Which pistol powder? - 24hourcampfire

Going to venture into pistol reloading have been reloading rifle for a few months now. I will be loading for .38, .357, 44mag, 9mm. Is there a powder that will overlap between them all? Lookin for temp stable and clean burning.

Nothing will universally maximize them all, but HS-6, Unique, Blue Dot, TiteGroup come to mind as having good potential to make worthwhile shooting ammo for each of them.

I've used Unique in reloading all of those Calibers. I'm thinking Tite Group and Lil Gun would probably work too.

Never loaded the 9mm, but Unique is a good one.. Have so much of it, I haven't tried the newer stuff..

Unique would do them all, but would leave something on the table regarding the .357, and for sure the .44 Mag.

DF

Tight Group will do for all but the 44. It works great for 44 Special loads tho.

Longshot

Not looking to hotrod anything so unique sounds like a good start. Is universal about the same?

yes

I've reloaded for all of them. If I had to choose just one powder for all of them it would be Ramshot's True Blue. It can be loaded all the way down to the 700 fps. range for safe, reliable Cowboy Action Loads in the .38 Special all the way up to almost full power loads in the .44 Magnum.
For handgun loads, however, the best way to load for them is to have a fast burning powder for target and plinking loads and a slower burning one for full power loads.
If you insist on just one powder, and you can't get Ramshot True Blue, then I'd suggest Unique. It will not, however, give one full power loads in the .357 and .44 Magnums. E

You could also use Hi-Skor 800-X (IMR) which will maximize them all pretty well. The downside is that it is a rather coarse flake powder which doesn't run through measures in small volume very well, but it does very well in magnum revolver cases like the 41 and 44. I imagine it would work well in the 357 at its higher pressures also. I've used it in the 38 Spl where it has proven itself with 170 and 180 grain loads. The downside in the lower pressures anyway, is that you might catch a few 'embers' if you're facing a breeze. (Those big flakes can be hot when they hit one's face.

)

http://www.stevespages.com/pdf/imr_reloading.pdf

I am going to start with one powder for magnum loads and one for plinking. What would everyone's choices be?

W296 (H110) and W231 (HP-38).......or whatever you can find these days. (I haven't seen much, or any lately.)

Went to the shop they had no pistol powder at all.... Will have to check the other shop next week

I bet I haven't seen 50 pounds of pistol-suitable powder in over a year of watching. 800-X and 4227 have been the best bets. Quick powders are as hard to find as 22 rim fire around here.

Originally Posted by Wrangler13

I am going to start with one powder for magnum loads and one for plinking. What would everyone's choices be?

Red dot does it all. 380 - 41 Mag, but seeings as it hard to find.
AA5 & AA9 fit the bill.
Otherwise a powder showing up lately is unique and does it all for just about any.
Dropping flake powders isn't a problem.

Unique will work well in all of them.
2400 will also work well in the 357 and the 44 mag.

Unique, Universal, 231 plus probably a few more work fine in the 38 and 9mm. They also work fine for reduced loads in 357 and 44 mag. My favorite of the bunch is Universal but I understand that it is being discontinued. For full throttle 357 and 44 mag, H110/296, Accurate #9, or 2400 will fill your needs.

Originally Posted by Oheremicus

I've reloaded for all of them. If I had to choose just one powder for all of them it would be Ramshot's True Blue. It can be loaded all the way down to the 700 fps. range for safe, reliable Cowboy Action Loads in the .38 Special all the way up to almost full power loads in the .44 Magnum.
For handgun loads, however, the best way to load for them is to have a fast burning powder for target and plinking loads and a slower burning one for full power loads.
If you insist on just one powder, and you can't get Ramshot True Blue, then I'd suggest Unique. It will not, however, give one full power loads in the .357 and .44 Magnums. E

+1 I've never loaded for 9mm, but for 38, 357, and .44 True Blue is hard to beat, and meters great. Unique is uber too, but meters like crap.

