Should I try Trail Boss?

[AtlLaw]

When I started reloading for my 44 Mag and 45 Colt handguns ol' Grey Beard told me I didn't need nuthin but Unique and 2400.  As usual Cuz Bill was right and I've been very happy with those powders for all my target/plinking and hunting applications...  so far!   

But, since my armory of weapons in those calibers has expanded to include rifles, not to mention the fact I want a pistol level load for my 45-70 handy Handi project and I can never leave well enough alone, I got's me to thinking.   

I'd like one load for the 44 and one for the 45 that I can use in both the revolvers and the rifles.  I'll be shooting bullets cast from WW's in my RCBS moulds (240 & 250 gr. respectively).

I know I can do this with Unique or 2400, but would it be worth the effort and the money to try some Trail Boss in those three calibers for light loads?  I'm talking target practice with my 44 Mag Ruger SBH, a 300 gr. jacketed hunting load at around 1200 fps in the 45-70, and target loads at around 700 - 800 fps in my 45 Colt SAA's.  As I said, I'd use those same revolver loads in my M73 and M92.  I may even try some CAS!      

[kitchawan kid]

I use Trail Boss for .38,45acp,45lc,45/70 and am thinking of some more rifle calibers,it's very easy to use,very safe and the best I have found for light loads.

[Sensai]

I got some Trail Boss to work down some 30-30 loads, but I haven't gotten that round tuit, yet.     I'd like to try it in my .357, also.

If you try it, how about a report on your results?

[AtlLaw]

If you try it, how about a report on your results?

That's the least I can do for someone who wore a horse blanket!   

And that 30/30 idea isn't bad either!     I've got a box of 100 gr. plinker bullets I planned on using in my 30/30's for ...  well, plinking!     I only wanted around 1200 fps or so...   

[AtlLaw]

it's...the best I have found for light loads.

In what respect?  Accuracy I hope...     How does it compare to Unique? 

[patw]

I tried Trailboss for fun loads and loved it.  A friend was going to get rid of his 45-70 because he could not stand the kick anymore, I told him to try Trailboss before hid sold it.  We went out one Sunday and shot 40 rounds from the bench with my trapdoor carbine.  No formal shooting for accuracy, but if I remember right he hit the 12" gong pretty often at 220 yards.  It impressed him enough that he went out and found himself his very own trapdoor.

[stimpylu32]

Richard

I used Unique for a bunch of years for the old 45 colt and 45/70 , that was till I found TrailBoss , it has become my Go-To powder for these 2 rounds , to the point were i buy it 8 bottles at a time , only because I can't find it in anything bigger . 

Try it and I'm sure you will love it too .

stimpy   

[243dave]

The only reason I haven't tried trail boss in my 45colt is because the cans are only 8oz(sorry, I guess it is 9oz.) instead of a full pound. Come on hodgdon don't charge us like its a full pound!!  I settled on titegroup for my reduced loads, I like it alot. Did I mention I'm cheap.    Dave

[patw]

243dave, there was an article called Trailboss K.I.S.S. where they loaded mil-surp loads with Trailboss.  Interesting article, and they figured the cost of Trailboss vs 2400:

"One pound is the equivalent of 7000 grains.  So that means that we can get about 438 loads of 16 grs out of one pound of A2400 powder.  A 9 oz. can of Trail Boss is the equivalent of 3938 grs.  Using the 9 grain load of Trail Boss, you can see that you will get the SAME number of shots out of one 9 oz container of Trail Boss as the 16 oz container of A2400!  BUT, Trail Boss will be about $0.027 per shot while A2400 will come out to be $0.041 per shot."

http://www.surplusrifle.com/articles2008/trailbosskiss/index.asp

[243dave]

Pat, I use titegroup. 6 grains will give about 800fps from a pistol. It takes about the same amount of trail boss to get 800fps from a 45colt pistol too. I don't have to do any calculations to tell me that I will shoot almost double than if I was using trail boss. Please don't think I'm putt'n down trail boss, I'm not, everyone seems to like it. Its like I said before, I'm cheap!   Dave

[cwlongshot]

I finally bought this powder too!! I have loaded up in a couple calibers, but only shot it in the 500...

