What powder/primers?

[addedpulp]

I think I'm going to order for PowderValley. I am currently reloading .38sp, but I also might do some .357 in the near future, and even .44mag and .45LC. I may also do 12ga shotgun loads. Judging from the book, they're all pistols and shotguns, so I could probably use the same powder? My current pistols are a Ruger Security Six in .38 and a Blackhawk .357. The shotguns are two older double barrels and a pump Flight King. I DO NOT intend to go anywhere near max load.

As far as primers, I'd need small pistol for everything except for .44mag I believe for pistols, and shotgun primers for... shotgun.

I don't want to make a huge order, because I dunno if this is something I'll like doing yet. So, I don't wanna spend a huge amount or buy a huge quantity, maybe enough to load 500 .38 and then some extra stuff. So, I don't mind buying the cheaper stuff as long as it works.

 

[Shaky]

Sounds like the job for unique...5 gr charge in 38 spl will yeild 1400 rounds (minus what is spilled) from a 1 pound bottle, 10 gr is normal for a 44 mag load, and somewhere between 20 and 25 grains for most of your 12 gauge needs. And TONS of data out there.

 

[rcmodel]

Pretty tall order to find one powder that works well in all the calibers you listed.

Some, like Alliant Unique would almost work, but would not give top performance in light .38 Spl target loads, either of the Magnums, and could only be used in heavy 12 ga loads.

As for only buying enough for 500 rounds?

One pound containers is a small as you can get.
And one pound of powder would load 1,400 to 1,750 rounds of .38 Spl.

I think with your stated needs, you need more then one kind of powder.
And I think you need to buy it locally, as haz-mat shipping fees on small quantities of powder & primers will end up costing you more then the powder cost.

My final suggestion is for you to buy a couple of good reloading manuals, and study them.
Or get on Hodgdon & Alliant website and do the same research on each caliber & guage.

Only then will you have a full understanding of what powders works best in each caliber you mentioned.
Maybe you can find one powder that will do what you want, but it will be a challenge.

rc

 

[addedpulp]

Pretty tall order to find one powder that works well in all the calibers you listed.

Some, like Alliant Unique would almost work, but would not give top performance in light .38 Spl target loads, either of the Magnums, and could only be used in heavy 12 ga loads.

As for only buying enough for 500 rounds?

One pound containers is a small as you can get.
And one pound of powder would load 1,400 to 1,750 rounds of .38 Spl.

I think with your stated needs, you need more then one kind of powder.
And I think you need to buy it locally, as haz-mat shipping fees on small quantities of powder & primers will end up costing you more then the powder cost.

My final suggestion is for you to buy a couple of good reloading manuals, and study them.
Only then will you have a full understanding of what powder works best in each caliber you mentioned.

rc

Thank you for the info. I just assumed that one pound wouldn't do that much, so that's good to know.

What about maybe two powders for all of those?

Nothing local, I've already tried. No one has anything. And there's no Cabelas for several hours.

I have the ABCs and the Lymans... but the powder section of the ABCs is French to me, and I figured I'd find something much more direct and specific for my question here rather than risking fussing up based on what I read and misinterpret from that.

 

[nambu1]

700X works well as an all around powder.

 

[rcmodel]

There are 7,000 grains in a pound of powder.

Find the charge weight you are going to use and divide 7,000 by it to find out how many rounds a pound will load.

Something like Hodgdon Clays or Alliant Red Dot would work in .38 Spl & 12 Ga target loads.

Alliant Unique or 2400 would work well for near full power Magnum revolver loads.
Alliant Unique is the goto powder for .45 Colt.

BTW: Where do you live that doesn't have at least a gun shop or sporting goods store that sells reloading supplies within driving distance??

rc

 

[oneounceload]

The shotguns are two older double barrels

How old are these and what chambering are they? If they are much older than a few decades, verify the chamber, many older ones have shorter chambers and thus need a low pressure load. That becomes important when you are looking at Alliant and Hodgdon's web site for load data.

