Titegroup powder

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thunderbyrd

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i ordered 2 lbs of Hodgdon Titegroup. it seems to be a very versatile powder for handguns. and i've been sitting here and looking over the 49th lyman manual and i found that none of the charts for .357 magnum have any info for titegroup. i wonder why this is? i was under the impression that you can use this powder in any handgun. is it wrong or dangerous for .357?
 
You can use it in any handgun. Definitely not dangerous in 357.

Tightgroup for 357 works ok. In the age of take what you can get, anyway.

I use 5 grains of Tightgroup in 38 Special cases with 158 grain bullets at 915 FPS out of a 6” barrel 357 Magnum. Super fun to shoot, and pretty dang accurate.

The best? No. Not even close. But when a guy has 8 pounds of it…..
 
I load 3.0 grains in 38 special cases with 154 cast lead bullets. Hogden publishes load for 357 on their website but I dont find it appropriate for magnum loads. The good news is it is wonderful for downloading. It's a range powder and great for paper and ringing steel plates. If you need a hunting or sd powder much slower would be your huckleberry. Tight group is like nitrous. A little is fun and more is expensive....
 
Certainly not the best load for 357, but there is load data for it. Hodgdon has load data for it. You won't get the most out of it like you would with 296/H-110 or 2400, but it is economical. Watch out for double charges though! A little goes a long way and a double charge can ruin your whole day.
 
thunderbyrd said:
i ordered 2 lbs of Hodgdon Titegroup. it seems to be a very versatile powder for handguns. and i've been sitting here and looking over the 49th lyman manual and i found that none of the charts for .357 magnum have any info for titegroup. i wonder why this is? i was under the impression that you can use this powder in any handgun. is it wrong or dangerous for .357?
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It means two things, at least: First, Lymans, Speer, and Sierra don’t agree about TiteGroup. Sierra lists load data for TiteGroup and .357Mag but Hornady, Speer or Lymans do not. Second, if Hornady, Speer or Lymans did test TiteGroup with .357Mag and their bullets, they didn’t find loads they wanted to publish. As for TiteGroup being too fast, it isn’t; W231/HP38, Bullseye and IMR HiSkor 700X are all faster but are used commonly with light .357Mag loads and that data is available. The Lee 2nd Ed. lists quite a variety of loads for TiteGroup and .357Mag as well but Lee doesn’t do it’s own testing, that I know of, so their data is either coming from IMR/Hodgdon or Sierra or somewhere else.
Bottom line, if what you’re looking for isn’t in Lyman, look at Sierra, Lee, Hodgdon or elsewhere.
 
thunderbyrd said:
yes, that is what i've read about it. i hope that means a pound will last longer than something else.
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It really will last ya. I have loaded .44 special with titegroup, hard to believe how little was required, seeing such a small amount of powder in that large of a case just seemed wrong . Only 4.5 grains moves 240 grain lead around 850 fps. 4.8 is listed max load. My lee manual says you can load the 357 mag with 6.1 grains (max load) under a 158g XTP and move it 1229 fps. That will do the trick on pretty much most critters 2 and 4 legged
 
Think of it as trail boss that takes up a fraction of the volume and without that built in safety check. It is versatile for full power fast burn applications such as the tiny HG rounds and diverse low pressure cartridges like .45LC and .38 special. It is also useful for reduced loads in higher powered cartridges, and middle ground loads in medium cartridges like 9mm and .45acp.

The most accurate load I've ever made in my Taurus M66 .357 was with titegroup and a one-off 158 SWC from an auction lot. It does well in large cases with a very low load density.

It also comes with a built in hazard or two. It is very possible to double...or triple charge or more in high volume cases. Care must be taken here. Also due to the light charge weights, a small variation can make a big difference. I discontinued it in my inventory due to these reasons, preferring RD or Unique for my downloaded options depending on cartridge. It is a very useful powder within it's limitation and cautions though.
 
