CFE Pistol

[zephyr064]

Has any body used the Hodgdon's CFE Pistol powder?

If so, what kind of loads (grains) are you using and for what bullet type?

The Hodgdon's Reloading Data center, doesn't give too much info on other bullet types.

I was thinking of loading Campro 9mm Hollow points, 124 grain. But I'm not sure what load or C.O.L. (cartridge overall length) I should be using or start with. The info on the reloading site gives, under 124 grain, for a Hollow Bottom Round Nose.

It has been suggested that start a low load and work my way up to the max. However, I'm still not sure on the C.O.L.

 

[tjhaile]

Use the barrel of your pistol to determine OAL. Make a dummy round with the bullet seated on the long side. Gradually seat it a little deeper until it drops freely all the way into the chamber. The objective is to keep the bullet from being jammed into the rifling. A sized empty case will give you a good idea of how far a complete round should drop into the chamber. OAL is not so much a specific number as "whatever fits".

Having determined OAL, I would load up a batch each at 4.9, 5.2, and 5.5 grains of powder, test them, and pick the load that seems to work best.

 

[Figure 11]

Load to the length that fits your gun. I've loaded that bullet with that powder all the way to max. It's kind of dirty.

The HBRN data is a little different. There is more air space in the case. You should use data for a regular plated/jacketed bullet.

 

[luckey]

for the OAL, you already got the answer from everyone which is the normal thing to do. I started with 1.150" and found 1.105" fits all my guns(my MP40 with 9mm storm lake needs the shortest).
for the charge, hodgdon's data is 4.9 to 5.5, so I would start with 4.9 and do 10 round each with 0.2gr as incremental and not over the max. then you can tweak it by 0.1gr until you get something you like.
to me, Hodgdon's data is a little hot for target load, so I always ended up at the low end of their data, with a few recipes even below their minimum based on other load data I have and experiments I did. To do that, be expected a few FTF/FTE etc. safe though as it's too light, never go over the max unless you know what you are aiming for +P and know what you are doing.

Has any body used the Hodgdon's CFE Pistol powder?

If so, what kind of loads (grains) are you using and for what bullet type?

The Hodgdon's Reloading Data center, doesn't give too much info on other bullet types.

I was thinking of loading Campro 9mm Hollow points, 124 grain. But I'm not sure what load or C.O.L. (cartridge overall length) I should be using or start with. The info on the reloading site gives, under 124 grain, for a Hollow Bottom Round Nose.

It has been suggested that start a low load and work my way up to the max. However, I'm still not sure on the C.O.L.

 

[Pr589]

CFE is a pretty slow powder and I think that unless it is loaded near max loads in 9mm, it will be quite dirty. I have tried it in 9mm, 124 gn loads and it did not cycle my guns reliably until I loaded over 5.1 grains (OAL was 1.12"). It was quite sooty at 5.1 grains.

For light Minor loads I find both HP38 and VV N320 much cleaner.

 

[CeeZer]

Brian Enos site has plenty of info loading with the powder.

 

[zephyr064]

Thank you all for your info...

 

[thechineseguy]

if you want a good idea on where to start with your load you can email campro for load data. just tell them which projectile and powder. they are usually quite quick at responding.

 

[Lead hammer]

I use Cam Pro 124 HP at 1.090". My Shadow likes 4.7 grains of CFE. I find it a bit dirty but it meters well and is accurate. Use the plunk test for your OAL.