Author Topic: Load Testing: Alliant BE86 (BE-86)  (Read 25185 times)

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Offline 1SOW

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Load Testing: Alliant BE86 (BE-86)
« on: June 18, 2016, 07:43:00 PM »
Has anyone tried Be86 with 9mm 124gr jacketted bullets?
Opinions on metering, velocities, cleanliness, muzzle flash, and shooting results would be appreciated.

From the Alliant web site...
Quote
Caliber 9mm,  BBL Length 4", Alliant Be 86 Powder, Max Load and velocity shown:

               Bullet         Case    Min OAL      Primer    Max   Velocity
9mm Luger       115 gr FMJ   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   6.1   1,219
9mm Luger       124 gr FMJ   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   5.8   1,167
9mm Luger       115 gr JHP   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   6.3   1,238
9mm Luger       124 gr JHP   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   5.9   1,175
9mm Luger       147 gr JHP   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   5.1   1,020
9mm Luger       125 gr LRN   Federal  1.12         Fed 100   5.7   1,179
9mm Luger       147 gr FP    Federal  1.08         Fed 100   4.7   999




[Mods tweaked the title and table]
« Last Edit: November 15, 2019, 03:47:38 PM by Wobbly »

Offline IDescribe

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Re: 9mm and Alliant be86
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2016, 10:19:24 PM »
I have been curious about it, but at the end of the day, it's too slow for anything I do, so I have resisted the temptation time and time again.  I've already got CFE Pistol and Longshot that I look at and can't remember why I bought.  I don't need another one of those.

Offline ReloaderFred

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Re: 9mm and Alliant be86
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2016, 10:29:24 PM »
I just bought an 8 pound keg of BE86 about 3 weeks ago, but haven't loaded anything with it yet.  I bought it mostly for .38 Super, but I imagine that when I get some time to mess with it, I'll be trying it in several different calibers and bullet weights.  The data looks promising.

When I talked to the Alliant rep at the SHOT Show about it, he said they consider it part of their Bullseye line of powders and that it's between Bullseye and Power Pistol in performance.

Hope this helps.

Fred
After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs

Offline 1SOW

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Re: 9mm and Alliant be86
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2016, 11:19:05 PM »
I read a couple of posts elsewhere that said they liked it for 9mm and that it would load light.  Just curious.
Alliant lists it best for 9mm and 40 cal.. :-\

Offline ReloaderFred

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Re: 9mm and Alliant be86
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2016, 11:34:08 PM »
Alliant shows some promising loads with it in .38 Super and 10mm.  Those are the two calibers I'll probably use it the most in.  I've got a 10mm upper for one of my AR's, and the slightly slower powder should work pretty good in it.

Fred
After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs

Offline IDescribe

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Re: 9mm and Alliant be86
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2016, 07:16:24 AM »
It's supposed to be the powder used in Federal's match grade .45.  I suspect it is good powder for particular applications.




edited to remove some erroneous information
« Last Edit: November 17, 2016, 07:57:46 AM by IDescribe »

Offline 1SOW

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2016, 03:31:32 PM »
Quote
I note also that it is "low flash", so defensive 9mm with 124gr might not be a leap
Hmmmm,  I wonder how it would perform replacing my n340 loads under 124/125 gr SD loads at 1165-ish FPS. 
If a pound is available locally,  I might just give it a try.

Offline Scarlett Pistol

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2016, 11:33:13 PM »
So... I rather unexpectedly ended up with BE 86 too...
    I couldn't sell a big 8lb keg of 700x, so I am keeping it as my faster powder that I can load lighter 9mm rounds with for practice and fun, but I still need a powder to get my loads to Power Factor for USPSA. I have been looking around locally for Alliant American Select (really wanted to try it out), but have had absolutely no luck finding it. I didn't want to pay the hazmat fee to ship it (adds to much cost to justify buying it over something else locally). Anyways, the last 5 or 6 weeks we were moving and things were crazy, so I just got back to looking for powder and it suddenly seems harder to find as much around my area. My warning alarms went off that another little run may be happening with the political nightmare climate.
   Then - I had to stop by Sportsman's Warehouse and noticed they had a big stash of BE 86. A few days later I stopped by for something else and that stash was almost depleted, and all the other powders that previously had lower stocks seemed really picked. Alarms go off in my head again, and some panic as I thought about years past. Then my internal debate, "Hey, I actually don't mind 700x and need a powder to get power factor for USPSA. BE 86 seems to be liked by those who have used it, it produces good 9mm velocity, it can be used with other calibers like Unique (which also seems to be a favorite for many), and it is a good deal. I don't want to wait around for another powder and then not get anything.... I'll get it and have a good stash and be safe."
   So thanks to the fresh memory of the big shortage and some self induced fear, I too have a nice big jug of BE 86. I still don't have a chrono, but I'll share any findings and thoughts on the loads I test.
   
    @Reloader Fred - Have you shot yours yet? Any thoughts, recommendations, etc.?

   Anyone else have some experience and thoughts to share on this powder in 9mm?
"In God I trust. All others must supply data."

Offline ReloaderFred

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2016, 12:31:21 AM »
Nope, I haven't had a chance to even crack the lid on my keg of BE-86.  I just got back from an out of state match and have been trying to catch up.  I've also been fighting the computer, since Outlook changed their e-mail program and I lost a bunch of data because of it.  Some 20 something computer nerd evidently thought I needed to have my life turned upside down..........  I've got a luncheon to put on Sept. 1st for a retirement group I chair, and the 200+ names on my mailing list suddenly disappeared.  On top of that, most of my calendar reminders are also gone!

