Which powders reload which calibers?

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"...Lyman 49th sounds like "must read"..." Yep. There's all kinds of info in the reference chapters.
You are wasting a lot of your time making lists of what powder goes with what cartridge. You'll never use it. The easiest starting point for any cartridge new to you is the powder given for the accuracy load for a given bullet weight.
"...I've been checking mostly retailer sites..." Don't sweat it. You have to learn who the manufacturers are some how. Actually, Midway's site is good for that.
"...Mine would be Bullseye..." Mine would stop there. Although I did use AA #5 for the .41 AE trials. Bought a barrel and spring for my Inglis BHP and 500 cases only to find a severe shortage of suitable cast bullets.
 
Ammoguide.com has a "Powder application guide" feature which has the information you are looking for in a very concise manner. I believe you must be a paying member to access this information. I have found this site worth the price of admission. Tons of info that can be accessed in many ways.
 
FWIW...the Lyman manual is my favorite by far.

The burn rate charts are a good place to find comparable powders. You obviously can't simply substitute one for another, but it will give you some idea of the ranges of application.

Gotta remember that application of powders is determined by expansion ratio. Even though something like a .45-70 is a big case and bullet, it uses a fair fast rifle powder. A .243 is smaller, but the bullet weight/diameter to case capacity ratio is such that you're gonna need a slower powder, particularly with heavy for caliber bullets.
 
I just called a LGS, they have the 2nd ,3rd, and 4th editions of Lyman manuals. Do you think maybe she just didnt know what I was talking about when I asked her about the 49th?
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Probably thinking of the Pistol and Revolver handbook. Lyman’s 49th covers all that information plus rifle loads.
 
If you go to a decent shop they'll have the little brochures the powder manufacturers send out to give the customers. You don't need a list of everything. You only need to know what your local shops sell. Sometimes Accurate powders can be tough to find. And Vihta Vuori is almost always a special order case.


Stop putting the cart before the horse. Get the Lyman manual. Did you read that ABCs of Reloading you bought yet?
 
I generally agree with Rule3 that you don't NEED a dozen different powders, three or so will do. Ten reloaders will have 20 opinions about which three. As to sources, the Lee manual has the most complete listings of powders and bullets I've seen, and you can certainly get a feel for the most versatile powers for the shooting you will be doing. Lyman 49 is a great source also. I use my Hornady book as much as the other two; those are my big three resources. Once you settle on the powder and bullet for a loading session, it can't hurt to go to the powder maker's site to double check your load.
 
Potatohead - which powders are ok to use to reload 9mm and 380 mainly?
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You're on the right track with the burn rate chart, but not all powders are listed, and a few are obsolete (HS-7 et al.). 9m calls for medium to medium fast, although that old fire breather, Bullseye, certainly has been tried and prefers to be run hot anyway, certainly behind jacketed bullets.

Understand which powders are designed and marketed for handguns and consider any others just substitutes, primarily slower burning shotshell stuff. Alliant makes that easier than most because they clearly categorize handgun powders.

All I do, really, is see which powders are listed for loads in my caliber/bullet combinations, those which fill the case appropriately (cc) or at least let me view into the case easily enough while loading. I also pay attention reviews about how powders measure. My case-activated powder measures cause me to avoid coarse powders or any with large flakes.

Lastly, I would prefer a powder that was versatile and used on more than one caliber. There are a few that cut across the spectrum like AA#5, W231, Power Pistol, HS-6, Unique, and others from the medium to medium fast burn rate range.

Looking at the burn rate chart, I would say that calibers using jacketed bullets would draw from the range 21-60. Beyond that would be the slower magnum powders and then shotgun stuff, ultimately rifle powders. Above that would be the fast burners associated more with lead bullets and lighter weight or smaller caliber bullets. Near number range boundaries, there are surely some successful crossover loads, but this is a guideline that I use.
 
For 9mm, which is all I have reloaded so far, I used HP-38/win 231 first, but have had more accurate loads (so far) with Unique. yesterday BDS put up a place that had 8 lbs jugs for 113.99. check the "where are the reloading supplies" thread. That thread is the best thing since sliced bread!

Thanks Bds!!!:)

Russellc
 
I have tried Titegroup, Silhouette and Universal Clays for both 9mm/380.

Will buy more Silhouette when it is available. I like the amount of loads you get out of one pound of Titegroup though...
 
