700-X meters like crap!

N

NINEX19

New member
I am sure you all already know that and are laughing at someone just now discovering it. I just had my first experience with it with a pound that a friend gave me. Since I was in need of some .380 ACP loaded up, I thought I would make a sample batch up to test to see if it would be a good substitute for Bullseye that I currently use for the .380.

What a waste of 45 minutes. I could not get a constant drop worth anything. Still can not figure out why. I seems to be a lighter power and it was building up in the charge bar. Never have had that happen with any other powder before. I think I am done using it. It will just sit on the shelf for a rainy day when I can figure out an application where I will hand load each round.


Oh... and I just learned the hard way to not forget to turn off the lee powder hopper BEFORE you take it off to empty it. I had 700-X all over my workbench, floor, every little space you can fit a flake of 700-X powder. :mad: I was already frustrated. That was just the icing on the cake.
 
Every time I describe my troubles with 700X in light pistol loads, somebody comes along to say how easy it is for him.
 
somebody comes along to say how easy it is for him.
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I won't be one of them. I only used 700X because it was all I could find for about a year. The only powder that meters worse in my experience is 800X....don't even get me started on 800X.......:mad:

To the OP, 700X meters better in a lee auto disk measure once you get to higher charges, I suggest using it in larger cartridges than the 380.
 
I am sure you all already know that
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I do.

and are laughing
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I was. (Sorry.)

Yeah, 700X's flakes are larger than Unique's; and Unique is as coarse as I'll go.

I've gotten to the point where I'm getting too old to fight with stuff. Another example is that I flair my brass more than I used to, as well. Life's too short to have the little stuff giving me fits. My time at the load bench is precious to me and I want to actually enjoy it. Cursing at stuff not going right is not for me.
 
700X meters better in a lee auto disk measure once you get to higher charges, I suggest using it in larger cartridges than the 380.
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Yes, I suspect you are correct. Trying to consistently measure out 2.5 grains is not going to happen. I am not sure what I was thinking even trying it. Of course a large flake powder like that would be difficult to get 2.5g.

I am glad I can laugh at it now. Lesson learned. Thanks for the tip on 800-X. That is one I will never purchase. I saw some on the shelf at Cabela's last week and for just a flash, I was tempted to get a pound to experiment with. Glad I didn't.
 
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I have no problem w/ 700x in a Harrells Schutzen measure
(In fact just loaded up some 200gr LRNFP last night for my 45Colt)

It's all in absolutely repeatable throw technique.
(Unique included)
 
It's not my favorite, but I like 700X. I have really good luck measuring 700X with Lee powder dippers. When I weigh my scoops, they are all usually within 1/10 of a grain of each other. The smallest scoop holds 2.2 grains.
 
Haha, if 700-X is making you angry, buy some 800-X and when you have given up on THAT, 700-X will seem like a walk in the park! :D
 
Are you using pistol rotors and measures or are you trying to do this with a standard rifle rotor and measure?
 
Yes, It Feeds Like ...

Similar to the OP, a friend recently gave me a 1 lb bottle of 700x. I'd used it 25 years ago, and vowed never to use it again. But, free is free. Poured some into my Uniflo and, zap, the drum jammed tight. Emptied the Uniflo, took it apart, cleaned the gummy flakes off the interior of the measure's body, reassembled it, poured in more and, zap, jammed again.

Screw this stuff. There are too many other fine powders that feed and perform well that I don't need to waste my time with this crap. IMR/Hodgdon should be ashamed of themselves for marketing this crap.

My daughter is going to enjoy flaring this stuff. At least we'll get some entertainment out of it.
 
I use 700x in 44-40 with no issues, probably because the powder drop apertures are in proportion to the powder particle size.
 
700X is Good, but Not for That

I'm one of those that finds 700X a great powder that meters wonderfully.

But even I would not try to use it in such a toy cartridge with itty-bitty volume. Large flake powders just do not have much ability to settle down into tiny holes in the typical powder measure. It works best in a measure that gets regular vibration or jostling such as on a turret press or mounted under a die on a single stage.
 
