Is there a preferred do all pistol powder?

[lordpaxman]

The one powder to rule them all….

If you check the manuals you’ll find powders that span these calibers. If you check the forums you’ll probably find even more. You might want to consider what you’re loading for first, and then look at the powders. Faster powders will work better for light target loads, medium to slow powders for hotter loads. As is evidenced in these times, you probably want to have more than one powder in your collection.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I too like BE-86 and don’t dislike the others mentioned above.

BUT, the most compelling thing about BE-86 right now (and throughout this present component shortage) is it’s widely available. (Until this thread causes a stampede)

 

[.45Coltguy]

You are not going to find Unique and you will be lucky to find Universal.

Fortunately[very] my LGS has Unique and BE-86. $35.50 per lb. No Universal or Red Dot tho.

 

[Targa]

That is fortunate and at $35 a pound..very nice!

 

[AJC1]

I have shot most of those with book loads of Silhouette. It's my powder of choice, and works well in 357 for me. It's the only cartridge that isn't listed in your group and 8.4 grains with a cast 158 is my son's completion load. If you want one for all It's a great choice, if you need book loads only unique has that but is hard to find and expensive.

 

[Charlie98]

And let us know if you find any!

You are not going to find Unique and you will be lucky to find Universal.

It's there if you look for it... This was last month at the LGS...

Better yet BE-86, modern Unique that meters better and produces higher velocities.

I don't think BE-86 is as versatile as Unique, that opinion only based on my own experience... I know you've worked with it more.

 

[Skeptic13]

I started using Universal for all of my handgun and shotgun reloading when I first started reloading and it has worked very well but I haven't been able to find any in over two years. So recently have started using CFE Pistol. It seems to do the job and it definitely meters better.

 

[BRatigan]

It's there if you look for it... This was last month at the LGS...

View attachment 1142958




I don't think BE-86 is as versatile as Unique, that opinion only based on my own experience... I know you've worked with it more.

Is that a picture from heaven, just asking?

 

[Charlie98]

Is that a picture from heaven, just asking?

I'll admit... I WAS surprised when I walked in and saw it on the shelf. It was accompanied, as you can see, by a fair amount of other Alliant powders, including 2400 (another 'Unobtanium' powder...) and SportPistol. There were a few Reloder powders there, too. There was also 8# jugs of Varget, H4350, and H335, among other 8#ers, and a slew of 1# cans, too numerous to mention.

Heaven? ...no, just TEXAS!

 

[1KPerDay]

Is that a picture from heaven, just asking?

Depends on the price. If 8 pounds of Unique costs the same as 8 pounds of gold, it ain't heaven.

 

[Riomouse911]

Is that a picture from heaven, just asking?

More like from hell for me… all that Unique powder teasing me and absolutely none that I can get .

I went to a LGS-small chain yesterday to poke around. They had 21 bricks of Federal SPP for $119 ea and 9 of CCI spp for $89. I bought two CCI. I didn’t like it but these are all that I have seen in person on a local shelf since 2020.

Two 1 lb bottles of Win 244 was all the powder they had, I didn’t even look at the price.

Stay safe.

 

[CQB45ACP]

No sympathy for anyone wanting Unique! None!

On January 27 on our components available thread, everyone was alerted Natchez had Unique & Bullseye.

So, if you were out or running low just two months ago but weren’t looking, shame on you.

 

[sksshooter]

Currently have a fairly wide assortment of powder not all are full as ive bought some in package deals from buying peoples loading setups. I was considering not using several of them and selling them off to purchase more of 1 or a couple powders. But the more im reading here the more im compelled to just shoot them up to try them. HS6 has come up several times in conversation recently and ive never tried any but i may grab a lb up at some point and try it as well. Im not certain i will purchase anymore bullseye though once the 3lbs i have are gone. It meters well but sure is dirty.

 

[Targa]

More like from hell for me… all that Unique powder teasing me and absolutely none that I can get .

I went to a LGS-small chain yesterday to poke around. They had 21 bricks of Federal SPP for $119 ea and 9 of CCI spp for $89. I bought two CCI. I didn’t like it but these are all that I have seen in person on a local shelf since 2020.

Two 1 lb bottles of Win 244 was all the powder they had, I didn’t

I think a hurdle of ours has to do with the government sheep states that we live in. You Ca. And me Co.

