Hodgdon
Hodgdon Perfect Pattern
A fast-burning shotshell powder for light and extra-light 12-gauge field and target loads.
The fastest powder Hodgdon brands, made for light and extra-light 12-gauge field and target loads. Low charge weight, mild report, low recoil, good ignition — it is a high-volume clay powder and it does that one job well. There is no complexity here and nothing to warn about, other than the obvious: Hodgdon publishes no other gauge and no handgun data for it, and being fast, the charge window is not wide.
- light 12 gauge target loads
- extra-light 12 gauge field loads
- high-volume clay shooting
Who has Hodgdon Perfect Pattern today
Checked October 10In stock at 1 store — lowest in hand $41.43/lb (8 lb at Graf & Sons)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $293.99 | $41.43 | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $40.99 | $78.44 | In stock ↗ |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $265.99 | $39.11 | Out |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 8 lb | $310.99 | $42.80 est. | Out |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 1 lb | $43.99 | $75.43 est. | 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 | Hodgdon |
|---|---|
| Product family | Hodgdon |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | shotshell |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Burn-rate position | 8 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 12 gauge |
Grain shape
Flattened spherical grains, degressive — all their surface working from the moment of ignition, which is what makes a light load quick and soft. The flattened ball form drops through a bushing with essentially no scatter.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Flattened spherical granules. Hodgdon cites its geometry and density for good ignition, superb metering and low charge weights, with mild report and low recoil.
Burn rate
Very fast; the fastest Hodgdon-branded powder charted, just faster than Titewad.
Chart agreement: consistent, but single-publisher - ranked only by Hodgdon (and echoed by the Wolfe/LoadData compilation). No second manufacturer's chart carries it, so the position is uncorroborated. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Shooters World Sparta 100 (position 5)
- Accurate Nitro 100 NF (position 6)
- Alliant e3 (position 7)
- Hodgdon Titewad (position 9)
- Ramshot Competition (position 10)
- Alliant Red Dot (position 11)
Sources
The specifications above come from Hodgdon'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.