Hodgdon CFE
Hodgdon CFE Pistol
A competition and defensive-load handgun powder for the common centrefire pistol cartridges.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Hodgdon |
|---|---|
| Product family | Hodgdon CFE |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Burn-rate position | 49 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 9mm Luger, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 45 ACP |
Carries the Copper Fouling Eraser additive, which Hodgdon says reduces copper fouling and extends the interval between cleanings. Spherical granules meter consistently on progressive presses.
Burn rate
Medium pistol, just slower than HS-6, near Winchester AutoComp and Ramshot True Blue.
Chart agreement: consistent across the three charts that list it Ranked by: Hodgdon, 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:
- Accurate No. 5 (position 46)
- Hodgdon HS-6 (position 47)
- Winchester AutoComp (position 48)
- Ramshot True Blue (position 50)
- Ramshot Silhouette (position 51)
- Vihtavuori 3N37 (position 52)
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.
CFE Pistol has real users who are happy with it, particularly for heavier 9mm bullets, but it carries the same community reputation as its rifle sibling: the copper-eraser chemistry is widely blamed for dirty burning and black fouling.
- reported dirty-burning, attributed to the copper-fouling additive
- satisfied users report good results with heavier 9mm bullets
- at least one thread specifically about not getting it to burn efficiently
Availability: Generally treated as available.
Consensus level: commonly mentioned. Drawn from thread 1, thread 2.
Sources
Other Hodgdon powders
Verify the charge, not just the recipe
Good data gets you a safe starting point. It does not tell you what actually went into the case on stroke 340 — a bridged measure, a double charge, a squib. That is what an RCM Laser Powder Check is for.