Load Testing: Alliant BE86 (BE-86)

[IDescribe]

Load      Avg Vel         Velocity +
4.7             995             
4.8           1033              +38
4.9           1053              +20
5.0           1071              +18
5.1           1093              +22

It looks like you start getting a good, timely pressure seal there at 4.8.  And just from what my own 75 ShadowLine does with 124gr bullets, I'm guessing 5.0 is a straight shooter.  Very interesting.   

[Wobbly]

It looks like you start getting a good, timely pressure seal there at 4.8.  And just from what my own 75 ShadowLine does with 124gr bullets, I'm guessing 5.0 is a straight shooter.  Very interesting.   

The powder was burning so clean (even at 4.7gr) that no smut was left on the outside on any of the 50 fired cases. You may be right about the sealing. There may be blow-by, but there are no tell-tale indications on the brass.

Simply amazing. Not what I expected. I'm ordering more BE-86.

 

[1SOW]

That does look and sound good.
Curious:  How did the feed ramp, trigger bar and chamber look after firing 50?
"Are you ready"..... to quit n320?

[copemech]

9mm Luger 115 gr FMJ Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 6.1 1,219 -
9mm Luger 124 gr FMJ federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 5.8 1,167 -
9mm Luger 115 gr JHP Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 6.3 1,238 -
9mm Luger 124 gr JHP Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 5.9 1,175 -
9mm Luger 147 gr JHP Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 5.1 1,020 -
9mm Luger 125 gr Lead RN Federal 1.12 4 Fed 100 BE-86 5.7 1,179 -
9mm Luger 147 FP Federal 1.08 4 Fed 100 BE-86 4.7 999 -
9mm Luger Speer 115 gr CPRN Federal 1.135 4 CCI 500 BE-86 6.3 1,226 -

[IDescribe]

- At ~4.9gr the sights were aimed true for 50 foot targets

So 4.9 was right for lining up POA and POI.   How did you feel about accuracy, in general?  Not looking for measurements, just your impression.  I know you know how your groups generally look. 

[Wobbly]

Answers....

• I did have a target on the far side of the chrono, just to make sure the chrono wasn't hit. I was also using a bench rest with the heel of the pistol resting on a sheet of some very dense foam. You can definitely see 5 distinct groups climbing the target. However, I don't want to call one load better than the other because I wasn't "shooting for accuracy".

• Also I did not clean my gun before starting, so I cannot comment on cleanliness other than to say it looked no worse. I have another batch of 50 worked up, and that will be a good thing to test.

• No, I'm not giving up on N320 or N330. But these newer powders (BE-86 and probably the new ones from IMR) will give VihtaVuori a run for their money. VV will either need to drop their prices to sell in the US or go home. Some product lines (like cars and liquors) can demand a higher price simply based on their name. I'm not sure you can pull that off in reloading, mainly because (unlike cars) most people start reloading to save money.

Of course, I've been wrong before. Just like Lexus rising to the price of a BMW, powders like BE-86 could always collect their own "snob appeal" and rise to the price level of the VV product line !! 

And of course, that's what we need in competitive shooting. People walking around with their nose stuck up in the air with a patch on their shirt that says "Don't even talk to me unless you're loading XXXX powder". Yikes !

 

[Wobbly]

Discovered I had a pile of FMJ 9mm 115gr sitting around in my cabinet left from ~2001 and my push during this Social Distancing period has been to clean up and organize... which means go ahead and finish off small lots of bullets and powder...

And I got a brand new can of BE-86... so what's a fellow to do ?? 

Equipment
Bullets:  Winchester 115gr FMJ
Brass:    RWS
Powder: Alliant BE-86 (6.1gr Max)
Max Vel:   1219 fps
Primer: Winchester SPP
OAL:     1.125"
Pistol:   SP-01 Tac
8 rounds each, slow fired
68F and highly overcast
ProChrono DLX


Load      Avg Vel            ES       SD
4.2             917              40       13
4.3             935              26       11
4.4             946              47       16
4.5             964              40       15
4.6            1018             34       13
4.7            1032             34       11


Notes
- This powder burned remarkably clean, even at 4.2gr
- All loads operated my slide, but brass never got more than 4 ft away with 14# spring
- Good SD numbers even though the humidity was 75% in my basement and there could have been 'clumping'
- I would recommend something higher than 4.7gr for competition and 4.6/4.7gr for general plinking
- At ~4.7gr the sights were aimed true for 50 foot targets
- This test never approached the Max Load despite using an OAL shorter than that listed. More testing is definitely needed at 115gr.



Hope this helps.   

[Wobbly]

This test adds higher loads to complete the testing done yesterday. It still comes nowhere near Alliant's Max Load velocity.

Equipment
Bullets:     Winchester 115gr FMJ
Brass:       RWS
Powder:    Alliant BE-86 (6.1gr Max)
Max Vel:   1219 fps
Primer:     Winchester SPP
OAL:         1.125"
Pistol:       SP-01 Tac
8 rounds each, slow fired
68F and highly overcast
ProChrono DLX


Load      Avg Vel            ES       SD
4.2             917              40       13
4.3             935              26       11
4.4             946              47       16
4.5             964              40       15
4.6            1018             34       13
4.7            1032             34       11
4.8            1046             43       13
4.9            1066             31       09
5.0            1081             19       06
5.1            1115             11       09


Notes
- This powder burned remarkably clean, even at 4.2gr
- All loads operated my slide, and brass got between 2-6 ft away with 14# spring
- Good SD numbers even though the humidity was 75% in my basement and there could have been 'clumping'
- I would recommend something higher than 4.7gr for competition and 4.6/4.7gr for general plinking
- At ~4.7gr the sights were aimed true for 50 foot targets
- This test never approached the Max Load despite using an OAL shorter than listed


This powder is extremely clean shooting

[painter]

How does your barrel length compare to the test barrel?

