Alliant Pistol/Shotshell
Alliant Power Pistol
Designed for high-performance loads in semi-automatic pistols. Alliant calls it the powder of choice for 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG.
A high-energy powder for people who want everything a semi-auto pistol cartridge has, and it delivers — accuracy and velocity in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and 10mm are genuinely excellent. It is also the most famous flamethrower in common circulation: shooters post daylight-visible fireballs from it, and it smokes. That rules it out for low-light defensive ammunition and makes it unpleasant on an indoor range, and it is happier in larger, higher-pressure cases than in light 9mm target loads where the flash is worst relative to the work being done. Load it for full-power ammunition and it is superb; load it soft and you take all the drawbacks and none of the point.
- full-power 9mm Luger
- .357 SIG
- 10mm Auto
- .40 S&W
Who has Alliant Power Pistol today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $140.95 | $43.10 est. | 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 | $39.95 | $71.39 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) | 0.0889 cc per grain · 0.73 g/cc |
| Burn-rate position | 38 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, 10mm Auto |
Grain shape
Cut flake with a web thick enough to put it below Unique on the chart, carrying enough energy that gas production stays high well down the barrel — which is exactly where the muzzle flash comes from. Degressive flake still means an early pressure peak, so the margin at the top of a load is thinner than its slow-for-a-pistol-powder position suggests.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Alliant markets it as consistent, economical and accurate, with moderate pistol cartridges as a secondary use.
Burn rate
Slower than BE-86, faster than Herco - a high-performance semi-auto pistol 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, 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:
- Winchester WinClean 244 (position 35)
- Alliant Unique (position 36)
- Hodgdon Universal (position 37)
- Shooters World Ultimate Pistol (position 39)
- Vihtavuori N330 (position 40)
- Alliant Herco (position 41)
What reloaders say about it
Unverified community anecdote. The following is a summary of what handloaders report in public forums. It is not manufacturer information, it has not been tested, it may be wrong, and it contains no load data by design. Treat it as colour, not guidance.
Power Pistol's defining community trait is muzzle flash. Users post video of visible daylight fireballs and describe it as a flamethrower load, while simultaneously reporting excellent accuracy and strong velocity. It is generally described as happier in larger, higher-pressure handgun cartridges than in light 9mm loads.
- dramatic muzzle flash, visible in daylight
- reported as smoky
- well regarded for accuracy and velocity despite the flash
- several users argue it suits magnum and larger-capacity handgun cartridges better than light 9mm loads
Availability: Described as intermittently available; one user reports it reappearing after a long absence at a price they considered high.
Reported cautions:
- Not a good candidate where low flash signature matters (low-light defensive use, indoor ranges) based on repeated user reports.
Consensus level: widely held. Drawn from thread 1, thread 2, thread 3.
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.