Worst powder you have used

[Sidewinder72]

Unique is my dirtiest loads, next to blue dot. I try to use cleaner burning powders. I think H 4831sc is king in 25-06, 270, 7MM mag.

 

[Dapperdan]

Not a bad powder, just a bad experience with H4350. A load listed on the bottle for 243 with 100 gr. bullets. Loaded a box, first shot out of a Browning Belgium BLR blew the primer out and was almost impossible to get the case out. Same load is fine in my Savage bolt gun. Should have read the fine print saying to reduce charge by 10% and work up! Reloader course 101 ignored almost blew that gun, but it was still a shock and I have stayed away from 4350 ever since.

 

[Dapperdan]

Also not happy with Green Dot in handgunloads. Used it because I had it for 20 gauge target loads, worked fine. I stay away from shotgun powders in my handguns, stick with the tried and true.

 

[redneck2]

I have 2 powders right now that I don't have a use for yet. I haven't found anything that Varget works well in

Right now, I've got probably 15-18# of Varget on hand.

It's THE go to powder for 6br. I use it in my .223 with 50 Nosler BT's. Also good in 308, 243's, etc.

 

[chrt396]

So far..in my whole almost a year of reloading..(lots of experience ), I have found that I dislike the following powders.
1 700X - 45acp
2. Blue Dot - 9mm
3. Power Pistol - 9mm

They may work OK in someone elses gun...but not mine! With rifle, most of the powders I've used have been very good. Varget, IMR4064 and RE-15.

What I have found..for a .40 cal autoloader..that ViHT N320 is great!!

 

[HK SD9 Tactical]

I use Ramshot Powders (True Blue, Silouhette, Magnum, Big Game, Zip, Enforcer, and TAC). There is not a powder that I do not like in this field. Each powder for each specialized firearm.

Silouhette is an excellent powder. I use it my 9mm loads and have nothing but great times with it.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I can tell you that BLC-2 absolutely sucked in my .308 loads, I couldn't get my groups smaller than 1.5". With IMR-4895, I got them down to .75" on average.

 

[lightman]

I have never gotten H414 or IMR4320 to shoot well in anything.I know others that use both with good results,but I never have. Lightman

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Agree with ranger335v--never met a powder I couldn't use up some how.

 

[coosbaycreep]

Some of my load books claim it's one of the best powders, but every load I've tried using IMR 4227 was the most inaccurate for me. That powder has an awful smell to it too.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Wow. No love for Unique. Wish ya'll were in Arkansas. I'd take it off your hands for you. My Uniflow meters it just fine.
I will say that I tend to use powders because of their metering characteristics. I love IMR 4350 but don't like using it in a measure because I can't get it consistent. I started using H380 in my .30-06 because it meters so well. I measure every round unless I'm using the H380. With it I get the measure set and never have to touch it.

 

[Mike 27]

HS 6 has given me some issues with 38SPL, and I find it dirty, and a lot of smoke in other calibers. I use it in 44SPL and it works fine, but I am still looking for a replacment, I use AA2, Bullseye, and IMR 2230, and 4064 and love em all....

 

[cfullgraf]

Interesting thread.

I cannot say I have a powder that I feel is the worst but I did not like IMR4227, 2400, and Lil Gun. I have other powders that I prefer in applications that use these powders.

I have used Bullseye and W231 and would use them again. But again, there are other powders that I prefer. I used to try to keep my number of powders to a minimum and Bullseye and W231 fell by the wayside. But lately, the number of powders I have has grown greatly so that reason is not really valid for me anymore.

I know this is a "worst" thread, but I like flake powders such as 700-X, Unique, and Blue Dot. They meter just fine for me and I like the accuracy I achieve. But, I will admit, they can be a bit smoky and dirty. Cast bullets do not help either.

 

[627PCFan]

H4831 in my 7mm Rem wouldnt do squat in any powder/bullet combo. Ironically, IMR4831 is the best for that gun.

HS6 is dirty in my standard 38 special loads, wont give much umph in 357 lead loads but works just dandy for 38 sp +p loads.

RL22 gave me ok accuracy, but the speed was there in my 6.5 and 7mm with med to heavy bullets.

 

[tango2echo]

I consider Lil Gun to be unsafe in .357 magnum, not to mention the poor groups. Works great for .22Hornet though.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I consider Lil Gun to be unsafe in .357 magnum, not to mention the poor groups. Works great for .22Hornet though.

I concur!

I've seen independently performed pressure trace data that flies in the face of what Hodgdon claims for pressures with this powder. I consider all hodgdon lil gun data to be in error and look for the loads to be dropped if a second look is ever given


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- Tapatalk post via IPhone.

 

[PreMod70]

When it comes to rifle powders I am a IMR fan except for 4320, it is too spikey just like the Reloader powders but both 4320 and the Reloaders are very good as long as you respect their limits.

 

[Funshooter45]

I have to modify something I said earlier. I concurred that Lil Gun was one of the most disappointing powders I had used. Well.... live and learn. It's true that the results were not good in my experiments in .357, 44 mag, 454 Casull, and .480 Ruger. But finally, I found an application where it beat the rest of them. In .357 using some 180 gr hard cast MBC bullets, I tested all my slow powders like 2400, 110/296, AA #9, Enforcer, and IMR4227. Much to my suprise, the Lil Gun ended up as the most accurate and most powerful. I wasn't actually measuring velocity, but rather I was shooting into a bundle of dry pine 2 x 8 to measure penetration.

For whatever reason, the Lil Gun shone in this application. Lucky thing, since it hasn't been so good in anything else.

 

[RugerNut9]

I have a hard time getting Unique to meter consistently. Amen