With modern piezoelectric pressure sensors, and high speed data processing, pressure testers are seeing things with the pressure curve that is way beyond what we can do, examining primers and measuring velocity. I found this out talking to Alliant about the use of Blue Dot in rifle cases. A dangerous practice that has blown up a number of rifles. Alliant told me, that they examine the slope of the pressure curve, and its "smoothness". And in so far as Blue Dot, little changes in anything lead to huge changes in the pressure curve. One way to state it, Blue Dot was too sensitive to use in rifle case applications, and therefore they did not show data. They also told me that is why they don't recommend certain powder and case combinations.

It is possible that is why Titegroup is not recommended for a big case like the 357 Magnum. However, Titegroup will work outstandingly in 38 Special cases, as others have stated. While I don't like cleaning out the lead ring that builds up when you fire enough 38 Specials in a 357 cylinder, you can shoot very small groups in a 357 Magnum pistol with 38 Special cartridges. It was very common to shoot 38 Specials in the K frame 357's as they did not beat up the gun.
 
Not to be a "Debbie Downer", but I had issues with published recipes with Titegroup to work properly with my 38 Special wadcutter target level charges. I had several stuck bullets.

Once I adjusted the powder charges they worked fine. But, I've sworn off Titegroup.

Just one data point. Lots of folks seem to have success with Titegroup.
 
Titegroup seems to be very stable in large cases with data for 44 Magnum 240gr cast bullets ranging from 4.7 grains starting load up to 10 grains max. It’s not the best powder for the 44 mag but it gives you the versatility to load a wide range of “lower end” velocities.

I use titegroup in 9mm, 38 Special, 44 Special (in magnum cases) and 40 S&W. I’ve never had a problem with it but I do triple check for double charges.
 
Titegroup is a fantastic powder in many cartridges including 357 mag. The lyman manual is my favorite but they don’t have room to show every possible powder and cartridge combination. There are literally 50 or more different powders past and present that are usable in 357 magnum.

You can get tightgroup 357 load data from hodgdon’s website. In a magnum case a fast burning powder like tightgroup will make nice light target loads. A medium burning powder like power pistol or unique will make good efficient medium loads. My favorites for full power flame throwers are H110 and accurate #9
 
thunderbyrd said:
i was under the impression that you can use this powder in any handgun. is it wrong or dangerous for .357?
Click to expand...
Besides being economical and metering well, Titegroup burns hot and has a very narrow operating range...and any cartridge you want to load with it.

A powder that fits the description of ability to be used in "any handgun" would be BE-86
 
someguy2800 said:
Titegroup is a fantastic powder in many cartridges including 357 mag. The lyman manual is my favorite but they don’t have room to show every possible powder and cartridge combination. There are literally 50 or more different powders past and present that are usable in 357 magnum.

You can get tightgroup 357 load data from hodgdon’s website. In a magnum case a fast burning powder like tightgroup will make nice light target loads. A medium burning powder like power pistol or unique will make good efficient medium loads. My favorites for full power flame throwers are H110 and accurate #9
Click to expand...
I too am a fan of A#9, its my go to powder for my heated .44 mag loads, great stuff! In fact I have been impressed with all their powders. I use lots of #5 #7 and 9. I have never understood why accurate powders dont get a little more love then they do.
 
I have Titegroup data for 357 that I printed from the Hodgkin website. I only ever used it for 125 grain bullets, but they have data for others
 
I started reloading right around the time of the sand hook shooting, and pretty soon after titegroup was the only powder I could find. I was given warnings about using titegroup as a new reloader as the pressure can spike quickly as you start working up a ladder test, and carries more possibly of double charging than bulkier powders. However, I found it to work great for 45acp, 380, 9mm and 38. Its not a powder that's going to give top velocities, but does make nice, soft shooting, accurate loads. But 357 is not where it shines. Right now Alliant powders are hard to find, but if you can get some 2400, Power Pistol, or Unique, those will get you better velocities out of 357. Hodgdon powders are a little easier to come by, so H110/W296 (same powder, different labels) is good for full house magnum loads, CFE-P would work for lighter loads, that's going to be the the extent of my personal experience. Accurate #9, Lil' Gun, Ramshot Enforcer, anything it that range of burn rate should get you a little more oomph out of the 357 cartridge
 
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