Powder Choice for .40S&W

[Crazy4nitro]

What Powder do YOU use in .40S&W?
Why did you choose that powder?

I have like 200 rounds of Bullseye left and I might consider another (slower) powder. But as one person said before "if it ain't Broke,dont fix it"...I'm just looking to see what others use,.....and Don't use.

Thanks in Advance,
Crazy4nitro

 

[Walkalong]

AA# 5, Universal Clays, WSF. I am not a big fan of Bullseye, but it is very versatile and they sell it by the ton.

 

[Shoney]

40S&W
In addition to those listed below, I also have done accuracy/chronograph tests with Titegroup, Longshot, 700x, 800x, AA7, Red Dot, Unique.

For a powder suited well for all bullet weights, Hodgdon Universal.

For 150-180 gr bullets, Power Pistol, AA5, Vihtavuori N320, WW231, WSF

My preference for a 200 gr XTP is Vihtavuori N105 powder, with a velocity over 1100 fps (not a max load).

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

I use both universal clays and bullseye....bullseye is a little cheaper, but universal burns a little cleaner....either one will work fine. Use whatever you have/like.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I've been loading my 40 with Unique, 165 grain, 155 grain, 180 grain, lead and plated. Unique has worked great will all of these loads. I like it because its in the ideal burn rate zone of 58-62% and it fills the case so a double charge is highly unlikely. Also, I bought an 8lb keg of Unique at Sportsmans Warehouse on sale for $85.

 

[Idano]

Redneck,

I hear you and all your point about Unique are dead on, but at reduced loads that is some dirty crap. I have use Unique and still do but I am looking for a cleaner powder so I am thinking about switching to Power Pistol since I hear it is cleaner. However, I still have 2 lbs of Unique and I may waffle before that is used up.

 

[Crazy4nitro]

The Bullseye still seems very clean at 3.7gr. with a 180 bullet..might wanna try that for a reduced load..

 

[Walkalong]

I have use Unique and still do but I am looking for a cleaner powder

I believe Universal Clays is your answer.

Bulky like Unique. Light colored so it is easy to see in the case. "Universal" in it's use. Burns clean and only gets even cleaner as the pressures go up. Accurate in many apps. try it, you'll like it.

 

[Idano]

Walkalong,

I wondered about that one how clean is it on light loads and for 9mm is it cleaner then Unique?

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I will admit that on my 180 grain lead loads with 5.1 grains of Unique, its on the dirty side. This is a minimum charge for this bullet. However, on my 160 grain plated TMJ's with 7 grains of Unique, its very clean. You are right, light loads with low charges = dirty. Hot loads with higher pressures = clean.

 

[Walkalong]

I wondered about that one how clean is it on light loads and for 9mm is it cleaner then Unique?

Universal Clays was much cleaner for me in the same apps as Unique was. I much prefer Universal, but Unique is a good powder and many like it.

I prefer WSF or AA# 5 in the 9MM. I would go with WST or WSF for light loads in the 9MM. Universal Clays works well in the 9MM, but really shines in the .40 in my opinion. I bought a 4 lb. jug to load .40 with.

 

[mscott]

WST

 

[CZ57]

Ramshot True Blue, chosen because of ballistic uniformity (single digit Standard Deviations) and burn rate appropriate for the .40 S&W. Ramshot Silhouette, because of energy,burn rate and very low flash. I've never used any powder faster than AA#5 for this cartridge because of the natural fast occuring pressure peak it has. True Blue is giving the most accurate loads I have ever achieved in .40 with jacketed and cast bullets. Silhouette will do as well with jacketed, but I'd give the edge to True Blue with cast. Silhouette and WSF are fairly similar, so if I couldn't get Silhouette, I'd opt for WSF.

Others I've tried: AA#5, Power Pistol, HS-6, VV 3N37, Vectan SP-2, and Alliant Blue Dot for kicks. Two others I've considered because I can get them locally are Universal and SR 4756.

