Tell me about Hogdon Titegroup.

For handgun cartridges. 44 mag: 220 grain plated at 44 special velocities. 357 mag: 148 BBWC at 38 special +p velocities. 45 ACP 230 grain loads. 9mm 124 grain plated loads.

I currently use Unique powder. Also 2400 for loads a bit stiffer than the above.

How does the Hogdon meter out of the dillon square deal?

Etc.

 

I use it in 9mm. Would use it for 45 ACP if I didn’t like Clay’s better.

It’s faster than anything I use for 357 or 44 magnum though.

Meters well from Dillion measures.

It’s not as clean as VV N320 but cheaper and is very close in burn rate and equal velocities for a given charge weight, all else the same.

 

Use a lot in 38s; haven't bothered to reload 9mm in over a year but it will work great for that as well; not for large bore or hot cartridges like a 357 or 44 mag

 

I got the one and only double charge I’ve ever had when using it in 45 Colt. It was my fault and not the powders but scared the living crap out of me. Lucky it was in a SBH.

 

I use it exclusively for my 9mm reloads. Meters well out of my 650 and consistently gives me what I want in my loads, throughout different lot numbers as well.

 

If you use Unique and 2400, you’re probably familiar with Bullseye. I tend to think that Titegroup is Hodgdon’s equivalent of Bullseye. It is a little more dense than Bullseye, but load data is pretty much equal (at least for the cartridges I load). Titegroup meters well, and has a wide range of uses and load data available from a variety of sources. It is also listed as position insensitive. Of what you listed, I have loaded .357 and .38 without any problems.

 

Titegroup is great with 115gr 9mm. It is all I use in .380.

 

TG is a high energy high nitro powder that burns extremely hot and is very sensitive to case volume. It caused a lot of K-Booms when it was first released till hand loadiers learned it does not like bullet setback. It has a narrow load band, stay with in it your good. Go over look out.

You either Love or or Hate it. I just refuse to use it since there are other powders I feel are better for the application.

 

I don't like it. It has a high nitro content, so it can etch your powder drop if left in overnight. It is a very hot powder... I experimented with it in .44SPC and the revolver was so hot after 50 rounds I could hardly hold it to punch the empties out. Having said that, I think it works very well in 9mm 115 and 124grn loads... that's where I'm using mine until it's gone. I can see where it would be a very spiky powder, so pay attention to OAL and eliminating bullet setback.

Personally, besides 9mm, I would just stick with Unique in the other applications you listed, or find a powder that meters better (I'm guessing that's what you are aiming at.) I would not try pushing it to .38SPC+P velocities, nor 230grn .45, although it might work well enough with 200's.

 

On my bench now are Tightgroup, Universal, and HP38. I find myself reaching for the HP38 for .357, .41mag, and 9mm. I have never used Unique but have read that HP38 is a lot like it but meters better. I do not have anything against the Titegroup. I am on my second bottle of it. I just prefer a bit more case fill. I do not get as much fill as I want with the HP38 but it is more than with Tightgroup.

 

HP38/W231 is similar to Unique in that it's quite versatile in it's burn range, but Unique is better where a universally slower powder would be better, like the .41MAG.

 

• It's a very dense powder, so small loads inside cavernous revolver cases can become position sensitive, or open to double & triple charging.
• In a Dillon you may need the X-Small Powder Bar option (https://www.dillonprecision.com/x-small-powder-bar_8_3_23601.html)
• It burns extremely hot
• IMHO, it's main attraction is the very low price

 

Just finished loading 800, 147 gn 9mm using 3.3gn of titegroup (using the regular small Dillon powder bar) and coming back to this thread reminded me to go empty the measure.

Unlike N310 or N320, titegroup will smoke the plastic if left in the measure.

 

For true magnum loads I generally stick with 2400.

But, you say W231 is similar to Unique? One thing I like about Unique is that a double charge is clearly visible on the SD Dillon. Does W231 volume like Unique?

Because of that, I think I'll pass on Titegroup. As well as the other caveats mentioned.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

The problem is going to be Alliant's backlog (Bullseye, Unique, etc). While Hodgdon (TiteGroup, etal) is still available.

So while TG does have a narrow range and is a little sensitive to case volume (bullet seating depth) it can be used in 9mm. I'd prefer Power Pistol myself, but don't expect to see any for at least a year.

 

I’ve loaded a lot of target/competition loads with TiteGroup. It meters well, burns fairly clean but hot and produces small groups. I can’t speak for .44 but .45, .40, .357/.38 and 9 it runs well. There are better powders for full power loads. I’m glad I’ve got an 8# jug on the shelf in these times, but, I have migrated to Sport Pistol and IMR Target for the target loads. Good luck.

 

I didn't say Unique was similar to W231, what I said was they are both very versatile within their burn ranges... meaning, W231, as a faster powder, works well across a broad range of charges where a fast power is appropriate. Similarly, Unique, as a medium burn powder, works well across a broad range of charges where a medium powder would work. The two powders overlap... particularly places like 9mm, .45ACP, and .38SPC, but I think Unique would be better in heavy bullet applications, and cartridges with more case volume than, say, 9mm, compared to W231. For example, I've never loaded W231 in my .41MAG cartridges in 35 years, always Unique or slower.

Unique is a flake powder, and is quite bulky, particularly compared to a ball powder like W231 or TiteGroup. Some say it meters poorly because of this, but I've found that typical variations in charge weight during volume reloading don't adversely affect it's performance.

I would think so. TiteGroup didn't 'smoke' my powder drop, it physically etched the surface. I could see where it would react to bullet coatings.

 

I use it in 9mm only, and it works great for that. I tried it in .357 mag and didn't care for it. I wouldn't think of using it in 41 mag or larger.

 

I’ve loaded a few thousand.40 S&W with titegroup. I like it. The starting loads are mild and the near- max loads are snappy. There is a short span in between.
It’s usually a couple dollars cheaper than some of my other favorites.