Newbie Powder Question

[TomJ]

I'm going to stop by Cabella's this weekend to pick up some powder. I'll be loading .38's and .45's. Hornady's reloading book lists the specs for a number of manufacturers. I'm not sure which powders Cabela's will have in stock in the store, but was looking for a recommendation as far as which one I should go with (if available) and if there are any brands I should stay away from. Among the major manufacturers, is there really a difference other than the amount you use?

I'd prefer to buy it in person to avoid the hazmat fees as well as having to take a day off of work to wait for the delivery.

 

[Walkalong]

The good news is there are a great many powders that will work satisfactorily in those calibers, and a number of them that will work very well.

Why not swing by, see what they have, and post it?

 

[jwrowland77]

Well, if you want economical, go with Titegroup. Be EXTREMELY careful, because it would be easy to double charge those two cases and that would be a very bad thing.

Unique would give better case fill, but you use more powder.

There is a difference in powder. Different powder will give less or more velocity. Different powder will give a snap recoil (Titegroup) vs a push recoil (Unique, Universal)

Really it's just a matter of getting a couple of different one pounders and trying them out to find what you like. That's half the fun of reloading.

 

[TomJ]

The good news is there are a great many powders that will work satisfactorily in those calibers, and a number of them that will work very well.

Why not swing by, see what they have, and post it?

I thought about doing that, but after this weekend it's going to be another 2 weeks before I have the chance to get back out there. I'm not sure if the powder they have in stock this weekend is going to be there in a couple of weeks, or if what they stock is going to change.

They try to be helpful, but with few exceptions really don't know much about the products they sell, so questions such as what they regularly stock, etc. go unanswered.

 

[joem1945]

I usually try to find a powder that fills the case to 80% capacity of what I'm loading. Results are pretty good and no chance of double charge.

 

[Reloadron]

Powders like Bullseye and Unique are good choices and I have seen them in stock at the Columbus, Ohio Cabela's so they seem to be in the Cabela's system.

Ron

 

[Grumulkin]

I'm going to stop by Cabella's this weekend to pick up some powder. I'll be loading .38's and .45's. Hornady's reloading book lists the specs for a number of manufacturers. I'm not sure which powders Cabela's will have in stock in the store, but was looking for a recommendation as far as which one I should go with (if available) and if there are any brands I should stay away from. Among the major manufacturers, is there really a difference other than the amount you use?

I'd prefer to buy it in person to avoid the hazmat fees as well as having to take a day off of work to wait for the delivery.

What I would suggest is that you decide what bullet you wish to use. Then peruse a loading manual to see which powders would serve your purpose. Armed with a list of acceptable powders, go to Cabela's and hope for the best.

Powders are becoming more available but my local Cabela's doesn't have a lot of choices yet. I think there was Unique on the shelf last I looked and it would be good for the 38 Special. Titegroup can be used in a great variety of cartridges and is very economical to load despite the disadvantage of not filling cases fully.

 

[Lafitte]

When you stop at Cabelas' purchase 2 good reloading manuals and study them for 2 weeks, then go back and buy some powder. You will be way ahead of the game if you STUDY the manuals before you do anything else.

Lafitte

 

[ulflyer]

Lots of good powders out there. I've used 231, Bullseye, and Clays/HP-38 in the calibers you mention with good results. Liked the slightly more bulky Clay as its fills the cases so that it easier to see, but Clays seem so scarce now. Have read on this forum that ClayDot can be used in place of Clays using the same loadind data; double check on that before you buy any. Its made by Alliant and sells in my area for $20 lb.

 

[243winxb]

Down load the Hodgdon powder burn rate chart from there website. Numbers 1 to 32 may be used , if you can find loading data for that powder. It may not be the perfect powder, but you will have something to shoot. Steves Pages will list data for any usable powders for 38 & 45 http://stevespages.com/page8a.htm

 

[ATLDave]

Here's another powder burn rate chart that contains burn rates from almost all the makers that you can get in the U.S. http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/burn_rates.pdf For .45 and .38, basically anything on the chart between Bullseye and Unique ought to be fine, with the faster ones (towards the top of the chart) best suited to light target loads and the slower ones better for maximizing velocity. There are all kinds of differences in things like how clean the powder burns, how well it meters, what kind of case fill/efficiency you get, how much muzzle flash it produces, etc. All that is stuff that you may develop preferences on as you get deeper into reloading, but for now, any of the powders in that range should get you going. All else being equal, you'll probably have the easiest time finding data for the Hodgdon/IMR/Winchester and the Accurate Arms/Ramshot powders.

