AA#7 vs True Blue in 9mm?

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kcofohio

kcofohio

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I've refrained from trying new handgun powders for a couple of years now. I have some new to me JHP bullets that need some some attention. I'm looking to reach low to mid 1100s fps. with 124 gr. JHP out of a 4" barrel. Which both of these should do so without going P+. By load data, I know that there are others, and I have some on hand, that would also reach those velocities. But I have this itch that needs satisfied. :D
I'm hoping to find either one of these powders locally. I have read good about both of them in 9mm. What I have read is that #7 is slower than True Blue. TB is suppose to burn cleaner? Both seem to be fine dense powders.

My question would be, of those who have used both powders in 9mm, or 40 S&W, which one did you consider best all around accuracy, cleanliness, and acquiring velocity?
 
I like Accurate #7 for achieving good velocity and accuracy for 9x19 Luger with 124gr and heavier bullets. HS-6 would be another contender, I do prefer Accurate #5 over True Blue for my 9x19 Luger loads.
 
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I’m actually sold on True Blue for .40S&W over No.7 or No.5 - but not over HS-6. For 9mm high velocity I’ll stick with No.7, HS-6, or Unique. True Blue runs cleaner, though. No doubt about that.
 
I have used Accurate No. 7 before in my 9mm, but haven’t seen any special results. I have some True Blue, but haven’t loaded any yet. I have loaded some CFE-Pistol, and while it worked fine, the velocities were a little less than hoped for. Any comments comparing True Blue and CFE Pistol?
 
2ndtimer said:
I have used Accurate No. 7 before in my 9mm, but haven’t seen any special results. I have some True Blue, but haven’t loaded any yet. I have loaded some CFE-Pistol, and while it worked fine, the velocities were a little less than hoped for. Any comments comparing True Blue and CFE Pistol?
Click to expand...
I use 5.1 gr of CFE-P with Precision Delta 124 JHP regularly. It's a favorite load for that bullet.
This other JHP will be a new load with .065" less seating depth. So to me, this will be a new work up load. And with the old Western Powders showing up locally, I figure I would set off on a different path.
 
2ndtimer said:
I have used Accurate No. 7 before in my 9mm, but haven’t seen any special results. I have some True Blue, but haven’t loaded any yet. I have loaded some CFE-Pistol, and while it worked fine, the velocities were a little less than hoped for. Any comments comparing True Blue and CFE Pistol?
Click to expand...
No.7 with a Remington 124gr GS seated deep at 1.090” is a regular load for my service size pistols. I don’t recall how fast it is and don’t have those notes anymore but it’s a load I’ve kept up for a while. It’s a powder kinda like Blue Dot: the higher the pressure, the slower it burns. No.7 needs some barrel so don’t bother messing around with it in a shorty.
 
kcofohio said:
I'm looking to reach low to mid 1100s fps. with 124 gr. JHP out of a 4" barrel.
Click to expand...

I've experimented with different powders in my Kahr 9mm's... they are both shorter than 4"... 3.1" and 3.6" respectively. What I've found is some powders will hit a threshold where they won't burn completely and/or well. Granted, you are working with .4" more barrel... which can make a difference, but I don't go over the HS6/WSF/Unique/Silhouette burn rate with 115's and 124's. Even a powder marginally slower than Unique... BE-86, did not burn well... for me. Like Geo suggests, I might have played around with seating depth and got better (or worse...) results, but my thought is if it doesn't burn well at standard OAL, then it's not the right powder for me.

Before dumping a bunch of money on powders that may or may not work... I'd prolly pick one and give it a test drive. Given your choices, I'd pick TrueBlue over AA#7 for a test run, because it's the fastest of the two.
 
I've been using AA#7 since the day I started handloading. Currently I use 8gr under a 124gr XTP seated at 1.095 with good results in all of my CZ pistols, which from a 4 inch tube gives about 1,145 FPS, IIRC. WARNING - This IS over the listed max from Western after the reformulation, new listed max is 7.9, and that is for the Golden Sabre, all others run from 7.3 to 7.7.
https://ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf
 
armoredman said:
I've been using AA#7 since the day I started handloading. Currently I use 8gr under a 124gr XTP seated at 1.095 with good results in all of my CZ pistols, which from a 4 inch tube gives about 1,145 FPS, IIRC. WARNING - This IS over the listed max from Western after the reformulation, new listed max is 7.9, and that is for the Golden Sabre, all others run from 7.3 to 7.7.
https://ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf
Click to expand...
7.7gr of No.7 with mixed brass and CCI primers under the 124gr GS runs right at 1050fps (+/- a few fps) from my wife’s CZ 75 Compact. Higher charges are not as accurate and since she can still shoot pretty decent, accuracy matters. We’re both of the opinions that the jhp in handguns is for accuracy and vermin control, not primarily for security purposes. We don’t have to worry about excessive penetration in our home environment so hollow points are not a concern.
 
Outside of Western's data, I seem to find more load data for AA#7 than True Blue.
Lyman's list both for Sierra's 125 JHP. Which is the closest loads that I have found for the bullet seating depth. And they list #7 as the most accurate of the listed powders. Not that I would notice a small accuracy difference. :)
 
I stopped into Fins today after work. The powder shelves were thin with stock. Only #5 of Accurate on the shelf, which I already have plenty of. Guess I'll have all winter to keep an eye out for. :)
 
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