.357 Mag, 45 acp Powders

[blarby]

Ok, so I'm stingy.

I'm looking for some advice on 45acp and 357 Mag powders.

Specifically, I'm looking for some input and advice from those of you who have used the same powder for both cartridges, and continue to do so.

Please don't quote some random online or offline manual if you don't load both for comparison purposes...thats OK, I appreciate your effort, but save the text !

If however, you've loaded both before, and diverged into two powders, the explanation for your reasoning would be fantastic.

I'm a big fan of multi-use, but not where its unsuitable. There appear to be many areas of powder that overlap in this area, but unsure where I should drop my first tent-stake.

 

[CZ57]

The standard response will be Unique, and it will work in both calibers. One powder that will do both even better is Ramshot True Blue and it meters like fine sand.

 

[rcmodel]

Let me be the first!
Unique!

You can load almost anything with it if you have too.
And do a halfway good job of it.
Load data if everywhere too

Those things are what makes it so "Unique"!

rc

 

[56hawk]

First off as far as pistol cartridges go 45 ACP and 357 Magnum are on opposite ends of the spectrum. There are plenty of powders that will work in both. However if you want to get magnum performance from the 357 you need to use a magnum powder. I personally use Bullseye for 45ACP and 38 Special, but I only use H110 for 357 Magnum.

 

[ljnowell]

power pistol is a good choice. You can get max 45acp and good near max performance from 357.

 

[rcmodel]

as far as pistol cartridges go 45 ACP and 357 Magnum are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Not exactly true.

Unique is nearly perfect for standard performance & +P .45 ACP 230 grain loads.
And it comes within a couple hundred FPS of matching H110 in .357.
Plus, it can be downloaded safely, and uses standard, not magnum primers.

It's not so hot for low pressure .45 ACP target loads, because it gets dirty at low pressure.
But, it will work fine if thats all you got.

rc

 

[mbopp]

Another vote for Unique, I've used it in both 45ACP and 357Mag. Actually I've found the new Unique to be relatively clean burning in full power 45ACP loads.

 

[Snowshoe]

I use Bullseye for both.
I don't load the .357 very hot as I only use it for paper.
Seems to work well in both.
It is a little dirty though.

 

[56hawk]

Not exactly true.

Unique is nearly perfect for standard performance & +P .45 ACP 230 grain loads.
And it comes within a couple hundred FPS of matching H110 in .357.

The 357 runs about double the pressure of the 45 ACP. Also for me a couple hundred FPS is a huge difference. Here is a comparison out of the Lyman manual for 357:

Unique
125 gr 1359 fps 513 ft-lbs
158 gr 1185 fps 493 ft-lbs

H110
125 gr 1506 fps 629 ft-lbs
158 gr 1309 fps 601 ft-lbs

You will definitely be able to tell the difference between these two powders. Of course it depends on what you want these loads to do for you.

 

[Walkalong]

I like midrange loads in .357 using Unique.

I do not use it in .45, but it certainly works, and works well, for many people.

W-231 will do similarly.

But I would rather use two different powders myself. As noted, the .45 ACP and the .357 operate at very different pressure levels when loaded to max.

 

[rcmodel]

Also for me a couple hundred FPS is a huge difference.

To each his own.

All I was saying was, if the OP wants to use only one powder for .45 ACP and .357,
like he ask about in the first post?

Unique would be a very good choice, and much better then Bullseye, or H-110.

I never said it was the Best choice for either one.
I said it would work in Both pretty well.

rc

 

[joneb]

I find being thrifty can be more expensive in the long run.
A powder like Unique may work for both, but two powders could be ideal for both.
I waisted money on a combo fly/spin-cast rod, while it did both it just did not do either very well. I wound up with a fly rod and a spin-cast rod, I'm not sure what happened to the combo rod

 

[Miata Mike]

I have used Unique and Bullseye for .45acp and .357 magnum. My go to powder for .45acp is WST and for .357 is 2400.

I thought Bullseye had a little less kick than the Unique in the amounts that I used.

 

[blarby]

Thanks for the advice, keep 'em comin.

 

[mnhntr]

I have used Tightgroup for both. I prefer A#5 for 45acp but Tightgroup is good.

 

[4895]

Winchester 231 will give you acceptable accuracy and velocity while using a bit less powder for each caliber over other 'catch all' powders. Cost is a real concern as you mentioned, so I would advise trying a pound of 231 and later trying a pound of Unique, and perhaps after that a pound of Titegroup. I like to use bullseye in my .45 for cheap as possible 230 grain lead round nose loads (4.0 grains @ 1.2" oal). In .357 mag, I load 125 grain XTP or Rem SJHP with 19.5 grains of H110. 231 powder would cover them both equally well and save a bit of money.

