Alliant BE-86
Very similar in performance to Power Pistol, but with dramatically less muzzle flash. 
new Hornady Brass with 13.80 Capacity. 

9.5 grains almost fills case
Starline Nickel:  13.50 Grain case cap.
new Xtreme Brass ~12.72 case capacity.  Fits a lot less BE86 than Hornady case

Alliant BE-86
This is a small flake powder.  Depending on your case volume, you can fit just a tad more into a case than say, Power Pistol. 
This powder is extremely similar performance to Power Pistol except with about ~.5 grains less or so...to give similar velocity and pressure.  Generally.  We see no reason to use Power Pistol at all, when this exists. 
As far as flake powders go, our favorite before this was IMR 4756, but that is discontinued.  So now, BE-86 takes the crown for what we think is the best flake powder for 9 MM.  It can do near 1800 FPS in 65 grain Lehigh loads, and has good performance in the comparable ballpark to anything for all weights up to 147.  It has a good degree of versatility. 
We noticed after shooting, the cases are slightly warmer than many other powders here, with the exception of Titegroup, which also heats up your gun/cases.  This really doesn't matter, but we noticed it.

You want what we think is the best flake powder on the market?  We think it is probably BE-86, give it a try.
So...what about BE-86 and what do some cases look like?
 
  • Starline Nickel Case 13.5 grn capacity
  • Fiocchi Primer
  • 9.5 grains
  • 1.100 OAL
  • 65 Grain Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defender
  • 1765 FPS


  • Winchester Case 13.25 grn capacity
  • CCI 500 Primer
  • 6.4 grains
  • 1.095 OAL
  • 124 Grain Precision Delta HP
  • 1300 FPS


  • Winchester Case 13.25 grn capacity
  • Fiocchi Primer
  • 6.3 grains
  • 1.100 OAL
  • 115 Grain Hornady HAP
  • 1275 FPS


  • Winchester Case 13.25 grn capacity
  • Fiocchi Primer
  • 5.8 grains
  • 1.095 OAL
  • 124 Grain Precision Delta HP
  • 1205 FPS


  • Winchester Case 13.25 grn capacity
  • Fiocchi Primer
  • 5.4 grains
  • 1.095 OAL
  • 124 Grain Precision Delta HP
  • 1170 FPS


Alliant BE-86
Some of these loads are above any manufacturer data.  Load at your own risk.  What we load doesn't mean it will be safe for you. Do not load above recommended manufacturer book maximums.

Pretty accurate.  This is with a Springfilend XD(M) with Venom Red Dot @ about 5 yards.  Some loads were well above average accuracy and very good velocity. 

The Lehigh Defense 65 grain Xtreme Defender load there on lower left, notice the larger holes in paper.  It does this even at lower, near 1500 velocity while others don't at same velocity.  I think its because the bullets are made on a CNC machine, and have finer cut edges, versus other bullets that are made in mold, etc.
Some of the loads we tried
Load at your own risk.  What we load doesn't mean it will be safe for you. Do not load above recommended manufacturer book maximums.

Included in light blue are several high performance Factory, commercial bought ammunition for reference
Flash Comparison
BE86 among larger flash powders for pistol.  But better than Power Pistol and Blue Dot. 
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