Technical reference
Hi-Skor 800-X Is Gone. Here's What to Load Instead.
Where 800-X went, and the in-production powders that do the same jobs
October 12, 2026
A reader asked our on-site assistant where to buy Hi-Skor 800-X. The honest answer is that, for now, you mostly can't.
Hodgdon has dropped 800-X from its current catalogue and its relative burn-rate chart. On 12 October 2026 we checked every retailer in our powder search plus the big names outside it, and none had it in stock. Powder Valley still carries an 8 lb listing, sold out. Sportsman's Warehouse marks the 1 lb can as unlikely to return. A few cans will turn up on local shelves, and that's about it.
If you have 800-X on the bench, keep using it. Hodgdon still publishes 800-X data in its Reloading Data Center. For everyone else, here is what to load next.
What 800-X actually did
800-X is a coarse, medium-speed flake, much slower than its sibling 700-X. It earned its place in two jobs: heavy shotshell field loads from 10 to 28 gauge, and high-performance handgun loads, chiefly 10mm Auto and .44 Magnum.
Any replacement has to cover the same ground. That puts you in a fairly tight band of powders, and the right one depends on which of those two jobs you were using it for.
The substitutes
These are all current production. Stock shown is from our nightly retailer check and changes daily, so confirm on the powder search before you plan around one.
| Powder | Form | Best match for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alliant Herco | Flake | Heavy field loads, 10–28 ga; .44 Mag | Closest in kind: another heavy-shotshell flake doing the same jobs. Often hard to find. |
| Hodgdon Longshot | Spherical | Heavy and long-range field loads, 12–28 ga; high-velocity handgun | The usual swap. Meters far better than a coarse flake. In stock at Hodgdon direct. |
| Hodgdon HS-6 | Spherical | 10mm Auto; heavy field loads, 10–28 ga | Covers both of 800-X's jobs. In stock at Hodgdon direct. |
| Alliant Blue Dot | Flake | Magnum lead shotshell; .41 and .44 Mag | Slower than Herco. Choose it when your 800-X loads were at the heavy end. |
| Vectan AO | Flake | Field loads, including bismuth and other non-toxic shot | Shooters World places it in the same band as Herco, 800-X and Longshot. |
Which one, in short
- Shotshell field loads: Longshot if you can't find Herco. Herco if you can, and you liked how 800-X behaved.
- 10mm Auto: HS-6 first, then Longshot.
- .44 Magnum: Herco for the middle of the range, Blue Dot toward the top.
- Non-toxic shot: Vectan AO, from Shooters World's own data.
Do not carry your 800-X charges over
None of these is a drop-in replacement. Start from the new powder's own published data at the starting charge and work up, the same as with any new powder.
Watch your measure, too. Longshot and HS-6 are spherical and pack far denser than a coarse flake, so the bushing or setting that threw your 800-X charge will throw a very different weight now. Re-set the measure and verify charges on a scale before you load.
Still looking for 800-X?
We will update this page if 800-X turns up in stock anywhere we track. If you want a person to let you know, use the Ask a question button at the bottom of the page and leave your email address under the answer.
Elsewhere on the Desk
- Shape Is the Product — How smokeless powder is actually made, and why every grain looks the way it does
- The Propellant Squeeze — Gunpowder costs, supply, and industry direction — August 2026
- Who Actually Makes Your Powder — The dozen facilities behind every label on the shelf — and where each stands in 2026
- The Great Unbundling — How the powder industry took itself apart — and why it is putting itself back together
- The powder directory — 228 powders, verified against the makers' own documentation
- Prices & availability — what a pound costs in hand, sampled from retailers that permit it
- The merged burn-rate chart