I personally would never argue with the over priced, overrated and outdated ABC book so you give a good answer there.
It was suggested by more than one person as being a good introduction. I'm pretty sure it is also one suggested in one of the sticky threads.
But to your question on selecting powders considering that since there are probably 50 or so shotgun and/or pistol powders that you can use and if you look hard enough will find published data on probably all of them. There are also more than that many, probably 100s of bullets to select.
Yes, many powders, many bullets. So I suppose I could ask exactly what to start with on this forum, and possibly get as many different answers as I got replies. Which would only confuse me more. Then availability of a specific powder and specific bullet could complicate things even further. The advice of one trusted individual can be priceless; but the conflicting advice of a dozen unknown individuals can be just the opposite. Not because the advice of any of those people is incorrect, just because it is too much information to process. So whilst I truly DO appreciate all the advice and the answers I have been offered, in the end it's up to me to decide what to do with that advice.
So lacking your instincts I would first evaluate just exactly what my goals and plans for said ammo. For example, hunting round, target load, personal defense, big loud bang with flames. I would select a powder and bullet based on the intended task. It's just me but I would use magnum primers for anything approaching magnum loads because deep down in my spleen I have the crazy notion that magnum primers are a bit tougher than standard primers. Opinions differ on that one though.
My goals are two fold. Firstly, to create powerful and accurate self defense rounds for woods carry (hiking, camping, backpacking). This would include both 2 and 4 legged threats, but without the concern of over-penetration that is typically of concern in urban areas. Secondly, to create target loads that come close to mimicking the recoil and POI of the defense loads, so that I can practice with something approximating what I carry in the wild. The target loads would also grant me the ability to practice on a far more regular basis than I have previously been able to afford.
A third possible application would be to create lower powered .44 Magnum loads with relatively light HP bullets, for urban self defense carry. Something equal to, or slightly exceeding the velocities of the "boutique" .44 Special self defense loads offered by the likes of Double Tap (my current choice) and Buffalo Bore. But in a .44 Magnum case. This is not in the forefront of my mind at present, due to my inexperienced and the potential legal implications should I ever need to use such ammunition in a self defense situation. And so will require some serious thought down the road.
Your statement about Alliant 2400 gives the impression, right or wrong, that it is one awesome smokeless pistol powder and I was just curious as to how you came to know this information. Not saying it isn't awesome just want to know how you found out about it's abilities.
I would not say I believe it to be an "awesome" powder. I am fully aware that I don't know enough to make such an assessment. But this is what I did:
I cross referenced the powders in the recipes for the loads I had interest in, and found 2400 to be common in all of them. There were of course others that were common across the board. I knew that I was ultimately after some high end loads, and so the maximum velocities did factor in to this search. But after looking through the powder information in both books, I determined some were higher end powders than I should begin with; namely H110 and 296. Of the others 2400 was mentioned as being popular with .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. It also seemed to frequently give the best accuracy in the testing that went into the Lyman manual. I did a small amount of searching online and confirmed its popularity despite its age, and found that it was once considered by some to be the best magnum pistol cartridge powder. So decided that was as good a place to start as any.
Happy handloading!
Thank you!
