Powders you really LIKE and why?

[Peter M. Eick]

Since I started the don't like powders, I figured I should do the opposite question.

I really like bullseye in 45acp. It just seems to work well in my guns. Very good combination for accuracy and power on 230 grn hardball loads.

AA9 and 357 Sig seems perfect since the bullet is supported by the powder. Hot loads give great SD's for 20 strings over the chrono.

800x and 10mm are great combinations. For whatever reason 800x meters well out of my uniflow and my pro2000 so I really like this powder.

Power Pistol and 9mm, no more needs to be said.

Unique and 380 auto seems to work real well at full power loads.

Those are my "givens" that I almost always load. What are the powder caliber combinations that you all really like and why?

 

[Dave R]

I'm on a very limited budget, so I don't try to optimize the best powder for each load. I look for a powder that works well in lots of loads.

Rifles: H335 works well in my .308, .223 and .17/.357mag.
(I'm tempted to try Varget for all 3, though)

Pistols: Unique for both .380acp and 9mm. Good, accurate loads in both. I would prefer a bit less muzzle flash, if I could get something equally versatile.

 

[dh515]

Really like VV N105 for 10mm full power loads. With both 155 and 180 grain bullets, has given me the best in velocity and accuracy. Also meters very consistently and burns clean with the only down side that it is expensive like all VV powders.

 

[dakotasin]

i am a huge fan of varget and rl-25. i also have lots of uses for h-4831, rl-19, and rl-22...

i like varget for the 308. amazingly accurate, and good velocity.

i like rl-25 because it really squeezes the velocity out of cartridges like the 25-06 and 7 rem mag.

rl-19 does wonderful things for the 300 wsm.

rl-22 makes a 338 win mag scream...

h-4831... well, i could go on like this for a long time... but, i really like rl-25 and varget the most.

 

[mohican]

Very few dislikes

Likes
WW748 for 30-30

WW296 for 44mag. For the 240 grain XTP loads, 296 is my favorite powder, I go with Winchesters recomendation and load 296 exactly as it says in their flier. 24.5 grains or something like that.

I dislikeWW760. Have never had good results

22-250 Hogdons H380 for both 50 & 55 grain loads

AA#9 for 300 grain cast bullet 44 mag loads

Hogdon's Lilgun for max .454 Casull rounds

Like: Unique for 45ACP, and also for .44 mag & 454 Casull plinking loads

 

[P95Carry]

Unfortunately my likes are expensive!! I have yet to find better powders than VV ..... I like N-110, tho am changing over to H-110. I find that N-133 is excellent for .223. N-340 is the best 9mm powder I have found. N-310 - well not much to choose between that and Bullseye actually.

N-140 .. wonderful powder for .243 up thru .308. All VV's I have used have been ultra clean burning and meter well.

Cost tho is regretably a downer and so ... I am shifting back to old faithfuls and a few new ones. I hear good of Varget and will be trying that. And confess that my new load for 45-70 is just great with dear ol' Reloader 7!

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Pistol powder likes:

N110, 296 for "stomp em'!" rounds.

Blue dot and 2400 for midrange work.


Rifle:

The only one I've settled on so far is H335 for my 30-30's. The accuracy is AMAZING.

 

[gyp_c2]

hmmm...

Hot loads give great SD's for 20 strings over the chrono.

What's SD's ?

...thanks

 

[dh515]

SD = standard deviation. In this case, its a measure of how consistent a load is or put another way, how close the rounds fired are to each other in velocity. Closer to the same is better.

Dave

 

[Clark]

Unique
target 45Colt

Power Pistol
25acp, 32acp, 32sw, 7.62x25, .380, 9x19, 9x23, 357Sig, 38sw,45acp

800X
32 S&W Long, 40 S&W, 10mm


LIL'GUN, W296, or H110
32S&W Long, 32-20, 7.62x39mm, 38sp, 357 mag, 10.4mm, 44 mag, 45Colt,

I have a pound of
Red Dot, Bullseye, Herter's 164, SR7625, Unique, AA#5, Power Pistol,
HS-6, Blue Dot, 2400, 3N37, 800-X, AA#7, N105, Long Shot, STEEL,
Enforcer, AA#9, N110, H110, W296, LIL'GUN,

 

[MoNsTeR]

N310: soft, clean, quiet, and consistent. My favorite powder by far.

N320: almost as good as N310, with a slower burn rate that gives a greater safety margin in certain loads

Clays: almost as good and half the price

 

[Desert Dog]

AA#7 in .45 Super - highest velocity, best accuracy, lowest SD for this caliber. Also excellent as target load for .45 Colt

AA1680 for .45 Colt - I still haven't found the pressure ceiling on this powder. Very low SD.

H110/W296 - The kings of .45 Colt power loads.

Lil' Gun - Close second on .45 Colt power loads. Excellent SD.

Unique - The choice for target loads in .45 ACP and .45 Colt.

BL-C2 - .223 and .308...

 

[fecmech]

1. Bullseye for .45 and .38 service and target loads
2. 296 for .357 & 44mag loads but I am quickly warming up to Blue dot in the .357. Accuracy is very close to 296, gives up about 50 to 75 fps but a hell of a lot more economical! (I shoot about 2k to 3k mags/year).
3. No flame intended. I don't understand the fascination with Unique, I've tried it many times over the years with mediocre results. It has never, for me anyway worked great in anything. My .02 Nick

 

[Wayward]

Clays for 45ACP LSWC loads. Economical (my standard range load is 4.0grs under a 200gr LSWC), clean, and accurate. Some say it doesn't meter well but I've had no problems with it in my 550B.

AA#9 for 357 SIG, Like Peter said it fills the case and helps to prevent set back. My standard load is 13grs under a Berry's 124gr flat point. The only downside is unburnt powder residue. AA9 is a very fine ball powder and after a few hundred rounds my hands feel like they have sand on them.

Power Pistol for 9mm

 

[HSMITH]

My favorite handgun powder is Unique. It does EVERYTHING, and most of it very well. Power Pistol runs second, and is probably as versatile as Unique if the load data was available. After that very little seperates the rest from each other.

My favorite rifle powder is IMR4350. It loads most of my rifles to to a decent velocity and all of them accurately. Nothing else I have tried has been as successfull. Reloader 19 is probably second.

In shotguns Universal Clays is hard to beat for all around performance, regular Clays rules 12ga target loads though.

 

[Quantrill]

700X for target loads for 9mm, 38spec., 44spec., 45acp, 45Colt,44-40WCF
Unique for mid loads for 357mag and 44mag,45acp
2400 for high powered 357 and 44mags
4759 for cast bullet rifle loads
4895 for 30-06 and .223Rem

 

[Zak Smith]

I stopped using Bullseye, Unique, VV-N320, and N310 in .45ACP, 9x19, and .44RM.

Now I use Titegroup instead of all of those.

(For hot loads in 44 and 9x19, I still use H110/#2400 and 3N37 respectively.)

-z

 

[dleong]

I use Universal Clays for my 9mm, 10mm, 38 Special, 40S&W and 45ACP loads, and also for my non-magnum 357Mag and 44Mag loads. It is exceptionally clean-burning and leaves very little residue.

DL

 

[ACP230]

Unique for pistols.

H4895 for rifles.

I can do a lot with just these two powders.