44 Special and Trail Boss powder

[Rule3]

After reading a article in GUNS magazine on handloading for sixguns I thought I would try some Trail Boss.

I was in a box store and happened to see a small container of it so I grabbed it. It was about $1 less than other powders. After I bought it I realized it was only 9oz not 16.

Stuff is like ultralight mini Cheerios.

As the article stated, it was designed to fill up the case without having a problem with double charges or by having so little you end up with a squib. Plus the primer will ignite the powder better as it is not lying flat below the ignition point.

I loaded some 44 special with 200gr cast LRNFP.

I will see how it fires but this will be the last purchase of this powder as it ends up being twice as expensive due to it's light weight.

 

[Duke426]

I believe you will LOVE Trailboss powder!

I also load 200 grain LRN in 44 Special. I use 4.5 grains of trailboss and it is a pleasure to plink with all day long.

I use the same charge behind 240gr LSWC and both loads shoot to the same poa/poi at 15 yards for me.

I am shooting these loads in a 21-4 Thunder Ranch revolver and a 24-6 Lew Horton, 3in, nickle finish. Both loads are shooting well in both guns and I have not experienced any smokey/dirty clouds engulfing the firing ling.

Enjoy yourself!!

 

[Skip Sackett]

I'll tell you what I like most about Trail Boss.....

the smell when it ignites! The other things about it, I'm not too crazy about! I don't have a use for it anymore as a matter of fact.

The only place I found for it was in the 500S&W Magnum for use in a Handi-Rifle. You could mark the case where the base of the bullet was to end up and fill it up to there with Trail Boss and still only have 13.5gr in it! Light recoil and when a 300gr Gold Dot going 1300fps doesn't get it done, you are in the wrong place!

In other cases, 45 Colt or under, there are powders that have been used for many many years with good success. I'll just use one of those. I probably can use it in something else too!

The little donuts are pretty cute too!

 

[TSQUARED]

I use 4.2 gr. Trail Boss behind the Lyman #429421 245 gr. LSWC for a mild and accurate plinking load in 44 Special.
When you purchase the small container of Trail Boss it appears expensive because the container only has 9 ounces. When you purchase Trail Boss in the 5 lb. container it is no more expensive than any other Alliant, IMR or Hodgdon powder.

 

[Rule3]

I use 4.2 gr. Trail Boss behind the Lyman #429421 245 gr. LSWC for a mild and accurate plinking load in 44 Special.
When you purchase the small container of Trail Boss it appears expensive because the container only has 9 ounces. When you purchase Trail Boss in the 5 lb. container it is no more expensive than any other Alliant, IMR or Hodgdon powder.

I will have to look for the larger size then when I order powder again.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I still have most of a can left. I tried it in .44 Magnum, hoping to get a good, solid 900 fps load with a 250 grain Keith bullet. Out of my 6 inch 29, I managed to barely break 750 fps with a max charge.

 

[Dale53]

As a matter of interest, I checked Powder Valley to compare powder prices between Titegroup and Trailboss in the .44 Special:

Using the five pound price of Trailboss - $16.60 per lb
Using eight lb price of Titegroup - $12.62 per lb
No hazmat or shipping figured.

Using Hodgdon's own data to get a factory equivalent fps with a 240 gr lead bullet (roughly 750 fps) :

Trailboss - 5.2 grs.
Titegroup - 4.0 grs

Cost per 100 powder charges:
Trailboss - $1.23 per hundred
Titegroup - $. 72 per hundred

Whether the extra cost is worth it depends on the reloader. You will NOT double charge with Trailboss, while that COULD happen with Titegroup. If a newbie starts loading with a progressive press it might be worthwhile for him to do so with the first five pound can. It just might be cheap insurance.

FWIW
Dale53

 

[Rule3]

As a matter of interest, I checked Powder Valley to compare powder prices between Titegroup and Trailboss in the .44 Special:

Using the five pound price of Trailboss - $16.60 per lb
Using eight lb price of Titegroup - $12.62 per lb
No hazmat or shipping figured.

Using Hodgdon's own data to get a factory equivalent fps with a 240 gr lead bullet (roughly 750 fps) :

Trailboss - 5.2 grs.
Titegroup - 4.0 grs

Cost per 100 powder charges:
Trailboss - $1.23 per hundred
Titegroup - $. 72 per hundred

Whether the extra cost is worth it depends on the reloader. You will NOT double charge with Trailboss, while that COULD happen with Titegroup. If a newbie starts loading with a progressive press it might be worthwhile for him to do so with the first four pound can. It just might be cheap insurance.

FWIW
Dale53

Thanks for the calculations. That was what I was thinking just based on this little container which is the same size as a 1lb. Guess you are paying for the "air". Even with the 5lb it is almost twice the price.

 

[Beans]

I have used Trailboss for CAS shooting since it was introduced. I am loading .45 Schofield brass, 5 gains of Trailboss and a 200 Gr FNLB. This is being shot in the Uberiti Wells Fargo model Schofields.

As I have found with most powders it is more economical to purchase in large quantities, 5 lb containers for Trailboss and 8 lbs containers for the other powders.

My records indicate that I saved more then $2.00 a lb by purchasing Trailboss in the 5 lb container, instead of the 9 oz bottles.

 

[Roadranger]

What you are buying with TrailBoss is consistency in your ammo. When you don't leave any airspace, the powder orients the same every time, regardless of how one orients his handgun. The same is not true with the other powders in big revolver cases. I'm on my third 5# jug of TB using it in 38 Specials, 44 Specials, 45 Colts & Schofields as well as cast bullet loads in the 357,41, and 44 magnums. The fact that it is almost impossible to double charge with TB is just icing on the cake. TiteGroup is my powder if choice in the 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. Give TB a try, it works as advertised. Bob!!

