon. I replaced Clays with Ramshot Competition last year because that was availalbe everywhere. It worked great as a replacment, but there are no 4 or 8 lbers to be had. I'm looking at WSF or WST right now, but have not tried them, I do believe that Competion, WSF, WST and other flattened ball powders are all made by St Mark?

I had heard the shotshell powder shortage was due to the current production of similar powders (or powders on the same equipment) that are used in ordinance, which, due to the wars, is now in production? Can anyone comment on this?

I load 12 ga, 2.5" fiber shells on a modified PW 950. I did this during covid as the normal supplies of english shells dried completely up, then came back at over the top prices. (I also have a LS1000 that I converted to 2 7/8.)

If anyone is loading 2.5" fiber I'd love to compare notes.