Trail Boss Powder

[metalman60]

I shoot home cast lead bullets, .431 diameter, 11 BHN hardness in a 44 mag. I use Trail boss powder loads shown in books. I have had no issues with barrel or forcing cone leading at all.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[robertrwalsh]

I use a modest amount of Trail Boss for large diameter revolver loads. The only minor downside is the funny smell, especially at indoor ranges. I also do not get build-up on the weapon, but then again with the pressure and velocity that people use this powder for that is to be expected.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When Trail Boss first came out, there was no loading data. So Hodgdon gave you instructions on how to develop max loads and min. loads would be 80% of that. Separate cases by brand and length (38-55 has 2 official lengths), Take the specific bullet you will be loading and measure from the crimp cannalure to the base of the bullet. Subtract that length from the total powder column in the case, AND subtract an additional 1/16 to 1/8 inch! Fill the case to this level with Trail Boss. Pour this powder charge into a powder scale and weigh. You now know the max powder charge!

I have a model 1885 Browning High Wall in 38-55 and at on point I ordered 200 virgin Winchester brass. I used the above method to develop a load with 1/16" space below the bullet (255 grain Moly coated Bear Creek Bullet) Out of my rifle, using Tang and globe iron sights I fired a 20 round group at 100 yards (off a one piece bench rest) It was a 20 shot group that was less than a 1/2" hole for the entire string!

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you change brands of case or model of bullet, start load development from the beginning! NEVER ALLOW TRAIL BOSS TO BE COMPRESSED! Also VV Tin Star powder loads can be developed with the same method (but the powders are not interchangeable!)

I also shoot Trail Boss in 32-20 WCF, 44 Russian, 45 Colt, 45-70 Gov't. and get very good groups in everything but 45-70 Marlin Guide Gun (100 yard 2" Is what I get.). I use 405 grain bullets. I think 500's work fine, but I save those for the 1874 Sharpe's with real Black Powder.

Ivan

 

[kenjen]

Trail Boss is my favorite powder for loading the 45/70 with a 300 gr lead bullet in my 61/2 pound T/C rifle.

 

[reddog81]

I don't think I've ever tried Trail Boss in 44 Mag, but I have used it in a variety of cartridges with success. Any TB load is going to be fairly light and shouldn't have problems with leading unless the bullet is not the right size or the wrong lube is used.

It's a great powder for light loads. Biggest downside is that it's expensive for what you get. There are much more economical powders out there.

 

[Nemo288]

Before Trail Boss came out I liked PB as a fast target powder in the 44's especially the Special.
I was only using 4.5 grains PB but then filling the case to slight compression with Grex shotshell buffer (9.5 grains).
This gave velocities using a 240 cast right under 700 fps and really nice accuracy.
Later I found 6.5 grains Trail Boss gave very similar performance.
Those 6.5 grains Trail Boss under a 200 X-Treme PRNFP gave velocities around 730 and again great accuracy.
I never really considered the difference in price per shot as the Grex was not free and the added labor of dealing with fluffy powdered plastic was a factor.
I got the biggest jug of Trail Boss and still have some left in it.

Somewhere along the line I also got some N32C Tin Star.
It is more dense than Trail Boss and you load about .5 grain more in the same configuration than Trail Boss.
7 grains N32C under that 200 PRNFP gave 800 fps very low deviation and good accuracy.
You think Trail Boss is expensive, don't look at Tin Star though.
I didn't have an empty small canister to decant the Trail Boss into for use at the bench so I used a medium canning jar which allows one to see whats inside.
I kinda like that.

These days it's a lot easier for me to load 7 grains Universal with a 200 grain GDHP for one hole performance at 10 yards from a S&W 44 Special.
That also duplicates the now unobtainum Speer SD load.
Yeah I know cast is way cheaper, but I like to mostly practice with what I carry.

 

[TjB101]

After trying 5.0gr of Tightgroup for powderpuff loads I tried 6.1gr of Trailboss with the same 200gr lead bullets. Really liked it. Pretty soft load and I’ll never double charge it. Loaded another 50 to try at the next range outing.

 

[glenwolde]

The only time I've used it was in the .41 Magnum and I had no issues other than the funny smell. I still have a can and a half somewhere.

If I recall I just used a .38 Spl case (with a glued on handle) as a dipper and it threw 6.5 grains (which is max) and one of the Lee dippers throws 6.0.

