All purpose handgun powder???

Status
Not open for further replies.
W231 because it meters better than Unique

I found Universal a bit difficult to work with in low pressure cartridges like 380 and 38 special. It wants to be at near max to get good ignition.
I would say HP38 is pretty forgiving in the low and high ranges for common cartridges.

Surprised it took 13 posts to get mentioned. Win-231/HP 38 is always my go to pistol powder for everything but the most powerful of loads.

Glad to see WW-231/HP-38 showed up...
 
Unique, if I could have only one powder, 380, 9mm, 38 spl, 357 mag, 40 s&s, 45 acp, 45 colt, 20 ga, 12 ga and 30-30.
For a range of powders:
Alliant: Bullseye, BE-86, Herco and 2400
Winchester: 231 & 296 these are also known as Hodgdon HP-38 and H110 respectively.
Hodgdon: 700X

Infallible powder was discontinued after WWII, it was introduced the same year that Unique was, in 1900 by Laflin & Rand.
From what I understand BE-86 has been manufactured for about 30 years but was never offered as a canister powder until a few years ago. It is nice in the short barreled pistols like the 380, 9mm, 40 s&w and short barreled 38 spl and 357 mag as it has a flash inhibitor which keeps the muzzle flash down.
 
I've never been let down by either W231 or Titegroup. Recently started shooting AA#5 in .45ACP, but results are not yet in.
 
Red Dot works for me...

I load 25acp, 32 S&W, .32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm Makarov, 7.62 Tokarev, .38 Special, 9mm, .40 S&W, 45 ACP, and 45 colt with it, along with 12 gauge and .308 Winchester (plinking loads).

I got 16 lbs. for cheap a couple of years ago. so I'm all set for a while....
 
I'll vote Unique if you only have one powder. I not only like it because I tend to get the accuracy I require, 1.5" or less groups at 25 yards consistently from revolvers, but it also is easy to see the powder level in a case while loading.
 
Unique hands down!!
12 Ga, 9mm, 45ACP, 38 Spl, 357 Mag, 44S&W/Mag
Haven’t had issues with metering. As long as you are consistent with the feel of the throw, I rarely have a deviation of +- .2 grains

I've not been reloading that long, only about 4 years with my own equipment(I learned on a friends bench), but it seems to me a +\- of .2 grains can be a bit large and unacceptable in a lot of cases. Do you guys accept a +\- of .2??
 
In handgun loads that are just meant to go bang and hit steel and are well considered mid range loads, yeah I’ll take it. But keyword there in the quote is rarely.
 
Do you guys accept a +\- of .2
I accepted that with Unique. I prefer powders that meter better.
I just loaded for the swing with Unique.
+ or - .1 is what I get with most of the powders I use for pistol.
 
The loads I shoot steel with 45 guns can vary 2 grains for all I care. Auto disk set on 5, haven’t weighed a charge in 2 years. It just needs to cycle the gun reliably.
 
I've not been reloading that long, only about 4 years with my own equipment(I learned on a friends bench), but it seems to me a +\- of .2 grains can be a bit large and unacceptable in a lot of cases. Do you guys accept a +\- of .2??

It depends. Ideally, we'd all like every load to be identical, but it's not. If I'm loading 357 mag with 4227, + .2 gr is about 10-15 fps, or if I'm loading 38 special Trail Boss loads I'm not concerned, but if I'm loading certain 9mm with Titegroup, + .2 gr can be dangerously over pressure.
 
I've not been reloading that long, only about 4 years with my own equipment(I learned on a friends bench), but it seems to me a +\- of .2 grains can be a bit large and unacceptable in a lot of cases. Do you guys accept a +\- of .2??

I would, unless I'm loading a .25 ACP. But I don't own a .25 ACP.
 
Do you guys accept a +\- of .2??
I accepted that with Unique. I prefer powders that meter better.
700X as well. Shoot better than they meter. Like Dudedog, I prefer to have powders meter better than that. Some just won't though. As long as you are not at maximum, it's OK. When I am at or near max with any powder I do a max instead of an average powder throw, in other words, set the measure no no "high" throw is over max.
 
I've been reloading for several decades. I don't even think this is a close race. Unique is the winner as the all purpose powder. It can produce stellar loads in cartridges as different as 9x19 (6 gr and 124gr bullet) and .45 Colt (8 gr and a 255 RNFP bullet.)....as well as work for shotgun shells. Think how different those 9x19 and 45 Colt loads are, yet they are classic loads, one in a high pressure cartridge and a full case, the other in a nearly empty case with low pressure.

Unique may not meter great, but you can almost always get decent accuracy out of it.

I'm thinking all those votes for W231/HP38 are sentimental. It, like Bullseye, is a great powder, in certain applications...but is far less flexible than Unique...in my opinion.
 
I've not been reloading that long, only about 4 years with my own equipment(I learned on a friends bench), but it seems to me a +\- of .2 grains can be a bit large and unacceptable in a lot of cases. Do you guys accept a +\- of .2??
+/- .1 gr. is my limit and I really don't like that
 
In most pistol calibers, you will never know the difference in +/- of 2 tenths of Unique. The only time I would be of concern is if you had maxed out the load at the highest data out of a whole stack of reloading manuals both new and old.
 
+/- .1 gr. is my limit and I really don't like that
That being said are you on a SS press or progressive? Are you a bullseye shooter or a recreational plinker? Are your recipes at almost max loads or mid range?

I can begin to see a trend from differing schools of thoughts...I can understand .1 being unacceptable if I was at max loads already just from a safety standpoint but when I’m at low to mid range load it doesn’t bother me at all.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top