 

[kcofohio]

Here is a list of powders Cabela's list as in-stock on line.


HP-38/W231
Titegroup
Universal
CFE Pistol
HS-6
Autocomp
WSF

Of course what they list on line and what will be in your store may differ.

Out of those, the Titegroup and HP-38/W231 will be your faster burning. They will be good for plinking. And they are close to each other in charges.

The rest fall in about the middle of pistol powder burn rate.

I know with CFE Pistol, you can get some stout loads in 38.

 

[Walkalong]

W-231/HP-38 would be a great choice for .38 Spl and .45 ACP. Buy it if they have it.

Then Universal which will do OK in light .38 Spl, better in full power .38 Spl and well in .45 ACP.

I am not a Titegroup fan, but it has many fans.

HS-6 would do well at +P .38 Spl levels, don't know about .45 ACP.

WSF is very similar.

Not familiar with Autocomp or CFE Pistol.


If they have any AA #2, grab it, as it will do anything in .38 Spl you want, and 99% of anything in .45 ACP and do it very well.

WST would be another good choice, as would its close cousin Competition.

Bullseye or Unique would be a good choice.

Etc, etc....

 

[mrdemal]

I've used Unique for 35 yrs in my .45. Won't be changing.

 

[243winxb]

Hs 6 in 38 special

Hs6 http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=783806&page=2 +P loads with jacketed bullets for HS 6

 

[LiveLife]

Among the major manufacturers, is there really a difference other than the amount you use?

Yes, there are differences in terms of metering characteristics (+/- .1 gr variance compared to .2+ gr), muzzle velocities you can achieve, how clean/dirty they burn, ability to produce lighter recoil yet accurate target loads, different amount/type of felt recoil/muzzle flip, accuracy at different load levels, cost per round, etc.

loading .38's and .45's ... looking for a recommendation

Differences in popular powders are covered in detail in this thread and it should help you with your powder purchase - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9890280#post9890280

For new reloaders, I usually recommend powders that are flexible to reload many calibers that can produce accuracy at lower powder charges as new reloaders usually don't load at near max/max load data and typically load at mid to high range load data. I also recommend powders that meter well (produce +/- .1 gr variance charge to charge) until techniques/skills can be developed to consistently meter larger flake powders like Unique.

The powders I prefer to recommend to new reloaders and popular with many reloaders are W231/HP-38/Bullseye/Red Dot/Promo as they can load many calibers and can produce accurate loads even when loaded light.

W231/HP-38/Bullseye meter very well and very popular for .38/45 loads.

Titegroup also meters well and produces accurate target loads and popular with match shooters but it often has very narrow load range (.3-.5 gr spread) so your start charge is already near max load. I do not recommend Titegroup to new reloaders until they are proficient with metering powder charges consistently using verified accurate scales. WST is also good for producing accurate target 9mm loads but there is no current published load data from Hodgdon.

Red Dot/Promo are large flake powders that meter with .2-.3 gr variance but if you load at mid range load data, even with the variance in powder charges can produce decent practice loads.

Many like Unique and like Red Dot/Promo, is a bulky large flake powder that fills the case well to not allow double charges (powder will spill over with most double charge ranges). But many reloaders have problem with consistently metering Unique.

Powders that burn slower than Unique/BE-86/Universal are favored by reloaders to produce higher velocity rounds. I consider BE-86 the modern Unique that meter well and it has produced some of most accurate loads for me in 9/40/45.

Here are some target pictures of 9/40/45 loads using BE-86/Promo/WST/Titegroup - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9924922#post9924922

 

[Sunray]

Decide what bullet weight and jacketed or cast you wish to use, then decide. What you're doing with the firearms will matter a bit. Target loads vs CCW, for example.
Partial to Bullseye for both of 'em myself. Only ever use cast bullets too. The Bullseye is primarily due to loading for .38 Special WC target loads before the .45. Bullseye has been the go-to powder for .38 target loads for eons. Works well with cast 230's in a .45 too.

