Hodgdon High Gun powder

[Matt Stolley]

With the current lack of powder diversity available at this time, I’m wondering if anyone has tried Hodgdon High Gun for loading 12 gauge 2 1/2” shells?
With it’s burn rate near Alliant American Select I would think it would be a viable alternative to AS in 7/8 and 1oz loads.

[Chris Riley]

The same thought occurred to me in particular using a 2-1/2” cheddite hulls… after loading 2-3/4” cheddite hulls yielding a psi below 5000 based on the Hodgdon reloading data for 1oz lead loads with High Gun.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Yes, it is a viable alternative. Make some shells up and have Tom Armbrust or Ballistic Products test them. High Gun and Titegroup are the same powders, just packaged differently. They are right by AS on the burn rate chart. Start with one-size smaller bushing than your AS load. Make 3-5 and test fire them. Even better if you have a chronograph to test their speed too. Barrels should stay relatively clean and no heavy muzzle flash if the pressure is good. Whichever load you like best, send off to be tested. Include exact load data with it.

[Matt Stolley]

Originally Posted by Mike Koneski

Yes, it is a viable alternative. Make some shells up and have Tom Armbrust or Ballistic Products test them. High Gun and Titegroup are the same powders, just packaged differently. They are right by AS on the burn rate chart. Start with one-size smaller bushing than your AS load. Make 3-5 and test fire them. Even better if you have a chronograph to test their speed too. Barrels should stay relatively clean and no heavy muzzle flash if the pressure is good. Whichever load you like best, send off to be tested. Include exact load data with it.

That’s the plan.
I’ll share results with the group.

[Kevin McQueeney]

Just a side note. I use it as a replacement for Clays and Titewad which I can no longer get. It’s used in 2 3/4” shells and due to its smaller volume I now use 7/8 wads instead of 1 oz. so the shells will crimp properly. (Still loading 1oz. though) ….something to watch for.

[LizzCollin]

I haven’t personally tried Hodgdon High Gun for 12 gauge 2 1/2” shells, but I’ve heard a few folks mention it as a good alternative when you're in a pinch for powder. Since its burn rate is close to Alliant American Select, I think you're on the right track. I’ve had similar experiences when I was searching for lever action rifle parts—sometimes you just need to experiment with what's available. I once swapped out a part in my lever action rifle and noticed a big difference in performance. It’s all about finding the right match for what you need, and I’d say give the High Gun a shot if it fits the load specs you’re after.

[Frank Good]

A local dealer here had 9lbs high gun and 8lbs of perfect pattern in stock so i bought 4 of each today. According to the Hodgdon site I can load a 1oz load using 19.6grs high gun. a 2 3/4" cheddite hull, cheddite 209 primer, claybuster 1oz wad with a published mv of 1235fps under 6000 psi. Sounds like a great combo to me and with the same hull, primer and wad using pp around 6500 psi. I'm tempted to purchase the rest of the powder before it's gone.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Buy the rest of it. As we’ve been saying for years, buy it when you find it. 👍🏻

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Mike Koneski

Buy the rest of it. As we’ve been saying for years, buy it when you find it. 👍🏻

Keep buying until you're broke, then double down and buy even more. You will not regret it.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Better start stocking up on shot too. The ChiComs are shutting down our supply of antimony and we will see the price of shot and factory ammo increase. A 20% increase in price will not be unheard of.