Bullseye

We come this afternoon to Bullseye, a very popular pistol powder sold by Alliant. Bullseye is favored by target shooters, following a long and popular tradition. For example, there are some cartridge loads that are so iconic, I've come to rely on them. If you want to wring the best possible accuracy from the .38 Special, the load you want is the CCI or Winchester small pistol primer, the 148 hollow based wadcutter bullet, and 2.7 grains of Bullseye powder. If you're shooting the 45 ACP, the load is a 230 grain round-nosed bullet, any large pistol primer, and 4.5 grains of Bullseye.



Listed at #13 on the Hodgdon Burn Rate Chart, Bullseye is a flake powder and it burns very, very fast. If Bullseye has any drawback, it's that it's easy to double-charge a cartridge if the handloader isn't paying attention. Double charges are bad juju in a pistol cartridge with fast powder.

However, a quick look through the Lyman Cast Bullet handbook shows lots of uses for the powder, in addition to the two I listed earlier. Virtually every pistol cartridge has multiple listings for the powder, including a .357 magnum load that gives over 1600 fps.

Bullseye is often useful in boutique loads, loads that have only one use. For example, for ultra quiet loads. Paco Kelly, in his article, Small Charges, talks about Bullseye even in the bone-crushing .45-70.

One of the play loads I love is to take the RCBS 500 grain without the gas check...over 12.5 grains of Unique for 1000 fps...and over 1000 lbs of punch with no real recoil. 25 grains of 2400 will break 1400 fps...for quiet loads start with 5 grains of Bullseye or Clays and work down. 450 grain bullets over 17 grains of 2400 will give you 1300 fps...

I don't buy Bullseye in anything but one pound jars, because it is so economical. With 7000 grains to the pound, I can get 3000 .38 Special loads to the pound, or over 1500 .45 ACP loads.

Bullseye is a great pistol powder.