This is direct from their website:

"MP BFS Flake Shotgun Powder DO NOT ASK FOR OTHER LOAD DATA FOR OTHER CALIBERS OR CONFIGURATIONS Caliber - 12 Gauge Charge - 20.00gr Shot Weight - 1 1/8oz Shot Size - #8 Avg. Velocity - 1200fps This is a blended powder that has been tested based on the above data. Work up all loads minus 10% FREE SHIPPING AND NO HAZMAT FEE"

 

Yeah that powder must make you flinch and type the same thing in twice

 

No primer, hull, or wad listed to get 1200fps @ 20 grains, or what the PSI is...

So you have NO clue what it really is. If I had to take a wild guess based on charge weight alone it may be close to Green Dot, but considering you don't "Work up all loads minus 10% " in shotshell, anything you develop will HAVE to be sent out for pressure testing first.

This is the worst "pig in a poke" I've ever seen in reloading. In my eyes this powder is basically worthless unless you want to spend a lot of time and $ in pressure testing it on your own.

 

That "free shipping and no haz mat fee" piece also is interesting. Is there a country of manufacture on the container? Also, please post a pic of it.

I also agree it's likely comparable to Green Dot or International, and likely has a burn rate too slow to be of use in 7/8 oz.

 

That "free shipping and no haz mat fee" piece also is interesting.

It's just baked into the price.

 

Pulldown was my first thought. That could explain how they can sell it at that price with no shipping or hazmat.

 

OK I know I have not been around here long but what is a pulldown powder?

 

Powder salvaged from dismantling surplus military ammo.

 

Thanks NEBs did not know that hope he’s not shooting next to me!

 

Any update on your BFS experiment?

FWIW, I loaded 20gr in AA hulls, with CB1118 wads, and Cheddite 209 primers. Five rounds over a chronograph revealed velocities well under 1,200fps (1,004fps average).

I guess the next step is to send some rounds off for pressure testing.

 

Very sensible post, welcome to TS.Com. If you send some off for testing, please post your results.

 

Thanks for the info. I will try loading a box and see how they go bang. If you get any info on the pressure please let me know.

 

Well, I can tell you for sure MP BFS doesn't work well with reduced loads. I loaded 17.5gn with 1oz #8 (WAA12L) in Fed and AA hulls and Cheddite 209s, and I only managed to dribble the shot out of the barrel. On 4 of the 5 rounds tested, the wad came out. The 5th squibbed, and when I opened gun, a fireball came out of the ejection port 🔥. I quickly unloaded the rest of the shells and changed my britches. The barrel was full of crusty muck.

I loaded a few more up the same as @Saluki91, so hopefully I'll see similar results. I want to stick around 1000fps for what I'll be using these for, so that might be the ticket. I'd be very interested to see the pressure testing results as well.

 

What size bushing on a mec for ramshot competiton gun powder for 1oz load Thak you Z.

 

No way for anyone to help without component identification. Start your search on page 90. https://www.ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf

 

Wherever size drops the number of grains you want. That’s why you need to use an accurate scale.

 

"Blended". OMG, run for your life! We have a guy in our club mixing powder, I don't shoot next to him.

HM

 

Well, the 2nd round went better than the first, but velocities are still lower than expected. Recoil felt like a 2 3/4 dram factory load, but I was also using my 1897 with 20" barrel, so that could contribute to lower velocities. Each powder and shot charge was weighed to make sure it was exact.

20.0gn MP BFS
Win AA hull
CB WAA12
1 1/8oz #8

Cheddite 209 primer:
Velocities:
799
858
760

Same load with Federal 209 primers:
Velocities:
986
972
897

The powder is similar to Unique, but the BFS flakes are larger.
Left: 20.0gn Unique
Right: 20.0gn MP BFS

 

Alliant shows Unique does 1200 fps at a 21.0 gn charge. If Alliant is relatively close with their data, it doesn't sound like that BFS price ends up being all that good when it may take significantly more powder to get a usable velocity...assuming there are no pressure spikes getting there.