Remember, the chamber size is the FIRED hull length.

Clays, ClayDot, Red Dot, among others, give good 12 gauge loads and are reasonably accurate in many 38/357 loadings as is Unique and Universal Clays

 

[USSR]

What about maybe two powders for all of those?

Now you're talking. Select whatever powder you want to use for 12 gauge loads (Solo 1000, Red Dot, etc.), and this powder will work for the .38 Special and light loads in the .44 Mag and .45 LC. Then, I would suggest some 2400 powder for full power loads in the .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and heavy loads in the .45LC.

Don

 

[gamestalker]

Since you've stated your wanting to do shot shells I would assume you have a shot shell press?
Finding a powder that will have data for all of those is not really going to be a problem. The real challenge is going to be what you expect in terms of performance. Maybe Longshot for the standard pistol cartridges and shot shells, and then 2400 for the magnums and 45LC. Both of those powders offer a rather broad load range from mid to near full house capability. I also like HS6 for the standard pistol cartridges such as 38 special.
Those powder's will offer you an upper end performance range, rather than having to settle for sub velocity loads.

 

[addedpulp]

There are 7,000 grains in a pound of powder.

Find the charge weight you are going to use and divide 7,000 by it to find out how many rounds a pound will load.

Something like Hodgdon Clays or Alliant Red Dot would work in .38 Spl & 12 Ga target loads.

Alliant Unique or 2400 would work well for near full power Magnum revolver loads.
Alliant Unique is the goto powder for .45 Colt.

BTW: Where do you live that doesn't have at least a gun shop or sporting goods store that sells reloading supplies within driving distance??

rc

Plenty of sporting goods places and gun shops in the area. Notta one has primers, powder (other than black powder for muzzleloaders), bullets, brass, or anything else related to reloading.

 

[addedpulp]

How old are these and what chambering are they? If they are much older than a few decades, verify the chamber, many older ones have shorter chambers and thus need a low pressure load. That becomes important when you are looking at Alliant and Hodgdon's web site for load data.

Remember, the chamber size is the FIRED hull length.

Clays, ClayDot, Red Dot, among others, give good 12 gauge loads and are reasonably accurate in many 38/357 loadings as is Unique and Universal Clays

I believe the smallest is a 2 5/8" 1900. The other is an AyA coach.

Now you're talking. Select whatever powder you want to use for 12 gauge loads (Solo 1000, Red Dot, etc.), and this powder will work for the .38 Special and light loads in the .44 Mag and .45 LC. Then, I would suggest some 2400 powder for full power loads in the .357 Mag, .44 Mag, and heavy loads in the .45LC.

Don

Until I get more comfortable, and a better scale, I dunno if I'll be doing heavier loads for anything.

Since you've stated your wanting to do shot shells I would assume you have a shot shell press?
Finding a powder that will have data for all of those is not really going to be a problem. The real challenge is going to be what you expect in terms of performance. Maybe Longshot for the standard pistol cartridges and shot shells, and then 2400 for the magnums and 45LC. Both of those powders offer a rather broad load range from mid to near full house capability. I also like HS6 for the standard pistol cartridges such as 38 special.
Those powder's will offer you an upper end performance range, rather than having to settle for sub velocity loads.

I'm looking into a Lee Load All.

 

[[email protected]]

I would suggest on getting the wolf primers for large pistol, the tulas for small pistol primers, and the cheddite for shotgun. Titegroup,bullseye,accurate 2, unique, hp-38, and accurate 5 have all worked well for me in 38 special, but I have not tried them in 44mag and I dont load 45lc. My last 357mag I used herco. To keep things simpler and you dont overload your self and get discouraged you might stick to just one caliper for now to see if you like reloading. It can be time consuming and just like most things the faster you want to go the more it will cost. Do you already have the dies press and other tools? The best Advice I can give to minimize your risk is to first buy a reloading manual like lyman 49 or the lee and after studying all the steps, risks, and work that comes with the hobby (they do not warn you that it is addictive) then you should have an idea if it is somthing you want to get into.

