titegroup and cast rounds

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marineshooter

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Hi guys, I need some help here. I came into a 8lb can of titegroup. in my 357 and 45 i have notice a good deal of smoke. 4.5 grs with a 158 swc and 4.7 grs with 230 l rn. Bullets are from a local outfitter store. I just got some in both 357 and 45 from Missiouri bullet co. have not loaded yet. they are a hardness of 18. will they also smoke????
 
The current theory is Titegroup generates a lot of heat - more than other powders and vaporizes some lead and more wax than other powders. W231/hp38 and Solo 1000 - Clays - folks are leaning towards these and away from TG - these things run in fads and I am not sure this is based on fact.

I like TG for jacketed bullets.
 
I am not a Titegroup fan either, for a couple of reasons. Is has been said to be very hot burning, which would not make it a good choice for lead, but many folks like it. I much prefer 700X, W-231, WST, AA #2, Red Dot, American Select, Solo 1000, N310, and Clays for fast to medium fast powders.

I would try 700X, AA #2 or W-231 for light loads in .357 first, but that's me.

Bottom line is Titegroup will work just fine for light loads in .357, and since you have plenty, why not, but it will probably smoke a bit more than some powders, especially the single based powders.
 
I'm trying to use up my pound of TG because I don't like the stuff (glad I didn't buy 8# of it.) Same problems as you, plus it scorches the outside of the brass. It might be OK for plinking loads with jacketed bullets, but I seldom use j-bullets, and I prefer to load everything hot -- even my .38 target loads :)
 
I have been using TG for a while now and I like it a lot. I have not noticed any excess smoke, but I agree with the earlier post regarding the smoke as coming from the type of lube used.

My cast bullets lubed with Jake's Purple have shot so well that I recently bought a couple more pounds of TG. I have loaded it in 38 sp, 357 mag and 9mm. I plan to try some 45acp soon. Maybe you will get better results with the new Missouri cast bullets.

If you still have problems with smoke from the 357 mag load of 4.5gr, you might consider loading the same bullet in a 38 sp case with a lower powder charge. For 38 special, the Hodgdon website lists 3.2 - 3.8gr for a 158gr LSWC. I use 3.5gr in my target loads. This lighter charge may not smoke as much. Just a thought.
 
Thanks alot for all the info. With such low charge weights i guess I will be using titegroup for a while. as sonn as its gone I will try a different powder. thanks again
 
My only caution with Titegroup is to be very careful not to double-charge any cases. Titegroup's charge weights are so low and its density is such that small charge weights can be difficult to see in large cases. It is designed to burn relatively consistently regardless of whether it's located at the bullet, the primer, or in-between. Just have a system to ensure that you only drop one powder charge in each case...
 
I use a lot of Titegroup and yes, it burns hot enough to scorch the brass and it will smoke the lube. Other than that is it great in big empty cases because it ignites well regardless of where it is in the case. I find it likes to run best at higher charges than lower.
 
I bought a Lb of Titegroup expressly because it was touted as clean burning and position insensitive.

It meters very well, and it does burn "clean" with no powder residue, but it does scorch the brass pretty well which makes it tougher to clean. It uses tiny little charges, is dark in color, and makes it tough to tell a double charge with my old eyes. (even with glasses). I like Zip better, but it has the same problem, tiny little charges, which I try to stay away from. It also proved mediocre as far as being position sensitive, which was the biggest reason I bought it. So, it sits idle along with the other canisters I seldom use.

I know many people love it, but it just isn't for me. :)
 
+1 on the clean burning end of it. i like tg a lot, but i am also not afraid to try something different. shooting lead is a whole different experience than jacketed bullets. which i am starting to learn about. i went to buy a pound of tg last week, and they did not have any. i ended up buying a pound of 700x. i have not loaded any of that yet, but i will be interested in finding the results. especially, since i am now shooting more and more lead bullets. on a fixed income, cheaper is most often better. plus, the 700x was $5.00 a pound cheaper than the tg!
 
700X is an excellent choice with lead, as would W-231 have been as well. 700X (like AA #2) is not as "fast" as most charts show it. It is pretty forgiving for a fast powder. Doesn't mean you can get carried away, but it is a good one, and doesn't seem to spike as you get toward the top end.

Oh, and check your "Lb", I bet it is 14 oz. :)
 
Sometimes TG works good, sometimes not so.

When I cast my own, I use stick lubricant (Rooster Bear) that doesn't smoke with TG. It shoots extremely well for me, better accuracy in the upper half of the power range rather than puff loads. It seems that Titegroup is good for certain applications, not so for others.

Like everything else in reloading, try it for yourself. If it doesn't work, don't do it any more.

My shelves are LOADED with partial containers/boxes/jars/bottles of components. Got a whole box of holsters, too. And buckets full of shotshell hulls waiting for the right wad. Lots of grips for pistols and revolvers. And wonder lubricants. And lots of other stuff I don't even remember.
 
I use TG with 200 grain that I lube with Lar's red for my 1911 and am happy with it. I have a pound of WST that I am going to try. I also use TG for loading jacketed bullets in 9mm.
Rusty
 
Bullseye has a reputation for being faster than Red Dot, but actually Red Dot is faster and Bullseye is higher energy. Either one should work great for you. The Red Dot loads should have less recoil, and the powder will fill the cases better. Bullseye is easier to measure because its flakes are a lot smaller.

If you like Red Dot, get an 8-pounder of Promo and you'll be set for a long time. Promo is identical to Red Dot except it is slightly less bulky and it doesn't have the red dots in it. And it's really cheap!
 
does red dot look like unique with a few red flakes mixed in? reason i ask is i was breaking down some reloads i got cheap and they looked like that....
 
does red dot look like unique with a few red flakes mixed in?
Click to expand...
Pretty much, but even with the red dots in it, I would be very cautious about using it.
 
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