Powder question ?

Status
Not open for further replies.

horsemen61

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
Messages
6,759
Ok guys I currently load 38s, 357, 9mm, 45acp, 45 colt 40 S&W and soon 380 acp. Now I currently own these powders WIN 231, ACCURATE NO.2 Bullseye, Unique here is the thing I would like to branch out into more and different powders in case for whatever reason I cant find these any ideas and which powder where to start i'm open to all suggestions so please feel free to throw out any Powder that will help me with pistol loads
 
I recently started using Auto Comp for 9mm,45acp,and 44mag.It's a ball powder that meters well and gives good results so far.
 
I think your selection of powders is fine. The only thing I would recommend is to get a slower powder(s) for your 357 mag, and I would proudly recommend 2400 for that.
 
I have several manuals available to me to anyone who wishes to just say get a manual this is not why I posted this thread I posted it to gain knowledge these kind of answers do not help in anyway so please refain from posting that phrase :banghead:
 
you're covered with what you have. I f I were going to add something it would be to give you a little better performance/cleaner/less flash in the .40 (and maybe the 9mm)...

Universal, No.7 are clean and low flash. SR 4756 is really low flash.

Maybe AutoComp or PowerPistol for the .40 and 9mm.

HS-6 would work well for top .38 SPL loads. Or AutoComp.

And you really need some 2400 for the .357 Magnum.
 
I like the H110 and w296 for Magnum .357 loads... works and measure real well

I also Like Tightgroup for both 9mm and .357...... i also have w231 for Both 9mm and .357 and Like it as well....

i also would like to try some 2400 for .357 mag loads... as well as PowerPistol if i can find either.... someday i will

I myself will be trying new powders once i can get a few Different ones available..... Always Fun ta try new Things... Bullets.. powders... Etc...


Good luck bud and have fun
 
I've been in the same boat and have been encouraged to use Longshot & 700X for .40 and Bluedot for 357mag. The Bluedot can be used in your 40 but it has more flash and a bit more pep to it than Unique. The 700X is doing good for me, but I hope to try Longshot in my next round of reloads.
 
I have been really happy with MP300 for my .357 mag loads. I also recently came into an 8 pound jug of hi skor 800x that was a pleasant surprise. There are several threads out there (one of them mine) about how bad it meters but, if you are willing to weigh your charges, I think it is one of the best powders for .357 mag. Blue dot is not my top choice for .357 but I have used a lot of it since it seems to be one powder I can get my hands on. It works great though I would recommend the others if available.
 
38 spcl, 9mm, and .40 all run very well with Longshot for me. HS6 too is good for those. For .357 I've always had a thing for H110 / 296 over 2400. Nothing wrong with 2400 by any means, I've used it, and it did what it was supposed to do, I just like the bit slower burn characteristics of H110 / 296.

45 LC, again, as with .357 mag. if your shooting a firearm that falls into the Ruger / TC class I always go with H110 / 296 for full tilt loads. But I've also down loaded with Longshot and really liked it.

I don't load 45 acp, never have, so nothing to offer there. Haven't worked with .380 but a few times and don't recall what I used.

A few other powders I have worked with have been Blue Dot, SR4756, the old Hi Skor 700X too.

GS
 
I would look for some 2400 for the .45 colt loads but unique should be pretty darn good for that big case. Powerpistol is another one to try in 9 mm and 40. I like bullseye in .45 auto and 231 is good for 38/357 target loads. The slow powders are nice but super loud when shot in the field. Best of luck to you.
 
Your powders could be expanded to add Vihtavuori--maybe n320, n340 and/or n350, depending on your bullet speed preferences. The apparent cost increase is generally lessened by the load decrease. Single based powders burn efficiently over a wider load range. VV powder characteristics are also outstanding for temperature, position, muzzle blast and cleanliness..
JMO
 
1sow I have never used their brand of nor do I no anybody who does is it a good brand
 
One that is constantly overlooked is IMR 7625. I've had good results in most of the rounds you listed. It meters almost as well as AA#2.
 
When I was looking for some new powders to try I picked up some Hodgdon Longshot, IMR 800-X, Alliant Red Dot, and Ramshot True Blue.

Hodgdon doesn't list Longshot data for .38spl, .380, nor standard pressure .45LC but they have some very respectable data for the other calibers you listed. I've found it works very well in 9mm and .45acp, seems to work best with mid-upper charge weights in both calibers. I'll be using it soon for some .357 and possibly .40 but I've yet to use it with those to date. It's a flake/flattened ball powder, a good bit smaller than Unique. On rare occasions I'll get a .2gr variance up or down with it but 98% of the time it's within .1gr of my target charge weight, about as consistent as you can ask for from a powder measure.

True Blue has data for every caliber you listed with the exception of standard pressure .38spl but there is +p data for .38spl. So far I love this powder in .45acp. I'd say its only 2nd to Unique in that caliber for me. It seems to work better with close to MAX charge weights in .45ACP. It's done well in 9mm for me. And was quite good in 5.7x28, where its typically the most suggested powder for that caliber. It's a fine ball powder and meters with extreme consistency from Hornady powder measures.

I hate 800-X. I've found nothing so far that meters worse than this powder. Even long cut stick powders meter more consistently for me. But if you weigh out individual charges it does work quite well in .45acp. But because of the metering issues I haven't used it since my first tests. If I knew anyone that loaded for shotguns I'd give it away as its supposed to be excellent for that. Many say Unique doesn't meter well but with Unique I find that .2-.3gr variances don't matter on the target. I do not find the same to be true with 800-X.

