Went to a gun show today and came across some Hodgdon CFE Pistol Powder. I Didn't know anything about it but the container said it was idea for 9mm, 38 Super, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. Talked to the seller who has a store in the area and said he had just got it in. Since was the first pistol powder I had seen at the shows lately I purchased a couple of pounds. He had sold out by the time I left.

Got home and did some research and it is a new powder from Hodgdon and looks like it might be a good powder for my use (9mm and 40 S&W).

Anyone have any experience with this powder?

I bought a pound a week and a half ago.

I discussed it some in this thread

CFE Pistol-Has Anyone Used It?

I've only used it for 357 magnum so far, and haven't loaded it very hot. I've run about 100 rounds through my S&W 28, and got next to no copper fouling(only a faint streak of blue on the first patch I ran through it) but I also shot it with a load that I wouldn't expect to foul very much anyway.

When I get around to it, I'm going to try loading up some lightweight bullets(maybe 110gr XTPs) to as high of velocity as I can safely, as well as load up some of the same bullets to similar velocities with a different powder. Once I do that, I'll try figure out some way to tell if it really does eliminate fouling as advertized.

In the mean time, it's seems to be a clean burning, good metering powder with a burn rate similar to or perhaps a little bit faster than Unique.

Missed that thread. Not much data out there on it as it appears to be just now getting out. I was just glad to see some powder for pistols that I purchased it. Powder for pistols is scare around here.

There's actually quite a bit of data available on the Hodgdon website, although at this point it's mostly limited to Hornady bullets.

I see 11 different bullets in 8 different weights listed for 9mm, and the same number of bullets in 7 different weights for 40 S&W. Even if your specific bullet isn't listed, hopefully there will be something there that will at least give you a starting point.

I ordered 10# of it earlier this week. I've read favorable reviews about it. If it doesn't work out I'll sell it on Gunbroker for 3 times what I paid for it. (only joking about the Gunbroker thing, though I just saw CFE Pistol with a "buy it now" price of $70 per pound and it didn't last long) I paid $17.00 per pound (plus shipping and hazmat.

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Minimize the variables

Found some CFE pistol the other day. Loaded some 45ACP 230gr RN plated bullets with 6gr at 1.255 OAL. Shoots good in my S&W 1911. Pretty mild load but works well.

I got a pound of it last month or so...Data for the bullets I use, berry's or ranier plated in 45acp, lead wadcutter in 45 acp, most 40 S&W loads with my choice of bullets, and even some 9mm loads were not listed at the hodgden site. I wrote to them, suggested that they had reduced choices re: bullet loads, asked for data for my SPECIFIC bullet loads and a week later got some info back. I won't tell you what all was in the response, evidently there are 2 and only 2 customer service reps, but his somewhat terse reply was that I was mistaken, all the possible loads were listed. OK sorry, won't ask again, and I will try to use up that powder and not buy it again.
BTW, the starting loads they suggested would not cycle the action in my 4506 so I had to disassemble the first 50 I loaded, upped the charge .4 grains and they worked ok. nuff said.

I recently started loading for 45 Colt, and was pleased to find that Hodgdon lists some load data for this powder with a 250gr LRNFP.

Even more so, within that load data, they report some very impressive velocities while still keeping pressures in the 13,000 psi range. In particular, they report just over 1000fps out of a 7 1/4" barrel(I think this is close to original black powder ballistics)

I loaded up some 45 Colt with it, and like what I see so far. It definitely feels a lot more stout than most of the 45 Colt target loads one finds data for now. I think that I'm going to likely keep using this powder in this application.

I switched over to CFE pistol after running out of Autocomp, I'm on my second pound of it as of yesterday. I find it very similar to Autocomp but not an exact match like 38/231. I found I have to load it .2 gr heavier to replicate the Autocomp load I prefer. It definitely falls into the "I'll use this again" category. One thing I have noticed is that I don't get as much backblast as with Autocomp because I don't get as much dirt on my cleaning pad when cleaning the lens of my Deltapoint as I did when using Autocomp.

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Minimize the variables

Since powder has been in such short supply, I've been telling everybody to buy ANYTHING that will work in their calibers until the time that you can actually CHOOSE what powder you want to buy.

What press were you using?

Do you think using CFE powder would help to cut fowling in a suppressor?

I have Dillon 650s.

Dane

Was looking for some 17 WSM for a friend. Stopped by my least fav gouging LGS. They had about a dozen 1b. bottles of CFE Pistol for $26/lb. & about a dozen 1 lb. bottles of WW AutoComp at $29.50/lb. Passed on both. But he did have 22's. Bulk Federals for $95! LMAO!!!!

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Steve
The Lounge Rant Master

Bruce H. on a interview stated that it will reduce the copper fowling with plated and standard JHP, JSP type bullets in weapons ......... he stated it might not help with lead bullets but can be used for them.

They tested its ability to shoot different weight bullets in all calibers and found out what it did best in..........which are the ones listed on the bottle.

I really like how it fills the little 9mm case.........
Good results in a 6" 38 special test with 110,125gr Jhp and mostly the 158 lead bullets that did very well.

357 magnum test soon...........