incorporating powders, trying new ones.

[WESHOOT2]

This is gonna be fun......

2 = W231, 2400

3 = Titegroup, Universal Clays., W296

4 = W231, Universal Clays, Power Pistol, W296

5 = W231, Universal Clays, Power Pistol, 3N37, W296

Me? = 700X, Nitro 100, Bullseye, AA2, AA2 Improved, W231, AA5, WSL (best 41 AE powder), Unique, Universal Clays, Power Pistol, HS6, WAP, 3N37, N350, 800X, AA7, Longshot, Blue Dot, AA9, 2400, N110, H110, W296.
Currently

Favs? 3N37, Power Pistol, WSL (but almost out ), Universal Clays, W231, and WAP.

 

[caz223]

No smoking in your house....

 

[WESHOOT2]

oh yeah?

I cannot tell you how many boxes of cop ammo I delivered with ashes in them

 

[Jwar88]

Now that you got it pretty much figured out...

I would go with Titegroup, Longshot, and Lil-Gun...but I would consider a slower powder for 223...4895 maybe, and it would be a much more useful powder for a number of different applications. Sounds like I work for Hodgdon, but those are the most modern formulations available right now.

WSF is a great powder, as is that entire series, wst is great in 45 as well, but they will tend to spike pressures real fast if you push the loads. Tite Group is cheap and does all that it needs to do.

I really like blue dot. Blue Dot is a little fast for magnum loads in the large capacity calibers, but it's a pretty useful powder to have on hand. Longshot is just better. The advantage of Longshot and Lil-Gun is that loads slightly off max will give equivalent velocities to peak pressures of the other contenders. Lil-Gun is good for moderately reduced loadings as well, where 110 is not. Lil-gun is better.

I like Power Pistol, but is all that flash really necessary?? I will most likely have to use what I have on hand for snakes, predators or other emergencies at night, so if low flash is not an issue for you it is a perfectly good choice. Using PP for 45 acp will work, but will give more slide recoil than is necessary.

The real trouble with deciding between all these powders is that they all go bang when you pull the trigger.

TC

 

[caz223]

Quote:
The real trouble with deciding between all these powders is that they all go bang when you pull the trigger.

Yeah, esp. when you already got your pet loads.
The thing is, I know blue dot works.
I wouldn't know power pistol if I saw if, except that people say it looks like HS-6/bullseye.

I got no problem with flash, my favorite powders up to this have been H-110, 2400, and blue dot, they give you a bonus, free lightshow with your range time.

 

[redneck2]

Going to throw this in the mix

you mentioned flash...

if you don't have flash, can you get max velocity??? I'm thinking that, if there isn't gas left pushing the bullet (that causes the flash), then the bullet isn't getting as much push

I think the powders you mentioned that have flash also give the best total velocity and are more forgiving. For example, Blue Dot would be more forgiving than Bullseye. If this is incorrect, please advise.

Also (this is for Weshoot2 along with anyone else)...why not Accurate powders? Did you just find something different or is there a reason??? I use AA5 in 45acp, moderate 10mm, 45LC, .44-40. Almost always throws within .1 with my Dillon measure, meters extremely well, and burns clean.

I'm using Universal Clays, but it doesn't meter quite as well. Universal is OK, but AA5 meters close to perfect.

 

[Jwar88]

Ok Redneck...listen up!!!

Just kidding....

Flash...

You do have a point, in that hotter loads with slower powders will have a tendency to produce more flash, but some powders still produce more flash than others, and more importantly...some powders produce less flash than others at the same velocity levels. They may contain flash suppressants as part of their makeup, or may just not burn as bright when they hit the air because of their composition.

Faster powders burn up more completely in the barrel. That is always a good thing, because all that powder that burns off after the bullet has left the muzzle, putting on a big light show, contributes nothing to the velocity of the bullet.

A bright flash will not be a problem, until you are shooting at night. If so, you will be effectively blinded by a real bright flash after the first round. Try sorting out snakes and dogs and people scurrying about in that scene just one time, and the importance of a low flash round will be immediately apparent!

