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Powder choices and why

2K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  noylj 
#1 ·
I load pistol calibers 380, 9, 38, 357, 25 acp.

I started off with an 8 lbs jug of titegroup and will be working on it for a while, at some point I tried 800x on the 25 simply because on the load data it was the heaviest charge, at about a whopping ,1.8 gr vs 1.1gr, since I used some universal for shotguns, but I have accumulated several other powder, just because, I thought I may run out of the at some point, haven't opened them yet.
I don't Chrono my loads and don't get too excited about performance, lately I have been loading cast, powder coated at about .2 gr below Max and called it good, they function just fine,

So I was wondering if I cracked open a jug of w231 os accurate #2 would it make a difference?
 
#2 ·
What are you trying to achieve?

Trying different load combinations is part of the fun of reloading for me. I'd suggest some sort of objective testing for your loads. Since you don't chronograph them, do ladder testing to determine accuracy. Compare to see which powders and loads leave more residue. What combination creates the most or least recoil.

Experimenting is a big part of the fun for me.
 
#4 ·
What are you loading for?
Plinking/enjoyment?
Accuracy at 25/50 yards?
Action Pistol/falling plates/bowling pins?
All have their own favorites, but for accuracy:
.380: Unique works well. Also, AA5 and 231/HP38
9x19: So far, for accuracy, Power Pistol is the powder to beat. For minor loads, AA2, Solo 1000, and other work well, but not very accurate.
.38 Spl: Any powder from Bullseye to Unique can work. For wadcutters, AA2, Red Dot, and Bullseye.
.357 Mag: for near max loads, 2400 has been most accurate and 296/H110 gives max velocity. For mid-range loads, try Unique or Herco.
.25 Auto: never tried it. 3N37 might be very good.
 
#5 ·
Way back in the days that I started to reload I was looking at cost. What I've found is that faster burning powders usually take less powder. So I've pretty much stuck with the Accurate family of powders. #2, #5, #7, and #9.
 
#6 ·
I don't experiment much with handguns. If they go bang, it's pretty good for me. Problem is I've never got to where I could shoot a 1/2" at 100 yds with a handgun. Shoot I don't even shoot at paper at 7 yds! I shoot handgun's at stuff! So I tend to not go through a lot of different powder for any of them. Shoot about 99.9% cast bullet's and generally look for Red Dot loads because I've got a ton of the stuff. Never realized how big a keg you could get it at one time. I've got a 12# keg and a couple new plastic cans of it!

A big probem with me is I'm not sure how to read pressure with such fast powder's so I don't fool with it the way I would with a rifle. I don't think, no, pretty sure of it, in a handgun, I've never got close to a max load, afraid of it! Got to know your limitations! :)
 
#8 ·
I like Titegroup and it is about all I use in the auto-loaders. I am like Don in that I do not experiment with pistol loads, I load "middle of the road" and just shoot them. I have never done a ladder test on them. It might be a different story if I were shooting them at 50+ yards, but I don't. I do occasionally shoot at 50 yards but not as much as I used to, my normal shooting distance now is 10-15 yards.
 
#9 ·
Recently I realized I had several hundred rounds of various calibers, waiting to be tested. I have mebbe 16, one pound bottles of various powders and will try a load, and bag up a few rounds for testing (16 for my Garand, two cylinders full for my revolvers, and 10-12 for my semi-autos). Since I have way more time to reload than I have time to shoot, I've accumulated quite a few test rounds. I like reloading so developing a load is as important to me as shooting, and like the OP, many powder/bullet combinations are "just because"...
 
#10 ·
I ended up with about 7 pounds of Bluedot, and have been playing with it in both the .38 and .44 Specials. Six grains in the .38 Special and a 147 grain truncated cone cast bullet, lit with a CCI small pistol primer is very accurate. In the .44 Special I'm using eight grains with a 240 grain cast swc lit with a CCI magnum pistol primer. This is very accurate and burns very clean also.
 
