Alliant Pistol/Shotshell
Alliant Herco
A heavy shotshell and handgun powder suited to high-base hunting loads across a broad range of gauges, and to magnum revolver cartridges.
An old, bulky, heavy-payload powder that still has a real job: high-base field loads from 10 gauge down to 28, and heavy cast-bullet revolver work. It fills a hull well, which is part of why it burns and meters consistently under a heavy shot charge. Its weakness is the family weakness — run it soft and it smokes and leaves residue, because it needs pressure to burn out. In a serious field shell or a heavy .44 Magnum load it is clean, consistent and thoroughly proven.
- heavy 12 gauge field loads
- 16 gauge hunting loads
- 10 gauge field loads
- heavy .44 Magnum cast loads
Who has Alliant Herco 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) | 0.1122 cc per grain · 0.58 g/cc |
| Burn-rate position | 41 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, .44 Magnum |
Grain shape
Coarse cut flake with a heavy web, which is what places it between the target powders and Blue Dot on the same basic chemistry. The large flake is bulky by design, giving good case fill in a shotshell, but a coarse flake bridges and shears in a tight measure more than a fine one does.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
One of the longest-running powders in the Alliant line. The current version is described as cleaner burning with improved flow.
Burn rate
Slower than Power Pistol, faster than Blue Dot - a heavy shotshell speed.
Chart agreement: DISAGREEMENT — Alliant's own Reloader's Guide orders BE-86 FASTER than Power Pistol and Herco; 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:
- Alliant Power Pistol (position 38)
- Shooters World Ultimate Pistol (position 39)
- Vihtavuori N330 (position 40)
- Winchester Super Field (WSF) (position 42)
- Shooters World Auto Pistol (position 43)
- Vihtavuori N340 (position 44)
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.