Trail Boss tips, anyone?

[Bryan Austin]

Thanks!!!

Early Smokeless Powders for the 44-40: https://curtisshawk21.wixsite.com/44centerfire/early-smokeless-powders

[Rube Burrows]

I use Trail Boss for my .45 Colt and .38spl along with some 38-55 loads. I use a RCBS Uniflow powder measure and have never really had a problem with it throwing wrong loads. I have a ChargeMaster also but hardly ever use it because the Uniflow is just so much more convenient. I will double check loads periodically on a digi scale but have never had any problems.

[Bryan Austin]

Updated the web site with the following...Trail Boss included

https://curtisshawk21.wixsite.com/44centerfire/modern-smokeless-powders

[Cliff Fendley]

Trail Boss has the advantage of being impossible to double charge since it is such a bulky powder. It has the disadvantage of being very fluffy and slow to drop in a progressive loader in my experience YMMV. My Dillon 550B takes about about a "one Mississippi. two Mississippi" to drop the charge in a .45 CAS case. Until I figured that out I has some pretty feeble sounding shots. Finally I stopped fighting it and went to FFFg which fills the case, makes a bg bang, and solved the squib nonsense.
Yr' Obt' Svt'
Bunk

Since this thread has been revived I noticed Bunk might have missed my earlier post I did on page 1.

If you have trouble with trail boss not dropping correctly on a Dillon the trick is to use the large powder bar. Even though only dropping 5.5 grains or so of trail boss the large powder bar works and leaves a much smaller straight column for the powder to drop.

The small powder bar that normally goes up to 20 grains has to be almost all the way open for 5.5-6 grains of trail boss and the light donut shaped granules just bridge and hang up and go everywhere.

I about gave up on it years ago and after thinking about what was happening switched to the large powder bar and never looked back, never even spill one flake now been using that setup for years.

[Rube Burrows]

I've loaded thousands upon thousands of TB in 38-40, 45 Cowboy Special, 45LC and 38SPL......Never had a squib. Never any issues what so ever. Amazingly clean powder in these cases.

I'm using Lee 1000 progressive loaders for all four cartridges.

I am in this same camp. I have primarily use Trail Boss in all my cowboy loads for years and have never had the slightest of problem.

When on my Dillon 650 in .45 Colt the powder throw would always throw an accurate load.

Now I load on a Redding T-7 and use a RCBS powder throw. I have one set up for .38 and one set up for .45 and they both throw accurate loads. I periodically check the loads and they all measure very accurately to what they were set for. Plus with the Trail boss I can look down as I'm loading and see that the powder threw properly. 

[Coffinmaker]

Necromancers REJOICE!!  I personally don't like Trail Boss.  Never did like Trail Boss.  Don't have any Tips for using Trail Boss other than as a fertilizer.  So my entry is of absolutely no use to anyone least of all the OP.  Please feel free to ignore these comments as superfluous drivel of no material value and I will take to offense.

[Dirty Dick]

My experience with Trail Boss has been entirely positive even though I load on a dreaded Dillon RL1050 with Dillon measure AND small charge bar. My thoughts on the small charge bar are that the powder cavity in the charge bar is linear as compared to the large charge bar where the cavity is more nearly vertical. The large charge bar with the vertical cavity tends to dump the powder in one large mass into the powder funnel, whereas the small charge bar with the linear cavity dumps the same charge of powder in progression as the bar moves over the funnel, much less chance of bridging IMHO. I use a Dillon powder checker at the station before bullet seating and the charge is always right on the money. I don't load fast, I use the RL1050 for precision and the extra die station allows the use of the powder check die, not for speed. I'm retired and have all the time in the world.

my $.02

Dirty Dick

[Abilene]

I am currently loading 3 calibers with TB, but all with dippers.  44 Spcl pistol, 44-40, and 32-20.  Lee dippers except for the .32 which is home-made.  Not sure I'd want to try 2.7 grains of Trailboss through an automatic powder measure. 

[Roscoe]

I picked up a 5 pound jug of Trail Boss for reloading my .45 Schofield.  I plan on loading 5.0 grains with a 200 grain bullet. Should be about 1.1 CC.   I am using a Lee four position turret press with auto index, and a a LEE Pro auto disk powder measure through a LEE charging die.  I have read that the airy little grey doughnuts don't measure well.  Besides giving the measure a slight tap between loading, any other tips?

I do well with exactly that equipment by removing the baffle from the hopper. Apparently TB is coarse enough to bridge around the baffle openings. Other than that I try to keep the hopper about half full.

[Bryan Austin]

I have never yet had a problem with the Lee hoppers and Trail Boss

[DeaconKC]

Okay guys, I have used Acc#5, Unique, 231, Blue Dot and 4227 for years. I have picked up some TB to try. I load .45ACP, AutoRim, .44 Special, .45 Colt and .38-40. I also use Lee Powder dispensers on my Dillon 550. What does the collective suggest I try first and which rounds? Thanks to y'all.

[pony express]

I can't be any more helpful than Coffinmaker usually is on this one. I only use it for cast loads in bottleneck rifle cartridges. For rounds like what you mentioned, I use Titegroup, Bullseye or Unique.

[Abilene]

Howdy Deacon.  My 44 Spcl pistol load for CAS is 1cc (4.5gr) TB with a 180 RNFP.  I used the same 1cc of TB in a 45 Colt with 250 gr RNFP for a CAS rifle load, before switching to Schofields in the rifle.  These are at the low end of Hodgdon data but are very consistent.

[Major 2]

Like PE..." I only use it for cast loads in bottleneck rifle cartridges. "

[Drydock]

That's all I ever used it for, until I ran out, could not find any, and tried some classic loads with Unique, and the holes in the paper got closer together.  And it's cheaper!

[Major 2]

Probably that's what I'll do too... I got a 2.5 lb. can last fall after it became available again.
I have not looked but suspect its out of stock again... but when its near gone , if it not available I'll try Unique in the old Battle rifles.

[Coffinmaker]

  PLUS ONE too Coffinmaker above 

Oh ... Wate ... thats ME!!  Plus wonning to myself??

Hide and Watch

[Bryan Austin]

Hard to beat Unique or Bullseye, been around since 1900

[DeaconKC]

Thanks to you all!