When I first tried Red Dot I was using it for .45ACP. It did pretty good for plinking loads but W231, Bullseye, and Unique all worked better for that purpose. But I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried it in .38spl. 3.3gr under a 158gr Missouri Bullet SWC, any SPP, and a light roll crimp seated to 1.45"(?, I'd have to check my notes to be 100% on OAL). That's is a very light recoiling load with superb accuracy. It does tend to be a somewhat dirty load but for how well it shoots I'll never complain about it. If I remember correctly its a flake/flattened ball powder with the flakes being just a little bigger than W231 but smaller than Unique. It meters nicely and has pinkish-red "marker" flakes.
 
If you can find Ramshot Silhouette, buy some. You won't be disappointed.

I also like AutoComp, Blue Dot and Green Dot a lot for those calibers. Power Pistol is good for velocity, but BIG flash will blind you in low light. I don't use it in any self-defense loads.
 
I have several manuals available to me to anyone who wishes to just say get a manual this is not why I posted this thread I posted it to gain knowledge these kind of answers do not help in anyway so please refain from posting that phrase :banghead:
Hey Horseman, It seem to me that powder manufacturers are posting more thorough data these days than the manuals. I have always been a big fan of Hodgdon powders for rifle and pistol. A lot of what I have bought lately has been limited to availability. I have had good luck finding primers and powders at Bruno Shooters Supply. I just received a 8# Keg of Longshot and 3000 pistol primers from them last week.

Of the pistol powders I currently have in the locker are; Longshot, Blue Dot, AA#5, AA#7, V105, H110, and 800X.

These all more than meet my needs which are; informal IDPA competition, practice/plinking, and home/personal defense. I don't have any "metering" issues with any of them and I can produce ammo that shoots better in my guns than I can hold.

I load for 9mm, 40S&W, 45ACP, 44REM MAG, 44 Special. Off the top of my head, I don't think it is possible to double charge any of these without overflowing the case. The Blue Dot I have to back off quite a bit from max. At or near max the accuracy deteriorates and I get about a 3 foot blaze out the end of the barrel.

Hope this helps,
Wooly
 
Alliant's Power Pro 300-MP is the hot new up-and-coming powder for magnum handguns. Haven't been able to try it yet (cant' find any), but it's putting up some spectacular numbers and has all the other characteristics you'd expect from a 21st century powder.

Vihtavuori of Finland makes excellent powders. Very high performance, high quality, high tech, and HIGH PRICED. But, like they say, you get what you pay for. All my .44 mag hunting loads use V-V N110. None of my high volume practice/plinking loads do.
 
Not to hijack the thread but I too need advice on powders. We (MY Dad and me) are just getting the stuff together to reload and the local shop has BL-C(2) and H-4895 available right now. We will be loading 7.62x54R, 7mm, 270, 30-06, 30-30, 257 Roberts, and 6.5 Carcano in rifle rounds and 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 9mm, 25, and 40 S&W in pistols. I would like to keep it down to two powders one for rifle and one for pistol if possible. Can you recommend a pistol and rifle powder that will work for all these rounds. Thanks
 
^^^^
For the rifles H-4895. It's the closest thing to a "universal" powder there is. For your pistols you don't say what your store has but Unique would work with all those.
Thanks, the reason I didn't say what the two shops had in pistol powders was I couldn't remember the types they had in those. The only one I remember off hand was tightwad or something like that. Still have not found a recipe yet for my 7.62x54R using CCI primers H-4895 powder and 150 grain Spitzer Boat Tail bullet yet. I can get the powder for $24.95 plus tax and the primers are $34.95 plus tax. I know I will need at least three different types of CCI primers to load all these.
 
horsemen -

I've used VihtaVuori and liked it. Had a friend use it shooting IPSC as well.

It's going to cost more, maybe $7-$10 per pound. But I really like their line of pistol powder. You'll probably have to special order it at your local shop. Or order it from one of the on-line shops. Since you want to try some different powder, pick up 4 or 5 along with what you're shooting now with some primers and it'll make the Hazmat fee more palatable.


By the way, if you're loading with an automatic powder measure of any type, a ball powder is going to measure out better than a flake like Unique or Blue Dot.

I like AA No7 & No9, Win 296, and VV 3N37 for higher power loadings.
 
Thanks, the reason I didn't say what the two shops had in pistol powders was I couldn't remember the types they had in those. The only one I remember off hand was tightwad or something like that. Still have not found a recipe yet for my 7.62x54R using CCI primers H-4895 powder and 150 grain Spitzer Boat Tail bullet yet. I can get the powder for $24.95 plus tax and the primers are $34.95 plus tax. I know I will need at least three different types of CCI primers to load all these.

Straight from Hodgdon's website:


150 GR. NOS BT Hodgdon H4895 .308" 2.875" 46.0 2769 38,000 CUP 49.5C 2938 46,300 CUP

If you use a .311" (like you should) you may want to stay away from the MAX charge of 49.5C.
 
Straight from Hodgdon's website:




If you use a .311" (like you should) you may want to stay away from the MAX charge of 49.5C.
I saw that data but didn't know how much change in the data would be using the .311 bullet same with the Carcano the data list a .264 bullet instead of the .268 bullet that the 6.5 Carcano uses. That's why I couldn't find the data, I was looking for the data with the right size bullets instead of undersized bullets.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top