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Opinions on CFE Pistol Powder


Sac Law Man

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I use it for minor 9, it works better at the upper end of the load (136 PF). I have some friends that use it for 9 major, but I didn't like it as much as Autocomp for major but for minor, AC and CFE feel very similar and chrono exactly the same for the same weight charge. I suspect the magic "pixie dust" (the copper eraser part) is at fault:unsure:

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I found it to work fine, but the recoil impulse was a bit sharper than N320 at roughly the same power factor.  (I was loading 124 grain Montana Gold JHPs to about 130 PF at the time.)  In the event that I run out of N320, I'll certainly use up the almost-full pound of CFE-Pistol I have sitting on my bench as a stopgap.

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Works great for me with both Montana Gold 124's and Precision Delta 124's at 130 pf. I load to 1.130 AOL for both 3 different CZ Shadow customs and numerous Glocks. This is my practice round and I have shot at least 150,000 of them with no issues. I shoot Titegroup with 147's for a match load at 132 pf and the two feel very similar.

CFE Pistol is AutoComp with whatever the copper fouling additive is. Their load data is within 0.1 grain.

No minor issues for me with CFE Pistol 

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5 hours ago, hceuterpe said:

Isn't it a bit on the slow side for 9mm minor?

Yes.  It's no big deal, though; it just makes for a bit more "snap" in recoil.  I'd say it's noticeable if compared side by side with something like Titegroup or N320 in the same gun, and it might make for *slightly* slower splits, but it's not a super stark contrast.  It wouldn't be a first choice for Production USPSA loads, but if it's what you have or can easily get, it'll work fine.

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On 11/13/2016 at 2:58 PM, Bkreutz said:

I use it for minor 9, it works better at the upper end of the load (136 PF). I have some friends that use it for 9 major, but I didn't like it as much as Autocomp for major but for minor, AC and CFE feel very similar and chrono exactly the same for the same weight charge. I suspect the magic "pixie dust" (the copper eraser part) is at fault:unsure:

In my experience the ac and cfe don't use the same charge weights for same velocities. cfe tends to be a little higher charge weight than ac.

cfe pistol I like for compensated pistols shooting hotter loads. for minor pf and pistols without a compensator I like something faster burning like tg, 231, n320, clays, etc. seeing the op will be shooting coated bullets, I'd go with n330 or w231 since powders like tg tend to smoke a bit more with coated.

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16 minutes ago, Bullets said:

In my experience the ac and cfe don't use the same charge weights for same velocities. cfe tends to be a little higher charge weight than ac.

 

This puts you soundly in the minority but depending on your gun and load any things possible.

CFE and WAC are widely known to be interchangeable. 

AND, just like WAC, it's a much better powder for 9MAJOR than it is for minor.

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On 11/13/2016 at 2:58 PM, Bkreutz said:

There is a difference in charge weight between ac and cfe. I get about a .2 difference in charge weight for same pf in 9 major. if you read a little more carefully, I said I like cfe pistol for hotter loads with a compensator. meaning 9mm major. 

Here is a link of an article showing the difference in charge weights between the 2 powders. http://www.handgunsmag.com/competition/making-major-hodgdon-cfe-pistol-powder/

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I am using it and I love it. I am shooting 124 gr RN, with 6.5 gr. This gives me an average of 1340 FPS and PF at 166. Great for IPSC, however, for USPSA you may want to go to 6.8 or even 7.0 grains to give a little bit of a cussion.

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Have had good succèss with CFE, 6.5 grains for open gun. Use open gun for local plate match. Power factor is right at 165, would recommend 6.8 for USPSA to be safe. Burns clean and very accurate with 124 grain hp.

Edited by Hunter1998
Correction
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anyone try it with the heavier 147gr bullets? im seeing published data for 3.7gr - 4.2gr with the 147 XTP bullet.


A while back I was working up a load for 147gr XTPs with CFE Pistol and was getting unburnt powder in my P320. Don't have my notes in front of me but I do remember it was on the lower end of my workup. The unburnt powder issue went away after the charge was increased.


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