The SD and ES look good.

[Moe Mentum]

I use BE86 under a precision delta 124 jhp,  I load with 5.0 grains, it's a nice target load.

[Gnnut2]

Wobbly, that's another good example of the value of using a chronograph when working up loads. I'm amazed at how far above the max load you were and apparently you still had room to continue had you wanted to. How full was the case at 5.1 grains? I'm going to keep this load on my list too. Thank you for continuing to post great data for us to consider.

[Wobbly]

We need some testing done with Lead !!

Equipment
Bullets:      Acme 124gr LRN coated
Brass:        Federal Cartridge (F.C.)
Powder:     Alliant BE-86 (5.7gr max)
Max Vel:    1179 fps
Primer:      Federal Small Pistol Match #GM100M
OAL:         1.120"
Pistol:       SP-01 Tac
8 rounds each, slow fired
68F, clear and bright sun
ProChrono DLX

Load      Avg Vel           ES         SD
5.1           1097              41         15
5.2           1127              54         16
5.3           1150              20         08 *
5.4           1153              41         13
5.5           1161              30         09
5.6           1166              36         12
5.7        *** Shots Not Taken ***

Notes
- Testing suspended at 5.6 because there were velocities at 1190 with 5.6gr
- * Only 3 shots registered skewing the results. They are probably closer to 1140 fps with a higher SD. 5.3gr is not a magic node.
- Used load data from Alliant, which lists only a Max Load
- Shots were smokier than expected considering thick coating and cooler powder
- Overall accuracy was good
- All shots operated my SP-01 slide with 14# recoil spring. No FTF noted.
- Probably should test at lower loads. Testing down to ~4.7 for plinking needs.
- As tested, this is not a good plinking powder for Lead due to excessive powder requirements and higher than needed velocities.

Hope this helps.   

Examples....


Same clean shooting BE-86, even with lead...

.

[Wobbly]

Equipment
Bullets:      Rocky Mntn Reloading (RMR) 147gr Match Winner TCFP
Brass:        Federal Cartridge (F.C.)
Powder:     Alliant BE-86 (4.7gr max)
Max Vel:    999 fps
Primer:      Winchester WSP
OAL:         1.110"
Pistol:       SP-01 Tac
10 rounds each, slow fired
80F, clear and bright sun
ProChrono DLX

Load      Avg Vel           ES         SD
4.5             970              23         07
4.6             977              34         12
4.7 *          998              38         10
4.8           1018              42         12  Over Max Load

Notes
- Testing done to find a 1000fps load with 147gr to emulate Federal 147gr SD loads
- Used load data from Alliant, which lists only a Max Load
- No smoke noted
- Overall accuracy was good
- All shots operated my SP-01 slide with stock recoil spring. No FTF noted.
- As tested, this is a great powder for home made SD loads
- Cases thrown about 6 feet
- I have chosen 4.7gr for use in my load

Test about to begin...


The ammo...


Look how clean these cases come out !



Hope this helps.   

[greenbastard]

Discovered I had a pile of FMJ 9mm 115gr sitting around in my cabinet left from ~2001 and my push during this Social Distancing period has been to clean up and organize... which means go ahead and finish off small lots of bullets and powder...

And I got a brand new can of BE-86... so what's a fellow to do ?? 

I apologize for responding to such an old post, but it's so closely related to my situation and I wasn't sure how to word it correctly in a new post. Hopefully I haven't broken any member etiquette or rules.
First thank you for supplying such detailed data in your post. I have been away from loading pistol rounds for a few months as I've been shooting my previously loaded rounds and trying to perfect my loading skills for several different rifle rounds. Because I have 5-lbs. of BE-86 and 3K of 115gr. FMJ projectiles and ready to start loading for 9mm again, I found your post to be very appropriate to my situation. I hope you don't mind me asking questions regarding your data. It may turn out that I have missed something in my research.
In the above older post you wrote:

Bullets:  Winchester 115gr FMJ
Brass:    RWS
Powder: Alliant BE-86 (4.8gr Max)
Max Vel:   1164
OAL:     1.125"

My question concerns the "Alliant BE-86 (4.8gr Max)" that you listed. The Alliant powder chart lists a load for a 115gr. Federal FMC loaded at an OAL of 1.120" and a max of 6.1gr of BE-86. I always thought that the FMC is pretty much equivalent to an FMJ, but I may be wrong and hence part of my question. If the two bullets are closely matched and your OAL of 1.125" is .005" longer, can I ask where the 4.8gr Max is from. I am worried that  I am possibly misreading something or that the printed Alliant data is wrong so I would rather ask than be sorry later.

To add to my confusion, someone responded to your post a day later with:  "Wobbly, that's another good example of the value of using a chronograph when working up loads. I'm amazed at how far above the max load you were and apparently you still had room to continue had you wanted to".

This seems to also suggest that the Alliant data is either wrong or I am using the wrong comparison by choosing the data for the  115gr Federal FMC, but I can't find another projectile on the Alliant chart that matches your 115gr FMJ and BE-86. Did you perhaps get your 4.8gr. Max from another source that I haven't been able to locate?

Again I apologize for responding to an older post and also for all the questions. Thank you Sir.

[Wobbly]

Absolutely no apologies needed. And thanks for the question.

In reviewing this, you indeed are correct.  I seemed to have really screwed up. My apologies to you. Here's the latest Alliant data....



So you are indeed correct. Max load for 115gr Jacketed is 6.1gr, 1219fps with OAL of 1.120". Looking at my data and this is like day and night. It's not a small oversight, it's huge. So big, I'm at a loss to even begin to explain how this happened.

Good catch ! I'm going to go back and correct this. Thank you for pointing this out.


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