Alliant Pistol/Shotshell
Alliant American Select
A clean-burning target shotshell powder that Alliant also lists for Cowboy Action handgun loading.
A soft, clean, near single-base flake that behaves more gently than most of the Alliant line. It is a genuinely good light 12 gauge target powder and the sensible pick for cowboy action loads in .45 Colt and .38 Special, where you want complete combustion at low pressure without a sharp recoil impulse. The catch is the one every fast powder in a big case brings: the charge occupies almost nothing in a .45 Colt, so a double is possible and invisible in the case mouth. It has no business under heavy field payloads.
- light 12 gauge target loads
- cowboy action .45 Colt
- cowboy action .38 Special
Who has Alliant American Select today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 8 lb | $219.99 | $31.43 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $119.99 | $37.86 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $331.99 | $46.18 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $368.99 | $51.99 | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $183.99 | $55.36 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 4 lb | $201.99 | $62.22 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $32.99 | $64.43 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $49.99 | $87.44 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $53.99 | $100.89 | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Alliant |
|---|---|
| Product family | Alliant Pistol/Shotshell |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | shotshell, pistol |
| Grain form | flake |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.1341 cc per grain · 0.48 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Burn-rate position | 20 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 12 gauge, .45 Colt, .38 Special |
Grain shape
Cut circular flake with very little nitroglycerin in the mix, so it is fast without being violent — the flake surface lights nearly all at once and is spent early, which is why felt recoil is soft and why an overcharge has nowhere to go but pressure. Thin flakes bridge less than sticks but can shear in a charge bar, so verify thrown weights when you change lots.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Alliant's reloader's guide describes American Select as near single-base, containing only a small amount of nitroglycerin. Marketed for clean burning, good patterns and reduced felt recoil.
Burn rate
Fast burning, between Clay Dot and Sport Pistol on Alliant's list.
Chart agreement: DISAGREEMENT — Alliant's own Reloader's Guide orders American Select FASTER than Sport Pistol; this list, following the Hodgdon spine, reverses that pair. Ranked here per the Hodgdon chart used as this list's spine. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Alliant, Vihtavuori, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Alliant Sport Pistol (position 17)
- Hodgdon High Gun (position 18)
- Hodgdon Titegroup (position 19)
- Accurate Solo 1000 (position 21)
- Alliant Green Dot (position 22)
- Winchester Super Target (WST) (position 23)
Sources
The specifications above come from Alliant's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.