Stop putting the cart before the horse. Get the Lyman manual. Did you read that ABCs of Reloading you bought yet?
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Yessir. Twice, It was the first reloading info I got my hands on, I only had to crack that thing open about 3 times to get it read the first time, I was so excited... Another THR member also sent me a Speer one which I've read (much better IMO). I'm trying not to get ahead of myself (though it's hard sometimes), still just compiling any info I can get my hands on before I get started. (Still no press)
 
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kerreckt said:
Ammoguide.com has a "Powder application guide" feature which has the information you are looking for in a very concise manner. I believe you must be a paying member to access this information. I have found this site worth the price of admission. Tons of info that can be accessed in many ways.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much
 
check the "where are the reloading supplies" thread. That thread is the best thing since sliced bread!

Thanks Bds!!!
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No doubt...Thats the only way I've found anything...I very much appreciate that thread also BDS...The powder I found is American Select...
 
I can understand the desire for this knowledge. In this age of shortages, you may go to the store for Powder A and they have none, but they have some Powder B, and it would be nice to know if Powder B would be a good substitute or not. Kinda like "I want some Win231, but they only have HP38. Oh hey, that's the same stuff!" Or that Win296/H110/IMR4227 are all good for magnum pistol/.30 carbine.
 
Quote:
You are wasting a lot of your time making lists of what powder goes with what cartridge. You'll never use it

I think you're right
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Maybe, but I just put together a table to help me manage what I have and how I use it. It's a work in progress, but you should get the idea. It's a Word table that you are free to download and modify.

Powder Use Chart
 
Hah!! I just checked Powder Valley and was able to completely clear my wishlist with a pound of each. Someone finally has AA#5, 7, and 9. I don't mind buying one pounders online and paying HAZMAT, if getting a number at a time.

So, that powder chart will get updated near the bottom.

Yes, a hobby ancillary to reloading is collecting powders.
 
Well, I suppose you could do it, like many other reloaders do it. For instance, if I'm going to load a particular cartridge I go through my books and look at the pressures at both ends, the velocities at both ends in comparison to those pressures, and then I make my decision based on my preference for slow burners.

But it can be over whelming for a new reloader, no doubt. Back when I started we didn't have a gazillion different powders on the market, so choice was pretty much limited to a few fast and slow burners, and a couple in between. And we didn't have half as many different cartridges either, which probably has a lot to do with the continued research and development of new powders.

GS
 
In my world AA #5 is a really good powder. Meters real well and can be used in a lot of non-magnum rounds. If I were limited to only one pistol powder, it would either be that or Universal Clays.
 
I shoot pistol ammunition made on my Dillion 550B. The better metering of AA#5 has shown to make zero difference in extreme spreads or standard deviations, in fact, in comparison, Bullseye generally gives a tighter ES's and SD's over my chronograph screens.

You can load darn near all pistol cartridges with Bullseye, Unique and 2400. You could dump the Bullseye and get by with Unique for everything except full power magnums, and use 2400 for the magnums. If you had to go to just one, Unique covers most applications well.

For rifle cartridges, IMR 4895 and IMR 4350. I use IMR 4350 from the 6.5 Swede through the 300 H&H Magnum. IMR 4895 works great in so many applications the list would be very long. It is absolutely outstanding in the 308 Win. It is an excellent gas gun powder, I would never use IMR 4350 in a semi automatic mechanism.

Though, if I had to get down to one rifle powder, it would probably be IMR 4064. Very flexible.
 
I'm new to reloading too. I need powder for 9mm, 9x18MAK and 45ACP

Looking in books, online, etc - I narrowed down to Unique and BullsEye powders. Now the more I read I see a lot of good words about HP38/W231. On other forums pistol sport shooters seems to all like Vintavuori N320

I started with IMR PB (this is all was abailable on the shelf) and was able to develop a load and it shoots and hits a target.

Now I have some Unique and BullsEye and I like them both, I use 3gr in 9x18MAK (your load in 380 will be similar) and I like it. I use Unique in 9mm and I like it.

For economical reasons I'm going to stick with BullsEye, it lasts longer and I can't tell difference in shooting of different powders. BullsEye meters very good via Lee Disk measure. Unique doesn't. I measure Unique with Dillon and it works OK for me.

I will try HP38/N320 when I see it available, but right now if I see 8lb of BullsEye I will buy it as it seems to be economical and measure well. It's "original" 45ACP powder from WW2..

There is lot's of different powders but to me everything shoots the same so I stick with economy and ease of measure.

P.S. Seems like Unique and BE is most popular powders, at least eveyone knows them and all stores try to stock them. Allmost every book will have recepy for those.

P.P.S Unique is flakes, it takes up more space - easy to avoid double-charge as it fills 9mm cartridge almost to the top. OTOH, it spills powder on a press, because it's so much.
Bullseye fills case up to 1/3 or so, double-charge possible but will be visible. No spilling.
 
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