oneounceload
member
Just like anything else that tries to be a "do-all" item, it will generally do nothing exceptionally well and most things just mediocre. Using a few different powders will give you better accuracy and results
One powder fits all?
- Thread starter Arp32
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bluetopper
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I can't believe Bullseye has not been mentioned. I've experimented with a lot of them but I've have seen no powder out perform it in many calibers.
Versatile and accurate.
Versatile and accurate.
blaisenguns
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It sounds like the only powder you can use for all that would be GOEX FFFG 
But seriously, I consider the type and weight of the projectile THEN I pick my powder based on that. If you look you can find in your load manual two loads for the projectile you want to use and find what will work with the same powder.
But seriously, I consider the type and weight of the projectile THEN I pick my powder based on that. If you look you can find in your load manual two loads for the projectile you want to use and find what will work with the same powder.
Sport45
Member
arp32 said:
Not true! The faster, finer grained, powders take less case capacity and are harder to detect a double charge. Ideally, you want a powder that fills or overflows the case on a double charge. When there's room for three or four charges in a case (Titegroup in .357 for instance) an overcharge isn't readily apparent visually.
The "fluffier" powders fill the case better so powder position isn't so much of a concern either. You can have significant velocity variance with a fast powder depending on whether it is at the front, rear, or spread down the length of the case when the gun is fired.
Sport45
Member
Look at the length of wall above the powder. The Unique load is much higher in the case than the HP-38.
I used Titegroup as an example of a fast, dense powder. It is a good powder for .45acp and I've burnt a lot of it. You have to be very careful of double charges as a single charge barely covers the bottom of the case. I always recommend Unique or Universal for new loaders for their case fill properties.
Trail Boss may be the best powder for new guys because you really can't go wrong unless you compress it. It's not the least expensive per load and doesn't give the best velocity but it is as close to foolproof as smokeless powders get.
I used Titegroup as an example of a fast, dense powder. It is a good powder for .45acp and I've burnt a lot of it. You have to be very careful of double charges as a single charge barely covers the bottom of the case. I always recommend Unique or Universal for new loaders for their case fill properties.
Trail Boss may be the best powder for new guys because you really can't go wrong unless you compress it. It's not the least expensive per load and doesn't give the best velocity but it is as close to foolproof as smokeless powders get.
I was understanding it wrong then, thanks for the clarification.
Although I've never associated "fluffiness" with gunpowder, that is what I was going for. I'd value safety well over performance. Might be different if I had 20/20 eyesight and a lot more skill, but as it is I just want a cheaper way to put more holes in paper circles.
Although I've never associated "fluffiness" with gunpowder, that is what I was going for. I'd value safety well over performance. Might be different if I had 20/20 eyesight and a lot more skill, but as it is I just want a cheaper way to put more holes in paper circles.
Kachok
Member
Never seen a powder that works well in handgun and high speed rifle cartrages, but RL-22 works wounders in all the rifles I own. Standard and magnum cartrages work remarkably well with that one slow burning powder, everything from the ancient 6.5x55 to the ultra high performance 270 WSM.
zxcvbob
Member
Red Dot will work in anything -- but it won't necessarily work well.
Unique or Bullseye will work in all those pistol cartridges; Bullseye measures better and is more economical, and Unique will give higher performance. You probably won't be happy with .357 Magnum loaded with BE or Unique; get some AA#7 or 2400 or Power Pistol (and there are others) for that one.
Varget and 4895 are very flexible rifle powders that will do .223 and .30-06 very well, but they are kind of hard to measure. BLC(2) or AA2520 will also do both cartridges and they are ball powders that do measure well -- they are not really better, just easier.
Back to the original question, you can get down to 2 or 3 powders, but not one. Get a pound of Unique and a pound of Varget and see how they work for you. If you don't like Unique, try Bullseye next. If you do like the Unique except it doesn't give you enough performance in .357, get a pound of 2400 and try that. Etc. Once you know what you like, order 8-pounders off the Internet.
Unique or Bullseye will work in all those pistol cartridges; Bullseye measures better and is more economical, and Unique will give higher performance. You probably won't be happy with .357 Magnum loaded with BE or Unique; get some AA#7 or 2400 or Power Pistol (and there are others) for that one.