 

[Shinbone]

TomJ, that would be the Hoffman Estates store since I think it's the only one in Illinois. I'm about an hour from there, so I'd appreciate if you could post what they have.
Thanks.

 

[Ky Larry]

Target loads AA#2

Defense loads AA#5

 

[otisrush]

I agree: Pick the bullet first.

When I was in your shoes I knew / had decided I wanted a ball powder as I'd heard those work well with the RCBS Uniflow I have. So I researched which pistol powders were ball powders and had that list on my phone wo if I saw one in stock that matched I could snag it.

I did what others recommend not doing - and I would recommend you not doing: Starting with Titegroup. I didn't realize it's small min/max range until I got it home. That being said - given that situation - I bought a set of check weights for my scale to increase my confidence the scale was accurate at small weights. I use those weights EVERY time I'm charging cases. After about 1,000 rounds fired of 9mm using Titegroup I've had no issues whatsoever.

For completeness I also put on my phone a picture of the Speer manual I use for the bullet I was using - so I could have with me all the powders and their data when I was in a store.

OR

 

[jwrowland77]

Nothing wrong with starting with Titegroup, you just have to pay attention to what you're doing. Which you should always do when reloading.

I started with Titegroup and have never had any issue. It's just a matter of going slow and paying attention.

 

[PJSprog]

Tom:
If you're a noob reloader, you should buy a couple of manuals first and study them voraciously. The way you pose the question suggests that you haven't done that. You really need to do your own homework on this, rather than trusting the advice of a bunch of strangers on the internet. Granted, it's not likely anyone here would intentionally steer you wrong, and if they did they would be corrected by others. Still, the stakes are too high for failure because of wrong or improperly received information. Safety should always be your primary concern. [/pompous lecture]

That said, I've always used Hodgdon's HP-38 for my .38 and .45 loads. Charge, of course, depends on the bullet you choose.

 

[TomJ]

I had an unexpected meeting with a customer who's located a stones throw from Cabelas. I had a chance to run into there, and they had no handgun powder, only powder for rifles. Based on my conversation with them, it doesn't sound like they get it in often, and when they do it disappears quickly.

I called a couple of LGS' in my area, and the ones that had powder weren't sure what they carried and told me they knew little about it. At this point, paying the hazmat fee and rearranging my work schedule to work out of the house the day the powder is going to be delivered now looks like a good option. I found HP 38 in stock and placed the order.

 

[PJSprog]

Yeah, it's sad when you can't find powders and primers locally. I'm starting to have that trouble where I live, too. My favorite LGS used to carry small quantities of stuff I use. Since he moved to a new location, though, he's no longer carrying any reloading supplies at all. Business decision, so I understand. Fortunately, I work just across town from Graf's Reloading in St. Charles, MO. It's rare that I go in there and not find what I need. Short of that, I guess I'd have to brace up and pay those fees, too.

 

[TomJ]

Tom:
If you're a noob reloader, you should buy a couple of manuals first and study them voraciously. The way you pose the question suggests that you haven't done that. You really need to do your own homework on this, rather than trusting the advice of a bunch of strangers on the internet. Granted, it's not likely anyone here would intentionally steer you wrong, and if they did they would be corrected by others. Still, the stakes are too high for failure because of wrong or improperly received information. Safety should always be your primary concern. [/pompous lecture]

That said, I've always used Hodgdon's HP-38 for my .38 and .45 loads. Charge, of course, depends on the bullet you choose.

PJS,

That's good advice. I do have Hornady's book that came with the reloader as well as The ABC's of Reloading. I went through Hornady's and am now reading The ABC's. Hornady's book lists a number of powders for each load, which triggered my question. I assumed that all powders were not the same and did not see anything in what I've read so far that details those differences.

I have enough ammo to last me a while, so while I'm anxious to get started I won't do so until I'm comfortable with my level of knowledge, as you're right that rushing into this and making a mistake can have consequences I'd rather avoid.