IMR-trail boss powder

[thornblom]

Has the new worn off of this powder yet? I remember when it first came out, everyone was saying it was the "cat's meow" for the cowboy action shooters. Supposed to be great for lighter loads with cast bullets. I tried it in .44 mag revolvers and rifles, and .45 colt revolvers and rifles. For the bullets I was using and the powder charge weights, loading density was near 100% for all loads. I could not get acceptable accuracy from anything I loaded. Went back to Unique, Herco and Blue Dot and things got much better.

What were yall's results?

Dave (Bubba) Thornblom

[Wind]

Hey there thornblom - At the risk of sounding like some old crank, I never saw the need to quit using Unique. It's been working well for a long time in a lot of configurations. Sorry I can't help much with your question!! Best regards. Wind

[Hobie]

I tried it and have some on hand but I think it is too fast to be a BP sub in the way that AA5744, IMR SR4759 or IMR/H 4198 are. One has to be careful not to load too much in big BP rifle cartridges. It seems ideal for the "pistol" cartridges and that is the use for which it was intended. One thing for certain it is much more available. While other powders have gone from the shelves during the shortage, Trail Boss has been mostly available.

[Don McDowell]

I shot quite a bit of it. For what it was designed for it works pretty fair. It's main purpose in life was to give full case load density with the mousefart velocity the CAS shooters like. It eliminates the danger of a double or even triple charge in cases.
It's not the most accurate powder in the world, but when you consider the pickup door sized targets they shoot in CAS at 15 yds and all that matters is a hit anywhere on the target it serves well.
With it's extremely fast burn rate, and the amount of room left in large rifle cartridges I'm somewhat surpised that we haven't heard of more disection of perfectly good rifles.

[Hobie]

ESPECIALLY those using it in BIG cartridges like the .45-75 or .50-95.

[Borregos]

I have used it in my 44-40 with excellent accuracy, 5.5gr under a 205 SAECO projectile gave me 850fps and under an inch at 50 yards in my old Marlin 1889.
In my 45-70 I use 12gr under a 405gr projectile and it groups real well, I use it for silhouette out to 200m, it only comes out around 950fps so it takes a long time to get to the rams but it does the job well.
Going to try it in the 30-30 next.

[thornblom]

Thanks Gentlemen,

I don't have much trail boss left after trying it out, but that is a good thing because I have plenty Unique (4 lbs), Herco (1.5 lbs) and at least 1 lb of Blue Dot, so I will survive.

Sincerely,
Dave (Bubba) Thornblom

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I shot quite a bit of it. For what it was designed for it works pretty fair. It's main purpose in life was to give full case load density with the mousefart velocity the CAS shooters like. It eliminates the danger of a double or even triple charge in cases.
It's not the most accurate powder in the world, but when you consider the pickup door sized targets they shoot in CAS at 15 yds and all that matters is a hit anywhere on the target it serves well.
With it's extremely fast burn rate, and the amount of room left in large rifle cartridges I'm somewhat surpised that we haven't heard of more disection of perfectly good rifles.

It's just my belief Trail Boss was originally designed primarily to overcome the problems of blowby, smut-ted up cases and dirty actions in the low velocity CAS 45lc rifles caused by the discrepancy in the SAAMI specs for 45lc chambers and ammo. (the cases don't obturate well to seal the chamber)
The Trail Boss upper end loadings do a great job of sealing the bore and you will see some accuracy improvement. But for serious accuracy the velocities need to go up even more and there are better powders for that.

[Don McDowell]

IMR's literature said it was to keep high load density while accomplishing the velocities for CAS shooting, and eliminate the problems of double charged cases,squib loads etc.

I don't find it any more adept at stopping blowby on the big cases than anything else. But I never noticed blowby being a problem with the big cartridges when they were loaded to the velocity they were intended for in the first place.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have used it in the .30-30 , .308MX , .444 , .45-70 ,
.45 Colt , and the .50-95 . All give just super accuracy.
Well as good as I do with most open sighted rifles and when fired in a scoped rifle (well look see) . I am not pushing for velocity, just for plinking and narry a bullet has bounced off of any target yet.

.444 Marlin 50yd.

.45-70 50yd.

Great cast bullet fun and the recoil is so lite a kid could
shoot em all day.

[CEMENTHEAD]

Chuck 100 yd,
What are your 30-30 and 45-70 loads? The 45-70 looks like a dandy......Thanks, Tom

[Chuck 100 yd]

CEMENTHEAD, I found 14 gr. Trail boss under a 325-350 gr bullet shoots best for me in the .45-70

13gr. under the RD 300 gr is fine in the .444 and 6 gr under either the 150 gr. RCBS or the Lyman 173 gr. (3110410) in the .30-30.
Great shooting and much fun.
Oh and the reason I pick Trail Boss over unique is the fact that it meters so well.
I dump all charges whenever I can with my Redding and RCBS powder measures. Unique don`t meter well in any charges that I have used. Otherwise it is a fine powder.

[mergus]

I'm a fairly new reloader, having only been doing so for the last 2 years, but I've been using Trail Boss since day one. I read many books about reloading before getting my first press, a Lee Anniversary Kit. Reading made me paranoid about double loads and I figured that a newbie such as I could benefit from the removal of one more bad possibility.

I have loaded 3.0grs under a 98 gr round nose in my ancient 32-20 Hand Ejector, 4.7grs under a 230 gr LRN in my 1917 Colt and 5.4 grs in the .44 specials I run through my Virginian Dragoon. My favorite .45LC load is 5.8 grs in my USFA Pre War.

Most times the fired cases are somewhat sooty, but recoil is mild, and the powder is readily available. I like it.

Mergus

[colo native]

I hope I dont get this thread kicked out, but here goes,

I spoke with a guntec at Hodgen about TB, asking how to find the best loads for 32-40, 38-55, 40-65, 33cfw, 348, etc, and find his suggestion right on the money,
He said to take a case, measure where the bullet would stop in the case, fill to that point, dump and measure, and use 75% of the measured powder. I have found a good crimp and good neck tension is a must.
I to use more Uniq than Tb, but it is very consistant over the cronograph.
It even workd on a 45-120..
As to revolvers, I have shot Police combat since the 60's and have found that each cylinder requires a special sizeing die for optum preformance. the reload must fit the chamber with very little clearance, and ALL revolver chambers are different, I boughe 6 mod 67's and 5 of them used different sizeing dies to make them shoot 50yd targets with a airgaged test barrel, and 2 of them could use the same sizing die..

[wilko]

my experience resembles that of chuck... 350 grain plated (berry's) bullets and 15 grain trailboss gives me all touching holes on 50 yd in the 45/70

[Hobie]

I hope I don't get this thread kicked out, but here goes,

I spoke with a guntec at Hodgdon about TB, asking how to find the best loads for 32-40, 38-55, 40-65, 33cfw, 348, etc, and find his suggestion right on the money,
He said to take a case, measure where the bullet would stop in the case, fill to that point, dump and measure, and use 75% of the measured powder. I have found a good crimp and good neck tension is a must.
I to use more Unique than TB, but it is very consistent over the chronograph.
It even worked on a 45-120..

That's interesting. Thanks for posting this...