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Any body used trailboss in 38 special. Not a powder I am familiar with but it seems to be popular.

Trailboss excels in large cartridges where the density uses case volume up nicely. I use it a fair old bit, particularly in Old Timer rifle cartridges. Which is really what it was designed for. Low pressure "cowboy loads" in big cartridges.

There's a plethora of other powders out there that are far more suited to the ubiquitous .38 Spl.

Fast pistol powder that is expensive, it is sold in 9 oz bottles.

Its main attribute is that it is bulky and therefore more case filling so as help mitigate against multiple charges, if that is how you prevent multiple charges of small measure of powder then I would suggest that you look at your hand loading procedure.

Some people use it in the larger cartridges because of its bulk, I never found lack of bulk an issue with these fast powders.

Probably created for the US cowboy action shooting market.

It goes bang and performs no better and no worse than other fast pistol powders that cost less.

My Father and I use Trail Boss for indoor 25m. range shooting with 45/70 Marlin lever actions. Dad is nearly 83 and gets beat up with full power loads. Having said that, 55gr of Hodgdon H4895 behind a 405 gr bullet with an 18" Marlin Guide Gun would give me a headache after 10 rounds with my first 45/70..... much worse than my .375 H&H. Three years ago I bought another Marlin 1895 Guide Gun, but I now use reduced loads.

I notice from the Hodgon site that H4895 powder can also safely be used for reduced loads.https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/uplo ... -loads.pdf

dromia wrote:Fast pistol powder that is expensive, it is sold in 9 oz bottles.

Probably created for the US cowboy action shooting market.

Yes, it was. There are severe restrictions on Cowboy Action revolver loads - lead bullets only, not even gas checks allowed, with very low maximum MVs mandated. So, it is tiny powder p**f charges of standard 38 Spcl powders. The cowboy action pistol powders - Trail Boss and Viht N32C Tin Star are designed as bulky products that work well at very low MVs / pressures. In the case of Trail Boss a double charge should be impossible in 38 Spcl, unlike say Bullseye or Red Dot. With such low charges, a double charge isn't unsafe in chamber pressure terms, but would be 'illegal' under SASS ammunition rules.

It was later found to be a good powder for severely reduced loads in rifle cartridges especially with lead bullets. It has replaced the once very popular but long since unobtainable DuPont SR4759 that was originally developed for the US Army to load low velocity .30-06 etc rounds whose velocities allowed them to simulate long-range terminal velocities / energies in penetration and tissue damage tests. (They shot sedated but live pigs for the latter tests.)

I find Trailboss a good bit faster than SR4759, it was more like N110/120, fast rifle powder, in burning rate.

The IMR SR4759 is supposed to be close to the DuPont offering.

IMR was a product line of DuPont, Improved Military Rifle, I believe the SR designation is for sporting rifle. IMR are now owned by Hodgdon, or were last I heard.

dromia wrote:I find Trailboss a good bit faster than SR4759, it was more like N110/120, fast rifle powder, in burning rate.

The IMR SR4759 is supposed to be close to the DuPont offering.

IMR was a product line of DuPont, Improved Military Rifle, I believe the SR designation is for sporting rifle. IMR are now owned by Hodgdon, or were last I heard.

Hodgdon owns the name for marketing and distribution Adam, but most IMR powders are now made by a General Dynamics Corporation offshoot in Valleyfield, Quebec Province, Canada. There are one or two exceptions such as IMR-8208 XBR which is yet another ADI / Thales manufactured product from New South Wales which for marketing reasons, Hodgdon chose to call IMR rather than Hodgdon H something or other.

Alpha - are you going to the Harrogate Show? If so, stop by the Target Shooter stand for a chat matey. Laurie will be there as well on the Saturday

I use trailboss in subsonic loads for my 308 , a role it excels in !

I tried various powders and trailboss was by far the best , unique and red dot were ok but tiny charges run the risk of detonation (something I've still to be convinced is an actual thing!)

As already stated there is far better choices for 38spl

tackb wrote:unique and red dot were ok but tiny charges run the risk of detonation

Why do you say that?

There is no evidence at all that small charges of fast burning pistol powder cause "detonation".

With reduced charges of medium or slower burning rifle powder there is a chance of SEE (Secondary Explosion Effect).

I have tried Trail Boss in many rifle calibres and it has worked just as well as any other fast pistol powder, but had no other benefits than being fluffy, just my experience.