Pistol Powder?

[Bobnfl]

Does or has anyone used hogdon titewad for loading 9mm or 45acp? The web site shows it for 45acp but everyone I know that loads has never used it. I have used tightgroup for a while and like it , but it is not available now at all the places I have looked. I can get tightwad in 1lb containers locally that is why I am asking.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I'm not sure if it's been modified but there used to be a warning not to use Titewad for handgun loading. Titegroup is alright. I would not use it no matter what. If you can find W231/HP-38 that would be a much better choice...

 

[gahunter12]

Never used it, and never heard of anyone using it. Per Hodgdon's web site they have data for 200gr HP, and 230gr lead. The Min/Max for titewad is super close. Be careful if you try it. I would look for a better substitute if it were me.

 

[gahunter12]

There you go.

 

[noylj]

It is a very fast powder, much like N310 and Norma R1. The fastest powder I have had any "success" with is Nitro 100 and, of course, Bullseye. Bullseye, however, has never shown any pressure spikes on firing.
It can be used, but if it is like N310, Nitro 100, Clays, or TiteGroup (which it is probably related to in terms of manufacturing), it could well suffer severe pressure spikes such that near max loads will show a wide range of velocity (and pressure).
I don't like powders that have less than 0.5gn between start and max loads, but when dealing with, say a randomly selected charge weight, 3.0gn for max, a standard starting load that is 10% below max would be a starting load of 2.7gn--thus, the range will be small for low charge weights no matter what.
Unless one knows how to work up loads without data on hand, I wouldn't try it.
Titewad and Extralite are both extremely interesting powders for light target loads (low pressure) for .45 Auto and .38 Spl, but with a lack of data...

 

[Bobnfl]

Thanks for the advice. It does verify what I was thinking. I will stay with what I have been using which is tightgroup.
Thanks Again Bob

 

[KansasSasquatch]

You seem to have already made a decision but here's a copy and paste of hodgdon's data for Titewad in .45acp.

155 GR. CAST LSWC Hodgdon Titewad .451" 1.230" 4.6 1015 15,800 PSI 5.0 1082 18,800 PSI
180 GR. LFP Hodgdon Titewad .452" 1.140" 3.7 855 14,800 PSI 4.3 948 19,200 PSI
185 GR. HDY JSWC Hodgdon Titewad .451" 1.135" 3.5 754 14,900 PSI 4.2 887 19,400 PSI
200 GR. CAST LSWC Hodgdon Titewad .451" 1.225" 3.6 816 15,400 PSI 4.5 940 20,000 PSI
200 GR. SPR JHP Hodgdon Titewad .451" 1.155" 3.4 680 15,200 PSI 4.0 834 19,500 PSI
230 GR. LRN Hodgdon Titewad .452" 1.200" 2.8 684 14,700 PSI 3.3 767 19,400 PSI

 

[Potatohead]

Is BE to fast for 9mm? Noylj scared me a little...

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Is BE to fast for 9mm? Noylj scared me a little...

No. Bullseye is great for 9mm in my experience. I've never chronographed any but they seem plenty stout without being overly so and are very accurate.

 

[Bobnfl]

Thanks a lot for the added info. Just for safety sake I keep a copy of all the powders loading info on my computer desktop so I can reference it when needed. It is always helpful when you can get input from more experienced loaders
Thanks a lot Bob

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Is BE to fast for 9mm? Noylj scared me a little...

IMO very fast powders and high pressure cartridges are not a good fit. While Bullseye is a good choice for the .38 Special and 45 Auto I will not use it in the 9mm and 40 S&W because fast powders when pushed to high pressures can spike pressures with very little additions to the powder charge. Slower powders will deliver better results and they are safer, IMO of course. The fastest powder I use in the 9mm is W231/HP-38.

Yes, there are those who achieve good results but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

[rsrocket1]

Titewad loads very similar to Clays in weight (not volume) which makes it a very good powder to generate full pressure loads with low bullet velocity. The advantage of that over a low velocity load of Unique/Bullseye/Universal/Power Pistol is that with higher pressure, you get case expansion sealing off the gases, lead bullet obturation, and thorough burning of the powder.

Don't try to work up to a mid speed load with Titewad/Clays, you'll go over pressure limits before you get there.

Even though Bullseye is claimed to be a "fast" powder, everything I've seen of it including load data shows that it burns much more closely to Unique than to Red Dot. You can push a bullet faster with Bullseye than you can with Red Dot or certainly Clays. I've used BE in 45ACP, 38, 40 and 9. You get the same velocity as Unique by using about 10% less Bullseye. Again I only load mid range and never try to push the bullet too fast. Bullseye is a nice dense powder like Titewad, but even with full combustion, it is quite sooty but that just means a little more time cleaning it.

I've used Titewad in 45ACP, 38 special and 40 S&W. I only use it for low velocity, low recoil loads. With 3.0g Titewad or Clays and a 180g 40 cal bullet (760 fps), you can make the gun feel just like a 9mm shooting a 125g bullet at 1100 fps (where I use Unique for that load). I've tried both in an M&P40 with the 40 and 9mm barrels and they do feel the same.

Just as with Trail Boss and Clays, Titewad would not be a good powder to use in 9mm because it just doesn't push the bullet fast enough to cycle the action. In order to get enough recoil, you will be loading it at too high of a pressure.

So here's one shooter who has used Titewad in pistol rounds. Just remember, low velocity loads only and don't push it.

 

[7mmb]

I'm with ArchAngelCD. In 9mm I won't use the fast powders. They may work but they aren't the best choice. The slowest powder I've used in 9mm is Universal and didn't really like the results at that speed. N350 is the best powder I've used in it. No way I'd use Tightwad in it, especially with no published data.

Tightwad might be ok in 45 Auto but there are certainly better powders. If that's all you've got then at least you're shooting but if you can find something else I'd get that.

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks for answering my question about BE fellas.

 

[Potatohead]

but even with full combustion, it is quite sooty but that just means a little more time cleaning it.

No doubt. This is my first go round with it and it is really really sooty. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong at first. (not getting enough combustion for whatever reason)

Back to topic.

 

[rsrocket1]

Bullseye even at full pressure will make my stainless steel Ruger Sevice Six look like a blued gun in less than 50 rounds. I've shot 50 rounds of Clays loads in the same gun and it had very little soot on it. I would guess that International or Universal would be the same so long as you don't under load it.

I've had sooty-smokey loads with Clays, but that was with 3/4 oz 12 gauge loads where I used a light charge in cold weather. There were no flakes, but there was lots of residual smoke coming out of the barrel and soot on the hulls. When I shot the test shots with higher charges, just like with most powders, it cleaned up nicely.