I agree with Bill concerning the attributes of Unique. As a matter of fact, not to long ago, it was the ONLY powder listed in loading manuals for the 45colt!!! 2400 has also been a great powder for many years. Personally, I hardly ever use it any longer as the newer powders work better read that "cleaner" than 2400 was. It was my Hornet powder before lil-gun came along...

I say YES, go buy a bottle!!!

CW

[Graybeard]

Nope you should NOT try Trail Boss. It will just further complicate your life and force you to make more decisions about what to load in your cases. Then you'll forget which cases you loaded with which powder and will have to buy a bullet puller to check on it. Just think of all the down time that will cause when you could otherwise be out shooting or hunting.

BTW how often do you use that RCBS tool you bought from me that I told you that you'd not need or use but you bought it anyway?

[kmystry]

Absolutely, you should try TrailBoss!  I am a complete convert to TB for .38 Special and .357 mag target loads.  It's the perfect powder for these rounds and I'm sure it would be for any other straight walled cartridge with cast bullets...can't speak for you bottleneck shooters.  
The only thing I miss about using Unique (got lots of it left) is the smell...I love the smell of a revolver cylinder just after firing a full round of .38's using Unique.  It must be the smell of my youth when I first started shooting and Unique was what we loaded with...can't beat that sweet aroma of cooked Unique!  TrailBoss smells a bit like hot pee...but it's my go-to powder now!

[Pumah25]

Trailboss is way expensive if bought in the 9oz can. I bought one of those before I realized it was 9oz. I have since bought it in a 5 lb jug and that is price per pound about the same as other powders. I do not get why the small size is nearly twice as expensive per oz.

The beauty of traiboss is that it eliminates the possibility of double charging the 45 LC case due to its volume.

[AtlLaw]

Well goodness gracious!     Seems like almost everybody is a fan of Trail Boss!  Almost everybody...    There's a gunshow in Lawrenceville this weekend so I recon I'll pick me up a jug.  'course I'll only load with TB during these trials so I don't end up forgetting which I loaded with what and have to tear them all down and start over... 

And speaking of Bill...

I used the heck outa that thing when I first got it!  I'd been reading about this "runout" stuff so long I couldn't wait to see how I'd been doing all these years!

I measured everything I could get my hands on!  I measured new cases, fired cases, fully sized cases, partially sized cases, cases sized with and without expander balls, cases before and after seating the bullet and before and after making inconsequential die changes!  I used up a stack of note pads writing down measurements on individual cases.  I painstakenly sorted cases by amount of runout before and after seating the bullet and fired groups based on a .001 variance.

I was aghast and agog at the results!  According to gun writers, my hand loads shouldn't be able to hold "minute of barn door!"   

When the smoke cleared I had come to two conclusions:
1.  All that measureing was really time consuming.
2.  At 100 yards, I couldn't tell any difference in the size of all the groups fired.

Hence, said device is sitting on my bench, unused, and has been for some time.   

You may now, once again, say "I told you so..."   

[Pumah25]

I would appreciate any starting load data for the 45-70.

Has anyone tried this powder in the 444?

[kitchawan kid]

IMR guide,starting load for the 405 gr. bullet is 12.0, max is 13.0

[Steve P]

I have a notebook put together with copies of most of the articles on Trail Boss since it came out.  I have read everything I have found to date.  I don't have any pistol loads, but I do have some trail boss to try in my 45-70 and possibly my model 64 30-30.  I want Trail Boss for light loads and will use other powders for a little heavier or hunting load.

My light loads for 44 mag and 45 LC are both 8.0 gr unique and heavy cast bullet.  Very accurate, very mild recoil, and meters very smoothly thru my powder measure.  I have lots of Unique and see no reason to change unless someone comes up with concrete proof that Trail Boss can better Unique in all reasons referenced above.

Steve

[AtlLaw]

My light loads for 44 mag and 45 LC are both 8.0 gr unique and heavy cast bullet.  Very accurate, very mild recoil, and meters very smoothly thru my powder measure.  I have lots of Unique and see no reason to change unless someone comes up with concrete proof that Trail Boss can better Unique in all reasons referenced above.

Hummm,  A Unique vs. Trail Boss comparrison...  That sounds like another statistically insignificant and meaningless experiment to me!   

Shouldn't take any more time then I wasted measuring runnout...