Powders you DON'T like and Why?

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Peter M. Eick

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I have decided that I don't like titegroup for 38 special and 357mag.

The charge is just to small in the case and I felt that for the first time, the risk of double charging was to high for visual inspection. I finally broke down and put a powder checker die in my Pro2000. Unfortunately that means the Redding Profile crimp die had to go. That ticked me off that I have to now crimp and seat in one step. (Yes I am aware that some put the powder dispensor in primer seat location and use the powder dispensor as an expander die).

The second one I have decided I don't like is Universal Clays in 380 auto, 38 special and 40s&w.

Universal Clays just does not seem to give me as consistent results as good old dirty Unique. This seems particularly true in 38 special and 380 auto.

Finally, I have sort of given up on AA2Improved in 45acp.

231 and Bullseye always seem to be more accurate. I will be glad when I use it up the 45acp rounds I have made with it. Only 380 auto for AA2 improved for me.


So what are your powders that just don't "turn your crank" and why?
 
Greeting's Sir-

I can't say I don't like something I haven't tried? For
years I was stuck on the Hercules (and/or) DuPont
powders. And I am just now getting into Hodgdon
powders with Universal Clays; of which I really do
like. My long use of the Hercules powders has been
carried over to the Alliant brand as well.

I used Hercules mostly in handguns, and DuPont in
the .22-250, .243, and .25-06 Remington 700 BDL's.
I never reloaded for the Remington 7m/m mag, also
in the 700 BDL series.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I really don't like AA#7. In both .45 ACP and .45 Colt it develops way too much recoil for the meager velocities I get with it, even at start charges.

I have a love hate relationship with Red Dot, turns great groups out of my ACP, but is dirty as heck.
 
Boy, I guess the only non-shotshell loads I have never found a home for are Green Dot loads. Something else always works as good or better. Other than that I have found a home for all my powders, 20 or more powders currently.
 
Titegroup performs well but compared to similar powders it produces excessive noise and blast. I've quit using it.

N330 seemed to perform well also, but it never seemed to burn completely and always deposited a layer of sooty particles on my forearms.

Power Pistol would be a fantastic powder, if it weren't for the intolerable noise and muzzle blast.

Honestly after becoming acquainted with N310 and N320, I don't expect to use anything else for some time. Yeah they're expensive, but they're superior in every other way.
 
231 seems smoky to me. I can now pick out the people shooting 231 at the range by the smoke. It also seems to have a lot of flash. This is very noticeable at dusk.

AA #2 is too dirty. By dirty I mean with low power loads the inside of my pistols accumulate a large amount of unburned powder and it's powdery powder. Even though it meters well and seems to be fairly accurate, I don't like this stuff for what I typically reload.

I don't like HS-6 for low power loads with low pressure cartridges. I had a serious problem with this stuff gumming a pistol up to the point it wouldn't completely chamber a round until the barrel was cleaned. This after only 200 or so rounds from a complete cleaning. This powder is too slow burning for 165 power factor .45 ACP. Seems to work fine in 125 power factor 9mm and in good stout .45 loads.
 
I don't like Titegroup in 9mm because it is squirrelly. At the right powder charge it's just fine, but +/- 1/10 of a grain and accuracy can go to hell.

IMR 4064 for .308 is dirty, meters poorly, and gives mediocre velocity and accuracy in both of my rifles. It is frequently recommended by others, but it doesn't work very well for me.
 
I don't like Unique. It's dirty, and the flakes gum up my powder measure, something NO other powder has EVER done.

I don't like IMR 4227. Recommended for some magnum handgun loads, I have NEVER been able to get all the powder to burn. It ALWAYS left a lot of unburned powder in my revolvers.

Don't like current Norma powders. They're WAY too expensive for what they offer. (Now, if they only made N205 again to the original specs . . . MRP just doesn't measure up. Sigh.)
 
I am not too fond of Unique in small charges, it just does not meter well in my Uniflow with light charges. In larger charges it does very well and is highly versatile, so I tend to use a fair amount of it.

Hodgdon Clays is not real high on my list either. This is a fast burning powder, needs to be used in small charges, and there again, it does not meter well for me, but it does burn clean.

Bullseye, meters fair, but it is a pretty dirty powder, like the old formula Unique, but can be used for some really accurate target loads.



I like spherical powders the most, they seem to meter consistantly no matter what the charge volume may be. I even like AA#7, although it is not great in 45 ACP, but it is a real winner in 10mm full power loads.
 
Funny...

I was just going to start this thread this week-end..you just beat me to it

with the myriad of powders, it's hard to judge "best", whatever that means, and I don't have the time, money, or ambition to try every combination

Favorite (pistol) is AA5. Exceptionally easy to meter, always within .1 with my Dillon measure, and clean burning. I use it in .44-40, 44 mag, 45 acp, 45 LC, and 10mm. I load mid-range so it gives a good burn without residue. H110/WW296 is good for "thumper" loads, but I've realized that you can only kill paper about so dead.

