Alcan powders
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What is the life of the Alcan powders. Think after 40 years it is still OK? Have some AL-5 and AL-7 here in the gun room. I have an old 1969 Lyman reloaders manual with a bunch of recipes and a bunch of extinct wads from Alcan. Most are stack loads, anyway.
Favorite Duck load, back when lead was legal, in a Win 12 Ga. AA 2 3/4", 31.0 Gr AL-7, MaxFire 220 primer, Flite-Max 4 capped off with 1 1/4 oz. #4 hard shot. Patterned like a factory advertisement and, IF I did my part in pointing the gun, would knock the duck out of the air like it was hit by lightening!
Still have a bit of AL-7 which also works well in my .44 Mag. Also have a couple bags left of Flite-max wads of assorted numbers and the "E" style which is just the Flite-Max shot cup with no fiber wads in it. Also have 200 Alcan 220 Max-Fire primers. All of these date from the early 1970s. I think I also have a couple ounces of AL-5 but tha is buried deep in the back of my ammo cabinet and hasn't been touched in a LOOOOOONG time.
Other things Alcan I used but don't have any left were the PGS (Power Gas Seal) which was just a plastic over-powder wad used with felt or fiber wads. I also used some Kwik-Serts which were a butterfly cut sheet plastic that was inserted prior to the shot and was the original plastic shot protector. Slow to load but progressive presses at that time were something that the Rockefellers were the only ones who could afford to buy one. My press was a Lyman Easy-EZ (which I still have)single stage.
Still have a bit of AL-7 which also works well in my .44 Mag. Also have a couple bags left of Flite-max wads of assorted numbers and the "E" style which is just the Flite-Max shot cup with no fiber wads in it. Also have 200 Alcan 220 Max-Fire primers. All of these date from the early 1970s. I think I also have a couple ounces of AL-5 but tha is buried deep in the back of my ammo cabinet and hasn't been touched in a LOOOOOONG time.
Other things Alcan I used but don't have any left were the PGS (Power Gas Seal) which was just a plastic over-powder wad used with felt or fiber wads. I also used some Kwik-Serts which were a butterfly cut sheet plastic that was inserted prior to the shot and was the original plastic shot protector. Slow to load but progressive presses at that time were something that the Rockefellers were the only ones who could afford to buy one. My press was a Lyman Easy-EZ (which I still have)single stage.
AL-7 was one fine powder for a number of gauges and loads. I still have about two pounds of AL-8 left that I use in my 44 Magnum. I also have a box or three of the fiber wads left. When I want to put together a load for really reaching out, this is what I use, especially with larger shot like number 4's. The cushioning of the shot is much superior to any of the all plastic wads I've tried and that includes most of them.
Johnpe
Johnpe
On old powder burn rate charts, Al8 was #64 between WAP Winchester #63, and 800X #65.
Powder will last forever if stored properly. The data below shows a 4-1/2 Dram eq. load, with 1-3/4 ounces of shot, and 47 grains of AL8....wow
EDIT: Thats a 3" shell too.
Wayne
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Powder will last forever if stored properly. The data below shows a 4-1/2 Dram eq. load, with 1-3/4 ounces of shot, and 47 grains of AL8....wow
EDIT: Thats a 3" shell too.
Wayne
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85 Posts
I have some Alcan wad for 12 gauge 3 different one's would let them go right cheap. Let me know anyone..
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