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New 300 BLK Powder from Hodgdon

Hodgdon CFE BLK powder

Hodgdon announced a new product that might be the best new powder for loading the 300 BLK cartridge. Called the CFE BLK, the new spherical powder was formulated to provide reliable functioning of an AR-style rifle regardless of the bullet weight used. Both super- and subsonic loads are said to work very well with the CFE BLK.

This powder is similar to the previously released CFE 223 powder in that they help reduce copper fouling. CFE actually stands for “copper fouling eraser.” The powder is considered fine and should meter well. CFE 223 was introduced prior to the 2012 SHOT Show and seems to have done very well.

300 blk powder

Although this powder is clearly being marketed to the growing number of 300 BLK fans, it is also suitable for a range of other calibers. According to Hodgdon, the CFE BLK powder is also a good choice for the:

  • .17 Hornet,
  • .17 Ackley Hornet,
  • .218 Bee,
  • .221 Fireball,
  • 6.8 SPC,
  • 7.62×39,
  • and “many more” cartridges.

All of the load recipes will be available for this powder on Hodgdon’s reloading site starting in December.

Hodgdon expects to ship this powder beginning in January of 2017. Both one and eight pound containers will be available. Personally, I am very interested in trying this out as I just recently decided to build my own 300 BLK rifle for hog hunting. As much as I like the Full Boar and other specialty loads, having a specialty powder that is optimized for this round could help make for some very good handloads.

Without a doubt, there are already some good choices in powders for loading the 300 BLK cartridge. The question will be whether this new offering from Hodgdon will surpass what is already on the market. As the powder was specifically designed for the .30 caliber cartridge, I suspect that it will offer some benefits over many of its current competitors. But until it is in the hands of the consumer, it is speculation only.

Are you already loading for the 300 BLK? If so, what are you using and for what purpose?

Last Update June 19, 2022

By Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

3 replies on “New 300 BLK Powder from Hodgdon”

Hodgdon’s version of AA 1680?? Guess we will have to wait until the load data comes out.

I use H110 for supersonic 175gr. and under and also for subsonic 200gr and above.
If I can find CFEBLK I will order some and try it.

Using CFE-BLK for all loads from 150-208 grain projectiles. Subsonic loads were good to go on the first try 168-208). From checking load data, 150’s are maybe 50 fps slower with CFE-BLK than H110/W296, but the pressure is close to 20K less with CFE-Blk. 50 yard accuracy was very good too.

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