Varget and 4895 are very flexible rifle powders that will do .223 and .30-06 very well, but they are kind of hard to measure. BLC(2) or AA2520 will also do both cartridges and they are ball powders that do measure well -- they are not really better, just easier.
Back to the original question, you can get down to 2 or 3 powders, but not one. Get a pound of Unique and a pound of Varget and see how they work for you. If you don't like Unique, try Bullseye next. If you do like the Unique except it doesn't give you enough performance in .357, get a pound of 2400 and try that. Etc. Once you know what you like, order 8-pounders off the Internet.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
You started your thread saying, "With powder, there appear to be so many choices." Honestly, if one or two powders can do everything do you think all those powders would still be on the market with more coming along every year. For some reason new reloaders always try to do everything with one powder. Tell me, what is the difference if you buy 2lbs of fast burning pistol powder, 2lbs of slow burning pistol powder and 4lbs of rifle powder compared to 8lbs of one powder? You are going to need the 8lbs anyway so why not buy the powders that will work best for the calibers you're reloading?
For the .380, the .38 Special, the .45 Auto and 9mm W231/HP-38 work very well. A slower burning pistol powder like 2400, W296/H110, AA#9 and the like is best for the .356 Magnum.
For use in the .223 you have many choices. I like H335 and Varget best but I hear very good things about CFE223 too but almost any powder works well in the .223 other than very slow powders.
In the 30-06 I use mostly H4350 but 4895, 4064, Varget and BL-C(2) are all good choices too.
If you really want to stick with one powder for both the .223 and 30-06 you can use 4895 or Varget and if you want to use a Ball (spherical) powder instead BL-C(2) is a good choice.
Don't limit yourself to 1 or 2 powders because you won't get the best results and after all, more accurate and reliable ammo is one of the reasons we reload...
Good luck.
For the .380, the .38 Special, the .45 Auto and 9mm W231/HP-38 work very well. A slower burning pistol powder like 2400, W296/H110, AA#9 and the like is best for the .356 Magnum.
For use in the .223 you have many choices. I like H335 and Varget best but I hear very good things about CFE223 too but almost any powder works well in the .223 other than very slow powders.
In the 30-06 I use mostly H4350 but 4895, 4064, Varget and BL-C(2) are all good choices too.
If you really want to stick with one powder for both the .223 and 30-06 you can use 4895 or Varget and if you want to use a Ball (spherical) powder instead BL-C(2) is a good choice.
Don't limit yourself to 1 or 2 powders because you won't get the best results and after all, more accurate and reliable ammo is one of the reasons we reload...
Good luck.
dap22
Member
+1 for Unique & W231.......... can't speak for red dot as i've never used it.
Care to elaborate given the previous advice? Not trying to be snarky, am literally here to educate myself.
zxcvbob
Member
Arp32 said:
- A powder that works well in a bottleneck rifle cartridge will not work at all in a pistol cartridge because it burns way too slow -- you can't fit enough in the case, and even if you could most of it would not get a chance to burn.
- A powder that works well in a pistol cartridge will not work well in a rifle cartridge because it burns too fast -- you have to stop adding powder when it reaches the maximum pressure for the cartridge, and the small amount of powder will not generate enough gas to give good performance in a rifle. Also it may not fill the cartridge case enough to burn consistently.
- Some pistol cartridges do best with fast-burning powders (.380) and others need somewhat slower powders to reach their potential (.357 Magnum)
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I gathered that the rifle cartridges will need a different powder from previous posts, but it seems the handgun rounds can all be accommodated with one choice as long as I don't care about loading hot .357 rounds. The post about one powder choice being "dangerous" just seemed a bit vague.
Oh, ArchAngelCD to your question in post 36, my goals are to be able to stockpile enough ammo that I don't worry about how much it's costing me every time I go shooting (last weekend it was $135+). Seems that reloading is a way to get there, at least in comparison to buying retail. The goal is to shoot more and have fun with new reloading tools. My goal isn't to explore new loads or customize loads to different guns.
I know my limitations. I'm not a good enough shooter that I can tell the subtle differences between different loads. And my shooting buddies aren't that much better shots than me, if they are at all. We're just casual shooters that like plinking.
