Looking for a cleaner powder for 45 auto

One of the powders I use in .45 Auto is VV N320
I think is exceptionally clean.

Try Vihtavuori N310. It's more expensive but it's a clean-burning powder. It's also a ball type so you get very consistent load drops.

UPDATE: ...N320's good too. I use then both but usually N310 for .45 and N320 for 9mm. It just seems to work out best for me but either would work IMO.

WST is the cleanest I have tried. As with most all powders you need to be mid and higher to get the cleanest burn.

kinda funny the first two replies are a from a couple of board n00bs saying the same powder (well, more or less)

JLDickmon said:

kinda funny the first two replies are a from a couple of board n00bs saying the same powder (well, more or less)

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I guess so. Those two are all I use any more....so far. No reason to change.

WST, VV N-310 and American Select are about as clean burning as one can find for use at 45ACP pressures.

JRWhit said:

45 acp with win 231. I like the reliability and accuracy but it is very sooty. Mostly on the end of the slide. I'm loading 200 gn copper plated bullets with 5.2 gn 231.

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If your load is sooty, you may consider bumping up the powder charge for cleaner burn. While plated bullet manufacturers suggest we use lead load data, they come in different sizing. HSM, Rainier and PowerBond plated bullets are sized at .451", same as jacketed bullet diameter and Berry's plated bullets are advertised larger at .452". X-Treme plated bullets come sized in .451" and .452". IME, depending on the bullet and pistol/barrel used, I needed to use higher powder charges to produce more accurate and cleaner burning loads. YMMV

As the primer ignites the powder, there's a lot of high pressure gas that leaks around the bullet and if enough leakage occurs, you'll start to lower chamber pressures and result in less clean powder burn and more soot. Depending on the plated bullet you use, the bullet diameter and the softness/hardness of the lead alloy core will determine what the chamber pressure will be and how the powder burn.

Hodgdon's current load data indicates 5.6 gr as max charge with .451" diameter lead bullet. I would suggest you conduct a powder workup with 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6 gr powder charges and see if you get cleaner burn.

200 gr CAST LSWC W231/HP-38 Diameter .451" OAL 1.225" Start 4.4 gr (771 fps) 11,000 CUP - Max 5.6 gr (914 fps) 16,900 CUP
200 gr Speer JHP W231/HP-38 Diameter .451" OAL 1.155" Start 5.2 gr (794 fps) 12,700 CUP - Max 5.9 gr (906 fps) 16,700 CUP

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What would be a preferred powder for a cleaner burn in 45 auto? Or could adjusting charge change my experience? I cannot reduce this charge and cycle reliably with my gun as it results in the occasional FTE.

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If 5.2 gr of W231/HP-38 barely cycles your pistol's slide, I would definitely increase the powder charge. When I conduct my powder work up, I first determine the lowest powder charge that will reliably cycle the slide and extract spent cases while reliably feeding/chambering the next round. Then I continue the powder work up to determine the most accurate powder charge.

For me, accuracy is everything and holes on target speak volumes. Usually, more accurate shot groups indicate more consistent muzzle velocities SD/chamber pressures. More consistent chamber pressures come from more consistent powder burn. Often, I will select a particular powder and charge because it produces more consistent accuracy and preferred recoil even though it may not be the cleanest burning in comparison to other powders. Since I clean my pistols after each range session (at least field strip), slightly dirty burning is OK for me as long as the load produces more accurate shot groups.

When I started match shooting with 45ACP, I tested Bullseye, Titegroup, WST, Clays, W231/HP-38, Universal, HS-6 and WSF with jacketed, plated, lead and moly coated bullets. Although Clays/WST may produce cleaner burning loads and Bullseye produced accurate loads, I settled with W231/HP-38 for nice combination of accuracy and felt recoil. I haven't used N320 for 45ACP (it has worked well and clean for 9mm) but because of higher cost with so many other powders that work well, I probably won't. BTW, Promo/Red Dot is another powder that burns fairly clean while producing accuracy. I use 4.0 gr with 200 gr LSWC but you can conduct powder workup towards 4.5 gr as indicated by Alliant.

I'm newer to reloading and was hoping to gain from others experience so not to end up with several different powders I don't like. I already made the mistake of buying hp-38 thinking that I was trying something different. Heck I even thought it was better for a short while.

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Welcome to the club and we all have made our share of reloading mistakes - but that's how we often learn. You should read some of mistakes we have made:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=603357
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=557433

Here's a thread discussion of virtues of W231/HP-38 compared to other powders like Clays/WST/N320 - http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=143405

Perhaps you can keep us posted with a range report as to accuracy vs clean burning.

I was the first guy I know of to use VV powders.. back when you had to order them through Vince at Kalton Pettibone to even get them...

Clays is cleaner, but not by much. Neither are the other powders. You can't buy what WinClean and like ammo uses. I dunno why you ate even concerned. It's not like the fouling is going to make the gun jam.

I have used a BUNCH of different powders in the .45 Auto and while most have worked well I always seem to come back to W231. IMO your charge weight of 5.2gr is too light a charge and like most powders, W231 will not burn as clean at the bottom of the pressure range as at the top.

My favorite 45 Auto load is a 230gr bullet over 5.5gr W231. With a 200gr bullet I would charge at least 5.5gr but you can go higher. I usually charge between 5.5gr and 5.6gr W231 on the rare occasions I load a 200gr bullet in the .45 Auto. You are getting the soot because the pressures are way too low.

I have used W-231 with great results myself in .45 auto with 230 grain lead/plated/jacketed bullets. I agree with others posts that you might increase powder charge to monitor any changes in performance. I would also check the crimp and if all else fails, buy some Bullseye powder and give that a shot.

Power Pistol...

ArchAngelCD advised me to try 5.5 grains of 231 and my Colt Commander shot excellent. Not too dirty and groupings were great. Would be better but the shooter is outclassed by the gun.

I loaded 5.1 to start and they shot fine and cycled fine and a dirty gun. But I clean my guns so I don't terribly care.

my 1911 likes Unique with Berrys plated bullets

The all around cleanest powders are going to be the VV N310,N320,N330,n340. They are single base and will burn clean even in mid pressures. I have them all ,I like the soft recoil they produce. They haven't quite beat out a few others in accuracy with lead though, real close.

I am shooting 200 gr. plated with 5.6 gr. 231 without issue. Works well in my 3" Kimber, 4" Commander, and 4.5XDm.

I like W231, but I have come to love WST for my .45acp loads pushing both 200gr, and 230gr lead, and plated.

For you guys that load with W231 and like everything about it except it being dirty, you really need to try Ramshot ZIP. Load range is very similar but favors ZIP a bit and it burns cleaner than W231/HP38. www.ramshot.com

CZ57 said:

For you guys that load with W231 and like everything about it except it being dirty, you really need to try Ramshot ZIP. Load range is very similar but favors ZIP a bit and it burns cleaner than W231/HP38. www.ramshot.com

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I never found W231 to be dirty so I'm not sure what is going with that. It is possible some are mistaking the soot that comes from the lube with a dirty powder.

If you really think it's the powder that's dirty shoot the same powder with a jacketed bullet and see if the "dirt" goes away. You will find most times it;s the lube on the lead bullets that's the problem, not the powder at all.

I have used W231 with jacketed hollowpoints and ZIP is clearly a cleaner burning powder. It will load anything you can do with W231/HP38 and then some.

I use Accurate # 5 you might give it a try.

bullseye, nuff said.

murf