It's O.K. but it lacks versatility. But if you like a high-volume powder and only want to shoot lead bullets at modest velocities it's a good choice, especially for reduced loads in big magnum cases like the .41 and .44.

 

[Imissedagain]

A compressed TrailBoss load from Lymans 49th.
460 S&W Magnum.
IIRC a fill to base of a 255gr lead is over 14gr and maybe 14.8gr... load data not handy.

 

[Nemo288]

My guess as to the accuracy of that load may be tied to it's velocity seeings as it is a plain based cast bullet.

Someone must have done some fancy calculating (or guesswork) and decided the mighty 460 could handle the pressure increase.
I have no doubt that it and the 500 can but it would be nice to know the actual facts behind the decision to publish that load.*
Modeling what happens to the burn characteristics when you crush a propellant is not exactly straightforward.

When the .445SM first came out, without any load data or pressure limits, some authors pushed things quite far in the Dan Wessons.
The original idea was to gain around 200 fps over the 44 Magnum but some guys were doubling that or more!
Modeling some of the loads I made in modified .30USA cases, that had less capacity than other brass, produce scary pressures in QuickLOAD.
Most of those loads were using W680.
Just changing brass lead to a 100 fps increase in velocity.
That woke me up.
In those days I had way less vision of what the parameters were and that experience was definitely a learning one.
I eventually retired the big DW and shoot .445 in an Encore and try to limit the pressure to around 45kpsi.

I generally don't like compressed loads anyway.
Yes I know they are common in large cases full of stick powder but I have had bad experience with them using ball powder and have given up on ball powder for that and other reasons.
But that's another story.

* Having blithely said that, the X Frames have been blown up.
I believe this graphic is courtesy of our resident 500 expert John Ross.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Somewhere I read that Ball powder should not be compressed
due to high pressures that might take place.

I'm a beleiver...........

 

[Ray P]

Trailboss is my go-to powder for mild loads and cast bullets in 44M, 357M and 32H&R revolvers. I've tried 231 and Titegroup in all three cartridges for the same use (mostly range plinking), but I like the TB best of the three. Also have a nice load using 12 gr TB under 405gr lead in my H&R trapdoor. Must say though, Trailboss didn't work so great for me in 30 Rook.

 

[Nemo288]

Another story

Somewhere I read that Ball powder should not be compressed
due to high pressures that might take place.

I'm a believer...........

That and erratic ignition.
And congealing into a solid mass after years of storage.
Yet you see some compressed ball powder loads published.
Doesn't take much to compress them either as there is so little air space in between the granules.

My only stuck bullet came from a full house 44 magnum load of W296 that had been stored for years and went WHOOF instead of BANG.
Luckily I looked and saw the bullet stuck in the forcing cone.
It was in far enough I could open the cylinder (Ruger Redhawk).
I still get the heebie-jeebies thinking about what might have happened if I had let off the next round and it fully ignited.
I disassembled the rest of that box and had to pry the powder out with a crochet hook.
It was solid lump.
I became a disbeliever in ball powder overnight.
There are plenty of other propellants that work fine in the cartridges I prefer and are more forgiving if slightly less powerful.
2400 in the magnum, IMR4227 in the supermag, H4198 in the 444.

Here's the bullet. It's a Sierra 220 grain silhouette bullet.
I think there were 26 grains of 296 under it (from memory).
Notice the back end has expanded in diameter due to the forces on it.
And the powder blast erosion on the corner of the base.
Jacketed bullets can obturate!

(straying back on topic)
These days I much prefer to shoot a load of Trail Boss or Universal in the magnums than any full house load anyway.
I can hear the guns thank me for letting them loaf and my wrists Shirley do appreciate it too.

 

[DWalt]

My main roadblock for Trail Boss was its high price per load, about double anything else. But that was back when propellant price was much less than today. So it's probably far worse now. The only advantage to it that I can discern is that it is bulky and double charges are easily noticeable. But that doesn't make it any more desirable to me as I am always very careful to visually check the powder levels in cases before bullet seating. I stick to using mainly the old standard propellants (Bullseye, Unique, 2400, 700-X, etc.) which have been around for a LOOONG time, so Trail Boss is totally useless to me.

 

[joe44va]

I load Trail Boss to 90 to 95% of full and use magnum primers for 44 mag with plated bullets. Very nice load, even with arthritis. The magnum primers seem to give more uniform ignition and are certainly more accurate.