Powder I hate...no, HATE, is "new and improved Unique". It's the dirtiest crap I've ever seen. The only people that use it are the ones that have never tried AA5. I have 400 loaded rounds of 44-40 and I'm seriously considering a collet bullet puller so I can dump the rounds and replace the powder. YMMV

I'm using Blue Dot for my screamer 10mm loads. Works good at full load. It seems the real old flake (Unique) and "Dot" powders need to be pushed hard or they're a mess.

I suspect that, although powder manufacturers list a variety of powders for each cartridge, there is an "optimum" that fills the case 95% or better but still gives a fast enough burn to leave little residue. This is probably the perfect powder (for rifle).


I wish a publication (specifically Handloader) would list the preferred powders. John Barsness kinda does this when he says that some powders are less temperature sensitive, easier metering, etc. A full list would be nice

If I am incorrect, I would love to hear how and why. I'm always trying to learn.
 
tite group and universal clays. Tight group cause it seems to flame cut the guns i use it in more then anything else. and both of them cause i get better accuracy with Bullseye and unique then i do with either of them in every gun i own. Id personaly rather clean a gun then put up with less accuracy. One more that i dont like is blue dot. Its just to radical with pressure.
 
i hate bullseye, 231, and unigue.

all very dirty.

liking accurate #2 right now. much much cleaner than bullseye. example. i shot off a bunch of loads that i had made up last year with bullseye. it was in my stainless rossi 971. the gun was very dificult to get the powder residue off. it took alot of brush with fp-10. repeated this experiance with my 686 and accurate #2. a lot less powder residue, and it cleaned up in fraction of the time with light brushing and fp-10.

the guy having problems with accurate #2 are you crimping your rounds? i'm not getting ANY unburned #2 in my guns.
 
I really don't like AA#7. In both .45 ACP and .45 Colt it develops way too much recoil for the meager velocities I get with it, even at start charges.
Click to expand...
This is just opposite of what I have found. :confused:
I shoot .45 Super, which is basically high pressure .45 ACP, and AA#7 is THE powder for the best ballistics for this caliber. My favorite with it is a 230gr. Sierra PowerJacket at 1250 FPS, and dead accurate. Only AA#7, that I have found, will run this bullet that fast with lower pressure.

I also use the pulled surplus #107 which uses AA#7 load data, and it works really well for target .45 Colt.

Interesting how different people get different results with basically the same components.

Oh yeah, another one on the hate list:

AA#5 and .40 S&W.... Can you say KBOOM?

Mike
 
Some of my dislikes:

2400 in 357's too much muzzle flash, accurate but Oboy the flames ( I do like it in 41 mags though )

Any powder that is capable of a double charge in my pistols, don't care how accurate, how clean, or how cheap. Just too much margin for error by me. Ever since I switched to a progessive press this is a hard rule, my sons shoot my ammo and I am not willing to risk hurting one of them by a mistake by me on the bench. I know this limits me on most of the dot powders, and bullseye. It is just a hard safety rule and I won't flex a fraction of an inch.

Dirty powders, I break this into two catagories. Powders that burn dirty like Unique and powders that don't burn completly leaving unburned powder as "dirt" The first catagory I don't mind, Unique cleans up easily, and I like it in a lot of loads. The second catagory is incomplete combustion and these loads never get past load development as something is wrong and there are better choices of powders for the application.

IMR 4227 in 41 mag, doesn't meter well, and I know this is supposed to be one of the holy grails of loads for the 41 mag but my personal experience is there are better powders available now. I might revisit this one day and work with it some more but I suspect AA#9 is about the ideal powder for the 41 mag and the IMR 4227 will work OK, with good accuracy, but loss of velocity. Jury is still out on this in 44 mag, I don't shoot the 44 anymore, but I bet I could work on better choices given the time and inclination. I still need to work on 357 loads with this but W296 and AA#9 work so well I doubt I will try.

45 ACP, just about all of the slow burning powders, I haven't had any good experiences with my dismal attempts at trying this. They work there is just a lot better choices, and life is too short to work on failures.
 
I HATE HATE HATE HATE 231. It stinks and is smokey. I havent used it in years and dont ever plan on again.
 
I don't care for AA#9. It's so fine that it leaks through the drum in my Lee Perfect Powder measure, and completely jams it up within 2-3 throws. The only remedy is to tighten the drum up so much that the measure literally bends on the mount when I throw a charge.
 
Not for $20!
I tested my Lee against my brother in law's RCBS. We found that my Lee threw the tested powders more consistently.
I've heard anecdotal testimonies that the measure's really don't get much more accurate until you get to the Redding measures or go Harrell ($).
I'm saving my pennies for a progressive anyway.
 
I'm none too found of IMR 800X because it meters so horribly. It's a flake powder with huge flakes. However, it's just plain awesome for fast & heavy 10mm loads, so I put up with it (one hand-measured load at a time :mad: )
 
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