A friend of mine gave me 1# of PB.Loaded it in .45Col*****ters fine,shoots clean and is accurate.I think I'll buy some but it doesn't seem to be very popular since I can't find any at local dealers shelves.
Anybody has any experience with PB?
Qc

I have some and use it, but I don't know what it does that any other powder can't do. PB stands for 'porous base'. OK. So what? It goes bang and a bullet comes out of the barrel. I wish they'd discontinue this one and keep some of the others.

OH, I need say that it went bang during all the shortages when I couldn't get my usual powders. Worked fine.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

PB was discontinued in '13 or '14. Older shooters liked it,,vintage shotgun shooters liked it for the low pressure loads that they could roll with it.
Apparently not enough of a demand to keep in production like a few others (7625 was a favorite of mine that they discontinued).
But there are so many powders on the market now,,,they even clean the gun for you and probably walk the dog.

PB is position sensitive in a handgun. I use it in one of my most accurate .38 special handloads, but have to use a fiberfill filler or else the load triples in size. It is a great shotgun powder for certain uses but there are now a ton of other powders that are as good or better.

My only experience with PB was when I was on an engineering internship and the firm I was with used it as an earth-moving explosive. It worked, but I don't know how well since that was my only experience using smokeless powder as an engineering material.

As mentioned it was great in a shotgun loading.
Many of us older shooters loved the smell of the burnt powder.

As a pistol~revolver powder it was ok, way back when I used it.
You are lucky to find it..........
Enjoy it while you can.

While the manuals have separate loads for them and I always checked the correct data, I found PB indistinguishable from 700X. The two were my favorite for very low pressure revolver loads like 180 grain cast bullets at approximately 750 fps in an 8 3/8" barrel .44 Magnum. In that application they burned cleaner than anything else I tried and I did not find them position sensitive.

Generalizing about powders with similar burn rates, while ball powders are inclined to meter more accurately they are less likely to burn completely at low pressure.

I really liked PB in 38 Spl and 158 gr lead at standard velocities. Very accurate loading. Measures great and burns cleanly at Police Service velocities.

I still have several pounds of PB but I wouldn't use it in pistol cartridges.

It's much too useful in low pressure shotgun loads to waist it on pistol cartridges.

Good luck buying PB these days.
It's been discontinued for awhile.
It never was a big mover for the last 50 years but did it's job well.
Excellent powder for target 44 loads but worked best with a filler.
4.5 grains PB, 10 grains Grex, a 240 SWC in a 44 special case is a
very nice, very accurate "gallery" load.
About as low as you can go and retain accuracy.
I think the filler helps seal the throat if the bullet doesn't bump up at the low pressure.
Unfortunately you are going to have to enjoy your pound and then find something else.
International Clays, Accurate #2, Green Dot, WST, WSH, Zip all have similar burn rates as do a few others.
You will have to experiment to find one that burns as cleanly as PB.
That was it's strongest suit.
Stick to single based powders and you might get lucky.

__________________
NEMO
"Everything 44"

Since it is already used up(loaded it under a 200SWC in 45Colt),I think I'll look into Green Dot.Thanks Nemo
Qc

PB, as well as all the SR powders like 4756 and 7625 along with several others like relatively new IMR 4007SSC, were discontinued because a newer method of manufacturing powder came along and those powders could not be made using it. That method cuts labor time by two-thirds so those powders that cost so much more to make were dropped.

Ed

They sure aren't cutting the price of the new powders to reflect all that savings now are they?
IMR Green may be the closest "replacement" for PB from the new production methods.
Red, Green, and Blue are obvious direct competitors to the Dot series.
Unequal is direct challenge to Unique.
Only time will tell if Hodgdon/IMR's big gamble here will pay off or if brand loyalty will eventually dump all these new powders.
International Clays, #2, and WSH seem to be the closest in burning rate to PB as far as available powders go.
International is currently $17.50/lb, $134.30/8lb at Recob's.
#2 is $20.90/lb.
WSH is $21/lb and out of stock.
The IMR COLORS are between $1 and $2.75 a pound cheaper than the DOTS.
Nothing dramatic.

__________________
NEMO
"Everything 44"