Alliant Pistol/Shotshell
Alliant Bullseye
Alliant's classic fast-burning pistol powder, aimed principally at handgun target loads. The company singles out .45 ACP target shooting as its signature use.
The powder that defined target pistol shooting for the better part of a century, and still the reference for .45 ACP hardball and wadcutter accuracy. It is very fast, very energetic and very economical — charges are tiny, which is both the appeal and the hazard, because a double charge in a .45 ACP or .38 Special case is easy to throw and impossible to see. It meters beautifully for a flake and is consistent lot to lot. Where people go wrong is treating it as general-purpose: put it behind a heavy bullet in a big case and it runs out of room long before it runs out of velocity.
- .45 ACP target loads
- .38 Special wadcutters
- bullseye pistol competition
- .32 S&W Long
Who has Alliant Bullseye 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 | $305.95 | $42.17 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $158.95 | $47.60 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $347.99 | $48.18 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $385.99 | $54.11 | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $186.99 | $56.11 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 4 lb | $205.99 | $63.22 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $40.95 | $72.39 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $51.99 | $89.44 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $55.99 | $102.89 | 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 | pistol |
| Grain form | flake |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.1064 cc per grain · 0.61 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Burn-rate position | 16 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | .45 ACP, .38 Special, .32 S&W Long |
Grain shape
Tiny circular flakes with a thin web and a high nitroglycerin content — that combination is precisely why it burns as fast as it does. Degressive in the extreme: the whole surface lights and the gas is out early, which is superb behind light bullets in short barrels and completely unforgiving of an overcharge.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
One of the highest-nitroglycerin formulations Alliant publishes, which is why it is firmly double-base. Alliant describes it as fast burning, consistent and economical, and it is among the longest-running products in the line.
Burn rate
One of the fastest handgun powders Alliant lists; positioned between Red Dot and Promo.
Chart agreement: DISAGREEMENT — Alliant's own Reloader's Guide orders Bullseye FASTER than Promo and Clay Dot; this list, following the Hodgdon spine, orders them the other way. Ranked here per the Hodgdon chart used as this list's spine. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Alliant, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Hodgdon Clays (position 13)
- Alliant Clay Dot (position 14)
- Hodgdon Hi-Skor 700-X (position 15)
- Alliant Sport Pistol (position 17)
- Hodgdon High Gun (position 18)
- Hodgdon Titegroup (position 19)
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.