 

[zxcvbob]

Herco and cast bullets.

 

[Snobal]

The OP mentioned the word "stingy." Me too!

Yes, I try to save every penny, but target accuracy in .357 Mag and .45 ACP is the driving factor in my reloading....

...therefore, I buy Bullseye powder by the 8lb container.

It gives me over 2000 shots-per-pound in .38 Special and .357 Mag (target ammo with home-cast RCBS 148 gr BBWC bullets), and works great in .45 ACP (home-made RCBS 45-201-SWC) and .44 Mag (RCBS 250 SWC), for target ammo.

Yep, although I have some store-bought ammo for home defense, I shoot thousands of rounds a year in Bullseye and IDPA matches.

And "Yes!" I do continue to experiment with other powders, but keep coming back to Bullseye powder for accuracy.

 

[moxie]

I like Bullseye for light loads and Unique for heavier loads, in both calibers. If you are really stingy, you can get by with light Bullseye loads that use less powder than would be needed with most other powders, driving a given bullet at a given velocity. The difference can add up to hundreds of rounds per pound of powder.

 

[Blue68f100]

It is nothing but a compromise when your trying to match a mag to a std. There are a lot of powders that will work but you will not get the best performance out of the mag. Now since Unique (flake powder) is always mentioned, it meeters like bolts and nuts through a small funnel in some powder dispensers. So it may not be a good choice depending on your dispenser. I don't know what your currently using but try it for both and make your own decisions. For me if I want Full House Magnums it's going to be the W296 powder. 2400 will come close and is a little more forgiving for novice to use.

 

[loadedround]

I too vote for Unique. I have to say that most of us older posters accept what Rcmodel has to say as a proven fact. That gentleman has forgotten more about firearms and reloading than what most of us know. FYI; I am not married to RC's daughter, nor am I family, I just respect the man.

 

[BossHogg]

Well,I guess I'll be unique and say Universal Clays.

 

[moxie]

Oh, for full-house .357 loads I use 2400. But you're definitely not in the stingy arena anymore. You typically use ~twice as much 2400 compared to Unique. 2400 performs but you pay for the privilege.

 

[rsrocket1]

Another vote for Unique if you are not experienced with it.

If you are already experienced with Unique and are stingy, go with Bullseye. I've found I need about 20% less Bullseye for the same velocities as Unique and with its smaller flakes, it measures a bit easier.

I've used 3 pounds of Unique and since tying out Bullseye, bought a 4 pound jug of it for 38, 357, 40, 45 and reduced recoil rifle loads.

If you are really cheap, go with Alliant Promo (look up all of BDS's excellent data). But Promo is essentially Red Dot and best with reduced recoil loads. It maxes out in pressure too soon and doesn't get you very high velocities, but it is very inexpensive in the 8 pound jugs (only version available).

I've also found that Bullseye builds up pressure to seal off the case blowby quicker than Unique meaning it works better than Unique for lower recoil loads and it is almost as good as Unique at the top end of its pressure loads which makes it better than Red Dot.

The drawbacks of Bullseye are:

• A little more soot even with completely burned powder (not a problem for me).
• The small high nitro glycerine flakes stick to the walls of the powder measure more than other powder, even when pre-wiped down with a dryer sheet.
• Considerably denser than Unique or Red Dot and is more likely to lead to a double or triple charge in a deep 38 or .357 case. You must be careful when loading.

You need to work up your own best loads but I've found that for mild paper punching, 3.5g Bullseye works well for my 230g lead bullets in my 1911 as well as 180g lead bullets in 40 S&W and 3.0g with 158g lead bullets in 38 special. For hot 357mag loads, somewhere in the high 4 grain loads will work well with a 158g bullet. 5g has been the 230g 1911 military hardball load for decades. I found that load to be manageable, but unnecessary.

 

[IDriveB5]

power pistol is a good choice.

Not exactly true.

Unique is nearly perfect for standard performance & +P .45 ACP 230 grain loads.
And it comes within a couple hundred FPS of matching H110 in .357.
Plus, it can be downloaded safely, and uses standard, not magnum primers.

It's not so hot for low pressure .45 ACP target loads, because it gets dirty at low pressure.
But, it will work fine if thats all you got.

rc

RC, roughly how far up the line between min and max do you need to be with Power Pistol for it to burn cleanly?