doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hodgdon Perfect Pattern

Preliminary review of this new powder. Loads published for 12ga. only at this time. It's a very fine grain ball powder.

I bought 3 cans of this stuff when it was available. It may be available again, who knows.

It does work in 12 gauge target loads. I loaded it to max published pressure to evaluate it under best conditions.

Smokey, leaves hands dirty about like the Red Dot of old. No great amount of unburned powder at an advertised 10,600 psi. Barrels reasonably clean.

This is a very dense powder, although not as dense as their bushing chart indicates. The chart called for a MEC #18, my lot requires a #20 for the 16.4 grain published load.

Might be just the thing for 2 1/2" 12 gauge loads should some data appear or some dedicated experimenter develop loads for that application.

It's peachy in the AAHS which contrary to claims otherwise DO have less internal capacity than the compression formed hulls they replaced.

I've not used this in a gas auto. I'm rather spoiled by Titewad in that application.

The idea was to save some money as the cost of Alliant powders has gone through the roof when you can even find the overpriced stuff.

I swear the industry is trying to kill itself off.

Thanks so much for the input, Shotgunjones. Very useful info, indeed!! You are right about the price of powder going off of the chart. Keep shooting!!

I've only shot a few shells with PPP. I do not reload it at this time. But if you are thinking about reloading, this thread may prove useful
https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/perfect-pattern-not-so-perfect.563526/#post-4934321

Also, it is available at BPI and PR. cheaper at the latter, even accounting for BPI's coupons.

I reload with Titewad. I have since I bought my first trap gun at Jaqua's and started reloading over 20 years ago. I won't change powder just because of prices and throw my whole shooting/reloading world out of kilter. I have always used the same recipe, pretty much for 12 gauge shooting. The only other powder I reload with is International Clays and that is for 20 gauge. Most of the spill I get is from static electricity. Dumping into the scales and back into the hull. I tried a ground wire going from my MEC reloader to the water pipe above my reloading bench. Doesn't help much. I could run a humidifier but my basement where my reloaders are- is damp. I don't believe that anyone is going to reload without getting SOME spillage. Yes, it is expensive to reload, collect and shoot guns. I chose that over getting a boat. Or a swimming pool. Or a set of golf clubs that are going to end up in the lake or wrapped around a tree. So, good luck with what you gentlemen choose.


Break 'em all!
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After reading this thread, it makes me wonder about the charge bars being unlevel. So, I took a metal flat edge and checked. They are right. I can see light between the flat edge and the charge bar...... But these guys are taking their charge bars and (one guy is) filing them down with a file and the other is grinding them down with sandpaper. I looked at mine and there is already play in my MEC charge bars when I jiggle it up and down. So, wouldn't this grinding and filing cause MORE of a gap between the charge bar and the machine and cause even MORE powder to seep out between the two.

Jimmy,
I don't use a MEC, but you are reading my mind perfectly.

I only loaded and shot 300 AA shells with PP. They were consistent.

My setup is a Grabber 761R from 1981 and a red PC powder baffle. No problems.

The only time I had powder bridging was with International in a 20 gauge Grabber with the same PC baffle.

I use the standard MEC grommet and brass washer with that loader and powder now. Fixed the problem.

That brass washer is a wear item. A fresh washer and only moderate torque on the powder bottle and ball powders run fine in MEC loaders.

I'm of the opinion that most squibs loaded on MEC equipment are not in fact from powder bridging but rather from migration of that brass washer - it slides back and forth instead of staying put and partially blocks the powder drop.

My first shotshell reloader, many years ago, was a used Texan single stage. I loaded so much more with it that I began to get a lot of powder migration and spillage from around the charge bar. I made a shim from a piece of thin brass sheet that I fitted beneath the shot bar. I put an appropriate size hole in it directly above the drop tube, and bent the (short) ends down at a 90 degree angle to hold it in place. It worked perfectly with my old charge bar(s). When I bought an adjustable charge bar for it I found the shim was no longer needed. I've since scrapped that old loader, in favor of dedicated MECs, but it served me well for many years.

I’ve never heard of Perfect Pattern, much less used it. I don’t understand the powder companies with their plethora of specialty powders. Just make the Red Dot and the Clays. You can have the rest of it.