450Bushmaster.net

Hoot,
Mine are 2016 and 2017......I will ladder with 36.0 36.5. 37.0 37.5. 38.0 and hornady max is 38.5 with starline brass, WSR primers and the 250 ftx.....see where we go

Checking my last four-pounder of Lil-Gun (I bought three or four of them at once several years ago) the only sticker on the bottle is an orange one that reads "40108142212". Were I to guess I'd suggest it meant 2012, but I don't like assuming anything when it comes to powder. Anyone know how to break down lot codes?

Just a note......I used to load and shoot a ton of 357 Magnum with Lil Gun and a 158-grain Remington JHP, I found a good accuracy node in my Marlin 1894C at 15.6 grains, then another one at 16.2 grains. When I posted the load on the Marlin forum as one of my favorites, a LOT of people also reported getting excellent results with it, even though the listed max load was 18.0 grains! I've never seen the need for max loads in everyday shooting, it's hard on the brass, and sometimes the gun and the shooter as well.

I'm just wondering......since this powder is fairly old, and will soon need to be replaced, do we have concrete data that the formulation was actually changed? Any kind of confirmation? I've heard that for years but never seen anything definite about it. Has Hodgdon changed any of the Lil Gun load data downward to adjust for the change? I have yet to see any evidence of that, but I haven't really been looking, either.

4010814 = 4 pounder filled on January 8th, 2014
2212 = Lot Number

Hoot

Hoot, if I understand you correctly you feel the new formulation Lil Gun may very well give the same velocity with 36grs as the old formulation gave with 38 grs. is that correct ? guy

gmstack wrote:Hoot, if I understand you correctly you feel the new formulation Lil Gun may very well give the same velocity with 36grs as the old formulation gave with 38 grs. is that correct ? guy

Its definitely peppier but with standard lot to lot variations, not to mention the impact primer choice has, its hard to quantify it. Yesterday morning, I loaded up a ladder experiment using 36-39gr 2016 Lil Gun and 245gr, Brass, Lehigh Extreme Penetrators with the hopes of testing yesterday. I included a Control Group of 250 FTX over 38gr of the same powder, taper crimped to .476 (since the 250 FTX is smooth sided). So, we'll see how the 250 does over 38gr of LG. I also loaded up two steps of W296 for giggles. Unfortunately, about the time I went to leave for the range, it began raining. So all my gear is still staged through the house, on a line to the garage, waiting to be packed in the truck. Of course, today is a Blue Jay Purdy Day but its Mom's day and homage must be paid. All Freakin' Day Tomorrow is supposed to be the same nice weather but its a work day. So its either blow a vacation day tomorrow or wait and hope it doesn't rain next weekend. Very frustrating.

Hoot

The weather is very rainy here also. the latest forecast is rain 5 out of the next 6days. discouraging to say the least.

what muzzle velocity are you getting with lil gun 39 gr and 250gr ftx ?

gmstack wrote:what muzzle velocity are you getting with lil gun 39 gr and 250gr ftx ?

If that's drected at me, I haven't loaded a 250 FTX in many years, so I don't recall, but it was somewhere around 2200 fps from a 20" barrel. I'll find out tomorrow when I take some to the range as a control group along with those Xtreme Penetrator rounds. I also threw 5) 225 FTX over 38gr of LG in the box for setting up the RadarLabs chrony.

Hoot

Hoot, good luck at the range today let us know the results . And its still raining here no range work for me. guy

gmstack wrote:Hoot, good luck at the range today let us know the results . And its still raining here no range work for me. guy

Guy, I'm working on the range report right now but the short answer is about 150fps faster from a 20" 1:24 barrel, at 65 degrees F, at 1000 ft ASL with a relative humidity of 80% and using a taper crimp at .476.

More in the range report...

Hoot

PS: It started raining about an hour after I got home from the range. N'ya N'ya!