 

[Crazy4nitro]

Redneck,
I'm not questioning your statement on ideal Burn rate %.
But what determines this %,and where can I find more info about it?

Crazy4nitro

 

[Walkalong]

I like it because its in the ideal burn rate zone of 58-62%

But what determines this %,and where can I find more info about it?

"Burn Rate" of a powder changes depending on many factors. Yes, some powders burn rate in a specific case with a specific bullet weight can be ideal.

Alliant rates their powders by % of relative quickness compared to Bullseye to which they give a standard of 100%.(their fastest powder)

They rate Unique as 61.6% as quick as Bullseye. This is not a "Burn Rate" compared to all powders, just a comparison to Bullseye's burn speed.

Alliant's comparisons can be handy if you are using one of their powders to compare with to see what other ALLIANT powder might be usefull.

Burn rate charts can be quite usefull, but remember, depending on the application, a powders place on the chart could move up or down several spaces.

 

[bob40caliber]

I use Unique for all my pistol reloading.....I have about 20 lbs of it....

 

[ball3006]

I use Red Dot..........

Just happens it was the most accurate for my application....155 gr practice ammo .chris3

 

[Crazy4nitro]

Walkalong,
I understand how the percentage is rated. I'm wondering how a person arrives at an Ideal burn rate of for instance Mid 50 to Mid 60% burn rate for their application. This would aid me in choosing my next powder,which is looking like Power Pistol.

 

[possum]

i use several different loads. some are for practice and some are for being accurate as possible. the most accurate load that i have is using a 165gr rainier bullet and 5 grains of power pistol, and secondly a titegroup load. i use unique and bullseye loads for training, and practice.

 

[gandog56]

Unique or W231, whicheve I have some left of.

 

[Walkalong]

I'm wondering how a person arrives at an Ideal burn rate of for instance Mid 50 to Mid 60% burn rate for there application

I have no clue whatsoever. There is no such thing as far as I am aware of.

What application do you want to use the powder for and we can give you some good suggestions where to start.

 

[CZ57]

They may be referring to how much a powder fills an empty case.

 

[Crazy4nitro]

We all know why we reload..........dont we?..lol
Anyway,I am looking for a reduced load for IDPA type of shooting. I have 180gr LSWC Bullets.

So I mainly was looking for a powder that burns/performs well at reduced loads.
I load Bullseye(3.7gr with 180gr bullets) currently and Like the feel compared to factory loads. I figured maybe a slower burning powder might reduce "felt" recoil and Muzzle flip....this is just a guess on my part. I dont like to guess at things like this so I figured I would pick the brain of a few that might have been down this road before.

Thanks in Advance for any help.
Crazy4nitro

 

[Walkalong]

So I mainly was looking for a powder that burns/performs well at reduced loads.

Tight Group was designed for light loads in big cases. it is supposed to be postion insensitive. Economical as well. Of course, people have been using Bullseye for that for years.

If you are looking to fill the case, then that is a different story.

The heavier 180 gr. bullet with a fast to medium fast powder is the way to go for less recoil. Medium fast powders are generally said to give better accuracy with the .40.

I suspect Tightgroup or Bulleseye will give you what you are looking for.

Universal with 165 and 180 Grain bullets gave me a pleasent load compared to the fast 155's. 180 being the best. I was not watching muzzle flip and don't remember how it was, but the recoil was much nicer.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

In my Lee reloading book, the loads are listed in a chart format. The loads listed at the top of the chart are the most ideal. In the 150 grain 40 loads, Unique is second from the top with Blue Dot at the top. In the 180 grain loads, Unique is in the top 5. Accurate #5 is also in the top 3 for most of these loads. Accurate #5 is very similair to Unique. This is how I got to the ideal burn rate of 58-62%. The powders in this zone seem to perform very well in the 40, in a wide variety of loads. Power Pistol is also in this zone, slightly slower than Unique.