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I too once owned 700X. I also gave it away to some poor unsuspecting sucker. Maybe it was you!
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Hahaha. Yes, the joke is on me. :D I guess there is a reason it was an almost full pound in the old metal container from 1970 something with a price tag of $5.39 still attached from someplace called SportsWest.

I might start experimenting with it in .38 Special or .357 Magnum It looks pretty unimpressive though according to load data. I don't reload for any of the larger pistol calibers... yet.
 
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I use 700x in 9mm. It meters well enough out of an auto-disk for my powder puff loads. Out of testing the drop weight hundreds of times I've never had it drop more than .2 grains off, and 95% of the time it's within .1 grain +/-.

I'm not touting how much I love 700x. It's really all I could find for 9mm when I started loading (I believe it was Obama's re-election gun crisis, but there's been so many runs on components in the last 10 years I can't remember which one), and I've stuck with it mostly because a 14 ounce can runs about 17 or 18 bucks and will load over 2k rounds.

It's a dirty powder when loaded light and not the most ideal powder for my application, but it's cheap and it works. It doesn't measure the best, but it's not bad out of an auto disk.
 
I'm with 5whiskey, dropping charges of 700X from an RCBS Uniflow powder measure I've never had charges over .2 of a grain most of the times the ones I checked were on the money.

That being said I've never loaded any small cases I've only loaded 700X in 45 Colt.

I do have some excellent higher end 45 Colt loads that are very accurate using 700X but I can get more velocity from HS6 so it's my powder choice for higher end 45 Colt loads, even though it takes almost twice the powder.

Later on I plan on loading some 45 ACP loads with 700X and maybe some 38 Specials.

It's hard to beat the economy of 700X as I can get 1000 of my 45 Colt loads from a pound of powder.
 
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I can see how using 700-X in .380 would be an exercise in patience. GENERALLY, if I keep the charge weight above 3.3 grains, it meters well ENOUGH. I loaded 200 rounds of .45 ACP with 4.0/700-X/225 TC, using a powder scoop and separated the rounds with weighed charges of 3.8 grains from those with weighed charges of 4.0 and 4.2 grains (about 65 rounds each, but not exactly). THEN, I reloaded 200 rounds of the same charge using the scoop and no scale (which, mercifully, went much faster). Since I already knew the scoop would throw 4.0 + 0.2 grains, I was not worried about exceeding 4.2 grains and overcharging.

At 25 yards, I could not differentiate between the 2 batches of ammunition in terms of accuracy or function. Two other shooters, far more accomplished than me, could not pick out one batch from another. The take-home lesson FOR ME was, at charge weights of 4.0 grains or more (and maybe a bit less), 0.2 grains of variation didn't translate to any real difference.

I still have a small can of 700-X that I'm trying to use up, and I'll probably pick other powders in the future. But for MOST pistol cartridges in which 700-X can be sensibly used, I doubt that the troublesome metering will amount to any discernable difference on (target) paper.
 
It and 800x both are first, and foremost shotgun powders. They meter better, at very large volume. I still have most of a can of 800x from my first days of reloading. If I find someone that loads shotshell I will offer it to them to be rid of it.
 
700X

700X is my goto powder for 9mm and 45. I drop it using my Dillon powder drop on my 550b. I've never had deviations more than .2gr and it is usually right on or +/- .1 gr.

I'll be using the Lyman Gen 6 for the 380 loads though.

I also use 800x for 44mag and I usually can get +/- .2gr with the Lee Perfect Powder Measure. But I'll be honest sometimes it swings as much as .5gr.
 
Every time I describe my troubles with 700X in light pistol loads, somebody comes along to say how easy it is for him.
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That would be me..:D

I load .38spl target (CAS) ammo with it on a Square Deal. No problems. 2.8g is my standard charge. 10,000 rounds and counting...

There are so many good flake powders out there, it makes sense to learn to work with them. Red Dot, Unique both come to mind.
 
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