Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 10mm Powder Recommendation

Somehow I ended up choosing Longshot and after a few hundred rounds of 185 XTP and 200 HAP through the G20.4 I am curious if powder really makes a difference in accuracy with handguns.

If the answer is yes, what do ya'll suggest?

Although I have some 165's I would for the most part shoot 185's but mostly 200's and headed to the gun shop this afternoon.

power pistol

I use Longshot


Accurate #9 gets a lot of good press with 180’s and up.

Using 8.6 of Long Shot with a 200 grain LBT from Montana Bullets. 1210 from a 4.25" and 1260 from a 6".

Have also used AAC-9 and Power Pistol with lighter 155-165 grain bullets but have only shot to the high 1200s..

For 180’s and 200’s you cannot really beat Accurate No. 9. It will deliver top velocity, stellar accuracy (especially with Hdy XTP’s) and works with cast bullets too. It will take more grs of it vs some faster burn speed powders, but in my experience No 9 is tops for safety (more reasonable pressure on the gun) and performance. Accurate No. 7 in its current generation does pretty well too, but No 9 rocks!

Mark in GA

What Mark said.

AA9 is where it's at for 180-220 loads. For lighter 155-165gr, AA9 still works really well but the burn rate is a little slow IMO; AA7, Blue Dot, Power Pistol, and Longshot have their place in that range, with my preference going to AA7 for best power and accuracy with the side benefit of (usually) very low flash.

With a bullet like the 200gr LBT mentioned above, you should be able to break 1300+ fps pretty easily with AA9 in a 6" barrel. You'll reach max 10mm pressure right about 100% case fill, and it's hard to go too hot without really compressing the powder.

As Mark said, the downside of both AA9 and AA7 is that it takes more powder per load so it costs a little more, but both are worth the cost for peak performance.

For some reason I'm not nearly as anal about very best accuracy with the 10mm as I am with other cartridges, I really am ok with "good enough." AA #9 seemed like a good first choice for the 200 grain XTPs. Did one quick load workup, 12.5 beat my accuracy hope, so .. good enough. I've got some 135 grain Noslers and some 150 grain something or others ... one of these years I need to give them a try.

Tom

For 165s AA#7 Power Pistol, Above that bullet weight AA#9, Blue Dot, Power Pistol, Longshot.

AA-9 is super accurate in all of my10mm’s with 180 & 200 gr XTP bullets.

I picked up a pound of AA #9 and will give it a run.

AA#9 pretty much exclusively for 15 years.

Want to monkey with some Power Pistol, though, too.

I've tried all of the powders mentioned above, plus a lot more, and settled on VV N105.

Tony

Do you folks run magnum primers with AA#9?

Anyone play with Ramshot Enforcer (AA4100). Needs a mag primer, slower than AA#9, but keeps the pressures down.

In 10mm I typically just run regular CCI #300 standard primers with No. 9.

Mark in GA

For real 10mm loads I’ve been using 9.5gr. of Longshot with 180gr. XTPs. Range loads are 7.1gr of IMR-4756 with 180gr. Berry’s at 1150fps. I’ve used 800-X, Blue Dot and Power Pistol. They all work fine. Lots of guys use AA#9 with 200gr bullets. I don’t shoot anything heavier than 180gr so I can’t speak on how well it works!

Love my XDm in 10mm!!!

Elk Country

Apparently I shot up all the 200gr HAP's but I have a good many 180 XTP's that I bought off the 'fire and will try those with the AA #9.

Consider vvN105. It has a nice recoil impulse, is accurate, and gives top velocities with moderately compressed charges.

I like it in the 357 SIG too.