 

[addedpulp]

I have the dies for .38sp/.357, and I'm picking up some for .44 (to promote my interest in picking one up). If I get a converted 1858, I'll get .45LC, and my dad has a S&W in .45LC that I could load for, too.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

I have no experience loading shotguns. For the handgun rounds listed my choice would be 800-X. Especially for heavy loads. Magnum primers aren't required, but help. My current home defense load is 9.0 gr pushing a 255 lead Keith style in 45 Colt.

My second choices would be Red Dot, 700-X, and Unique, in order. These all show numerous loads for 12 gauge.

 

[zxcvbob]

Bullseye, 231, and Unique will do it all (pistol). But they may not always be good choices. Get a pound of each anyway. If HP38 is cheaper than 231, buy it instead because they are identical.

Promo is very economical to use, burns clean, is usually very accurate, and it's bulky. (the bulk is usually a good thing, although it can make it hard to measure.) Get 8 pounds of it -- that's the only size it comes in. It also might be good for the shotgun loads; I don't know, I don't load shotgun.

Get 4 pounds of 2400 for the .44 and .357. If you are using cast bullets, also get a pound of Herco to try it out.

 

[addedpulp]

So I can use small pistol primers for .38sp, .357, .44 mag, and .45LC? What is the downside to doing so, duds?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

No, you can not use SP primers in .44 mag and .45LC.

 

[zxcvbob]

You need large pistol primers for the .44 and .45. (some .45 ACP brass takes small primers, but you didn't say anything about .45 ACP, you said .45 LC)

You should use pistol magnum primers if you are using H110 or 296 or HS-6 powders (and probably a few others) Otherwise, use regular pistol primers.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

So I can use small pistol primers for .38sp, .357, .44 mag, and .45LC? What is the downside to doing so, duds?

Sorry, not possible. The primer pockets for the 38/357 are cut for small primers and the primer pockets for the .44 and .45 Colt are cut for large primers.

Please explain to my why so many new reloaders want to use only one or even two powders to load everything? One of the reasons we reload it to make the best and accurate ammo we can. If only one or two powders could do that across the board there wouldn't be almost 100 for sale. IMO there's no advantage to buying only one powder and there is a lot of downside.

I don't want to make a huge order, because I dunno if this is something I'll like doing yet. So, I don't wanna spend a huge amount or buy a huge quantity, maybe enough to load 500 .38 and then some extra stuff.

You really don't want to buy a small order online because of the $25 Hazmat Fee. If you buy from some places like Midway you get hit with 2 Hazmat fees when buying both powder and primers. Powder Valley only charges once. You can load about 1,750 rounds of .38 Special with 1 lb. of most powders, only 1 pound. Try to find a shop that carries powder/primers for small orders like you need when starting out and you're not of what you want to use.

I am currently reloading .38sp, but I also might do some .357 in the near future, and even .44mag and .45LC. I may also do 12ga shotgun loads.

My favorite powder for loading the .38 Special is W231 (HP-38). It's clean, meters very well and it produces accurate ammo for me. W231 also works well in the .45 Colt. For the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum Alliant 2400 is a good choice for new reloaders. As for the 12ga, sorry, I don't load shotshells so I can't advise you on that but remember, you will need to purchase a completely different press and accessories for loading shotshells than handgun/rifle ammo.

My "Powder Trinity" is W231 (HP-38), HS-6 and W296 (H110). I can do anything handgun with those 3 powders, including 12ga shotshells with HS-6. The original powder trinity is Bullseye, Unique and 2400. With those 3 powders you can also load any handgun ammo. (and shotshells with Unique)

 

[Fishslayer]

Some of the faster pistol powders are actually labelled "Shotgun and Pistol" powders. They're great for .45ACP, .38sp and light magnums.