It is an important aspect to consider when selecting your carry ammo, whether it is hand loaded or commercial, if you might find yourself in a "situation". (Actually...it is best to avoid situations like that, and I am pretty good at keeping myself clear of them, but this concept is hard to convey to the other semi-sentient beings around me...like dogs, horses, kids, visitors...etc.)

The "forgiveness factor"...

I have found that powder tends to have a very "unforgiving" nature...it is best not to make a mistake with them...it's far less complicated to give them the respect they believe they are entitled to! I show my respect by checking every powder charge at least three times before I insert a bullet into the case...sometimes I will check one more time. I still have all my fingers and both eyes, and I started reloading when I was 12 years old! Make sure that you charge each case correctly, and you will not need to be "forgiven"!

Blue Dot is a lot slower than Bullseye, so the two aren't directly comparable. They are both excellent powders within their performance range. I used Bullseye for 30 years and I still think it is the best smelling powder on the range.

AA#5...

is one of the great powders... like you pointed out. It is very versatile, clean burning, and the spherical type meters beautifully. When it first came on the market I began using it almost exclusively for all my pistol loads, especially in 45. Then the grains suddenly became larger... not really a problem, but apparently Accurate changed suppliers several times within in a short period of time. I ended up taking all the different lots I had and combining them into one big lot, that way I didn't have to keep chronographing and testing loads over and over. I like Accurate powders, but I only buy them in large quantities now.

TC

 

[taliv]

am I missing something here? is 10 powders really too many to deal with? I'd think 10 different powders is more like a starter sample kit.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Just 10??? You must be loading in a closet where there isn't any room. Or do you have another room just for powder??

 

[caz223]

I guess there are a few advantages to keeping 10 pounds of one kind of powder, instead of keeping ten one pound containers.
First of all, it's a lot cheaper.
Second, there's no potential for a mix-up.
Of the powders that I currently use, bullseye, hs-6, Hs-7 (And power pistol)all pretty much look the same. (Same with H110, and 2400)
There is potential for mix-up.
But let's say I use blue dot, power pistol, and trail boss.
Pretty hard to confuse them, isn't it?
Also, I use the dillon quick change kits on my 550, so I have ten pounds of powder on the back of my bench.
If I ran one powder, or 3 powders that are easy to identify and tell apart, that would be safer.
So, I'd have blue dot, (large flake, blue flakes mixed in.), power pistol (small flake), trail boss, (white coarse flake), and the powder I use for .223 (rod, IIRC.)
ALso, I load .41 mag with H110. It takes over 20 grains per load, One pound of H110 would load just over 300 rounds of ammo.
Then, I'd have to keep at least 2 or 3 pound canisters of H110 around, esp, if I wanted to load .44 mag with it, too.
Versus blue dot, which takes less than 15 grains, and I'd have more of it in stock in the first place.

Another is fire safety and legality.
Let's say I have ten pounds of powder unsecured, on the back of my bench, and another ten pounds in my powder safe.
That's twenty pounds of gun powder.
I don't believe that's legal, and I wouldn't personally do that where I sleep.

 

[taliv]

20 lbs isn't that much, and is certainly legal. the limits for storage are much, much higher than that. in fact, i usually buy powder 32 lbs at a time, for the discount.

yes, i use a couple powders more than others, but then have a lot of special purpose powders. e.g. for cranking out a lot of .223 for plinking, i've got 32 lbs of 2230c and 32 lbs of A73 (well, i'm down to half that now...). Then I keep lots of tightgroup for shooting steel targets with pistols. But then for playing around with accurate rifles, i've got lots of 1 and 2 lb jars of different brands and speeds of powder, and different types (flake, spherical, extruded).

i guess my point was, some powders burn cleaner, others burn more consistent, others meter better, some are cheaper, some are faster, slower, etc. Working them all out is half the fun. So why limit yourself?