Winchester
Winchester AutoComp
Built for competition race guns running compensators, with a burn speed chosen to deliver a higher gas volume to the compensator. Winchester states competitors get faster follow-up shots with minimal muzzle flash.
A purpose-built race-gun powder: the burn rate was chosen to put more gas through a compensator, which is a different design goal from making a clean minor load. In .38 Super and 9mm Open guns it does exactly what it was made for, with the comp working harder, the muzzle staying down and low flash. In a stock gun it is unremarkable and slower than you need. Do not buy it for practice ammo; buy it if you shoot a comp.
- .38 Super Open division
- 9mm Major comp loads
- comped .40 S&W
Who has Winchester AutoComp today
Checked October 10In stock at 2 stores — lowest in hand $47.93/lb (8 lb at Hodgdon (direct))
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 8 lb | $351.99 | $47.93 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 8 lb | $350.99 | $48.55 | In stock ↗ |
| Hodgdon (direct)Terms not published | 1 lb | $50.99 | $82.43 est. | In stock ↗ |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $47.99 | $85.44 | In stock ↗ |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 8 lb | $219.99 | $31.43 est. | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 8 lb | $304.99 | $43.99 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $31.99 | $63.43 est. | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $42.99 | $89.89 | 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 →
Official Winchester load data →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Winchester |
|---|---|
| Product family | Winchester |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0787 cc per grain · 0.82 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Flash suppressant | Yes |
| Burn-rate position | 48 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 38 Super, 9mm Luger, 45 ACP, 40 S&W |
Grain shape
Spherical ball, degressive, and it meters precisely on a progressive, which matters when you are loading competition ammunition by the thousand. Its medium burn rate simply keeps gas production going longer behind the bullet, and that is what a compensator feeds on.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Winchester canister propellants are spherical BALL POWDER products made in the USA; the round kernels meter precisely through volumetric powder measures. Not listed as temperature stable.
Burn rate
Medium handgun speed, slower than Winchester Super Field and faster than Winchester 572.
Chart agreement: consistent across charts - listed in the same relative neighbourhood by every publisher that carries it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Alliant BE-86 (position 45)
- Accurate No. 5 (position 46)
- Hodgdon HS-6 (position 47)
- Hodgdon CFE Pistol (position 49)
- Ramshot True Blue (position 50)
- Ramshot Silhouette (position 51)
Sources
The specifications above come from Winchester'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.