Clean Powder help for 45 ACP

[Catsailor]

Ok I have been reloading for a while now (1000 rnds). I am using Rainier 200gr plated RN for bullets and have been using Accurate #7 for powder with Remington 2 1/2 primers. I want to find a cleaner load for IDPA with a PF of 165. The Accurate seems to act like W231 in that it burns clean but only when it is close to the maximum charge level. My plan, after a search on this, is to try clays to see if I can get a cleaner burn at the lower PF levels. Any other powders I should be considering instead?
PS reading this forum has shortened the learning curve for this new reloader. It is a great service being done here by those willing to share helpful information with the newbys like myself.

 

[zxcvbob]

Red Dot burns clean when you approach maximum loads. I use it a lot for 9mm and for moderately hot-loaded .45LC's.

American Select is so clean, it's scary, but its flash is kind of bright.

Bob

 

[8ring]

Two of my favorites for 200gr .45 acp bullets are Winchester Super Target and Vithavouri N-320. Both burn very clean, meter well, and perform consistently. Faster powders like Hodgdon Clays and Vithavouri N-310 also burn very clean and may get 165 PF with 200gr bullets. However, I use these very fast powders only with 230gr bullets.

Chris

 

[hotwheelz]

Titegroup is ok, but the cleanest powder I have run is Vitavuori N-310, or N-320, but the price will probably scare you away last time i bought it about 2years ago it was $25.00 a pound. Just imangine what it might be today:banghead:

 

[alohanole]

N310 and N320 can be had for $21.95/lb. Even better deal is 4 lbs for $73.95. Not too shabby! These are online prices, so you have to factor in the $20 hazmat fee (need to go big to make it worthwhile).

 

[mjrodney]

I've been running ordinary Clays for the past 15,000 rounds or so (.45ACP, 200g LSWC) and I find it to be exceptionally clean burning.

It does not meter well, though, so I dip and dump with it.

8 lb jugs through Gamaliel Shooting Supply for $99.95.

 

[redneck2]

Light loads + fast powder = cleaner.

I use Universal Clays or AA5 with 200's in 45 acp. Supposedly the VV powders are the cleanest.

This would be a good project for Handloader. Cleanest pistol powder for light loads.

 

[Mark whiz]

I too have found both Win WST and Hod Universal to be pretty clean shooting powders.

 

[taliv]

i've only used vv and titegroup in 45acp, but have loaded a metric bungload of them each. i'm guessing vv is the cleanest powder ever made, and titegroup is the dirtiest

 

[ranger335v]

I wonder why you care? I mean, "dirty" burning powders only leave a light form of soft soot that gets blown out with each successive shot. It harms neither accuracy nor bore life.

Most of the popular pistol/shotgun powders have traditionally been a little dirty but it causes no harm. I just try to find something that works and shoots good without being concerned about leaving the barrel shiney after each shot.

 

[Jim Watson]

I generally agree with Ranger335v; I clean my guns often enough that HP38 does not foul them out.

I have loaded .45 ACP revolver ammo with Clays so as to not leave unburnt granules from light loads to get under the extractor and bind up the cylinder rotation, but that is my only foray into "clean ammunition." Clays is clean and cheap but it is very fast burning and a PF 165,000 CDP load is about tops, so be careful and stop when the chronograph tells you that you are reliably there.

 

[bofe954]

I switched from W231 to titegroup and am loading 165 pf loads with 230gr bullets. When I run out of the the 230's I am switching to 200's.

The titegroup isn't that clean, but it is definitely cleaner than 231 so it may be an improvement for you. My consistency has also gone up from 231. I have never tried accurate #7. It meters well.

The titegroup is about $15/lb locally. No one had any 4lbs in stock and I didn't feel like buying an 8lb...

 

[Walkalong]

WST, AA #2, AA #5, N310 & N320 are some of the cleaner burning powders for .45 ACP as far as lack of residue on the gun, unburned granules, and stain on the cases. Naturally, the higher the pressure the better many powders burn. The .45 is a low pressure round even at max.

WST, and N310 do real well for light target loads. WST seems to like heavier bullets in my limited testing. N310 is VERY fast, so be carefull, but VERY clean.

AA #2 and N320 will leave some unburned granules at real low pressure, but clean up real well at midrange and up loads in the .45.

AA #5 is a great all purpose powder for the .45, but is best at midrange to upper limit .45 loads.

WSF is very clean burning and should produce similar results to AA #5, but I have not tried it in the .45 yet.

True Blue is very clean burning and should do very well at upper .45 loads, but I have not tried it yet either.

 

[taliv]

my experience with lswc and titegroup was that the combo is dirty enough to make my 1911 start to get sluggish after just a few hundred rounds. if i pop the slide off, wipe the rails and reapply some lube, i can go another couple hundred rounds. but that's kind of a pita when i can shoot vv powder all day w/o any sluggishness

 

[davinci]

I had a fella tell me once that w-231 is an extremely dirty powder and clays is the cleanest he's found.

I've found that no matter what load or powder I use, there's no powder that's dirtier than another. I imagine that if you look down your bore, you'll find specs of garbage no matter what you're burning.

I also shoot lead bullets, not plated, not jacketed...plain lead. I love it. I clean my pistols once in every 2000 rounds or so and have yet to have a problem.

My opinion is that a lot of this cleaner/dirtier stuff and many other gun related stories you've really gotta check for yourself to see. Why would red dot burn more thoroughly than w-231? How would you know, wouldn't whatever's left in the bore be moved by the next bullet?

Just thoughts.

 

[hotwheelz]

I dont know what im doing diff. then alot of you guys but I can run 500+ rounds of 200rg lswc with tiegroup 4.5gr and never have my 1911 slow down or get to buggered up. What kind of lube are you using? I run redline bullets or my own with blue angle lube without problems. My experience Ill be it that its not much compared to some of you has shown Unique to be the dirtiest powder of them all. Just my 2 cents

 

[Hoosier Reloader]

Nobody's mentioned 700X, but i like it. It's cleaner than 231.

 

[trickyasafox]

one thing to try that worked for me: add a touch more crimp. that helped take a so-so load for me and really helped clean it up. I went from unburned powder flakes to just a bit of gunk after a day of shooting.

 

[Walkalong]

Nobody's mentioned 700X, but i like it. It's cleaner than 231.

Yes it is. I love it for .44 Special and it works well in .38 Spl. as well.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I use Clays almost exclusively in .357, .44 Rem Mag and .45acp.
Some of my .357 loads have been downright whimpy, but it still burns clean.

Clays is a great powder for the .45acp as well, but it does not meter as well as Tite Group.

I always weigh Clays.

 

[Mark whiz]

I've tried IMR 700-X in all my pistol cartridges and have found a few good loads for my snubbie .38Sp and decent loads for .45ACP with 230gr bullets, but it just didn't perform that well with 180gr or 200gr bullets in my 1911-A1.