Powder

There is no best powder over all. The trick is to find what works the best for you and your firearm(s).

Every gun is unique. Some powders have a broad range of applications while other are specialized. So there are better powders just depends upon your application and requirements.

Under the current circumstances, just get what you can get.

Walkalong said:

As good or better than what, CFE pistol in .223? That powder is not suitable for rifle.

So, what caliber, bullet weight/type/purpose, and we can probably help.

Click to expand...

He may mean Hodgdon CFE 223 and Hodgdon CFE Pistol. Apparently they are the only powders that are good for anything.

.38 Special said:

He may mean Hodgdon CFE 223 and Hodgdon CFE Pistol. Apparently they are the only powders that are good for anything.

Click to expand...

I would guess he is brand new and he picked those up because he has a 9mm and a 223 and work well for those mainstream cartridges they were designed for. I have only loaded cfe223 for a friend and never used pistol.

Txhunter76 said:

Yes I am new at reloading. What I was asking is there any other powder that performs as good or better than CFE.223. And also CFE pistol. I am currently loading 9mm with 115gr Hornady XTP. And with hard to come across CFE which is what I have been using thought I would ask if anyone else out there has used a different powder

Click to expand...

There are really many quality options. Are you looking for target or full power options for sd training?

Imr 4064 is the best overall powder ever.

Txhunter76 said:

Other than hodgen CFE pistol and .223 is there another powder that performs better or as good as the hodgon

Click to expand...

To briefly answer your question, yes there is.

Reloading manuals will list multiple powders for each cartridge. You do have manuals, don't you?

Even if he doesn't the powder makers have loads online

Opinions vary. I favor Ramshot TAC for .223 (it is also useful in 22-250, .308 Win, and .338 Federal), and am partial to Alliant Power Pistol for 9mm (and .38 Special and .357 Magnum).
CFE-223 didn’t impress in my rifles and CFE Pistol is okay in 9mm, but then so are Unique, Titegroup, Bullseye, W-231, Universal, Accurate No. 5 and 7 and many others.

2ndtimer said:

CFE Pistol is okay in 9mm, but then so are Unique, Titegroup, Bullseye, W-231, Universal, Accurate No. 5 and 7 and many others.

Click to expand...

I absolutely agree with the above. I don't have the experience of loading 223, but in 9mm I like Power Pistol for full power loads, Bullseye for plinking rounds. But w231 is good for a wide range of loadings. I'm getting ready to load some cast 9mm with CFE-P. That's part of the fun of reloading, finding the combination of components that create that special sauce in your particular gun. However, being new, and the component situation being what it is, I'd concentrate first on creating safe and reliable ammunition with the powder you have. Once you have that down, start branching out with different projectiles and powders

As has been mentioned, all guns are unique, all chambers have different dimensions. Even in the same model of gun. As far as I know, there are no bad powder brands. What you will find is that specific powder speeds work best in specific calibers. For example, 45 Colt standard loads work well with a medium speed powder. This includes Unique, Universal, Power Pistol, and others. The fun part about reloading is that you have to experiment to find which powder and charge level works best in YOUR gun. There is no mathematical equation that says if you use this powder and this bullet, you will have a great cartridge for your gun.

I have not used CFE 223 in 223, ironically. It does work well for me in 308 Winchester.

CFE Pistol is versatile and works reliably in my 9mm pistols. It will soot up your cases in 9mm but it has worked every time for me so far. I have not had good luck with the 115 grain XTP bullets but the 147 grain ones work well in both my 9s. Not sure why, and they may work fine for yours.

Txhunter76 said:

Yes I am new at reloading. What I was asking is there any other powder that performs as good or better than CFE.223. And also CFE pistol. I am currently loading 9mm with 115gr Hornady XTP. And with hard to come across CFE which is what I have been using thought I would ask if anyone else out there has used a different powder

Click to expand...

For 9mm Tightgroup, WSF, WST, SR7629, WIN 231