With that in mind, I'd rather limit the potential for mistakes and keep it simple. If I can limit the variables and avoid grabbing the wrong canister, I'm all for it.
I plan to start watching prices and stock up where I can, I just wanted to make sure I choose a powder I can get my value out of.
More power to you guys that shoot quarter inch groups with one particular load and have the range notes to prove it. I'm not a gourmet chef, I just want to make some tasty nachos without blowing up the kitchen.
Maybe in a couple of years I'll have a different attitude. There was a time when I thought I would only ever want to own 3 guns (shivers!!!)
I know my limitations. I'm not a good enough shooter that I can tell the subtle differences between different loads. And my shooting buddies aren't that much better shots than me, if they are at all. We're just casual shooters that like plinking.
With that in mind, I'd rather limit the potential for mistakes and keep it simple. If I can limit the variables and avoid grabbing the wrong canister, I'm all for it.
I plan to start watching prices and stock up where I can, I just wanted to make sure I choose a powder I can get my value out of.
More power to you guys that shoot quarter inch groups with one particular load and have the range notes to prove it. I'm not a gourmet chef, I just want to make some tasty nachos without blowing up the kitchen.
Maybe in a couple of years I'll have a different attitude. There was a time when I thought I would only ever want to own 3 guns (shivers!!!)
4895
Member
Winchester 231 all the way.
I have only found 2 cartridges I like Unique in, and I don't shoot them all that often. 231 burns very clean with excellent metering potential. If I could only have one handgun powder, it would definately be Winchester 231.
Double check your powder measure setup, don't run loads at the top of the scale, and visually inspect your cases. If you are consistent in your loading you will have no troubles with 231 powder. Treat it as any other powder and it will take good care of you. Good luck.
I have only found 2 cartridges I like Unique in, and I don't shoot them all that often. 231 burns very clean with excellent metering potential. If I could only have one handgun powder, it would definately be Winchester 231.
Double check your powder measure setup, don't run loads at the top of the scale, and visually inspect your cases. If you are consistent in your loading you will have no troubles with 231 powder. Treat it as any other powder and it will take good care of you. Good luck.
Centaur 1
Member
Keep it simple in the beginning and try not to worry about too much all at once. Out of the cartridges you mentioned just start with the .38 special. Learn how to reload first, things like adjusting your dies and getting consistent powder charges. Get your techniques down first, it's when you get ahead of yourself that you do things like double charge a case. I say the .38 because a revolver round headspaces off the rim and they're not finicky about case length like the .380 or 9mm. You sound like me as far as just wanting to shoot more. I even went one step further and cast my own bullets, if you get an opportunity to acquire lead, take it and don't look back. My cost for 1000 rounds of ammo are such, primers $31/1000, powder $22 a pound. I use Unique more than any other powder, the .380 uses 3.0 grains, the 9mm and 38 both get loaded with 4.0 grains. This makes the average 3.5 grains per round which yields 2000 rounds per pound. This adds up to a whopping $42 for each 1000 rounds that I load. For simplicity in the beginning I recommend plated bullets. This way you don't have to worry about using the exact diameter for your bore or which lube to use to prevent leading. Berry's manufacturing has 38 caliber, 125 grain flat point bullets for less than $90/1000. Even at that price you will load 1000 rounds for $132, that's less than you spent last weekend. How many rounds did you shoot last weekend, I bet that it was less than 1000?
ArchAngelCD
Member.
Well if you want to shoot a lot more for the same money you now spend reloading is for sure for you!
Don't sell yourself short, it's not that easy to grab the wrong can of powder although it has been done.
Most new reloaders won't make that mistake because they are still unsure of the process and usually pay attention to everything they do. (that's a very good thing lol) I'm sure if you use 3 or 4 powders you won't mess up...
My comments on using the right powders for each caliber had nothing to with quarter inch groups but about making quality ammo that shoots well and makes you feel good about reloading. Buying and using 3/4 powders will get you there and you will have more fun because you are making very accurate ammo. Even plinking is no fun unless you hit something once and a while, no?
That said, you do what you think is best for you now that you have the information you were looking for. Like said above, start with the .38 Special which is easy to reload and work from there.
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