If you're going to load up full house magnum loads with heavy bullets you'll need a slower powder like H110 or 2400. If you're wanting to keep the number of components down, I've never seen a recipe for 2400 that called for magnum primers.

Ditto the buying locally. Hazmat fees will kill ya unless you're buying in bulk.

 

[addedpulp]

Sorry, not possible. The primer pockets for the 38/357 are cut for small primers and the primer pockets for the .44 and .45 Colt are cut for large primers.

I just assumed, as one of the posters prior to you suggested I could. Thanks.

Please explain to my why so many new reloaders want to use only one or even two powders to load everything? One of the reasons we reload it to make the best and accurate ammo we can. If only one or two powders could do that across the board there wouldn't be almost 100 for sale. IMO there's no advantage to buying only one powder and there is a lot of downside.

You really don't want to buy a small order online because of the $25 Hazmat Fee. If you buy from some places like Midway you get hit with 2 Hazmat fees when buying both powder and primers. Powder Valley only charges once. You can load about 1,750 rounds of .38 Special with 1 lb. of most powders, only 1 pound. Try to find a shop that carries powder/primers for small orders like you need when starting out and you're not of what you want to use.

Because they're starting out. Those starting out don't want to sink two or three times as much money on something they're unsure they'll like. Very simple premise, and probably why it's so common.

As for the 12ga, sorry, I don't load shotshells so I can't advise you on that but remember, you will need to purchase a completely different press and accessories for loading shotshells than handgun/rifle ammo.

Yes, thank you, you'll see above if you've read through the thread you'll see I mentioned purchasing a Load-All.

My "Powder Trinity" is W231 (HP-38), HS-6 and W296 (H110). I can do anything handgun with those 3 powders, including 12ga shotshells with HS-6. The original powder trinity is Bullseye, Unique and 2400. With those 3 powders you can also load any handgun ammo. (and shotshells with Unique)

Thanks for that, I'll look into those.

 

[addedpulp]

Some of the faster pistol powders are actually labelled "Shotgun and Pistol" powders. They're great for .45ACP, .38sp and light magnums.

If you're going to load up full house magnum loads with heavy bullets you'll need a slower powder like H110 or 2400. If you're wanting to keep the number of components down, I've never seen a recipe for 2400 that called for magnum primers.

Ditto the buying locally. Hazmat fees will kill ya unless you're buying in bulk.

Thank you for the post. Might be worth reading the rest of the comments before doing so, you'd see that I already said I don't intend to do magnum loads early on because I just don't trust myself starting out.

And again, nowhere local, I've tried everywhere within an hour's drive, and the further from that I get the closer I get to high-priced Northern VA and MD shops near the cities.

 

[addedpulp]

I checked the only gun shop I hadn't yet for powder and primers. No powder (he said it's so expensive to have it shipped it that it's not worth selling) and the only primers he had were small pistol CCI for $7/100. When powder ridge is $30/1000, the $25 hazmat fee doesn't seem so bad.

He told me to check out a place a half hour away in podunk for powder. I called them today and every time I asked a question, he said "who is this?" like he's never had a customer call and ask questions before (and yes, I asked "I'm looking for the gun store, do I have the right place?" after the third time he said "who?" and I had the right place). So asking something as complex as "how much does ___ cost" seems like a poor choice.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

addedpulp,
Sorry to hear there are no stores near you to buy powder/primers. We have a half dozen gun shops near me and only 1 has a full line of powder/primers and one other has some. I guess I'm lucky.

If it's only 1 powder you're looking for right now my choice would be W231/HP-38. Other reloaders will tell you Unique. Both will serve you well although Unique doesn't always meter well whereas W231 does.

 

[J_McLeod]

I like HP-38/231 as well. HS-6 should work for all of the calibers listed and the shotgun.