Titegroup and Lee Pro Auto-Disk question

[wunderkind]

A question for anyone that's used Titegroup with the Lee Pro Auto-Disk: I'm thinking about switching from Win 231 to Titegroup. I load 9mm & .38 Specials, usually lead bullets at medium velocities.

But I kind of like the looks of Titegroup--less powder for similar results, and more 'top end' for JHP's.

But Win 231 has always metered very evenly on the Lee Auto-Disk. Anyone know if Titegroup meters as nicely as 231 on the Lee equipment?

I'd hate to buy a pound & find out it's not as easy to work with as 231.

Thanks for anything you can add.

 

[evan price]

I use lots & lots of Titegroup through my Auto-discs.
It meters very very well.
Bear in mind Titegroup is a very hot burning powder, very energetic, the highest concetration of nitroglycerine in and double-base pistol powder. Scorched brass, burnt lead bullet bases, and a very hot gun are normal.
BUt it makes a great powder in big cases like 38 special. I load 3.5 grains under a 158 LSWC. 2000 rounds per pound is cheap shooting.

 

[wunderkind]

Thanks for the input--that is cheap shooting. If it flows evenly thru the Lee measure I think I'll pick a pound up.

 

[DanTheFarmer]

I haven't used w231 but I have had good results with Titegroup and my Lee Auto-Disk system. It meters smoothly and consistently.

One caution, it does tend to measure a bit light so don't just believe the volume to weight to disk conversion chart and charge ahead. Before each session I zero my scale, select my disk, and then weigh the powder to ensure it is what I want. Once I'm loading I weigh every 5th charge to ensure all is well. This procedure has resulted in nice, consistent powder charges for me.

Good luck and stay safe.

Dan

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Titegroup meters very well, but the big thing to remember about it is it is a "hot" powder and you need to pay attention to your powder level. I would definately run a RCBS powder check die behind the Lee Pro Auto Disk to prevent double charges. And with such a small amount of powder, double charges are always the risk.

Double and triple check everything when loading with this powder. You'll be glad you did.

 

[wunderkind]

Looks like there are pros & cons to going to everything. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[noylj]

You really aren't going to see any impact on target from how precise the metering is in terms of being +/- 0.05gn to +/- 0.2gn. Unique is known for not metering well, and yet it still produces outstanding accuracy.
It is better not to sweat the metering issue and pay attention to the target.
However, TiteGroup (as unhappy as my results with that powder have been) meters quite well.
I find AA2 to work better in a wide range of guns and cartridges. It has been excellent as a light target load in all my guns.
Also, the cost of powder, on a total cost of each round loaded, is so low that I would never even consider the cost of powder as a selection criterion.
As a sort of "general" rule, you will have a hard time beating VV N330 in 9x19 and, despite the higher cost of a pound, the targets speak for themselves.
The place to save money is: (1) the bullet and (2) the primer. Cost of powder is almost in the noise level compared to those two.

 

[nevadabob]

noylj...I think the OP could benefit from a post you made on The Firearms Forum about a year ago. It is the Excel spreadsheet study using Lee Pro Auto Disk & a number of powders through each disk. I have found this to be a great help.

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

On consideration, I came back to this thread and was glad to see what noylj posted. I have 8 pounds of the Titegroup and got good results in the cartridge I used it for. But I now remember why it isn't used up. I decided the risk of a double charge vs. the gain in cartridges per pound wasn't worth it. I examined a couple other powders that were more expensive, but shot cleaner and more accurate. I ended up using Winchester Super Target for many of my pistol loads. Very clean burning, accurate, meters well. More expensive yes, but like noylj said, the cost was minimal compared to bullets and primers. I bought eight pounds and will soon be using it again. The Titegroup, meanwhile, is held in reserve for desperate, dry days when nothing else is available.

 

[noylj]

Lee Disk Volume vs Powder Charge Weight

Here is my spreadsheet--don't see .xls as a permitted file format, so it will have to be txt. I haven't updated in over a year as I have just been loading trial test loads (using my ChargeMaster) or loading large volumes (using my Dillon powder measure).
Someday, I will have data for Solo 1000, Competition, Zip, and WSF and maybe others...

 

[noylj]

Me Take of Powders...

If your goal is accuracy, I can say that in my guns, from 9x19 up to .45ACP, that TiteGroup and WST have been overwhelming failures.
For low pressure (light target loads), AA2 has been best, with Solo 1000, 231/HP38, and Clays showing promise.
For almost any cartridge, AA5 performs really well and is great in .38 Super and .40S&W.
Silhouette just seems to always be about the best for accuracy in mid-range to full powder loads.
I love testing powders, but right now, I think I could be satisfied for life with AA2, AA5, Silhouette, and 2400 for all my pistol cartridges.
I have a feeling that too many are action pistol spray-and-pray and not accuracy aficionados.
Also, remember that the cost of powder is the least expensive part of a load and even VV powders will only raise your powder cost from $0.017 to $0.021, which isn't enough for me not to use the powder does what I want it the best. The place to save money is bullets: order 6k or more at a time and use cast lead where feasible. My compensated guns (9x21, .38 Super, 9x23, and 10mm Auto) all shoot cast bullets as well as jacketed. Also, if you need any bullets in the next two years, stock up now.
I do my bullet shopping at Powder Valley (Zero swaged lead and jacketed and Missouri Bullets cast), Montana Gold, Precision Delta, MasterCastBullets.com, and Penn.