Dupont Hi-Skor 700x

Henry0Reilly

How long has it been since this was produced?  There's a partial 12# keg on the auction right now with $175 asking price that keeps relisting. How much would a sealed 12# keg be worth?

I thought I might reload .38 special some day but I got a guy bugging me to sell him the powder. I took it on trade for a gun, I got a rock chucker and .38 dies that were left behind in a house I moved into but I was thinking more along the lines of having it if necessary rather than reloading for fun.

toad67

It's still for sale....
https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/hodgdon-hi-skor-700x/

bpost

I was just given an 8 pound jug free.  I will use it in target pistol loads .38, 9MM, .357, 45 and some cast bullet rifle loads.

Hawk Carse

It has been a good many years since powder was branded DuPont.  I think I had some DuPont 700X when I first started trapshooting in the 1970s, but then it became IMR and now Hodgdon. I used it in pistol loads but it is a large flake powder and does not meter well 3 grains at a time.  I had a vibrator on the powder measure the last time I used some. 

rufe-snow

Hawk Carse said:

It has been a good many years since powder was branded DuPont.  I think I had some DuPont 700X when I first started trapshooting in the 1970s, but then it became IMR and now Hodgdon. I used it in pistol loads but it is a large flake powder and does not meter well 3 grains at a time.  I had a vibrator on the powder measure the last time I used some. 

+1! 
Last can of 700X I bought was do to  Obama. Almost nothing was available for reloading. As far as powder(s) and primers, were concerned. It was like the 22 rimfire famine, that was happening at the same time.

To make a long story short. Avoid 700X like the plague, for reloading handguns. It doesn't run accurately, through a powder measure. The very best of my loads were +/- 1/2 grain. which is freaking scary. When using fast burning powder, like 700X is. 

Don't even attempt to use 700X, for handgun loads. You got a shotgunner, who wants to buy that jug of 700X off you. Get the money, and run like the wind. Make sure it's not some misguided dolt, who  figures to use it in handgun loads. Making a mistake, with fast burning powder in small capacity cases. Is a recipe for disaster.  

bpost

I am saddened to hear of your bad experiences with 700X and varying powder charges.  I use an old Lyman orange colored powder measure with the dual slides for single stage reloading.  I checked the consistency of 700X due to your post, it had me worried for sure.  I weighed the charges on a Lyman 1500 combo scale.  After settling the powder at 1/2 full in the hopper I weighed the charges thrown by the Lyman dispenser, no particular weight was chosen I just opened it up some and started throwing charges.  I threw and measured 10 charges per weight test.  The highest charge was 50.3 grains.  The lowest was 50.1 grains for 10 throws of the measure.

I can live with that variation, when splitting 1/100 of a grain I am not gonna worry.

As Perry Shooter used to say YMMV.

love2shoot

$175 has exceeded the price of a similar powder brand new.

308 Scout

I bought a partial 12# keg of 700-X at an auction years ago and it is now THE powder I use for plinking and target loads. Like @bpost I run it through an old Lyman powder measure, but I also use it in my Dillon 550 progressive when loading .38 Special's. I also use it in my 45 Colt for loads that duplicate the "original" load, and for this purpose it excels and the loads are accurate out as far as my handgun range goes, which is 75 yds.

bpost

I just ran 500 rounds of 45ACP 230 FMJ's and 500+ of 9MM cast loads through the Dillon 650. I used 700X for both. Being nervous about the inconsistent powder drops seen by others I weighed every fifth round for the first 100 of each caliber, that was a PIA and time consuming.

I had the 45's set to 4.8 grains. I saw a consistent 4.8 on the RCBS 1500 digital scale a few, not sure how many, did go to 4.7 grains. None were over the set charge of 4.8.

As Karl used to say, YMMV.