Hodgdon
Hodgdon Trail Boss
Built for low-velocity lead-bullet Cowboy Action loads, primarily in handguns with some rifle application.
The bulk powder. Its whole reason for existing is that a light cast-bullet charge fills a .45 Colt or .45-70 case instead of lying in the bottom of it, which makes a double charge overflow rather than hide — the case fill is the safety feature. It is temperature stable and it flows well, and it is the sensible answer for cowboy action, light lead loads and subsonic cast rifle work. Against it: it is low-energy by design, it comes in small canisters because of its density, its availability has been erratic enough that people doubted its return, and case fill varies by cartridge more than forum memory suggests.
- cowboy action 45 Colt
- light 38 Special loads
- cast-bullet 45-70 Government
- subsonic cast rifle loads
Who has Hodgdon Trail Boss today
Checked October 10In stock at 1 store — lowest in hand $86.22/lb (2 lb at Graf & Sons)
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 2 lb | $134.99 | $86.22 | In stock ↗ |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 5 lb | $270.95 | $60.48 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 2 lb | $109.99 | $70.71 est. | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 2 lb | $122.99 | $84.94 | Out |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 2 lb | $163.96 | $97.70 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 | pistol, rifle |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.2172 cc per grain · 0.30 g/cc |
| Composition | single-base |
| Temperature stable | Yes — claimed by the manufacturer |
| Burn-rate position | 24 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 45 Colt, 38 Special, 45-70 Government, 38-40 Winchester |
Grain shape
Hollow doughnut-shaped extruded flakes — enormous bulk for very little mass, which is the entire design. That bulk means it will not take useful compression and the granules crush rather than pack, so a gentle hand at the measure matters.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Very bulky, low-density granules giving high loading density — the case fill is the safety feature Hodgdon emphasises, since it is difficult to double charge. Hodgdon also cites good flow through measures and stability across severe temperature swings. Sold in smaller canisters than most Hodgdon powders because of its low density.
Burn rate
Fast, between Alliant Green Dot and Winchester Super Handicap.
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 Solo 1000 (position 21)
- Alliant Green Dot (position 22)
- Winchester Super Target (WST) (position 23)
- Winchester Super Handicap (position 25)
- Shooters World Clean Shot (position 26)
- Hodgdon International (position 27)
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.
Trail Boss occupies a strange place in the community: discontinued, then reportedly back in limited production, and treated with open skepticism until people see stock listings. The affection for it is about its bulk — it fills large cases usefully for light cast-bullet and subsonic loads — and about easier cleanup than black powder.
- prized for very high bulk / case fill in large-capacity cartridges
- favored for light cast-bullet, cowboy-action and subsonic loads
- reputation for being easier to clean up after than black powder
- its own return to production was met with community disbelief until proven
Availability: Reported as trickling back into stock in 2025-2026 in small containers, at prices users describe as a rip-off, sometimes with shipping costs exceeding the product. Users in Australia (where it is made) report sporadic availability there too and advise not expecting prices to normalize.
Reported cautions:
- A cautionary thread exists where a user's expectation of case fill did not match reality — an illustration that even a bulk powder's fill behavior varies by cartridge and should be verified against current published data, not forum memory.
Consensus level: widely held. Drawn from thread 1, thread 2.
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.