Author Topic: Let's talk about Trail Boss:  (Read 537 times)

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Offline RPRNY

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Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« on: March 22, 2013, 06:36:24 PM »
I find myself in a seemingly unique (no pun intended) position. I have found TB effective for light 45 Colt loads in my 20" barrel Handi Rifle and under an 86gr short jacket round nose in 30-30 for my Marlin 336. In 30-40 and 30-06 I have found it inconsistent and highly inaccurate for both cast and jacketed bullets. So I am undecided.

My experience on the www is that it is either loved or discounted as a marketing ploy.

I think we would all benefit from a discussion of Trail Boss with experiences both positive and negative.

Discuss...

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Offline Larry L

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Re: Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2013, 07:25:48 PM »
I tried 1 lb of it. The goal was reduced loads for the 45-70, 3006, and subsonic loads for the 308. It failed the accuracy test in all of those and in the 45-70 was filthy as compared to SR4759 that burns so clean you can't tell the difference between a rifle that's been shot 50 times against a clean rifle. Needless to say it's not in my stock of powders. But there seems to be a following that you can't deny. But like everything else, peoples expectations are different. Like a lot of the pistol shooters think that shooting a 6" group at 25 yds is great. If that's the best I could get a pistol to shoot, it'd become a tent stake. And yeah, I have friends that as long as the gun goes off, they're happy....and some of these shoot in Cowboy Action competitively. But it didn't do anything for me, or meet or exceed anything I don't already have. It's a thumbs down for me.

Offline necchi

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Re: Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2013, 07:32:05 PM »
Haven't tried the stuff personally, kinda looking forward to learning a bit about it myself.
 
There's a feller at the local shop that uses it for everything, he's one that swears to the
"fill up the case with TB and your good" school.
 
Trouble is the guy is after hunting accuracy and not a paper puncher, I see him at the range and his target is full of pie plate size groups and he brags on these groupings,  :-[
 
 
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Offline AtlLaw

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Re: Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2013, 04:26:27 AM »
I tried Trail Boss against Unique in my 44 Mag M-92.  My very limited experimenting gave me the impression Unique was slightly more accuratein the rifle and I pretty much stopped using TB.
 
Then I got a 38 Spl. Uberti 1851 Colt Navy Richards Conversion and tried the TB again.  It is now my go-to powder for cast bullet plinking loads in the 38 Spl. and 45 Colt!  It does everything I want it to for that purpose!   ;D
 
And it meters real well outa my RCBS.   ;)
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Offline Ranch13

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Re: Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2013, 05:58:58 AM »
It works fairly well for the purpose it was designed for, low velocity low recoil loads without the risk of double/triple charging a case, and will deliver accuracy adequate for the Cowboy Squib Shooters game it's original market was directed at.
I particularly like it for some mousephart type loads that do give decent accuracy out to 50 yds in the 32 H&R, the 41 mag and 45 colt.
But when you get into the rifle cartridges, it's burn rate is entirely to fast (falls square between bullseye and red dot) and builds tremendous amount of pressure with drizzly slow velocity, and I believe that's the biggest problem getting anything worthy of being called accuracy from a "highpower" centerfire rifle.
It is also not a very "cheap" powder to use, as those cans are only 9 oz, and when you put the calculator on it, its one of the more expensive per round smokeless powders.
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Online Lloyd Smale

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Re: Let's talk about Trail Boss:
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2013, 03:11:42 AM »
Im with ranch. Its a specialized powder that works for what it was designed to do. that is pushing a bullet out of a gun just fast enough to clear the barrel. Cowboy action shooters dont worry to much about accuracy. there targets are close and big. Ive fooled with it a bit when it first came out and never found any real accuracy with it. Bullseye is hands down more accurate in my guns for lighter loads.
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