 

[Riomouse911]

I think a hurdle of ours has to do with the government sheep states that we live in. You Ca. And me Co.

Ya, they do all they can to keep us shooters at bay.

Stay safe.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Ya, they do all they can to keep us shooters at bay.

Stay safe.

I don’t know if it’s that or just marketing. I live in the rebellious state of Florida, home of St. Marks, and we can’t get Alliant powder for love nor money. It’s like oranges: all we get here are California oranges, which I personally don’t care for, they’re too sweet. When I was in California last year I men it to a caterer and she said the same thing about California oranges; all she could find are the more tart Florida oranges and she prefers the California mandarin oranges. So why are Florida oranges shipped to California and California oranges shipped to Florida? Beats me.

 

[9mmepiphany]

So why are Florida oranges shipped to California and California oranges shipped to Florida? Beats me.

Interesting.
I'd heard from an orange broker that most Californian oranges were being exported to Canada...granted this was over 10 years ago

 

[12Bravo20]

I switched to Universal years ago when it was one of the easier to find powders. I currently use it for 380 ACP, 38 Special, 38 Super, 9MM, 9MM Largo, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP. While Universal is not the best performer in all of those calibers, it works well for range ammo and I can get decent accuracy in each caliber.

Unique and Universal are both very popular for use in a wide variety of pistol calibers.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Well I don’t buy any food products that are labeled made in or product of Canada. Why because it likely means China.

How could Canada with a much shorter growing season and much smaller population and manufacturing base produce so much food for export to the US?

Started in the post NAFTA era. And besides I don’t like Canada much anyway. Actually I don’t buy anything from Canada.

I may be crazy but it’s not for this reason.

 

[Random 8]

.357 thrown into the mix is a curve ball. Are you looking to do .357 type things or .38 Spl to .38+p type things? If the latter, one powder can do all. Unique...if you can find it. BE-86 if you can find it. Both will work well for all. A few others will get you there. Personally I would pick HS-6, or possibly Longshot or WSF, but haven't worked with those personally (need to consult some load data as I'm not familiar with .40 and .45, but know both will work for the rest). I'd probably shy away from WSF myself. This one seems to be waning in popularity and might go away. I'm just done with Aliant myself. No need to open that can of worms in this thread.

I've loaded 9mm, .38 heavy, .357 medium and .41 Mag medium with HS-6 and gotten excellent results. I don't own a .40 or .45, and probably never will unless the price on USGI issue M1911s ever comes down drastically, and still won't own a .40. No need to open that can of worms either, just my personal preference. It is not the most efficient for standard 9mm and it doesn't maximize velocity in .357. It does burn clean at higher pressures and produces great accuracy for me. It's sweet spot is heavy 9mm and .38+p.

If you are trying to do full on .357 things, you'll need 2 powders. No powder suitable for peak performance in .357 is suitable for the other cartridges. If your needs are casual practice loads in all of the above cartridges and cast standard .38 speed loads, take a look at HP38 and compare data.

 

[Varminterror]

I load a lot of different cartridges, but I have found I can be very well served if I only stocked Bullseye, H110, Varget, H4350, and Retumbo. I do use more powders than just those 5, but for everything I do, I can use just those 5 with high efficacy - with the only exception being my new monster case, which required the addition of a whole lot of H50BMG to my life.

So for the list of cartridges mentioned, I’d want Bullseye and H110, so I can run the pistols how they should, and go from mild to wild with the revolver.

 

[DMW1116]

I tried. I just can’t get down to one powder for all my handgun loads. If forced I could go with CFE Pistol. It’s not optimal but it works in the sense that when I pull the trigger, a bullet comes out the barrel.

 

[bigpower491]

Let's not forget Accurate 5......meters well and seems to be fairly easy to find these days, and it's easier on the wallet than most

 

[Targa]

Plus like HP38/Win231, Accurate #5 seems to be a bit more consistent in availability.

 

[12Bravo20]

Everyone that reloads 300 BO and/or magnum handgun calibers need to find a different powder than H110. Yes I am being stingy and want H110 for reloading my 410 shells.

I might consider a different powder(s) for pistol calibers after my stash of Universal runs out, but that won't be any time soon.