But I digress.  I haven't had a chance to do any reloading for a couple of weeks, and the next few weeks are going to be really hectic, so I probably won't get much done for awhile.  I've got a meeting up at the state capitol tomorrow, so another day is shot, and then another trip out of state to spread my parents' ashes at sea with the family.

"Leisure years" are a myth, and don't let anyone tell you different........

Fred

PS:  I hate Bill Gates this week...!!
After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs

Offline Scarlett Pistol

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2016, 01:19:53 AM »
I'm a twenty something computer nerd and I HATE those auto updates windows has been doing! My work laptop was forced to Windows 10 and it's been months of monitors flickering out, audio ports not working, keyboards only connecting correcting through specific USB ports and not others, and on and on. I lost days at work getting everything running again. 

My condolences for your computer problems and my truest condolences for your parents and family.

Happy to wait the time to hear your feedback!
"In God I trust. All others must supply data."

Offline Wobbly

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2016, 08:17:23 AM »
My warning alarms went off that another little run may be happening with the political nightmare climate.


BE-86 might be the last thing on the shelf in that scenario, making it easy to find and a good-to-perfect fit for those in the know.

Having sat thru several of these already, I'm not looking forward to another.

 ;)
In God we trust; On 'Starting Load' we rely.

Offline Scarlett Pistol

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2016, 04:11:08 PM »
Shot through a work up of BE-86 today.

Load:
• Berry 124gr plated round nose
• Used Alliant load data for 125 gr lead round nose. It's 1 gr less than the 124 fmj data. The masters can correct me if I'm wrong for doing so.
• Following Alliant's instructions I dropped 10% and rounded so my starting load was 5.1 gr.

Reloading Thoughts:
It meters very very accurately. Had no problems with it binding up my powder drop. When my shell plate rotates sometimes HP-38 and long shot sort of jump out of the cases, it is only a few little pieces but it gets obnoxious. 700x doesn't seem to do this as much, like the flakes are their own shock absorbing system. BE-86 has had the very least of this happen. Basically on my Hornady AP press it's a dream to reload with.

Side Note:
Having just finished a grad program I am still in an apartment and load on a black and deck portable work bench. It has worked for a good while, but I feel like it isn't the rock solid bench most here use. The powder jumping out of cases may be partially/entirely related to my bench.

Shooting Thoughts:
I didn't have a chrono. I was shooting to practice seeing my sights and call my shots... so I paid attention to the cases, feeling recoil, watching  ejection patterns, etc.

1- Good thing they put stuff in this to reduce muzzle flash, otherwise it'd be a fireworks show. I noticed it the most at 5.1gr, so it may have been related to not getting an optimal burn.
2- Case expansion wasn't fully happening on a consistent basis until I reached the 5.3 gr loads.



3- Cleanliness wasn't something I checked yet since lower charges aren't always as clean (because they don't get the best burn efficiency). I'll take some pictures after each of the next outings when I shoot just one load for 100 rounds straight.
4- Recoil was what would be expected from a powder with this burn rate. If you focus on it and worry about it you'll feel it. If you have a steady grip and focus on the sights and targets the it'll be pretty normal.
6- Accuracy... I am not Joe L. Today I was really trying to call my shots by seeing my sights at a range of 25 yards. I wish I could afford having a Steve Anderson class where he teaches shooting groups because this is a weakness of mine at this slower pace (hard for me to keep a clear mind). Anyways, excuses aside. I was getting groups around 6 inches at 25 yards with 1 shot per second. This isn't a fault of the powder, I knew when I jerked the trigger and pulled the shot.

Conclusion:
I like the powder for the intended purpose I got it for. I always look forward to the feedback, questions, suggestions, etc from the members here. I'm always getting taken to school for a good teaching.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2020, 10:45:48 AM by Wobbly »
"In God I trust. All others must supply data."

Offline robert1804

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2016, 06:22:08 PM »
 I'm a sucker for new reloading goodies, so I tried BE-86. Meters great and it's fairly clean burning. I've had good luck with various 9mm loads and it works best at near max load from the Alliant site. The real surprise was how good it is in .38 spc. +P loads, again at max listed load.

Offline SouperMan

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #13 on: September 20, 2016, 01:41:45 AM »
These results are from my Glock 17 before I switched over to a CZ 75 SP-01 and VV N320.

I love the BE-86, but it took about 3.7gr on 147gr X-Tremes to make PF of about 131.

Tested on a ProChrono, and it was about 76F.

Name: 124gr RMR Match FP
Notes: BE-86, 4.7gr
CCI 500 SPP
1.10" OAL
Mixed Brass
Shots: 15
Average: 1045 FPS
SD: 14 FPS
Min: 1019 FPS
Max: 1070 FPS
Spread: 51 FPS
Power Factor Average: 130
Power Factor Low: 126
Power Factor High: 133
Bullet Weight: 124 grains

Offline 1SOW

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Re: 9mm and Alliant BE86
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2016, 03:45:17 PM »
Likely,  he was using this from Alliant -10%?

9mm Luger   115 gr FMJ   Federal   1.12   4.  Fed 100   BE-86   6.1   1,219   

 

anything