ronhonda Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 what the title says, anyone using alliant E 3 for 40 s&w? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I have done some testing with it, all the loads dug up here with a search that I used to figure out my starting loads. From what I remember: It didn't seem to like long loads, at 1.23" with 180 JHP I was up in the 185-190 power factor area before it really settled down and got consistent. From there to 200 power factor, which is as high as I went, it was REALLY consistent and accuracy seemed good though I did very little accuracy testing. SD's were low single digits when it settled down, at 165-170pf it was showing SD's of 25-30 IIRC. Loading down around 1.18" or maybe even a hair shorter should bring pressures up where it gets really consistent down around 170PF. That is next on my list to try with it. I need to do more work with it, but I just don't have time. My feeling was that it shot really soft, would be extremely consistent and accurate with the right loads too. I bought 8 pounds of Clays that I know well and put E3 on the back burner. E3 is on the very short list of powders I would work on if I decided not to use Clays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 yes. I use it with lead or moly lead. I didn't have much luck with jacketed or montana gold bullets. I use 4.0 gr with my 6" KKM barreled limited gun. load to 1.175" Makes 980 fps with a 170g. precision bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I've just started really shooting E3 in .40 and it looks good. Just chrono'd yesterday and had the SD in the low/mid teens. My load is 4.5grs with a 180fmj flat point loaded to 1.19" with a wolff small rifle primer. Velocities are 950-960 out of a newer Edge and a worn out Eagle. I started out loaded a bit longer and the SD was to high, I figured with a little more pressure the SD would come down some. Definately softer feeling than my 320 load with same bullet and PF and it is much cheaper. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bore Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 There was a huge thread on using E3 earlier last year, do a search there is probably some info there that will help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoMiE Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Start here... http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=52071 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I am using 3.3 gr with a 200gr Black Bullets Int. bullet with a PF of 169 out of a 6" STI. Same load works well with the 5" STI Trojan. I notice when the sun is just above and behind the targets, it is smokey and obscures the targets. But in mid day or with a slight breeze, smoke is not a problem. Doesn't feel as soft as Clays in my opinion, but it is close to Clays in loading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 From your experience, would you agree that E3 is probably best suited to "short" loaded .40 S&W ?? i.e. - .40 loaded shorter than 1.160" for use in guns OTHER THAN the popular STI/SV/Large Framed 75s (like the Tanfoglio)?? I have done some testing with it, all the loads dug up here with a search that I used to figure out my starting loads.From what I remember: It didn't seem to like long loads, at 1.23" with 180 JHP I was up in the 185-190 power factor area before it really settled down and got consistent. From there to 200 power factor, which is as high as I went, it was REALLY consistent and accuracy seemed good though I did very little accuracy testing. SD's were low single digits when it settled down, at 165-170pf it was showing SD's of 25-30 IIRC. Loading down around 1.18" or maybe even a hair shorter should bring pressures up where it gets really consistent down around 170PF. That is next on my list to try with it. I need to do more work with it, but I just don't have time. My feeling was that it shot really soft, would be extremely consistent and accurate with the right loads too. I bought 8 pounds of Clays that I know well and put E3 on the back burner. E3 is on the very short list of powders I would work on if I decided not to use Clays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I am loading to 1.180" OAL to shoot out of an STI barrel. The STI barrel is "faster" than the 6" Schuemann oddly enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resjudicata Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 FYI, I had to replace my stock STI bull barrel. (As mentioned at the end of the thread listed above). I shot 4.3 gr of E3 under 180 gr. Precision coated and Precision Delta jacketed bullets this past year. The barrel developed what looks like cuts in the metal at the edge of the grooves where they meet the lands for the full length of the barrel. Accuracy went to hell. I can't say for sure that the powder did this. It could have been a combination of things (that may not even include the powder) I don't know. However, I will be careful about using E3 in the future. Just my .02 Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Carlos, that is my impression but I haven't done enough testing to have more than an impression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronhonda Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks for the info. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebg3 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 From the limited testing I've done, it seems that a shorter aol may be more consitant at a 165pf. I can't say for certain that this is true. I'll be shooting a lot of E3 this year so I'll post any interesting results. I did shoot 200rds of 180 cast yesterday with 4gr E3, it was only a 162pf, but the leading was minimal. My oal was 1.20" and with a Wolff rifle primer. I'll bump it up .1 and .2 grs for future use. My barrel is already worn out so I'll keep shooting E3 for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3GunF1Guy Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I had two threads going on E3 here is the other one http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=51660 I have been shooting it for quite some time now and have never seen a problem with the barrel in my SVI. I like E3 and do not plan on changing to another powder. I have shot it in 0 degree weather all the way up to a hot summer day of 105. It always runs perfect and I can not tell a velocity difference. For me it shoots cleaner than N320 with about the same amount of smoke as the black bullets as N320. As you can see from my data it runs very consistant with low sd's. I think where most people have a problem with E3 is getting the dillon powder throw to throw a consistant throw with a flake powder. But this is the same problem with all flake powder like Solo, Alliant Dot powders, ect. If you make sure the powder measure is clean and pull the handle smoothly you will not have any problem getting E3 to run consistantly. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resjudicata Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Anybody used E3 with a 6" barrel? I was loading 4.3 grains with my 5" I'm curious what it is taking in a 6" to make major. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I am- using 3.3gr for a 200gr lead bullet and going to test 2.9 for a 220gr bullet and 4.0 for 180gr lead bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) Finished up testing for a new load using Alliant E3 powder and Wolf primers. I settled on S&S Casting bullets loaded to 1.180" for use in my Trojan as well as my 6" Limited gun. I am using 3.0gr for 220gr bullets, 3.3gr, for 200gr bullets and 4.0 for 180gr bullets. I didn't feel a dramatic difference in the felt recoil between all the bullet weights. But if I had to give and edge in that department it would be to the 220gr bullets. Although the 220gr bullets are giving up an average of 170fps to the 180gr bullets in my barrels. Which may come as an advantage on moving targets. Surprizingly the velocities and power factors were quite close with all loads, some being the same. That extra inch in barrel length didn't yield much of an advantage, in my experience, in that department. But then you are looking at different barrel manufacture's....YMMV Edited January 23, 2009 by Rocket35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 In 45 ACP I have used 3.5 gr. E3 with the 185 gr. LSWC with excellent results. In my experience this powder is faster than Clays which is faster than American Select. All three provide clean burning in the 45 ACP. I am a bit timid and hesistate to use either Clays or E3 in either 9mm or 40 S&W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resjudicata Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I chrono'd my 5" loads of 4.3 gr. of E3 with 180 gr Precision Delta jacketed bullets loaded to 1.175" last weekend. I was barely making major out of my 5" STI barrel. The same load out of my 6" Stormlake barrel is running between 175PF and 180 PF. I've loaded up some of the same loads but with 3.9 gr of E3 to try this weekend but it should make major out of the 6". We'll see. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I've purchased a pound of E3 today. My 5" Schueman seems to run slow and it took 5.2gr of N320 to make major, so I'm expecting to be on the higher end. I'm going to start at 4.0gr and work up from there with a 180gr MG at 1.185". S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 First test... 4.2gr E3 at 1.185" yielded a 154.981pf. The ES was VERY low after the first shot. Including the 1st shot I recorded a 40.9ES. Dropping the flyer the ES went to 18. The average FPS was 861. No pressure signs at all. Gonna test again with a big spread of powder in a couple of weeks. Feel was sharper than the N320. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthMuffin Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I recently tested a wide range of E3 loads from 4.0 through 4.9gr in .1 gr increments using MG 180 JHPs at 1.175 in my Tanfoglio Limited. I liked how it felt (couldn't tell a difference from Titegroup) but I was getting some huge deviations. I don't have my logs with me here at work, but I even had a couple of weird ones in the 400-600fps range. I would have suspected a squib if it weren't for the chrono giving a reading. Right now I suspect the powder drop in my Hornady LNL AP press just doesn't like to meter this stuff well. I'm going to play around some with it soon and weigh a few dozen charges to see what happens. Maybe I'll try removing the powder baffle or going back to the standard insert (using the pistol micrometer insert). But, it looks like 4.6gr will do it for me to make major, if I can get it consistent. I tried an intentional double-charge and it overfills the case (just barely) with 4.6gr, so that's a nice bonus feature over Titegroup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 (edited) Loads that have been making major for me out of my 6" Schuemann are as follows: 180gr Hard Cast 3.9gr E3 Wolff Std Small Pistol Primers OAL 1.180" 220gr Hard Cast 3.0gr E3 Wolff Std Small Pistol Primers OAL 1.180" I am about to switch over to Magtech magnum primer since that is all I could get my hands on right now. I will post the results as soon as I start them and get some data. Edited to add that the E3 powder is metering well out of my Dillon SDB....loads have all been pretty consistant at 8 standard deviation. Edited March 6, 2009 by Rocket35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I use e3 in my two limited guns 3.6 grs 1.130 makes 170pf in my edge and 168pf in my sti ipsc anniversary with 180 gr bullets.I love the way it feels but have had trouble with it melting the bases of lead bullets so unless i'm gonna clean after every couple hundred rds I only use it with jacketed or coated bullets. The only coated bullets that I've had hold up to it were bayou bullets. But i'm sure barrels will be different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now