#12 ·
I'm not particularly trying to accomplish much other that function, I usually shoot at a dirt mound, about 10-15 yards standing, lately I had a pallet up against it, to which I staple some junk mail just to see where they go, some firearms I can keep a whole mag inside a paper plate others are all over,
I load .2 gr below Max, individualy weigh my charges, even sort my cast bullets by weight as they vary some, no complaints with what I have done so far just like many others I have more time to load than shoot and more time to shop arround than load, hence I asked what others preffer for next time I look at powder.

Maybe I'll try shooting from a rest at some point
 
#16 ·
We're all different, thankfully. I check nearly all my handguns at the usual 7 yards just 'cuz. Where I live one never knows if he may have need to bop a copperhead, 'dillo or some two legged varmint...the latter having never been necessary but a fella never knows.

Though I don't shoot handguns as much as I did 20+ years ago, (something to do with arthritic thumbs), when I do I want to stretch their legs. The little stuff and semi-auto's I rarely shoot very far but most of my revolvers, even the shorty's, see more use at 100 yards plus than they do at 25. My favorite range to shoot my good revolvers is 300 yards. For those distances the one thing a person needs is accuracy. Shooting that far does not require a barn burning load but it must be accurate. The most accurate loads I've used in my handguns have usually ended up with a medium burning handgun powder with Unique often being the powder of choice. If the need arises for more horsepower I'll go to one of the slow burning powders with it being a toss up among 2400, H-110 and 296. IMR-4227 has turned in some excellent results also.

I do chrono my serious loads and mostly shoot 44 Spl. and 45 Colt with the standard 240 and 255 gr. cast bullets. I like to have them running about 1000 fps. For me and my purposes/needs that has worked out to be a very effective velocity. Neither screaming nor sedentary. Factory ammo for the semi-auto's and plinking loads for revolvers I have never run across the screens.

As to whether 231 will make a difference there's only one way to know, try it.
 
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#17 ·
Doesn't seem like anyone uses Bullseye or 700x in handgun's anymore. Shoot I haven't either for years. Bulleseye was my favorite powder with a 148 gr wadcutter. 2 1/2grs was really accurate. Tried Herco and can't recommend that stuff. Old friend died years ago and I got a suitcase of Super Balistite powder. I did find a very little load data and what worked well was 2 1/2grs? Sounds like Bullseye! Don't remember where I found the data, anyone else know where to find data for it? Still have most of it.
 
#18 ·
>Way back in the days that I started to reload I was looking at cost. What I've found is that faster burning powders usually take less powder. So I've pretty much stuck with the Accurate family of powders. #2, #5, #7, and #9.

Just a comment: unless your bullets are FREE, powder cost is why less than the cost of bullets and still less than the cost of primers; however, then you mention almost the complete range of handgun burn rate powder with AA2 to AA9. I guess you haven't REALLY restricted yourself to just fast powders.

>Why 3n37, never heard of it, nor do I believe I have data for it, I chose 800x because o figured it be easiest to meter those tiny loads, thou by weight not necessarily volume it was the largest charge,

1) very small cartridges, like .22 LR and .25 Auto, often do best with slower powders. 3N37 is the powder VV developed for high velocity .22 LR.
800X meters? Really? You can weigh it just fine (as I am sure are doing), but it would be a total disaster for use in a volumetric measure at the low charge weights required.
 
#19 ·
Bullseye is a great pistol powder. I went with Unique because it also works well in pistols, and a few of my loads prefer it over Bullseye (like the .45 Colt). Another reason was that many years ago, when Bullseye was my preferred powder, it became scarce in my area for a while so that was when I tried Unique and stuck with it. Both also work well in a wide range of both cast and jacketed bullets for many pistol calibers.

I've been wrong a few times before ;), but I am leery about loading up ammo with 'the hottest new powders'. I tend to stick with the powders that have been around a long time and are time proven performers. Unique and Bullseye are both in that class.
 
#20 ·
Back in the '70s, I tried several powders in my .45 Auto and found Unique gave my best accuracy with my own cast 200gn L-SWC bullets.
In the late '80s or early '90s, Unique seemed to change and suddenly 452AA was the most accurate. When 452AA was discontinued, 231/HP38 became my preferred powder for .45.
Today, I like 231/HP38, Red Dot, Bullseye, and AA2.
 
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