 

[Dale53]

Hopefully, I am not beating a dead horse, here...

Trailboss costs .51 more per hundred. I try to make two trips to the range a week. I normally shoot close to a hundred rounds each trip. So, if I am running a progressive press (or frankly, ANY press) I cannot unknowingly double charge a case. For that piece of mind it costs me $1.02 more per week.

What does a damaged revolver from a double charge cost?

What's it cost in gasoline to drive to the range. What do bullets cost? Something to think about.

Dale53

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Trail Boss is a good powder but you do have to be careful with it. It bridged a few times in my RCBS powder measure and light loaded that case and over charged the next. With a small case such as the 38 special if unnoticed this can lead to a compressed charge. According to the manufacturer this can crush and break those little round flakes and greatly increase the burn rate of the powder and can have catastrophic results. I still use Trail Boss but as always, I check the powder level in each case before seating the bullets.

 

[Dale53]

Vulcan Bob;
You make a good observation. If I still had my RCBS powder measure ( I have a collection of powder measures, but no longer have the RCBS) I would think that the larger RIFLE drum, because of it's larger opening, might work better than the usual pistol drum with this unusual powder.

I don't use Trail Boss (I was speaking hypothetically). However, I am currently loading .44 Special with Clays. 4.1 grains of Clays cannot be easily seen when loading in my Dillon 550B. On the other hand, a case full of Trail Boss would be easy to monitor. I won the Clays in a pistol match and wanted to use it up. It shoots well, burns clean, but MAN would it be easy to either double charge (I would probably see that, maybe) or NO charge which I could NOT see. Makes on think...

I have been loading ammunition for nearly sixty years, and have used progressives since the CH Champion Mark II (?). Dillon sent me out a 450 to try back in the seventies and I have been a Dillon fan since (when it came time to send it back, I sent money instead). When the 550 hit the market, I sold my 450 and bought a 550, then updated to "B" and then later bought a second 550B.

I am not a stranger to reloading, as you can see, but even practiced and trained old timers can make an error (we also need to remember to keep "Eternal Vigilance").

My particular solution to this problem, will probably be to switch to a bulkier conventional powder although Trailboss is somewhat tempting.

Certainly something to ponder.

Dale53

 

[bubbajoe45]

What you are buying with TrailBoss is consistency in your ammo. When you don't leave any airspace, the powder orients the same every time, regardless of how one orients his handgun. The same is not true with the other powders in big revolver cases. Bob!!

+1 Roadranger. Some of you may recall the article, I believe by Charles Petty, about where the powder was in the case when shooting with the gun oriented uphill vs. downhill and how that affected velocity spread, ignition consistency, etc. TB addresses that, but also meters extremely well, is very accurate, burns clean, eliminates double charges, and just works great in these big bore calibers with cast bullets. It may cost a little more, but is worth it to me.

 

[Skip Sackett]

There are other powders that fill the case less that have been formulated not to be position sensitive. One is Titegroup, which in all honesty is a terrible powder in my opinion.

I think it was Richard Lee that put together some information about case fill in regards to accuracy.

I have shot light loads in 44Mag, 4.5gr Bullseye under a 200gr LRNFP, for years with no noticeable problems. From some reports Bullseye is position sensitive, I just haven't found it to be so enough to matter.

YMMV

 

[Rule3]

Well, I went to the range and shot some of my 44 loads with Trail Boss. I did not perceive anything different and it sure does smell funny. It was hot and humid out and not a breath of air. The smell of powder hung in the air, I took a few deep breaths and was transported back to the old west.

It was so hot out, I did not set up the chrony so I have no real data to report.

I unhitched my stead and rode away.................

 

[RidgwayCO]

A lot of good information here...

All I can add is that out of my 4" M624, I got the following performance with Trail Boss (Oregon Trail 200gr LRNFP's, Winchester cases at 1.152", CCI 300 primers, COL = 1.450", and a firm roll crimp):

Grns .... Volume .. .. FPS .... ES .... SD .... Energy
------------------------------------------------
5.6 ..... 1.26 cc ..... 806 .... 31 .... 10 ...... 288
6.0 ..... 1.36 cc ..... 826 .... 45 .... 14 ...... 303
6.4 ..... 1.46 cc ..... 836 .... 33 .... 11 ...... 310

The 6.4gr load is .1gr above Hodgdon's Maximum. Use at your own risk. For my purposes, the 6.0gr load is darn-near perfect. It's very accurate out of all my .44 Specials and knocks the 12" steel plates down with authority, while being light enough to "shoot-all-day-in-comfort".

 

[running iron]

Trail Boss is a very safe powder but I think you might get better results, accuracy, using 5.5 grs. of WST for around 850 fps with a 240 SWC. Like I've said else where, I stumbled across WST because I could not find 231. It is a great powder for target loads in 44 and 38 Special and others I'm sure.

 

[colt44sp]

I always get a kick when new powders come out so
people can try to re-invent the wheel. I have been using
WW 231 (used bullseye before) for almost 30 years in the
44 sp. 5.0grs behind a 240 swc or 5.5grs. w/200 gr. RN. The accuracy is oustanding with no other negative issues at all. This is the
same load I used for Cowboy action in my Colts and
now in my recently aquired 696.
I have heard stories of Trail Boss to be staticy in the powder measure and such.

I also use 231 in light .44 mag, 45 colt, .45 ACP, .38 sp and light .357's,
with equal performance, sure cuts down on the inventory.

 

[pacificpt]

I am just getting back into reloading after 30 years. Ordered a 5 lb can of Trailboss, primers, lead etc. to go with my new Dillon Square Deal. Part of the reason I ordered it was the ease of seeing the powder in the brass. Looking forward to being able to afford to shoot my 44 mags again...