 

I have noticed in the jug that I have is there are 3 different color of flakes red,green, and tan. and the flakes of powder are different colors and sizes. I reloaded a few different loads starting at 19 grains and worked up to 22 grains in a nitro hull both 1oz and 1 1/18 oz. used tgt wad for 1oz and white wind jammer for 1 1/8, cheddite primer. I hand weighed both powder and shot. recoil was less then my normal 1oz load and 1/18 oz . didnt chrono the load. Will try some more and run thru a chrono. Not much scientific data from me lol

 

The most likely scenario is this is a mix-match of all sorts of pulldown powder, and wouldn't really correspond to any known data. The fact that it's taking 20 grains to not even reach 1000 FPS is not a good sign, means this concoction is VERY slow, perhaps along the lines of Blue Dot or Steel, neither of which are vaguely appropriate for 12ga target loads. You're definitely going to want to get a pressure base line before "experimenting" further, at least if you value all of your body parts being intact.

 

.

 

For the low low price of about $800 you can get a strain gauge to compare your experiments to factory ammo pressures without having to ship ammo samples off to the lab at around $8 each. LOL kidding but not kidding.

 

File this under "This Information is Worth What You Paid"

I bumped up the powder charge to 21.5 gains
Fiocchi "Field Dynamics" once fired hulls
CB3118-12AR Hulls
Cheddite 209 cx2000
1 1/8oz

I never got above 960fps.

Perhaps the hull and wad don't play well together... or perhaps taperd hulls with a bit less capacity are a better choice.

I ran some factory 9mm over my chronograph a few days ago, and the differences between the velocities on the box and chrono were not big enough to warrant discussion, so I don't think my chrono is the problem.

Inspite of the low velocities, I shot trap with this load today, and I was still able to break birds that I purposely let fly for a good while... ("good while" = scientific term).

I don't want to give up on this powder, but I'm not encouraged.

 

I ordered 5lbs, should have it Monday...... probably do the chrono stuff by the following weekend..... Took a bit of a chance on Vectan and some other powders several years ago and they worked and worked well.... Larry

 

I just ordered some of their MP215. They say it is comparable to Vectan D20 and Red Dot. They do say when using Red Dot to start at 10% reduction. I am hoping with that info I can come up with a satisfactory 1oz load.
As far as trying something new, I bought Competition and NF Nitro 100 a year ago, and had very good luck with both. I just didn't think far enough head to buy extra while I could.

 

I just ordered some of their MP215. They say it is comparable to Vectan D20 and Red Dot. They do say when using Red Dot to start at 10% reduction. I am hoping with that info I can come up with a satisfactory 1oz load.
As far as trying something new, I bought Competition and NF Nitro 100 a year ago, and had very good luck with both. I just didn't think far enough head to buy extra while I could.

Red Dot and Vectan D20 are not even close to the same burn rate. D20 is close to Unique or 7625 for burn rate.

 

I have some test loads ready, been ready for over a week now. I have been waiting for some decent weather to do the testing ...... first dark and gloomy and COLD, then windy and COLDER, now it has progressed to 18°R, 4" of new snow and a 14 mph wind. I looked on next years calendar and it tells me summmer is coming. Looking out the window right now makes that hard to believe....... Larry

 

Can any of you guys that have some of this measure the flake size? Thanks!

 

Weather permitting I'll be home in a day or two and will see what I can do.... seems the powder is perhaps 2 or 3 different shapes.... flakes... ball and maybe something else too...... what would the dimension of the flakes reveal? Larry

 

This website has a pretty good list of powders and their sizes. I was wondering if we could narrow down the powder. Sometimes they get cannisters powders, sometimes it is surplus, sometimes it's rejected or extra commercial powder.

National Center for Forensic Science

If you click the sample and detail section, it will show a close up of the powder as well.


As an example, everyone complains about the metering of IMR 800X. American Reloading just had listed some powder that said "similar to Vectan D20". If it was in fact D20, it may be difficult to meter since the flake size is even bigger than 800X.

Unique, Red Dot, Green Dot, Blue Dot for example are 1.6mm