Anybody using Herco nowadays?

[RampTester]

Had a chance to pick up Herco for $10 a pound, but info on reloading seems scarce. Anyone got some stories (true SK) or favorite loads related to this powder?

[MakeMineaP99]

Herco will make 9mm major. What specifically are you looking to do?

[Steve Koski]

If you think Unique is dirty...

[4eyes]

The voice of experience.

[xtimberman]

I'm an unashamed Alliant powder fan and still use Herco in several cartridges - mostly in 9mm Luger, .45 acp, and .44 Special. It burns pretty cleanly in high-pressure cartridges like 9mm, and bridges that broad gap between Unique and BlueDot. Alliant has cleaned it up a bit from Hercules days.

If you are a shotgunner, Herco is a great performance powder for 20 ga.

$10/pound - super bargain!

xtm

I've saved old Hercules and Alliant brochures and can probably help you out with data if you buy the powder - except .40S&W and 10mm and other new cartridge inventions.

[Washington,D.C.]

I use Herco sometimes in 38 Special with 150gr and 158gr round nose lead bullets.

[918v]

Herco is supposed to be the **** for .40 S&W, according to Ken Waters.

[Steve Koski]

Ken Waters is a tool.

[918v]

Why?

[RampTester]

Maybe SK means that Ken's reference book is a useful tool, or else he means that everything that he loads is about 100-200fps too slow.

[gladerunner]

Got about 5 lb. of Herco for free.
Heard it was good for 9mm, loaded some test rounds, it was very inconsistent, and very dirty. not particularly accurate. Could have been a metering issue, but I thought it pretty much sucked. Still have about 4.9 lb.
Tried to sell it to Koski, but even that CRB wasn't interested.
He said something like "Herco used to be a pretty good powder, before they made good powders."

[918v]

Back in the day, Herco was the only powder that allowed you to hit 1250 FPS with 125 grain bullets, at standard pressures. It is worth trying in the 9 and the 40, although not at low to med pressures. It burns as clean as Bullseye, but only at max pressures.

[Steve Koski]

Got about 5 lb. of Herco for free.
Heard it was good for 9mm, loaded some test rounds, it was very inconsistent, and very dirty. not particularly accurate. Could have been a metering issue, but I thought it pretty much sucked. Still have about 4.9 lb.
Tried to sell it to Koski, but even that CRB wasn't interested.
He said something like "Herco used to be a pretty good powder, before they made good powders."
Herco SUCKS!

[xtimberman]

Complaining about free gunpowder is considered bad form. :yesnod:

5 pounds of free Herco ROCKS!

[MONTEGOD7SS]

You not have a manhole to burn it on or what? Don't forget video!

[918v]

Herco SUCKS!

Nah ugh! It's supposed to be great for the 40. Try it.

[Clark]

I have never read Ken Waters, or most other great gun writers.

I have read Ackley, De Haas, and Barnes that would interest a nerdy engineer like me.

When someone mentions Jeff Copper, I can only give a blank stare.

It all seems like upper campus humanities studies to me.

I never tried Herco either.
If Lynwood Guns does not have it on the shelf, I don't buy it.

[918v]

Ken Waters is not one of those gun writers. He actually tested his handloads in real guns and wrote how they shot. He focused on accuracy first, rather than velocity. His articles are very informative if you are into accuracy like me, and will save you alot of time.

[xtimberman]

I have read Ackley, De Haas, and Barnes that would interest a nerdy engineer like me.

I believe Ken Waters is THE nerdy engineer. I've relied on his "Pet Loads" for decades as a reference for starting up new loads. His research is incredibly meticulous for a gun writer and his load articles have never led me in a wrong direction.

All that said, I've shot quite a bit of Herco in 9mm, and in that high-pressure cartridge, I don't find it particularly dirtier than Unique. I believe it would be a fabulous $10/lb. gunpowder in .40S&W.

xtm

[918v]

Very low flash at high pressures. It proguces a faint orange glow. Great for night ops.