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  #1  
Old 10-22-2014, 01:46 PM
sicero sicero is offline
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Default My experience with LITTLE GUN

Only one persons experience.

I pulled the bullets and dumped all the little gun loads I had for my AH.
"around 200" We shot a lot of these in the prairie dog towns a couple
years ago with no problem. 10.5gr in the 17 AH.

When I got them out last summer, I couldn't hold a 5" group at 35 yd.
Some went in sideways. I cleaned the barrel till I was blue in the face
to no avail.
I dumped the powder out of a few and replaced it with 1680 and put the same bullets back in. It shot bug holes like usual. I dumped every bit of lil gun I had.

My intentions were to rechamber the rifle to 17 HH after the ammo for the AH was gone.
I cut the threads off and rechambered to 17 HH and it shoots factory as good as anything I would load. I did this primarily so my wife can buy factory ammo if she so desires. I have not reloaded for it as of yet. Kenny
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  #2  
Old 10-22-2014, 04:23 PM
Daryl Daryl is offline
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That is really interesting Kenny. Most of my AH LG loads are now 1 to 2 years old. They still hold tiny groups in the Pac-Nor barrel. My loads for THIS barrel are much lower than the other barrels I had - ie: new barrel prefers 10.1 in WW brass and 10.2gr. in RP brass.
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  #3  
Old 10-22-2014, 05:07 PM
Chuck Miller Chuck Miller is offline
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Default lil gun

I think it's the high nitro content. I know if I drop it in a case and poor it right back out, the inside is coated with it. I literally have to blow it out with a high pressure air nozzle. Same thing with my hopper on my powder thrower. Anything else just rolls out but not Lilgun. I pulled down some 22 Hornet ammo that was 4years old and had to take a paperclip and dig the powder out of the brass, it had solidified to some point and came out in chunks.

I stopped using it because of the wild FPS variances, but that's not uncommon with this powder. Seems there are 2 groups, one that swears by it and the other that swears at it.
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  #4  
Old 10-22-2014, 05:08 PM
sgtg sgtg is offline
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Default Lil Gun

I will be testing Lil Gun in the 20 Boomer and the 17 HH Saturday. Have loaded 9.7 gns with 20 Zmax fast and accurate and no problems, but I say that with caution because I bought 2 cans (Lil Gun) yesterday, so its a new lot. I've heard of big lot to lot variations, not sure what happened with yours but its obvious its touchy stuff. sicero; I appreciate your post as a reminder to me this Saturday. sgtg out
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  #5  
Old 10-22-2014, 05:31 PM
Bill K Bill K is offline
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Location: N.E. Kommie Kalifornia
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Default My Experience with Lil'gun

Lil'gun is one powder that you love or hate.. I found I did not like the way it is so sensitive to pressure. So I just use other powders and get good accuracy, etc. Just my opinion. Bill K
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  #6  
Old 10-22-2014, 09:06 PM
Tilleyman Tilleyman is offline
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I did some initial load development in my 17 Hornet with Lil Gun... found it difficult to work with, tended to clump together and not trickle smoothly... and also softened the paint inside my Redding powder trickler

SD's pretty high vs alternative powders like VV N-120, and its quite difficult to find in Australia... so abandoned further work.

Note the difference in velocity after 9.8gr accuracy node... additional .1gr increments actually result in a slight DECREASE in velocity up to 10.0gr.
Also the difference in SD just by swapping primers from Federal 205M to RWS 4033 (I was put onto RWS 4033 primers by a very successful benchrester who shared a secret... they are noticeably more consistent than even Federal Benchrest 205M primers in small cases).

May continue load development in a 22 Hornet but not in the much higher pressure bottle necked 17 Hornet.


Last edited by Tilleyman; 10-22-2014 at 11:55 PM. Reason: Clarification...
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  #7  
Old 10-22-2014, 09:22 PM
Daryl Daryl is offline
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I have to use what I can get.

LG I could get for a number of years and ran about 9,000 .22 Hornets with it, never losing a case to expanded pockets - nor splits. I crimped my bullets and used only small pistol primers in the first CZ, then found the second rifle would also shoot rifle primers so I used those - CCI400's, Fed 205's and WSR. I had great results with the first hornet running 3,340fps with 40gr., and 3,357fps av. with Nosler BT's. The 45 gr. ran just at 3,200fps using 13.8gr. (RP brass) and the 50 Hornady SP's ran 3,080fps with 13.5gr. - again nothing but brass RP cases which hold roughly 1 gr. more than WW cases- almost 10%. WW296 also gave similar speeds with BobD's loads for strong actions. I have now retired my second .22 Hornet- 2,000rounds which ran 100fps slower than the first one, same loads. It also showed SD's in the teens - crimped loads- Lee Crimp die.

I also used LG in the AH as I could not get 1680, nor 120 - just not available here.

It's so bad trying to buy powder here, I've now started trying H322 in the .17AH. Seems to shoot OK but with sup-par speeds.

That is also one reason I'm going to re-chamber my .17AH to .17Rem- the medium burners I can get - sometimes and I have several pounds of W760 and H414 which are the same powder and work in the .17Rem with 25gr. bullets.

My current CZ Hornet barrel has been retired - ruined it trying to get it off the action. Had to cut it around at the front of the receiver to relieve that hoop stress to get it loose and still could not get it off - must be glued on with epoxy as well. Seem to recall reading that, now. I didn't use heat prior to this 'revelation'.

I-too hate the way it imbeds into the plastic reservoir - must be removed forth-with upon finishing loading that day. A rubber hammer handle scrubs it off easily, however one must consider if there has been a chemical change?
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  #8  
Old 10-22-2014, 09:33 PM
ramos ramos is offline
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Never used this powder. Sure have read some alarming stories about it, however. Sounds like some REAL GOOD stuff!


Before you remind me: I know there are guys who love it and have only great things to say about it.......
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  #9  
Old 10-22-2014, 11:28 PM
dungheap dungheap is offline
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I had the good fortune to be able to GIVE what LilGun I had left in my first and only one pound to a friend who was reloading .410 shotshells. I never had any luck with it in my .17AH or anything else I tried it in. One more space in the powder cabinet.
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  #10  
Old 10-23-2014, 12:55 AM
varmintshooter varmintshooter is offline
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Well, when I first started working up a load for my 221 fb I tried several powders but LILGUN gave much higher velocity with good accuracy. Seemed like all of a sudden I was getting fliers and I mean fliers. I don't know if it was luck in the beginning or what, but I will say that I won't be buying any more LILGUN for my 221 fb. I never had pressure signs and the gun still shoots good groups with some of the other powders. Guess I loved it and now hate it.
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