Vectan
Nobel Sport Vectan Ba9-1/2
A fast handgun powder filling the gap between Ba10 and Ba9, with unusually broad cartridge coverage for its burn speed.
Sits between Ba10 and Ba9, near Red Dot, 700-X and N320, with unusually broad cartridge coverage for a powder this fast - .38 Special through .45 Colt and most of the common autos. Nobel Sport also compares it to Solo 1000 and WSH. Practically, it is a European powder you will be lucky to find on a US shelf, and the data comes through Shooters World.
- 38 Special
- 45 ACP
- 9mm Luger target loads
- 45 Colt
Who has Nobel Sport Vectan Ba9-1/2 today
Checked October 10None of the retailers we track list Nobel Sport Vectan Ba9-1/2 right now. See what is in stock.
Official Nobel Sport Vectan load data →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Nobel Sport Vectan |
|---|---|
| Product family | Vectan |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol |
| Grain form | extruded |
| Composition | single-base |
| Typical cartridges | 9mm Luger, 38 Super, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 40 S&W, 44 Special, 44 Magnum, 45 ACP, 45 Colt |
Grain shape
Single-base extruded rod, small enough to meter passably but not like a ball powder. Thin web sets the speed - within the Ba series the numbers are essentially a web-thickness ladder built on one stick geometry.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Single-base stick grain. Nobel Sport also compares it to Scot Solo 1000 and Winchester WSH. Vectan is French-made Nobel Sport propellant; Shooters World is the current US distributor and publishes the US load data.
This powder is obscure enough in the US that its practical character is thinly documented. The note above is deliberately short rather than padded.
Sources
The specifications above come from Nobel Sport Vectan'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.