For plinking loads, I like Ramshot ZIP. For magnum loads, I like 2400, or IMR 4227.
BTW, Powder Valley has both ZIP and IMR 4227 in stock. E

I grabbed what they had today 2 pounds of tite group and 1 pound of lilgun. I will start with these. What weight bullet are you guys running for plinking in 44mag?

Originally Posted by Hawk_Driver

Tight Group will do for all but the 44. It works great for 44 Special loads tho.

What if you want to pretending your five inch S&W model 29 .44 magnum is a .44 special? When I was much younger I would jokingly say to my shooting buddies lets go out and shoot till our hands bleed. Now I tell them we are to old to be Dirty Harry and my arthritis is acting up.

Meaning Tight Group will work for the .44 magnum, but you have to shoot the bad guys twice.

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Wrangler, for pure fun and economy in the .44 I've settled on cast 200 grains. Be careful not to double charge the TiteGroup & enjoy.

Why do the reloading books say to use half as much titegroup for lead as opposed to jacketed? What about the hardcast lead rounds?

Don't have a .44 Mag pistol but for plinking and mid-range loads in rifles SR-4756 has been good. Heard a rumor that it is no longer manufactured, though.

There are problems reported with Lil' Gun. This from Bob Baker – Freedom Arms
http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/freedom-arms-handguns-sponsored-by-freedom-arms/the-truth-about-lil'-gun/?PHPSESSID=a66gvl3sgvp42r3pj80tu9fjo1

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We have seen numerous barrels damaged by using Lil Gun. According to customers, some had as few as 30 rounds using Lil Gun through them, some had several hundred. Before we figured out what was happening one customer had sent his gun in for a new barrel. Then 600 rounds later it came back for another new barrel.

A couple years ago we did a test with a M83, .357 Mag. using Hornady 180 gr. bullets. We loaded 50 rds. of three different loads. One was a heavy H-110 load and the other two both used Lil Gun in different quantities.

We fired the H-110 loads first, then cut off the threaded end of the barrel. Rethreaded the barrel and shot one of the Lil Gun loads then rethreaded the barrel and shot the last Lil Gun load.

We found even the light load of Lil Gun caused the gun to get extremely hot. The heavy Lil Gun load had the gun so hot the only place we could touch the gun was on the grips and they were very hot.

Under magnification the surface appeared to have heated to a point of flowing using the Lil Gun loads and the heavy load was worse than the light load. This is probably due to Lil Gun having about 10% more nitro glycerin in it than H-110.

Found out just after I bought 8 pounds (grumble, grumble). Plan to sell it to a shotgunner and replace with 300MP.

Power pistol for target or plinking loads, 2400 or 296 for the serious heavy loads.

BE-86 would be good comprise powder

Originally Posted by Wrangler13

Why do the reloading books say to use half as much titegroup for lead as opposed to jacketed? What about the hardcast lead rounds?

It has been said that "Tight Group" burns hot and cast bullets without a gas check can smear lead in the cylinder, forcing cone and barrel. All I shoot are plated and jacketed bullets and have never seen this in person and I'm repeating what I have heard cast bullet shooters say.

I shoot a lot of "Lite" loads in all my handguns like the link below and have never had a problem with tight group.

Make Right With a “.40 Lite”
http://www.handgunsmag.com/ammo/ammunition_40lite_091806/

If you go to the Brian Enos reload forums below you will find the competitive shooters talking about "Major and Minor power factor loads and the powder they use. And it might give you more info.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=4

One of the benefits of plated bullets and minor loads is your targets never die of lead poisoning.
(actually they die of heart failure)

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I have been reloading .38 Special/.357 Magnum and .44 Speical/.44 Magnum for forty years now and have settled on Bullseye and Unique. Bullseye for light/target loads and Unique for heavier loads, I have a little 2400 but don't use it much anymore. I shoot a lot of the Skeeter Skelton 7.5gr. Unique loads and sometimes step things up to 9.0gr. Unique in the .44 Magnum. I load jacketed bullet hunting ammo for the .44 Magnum using Winchester 296.

Originally Posted by Wrangler13

Going to venture into pistol reloading have been reloading rifle for a few months now. I will be loading for .38, .357, 44mag, 9mm. Is there a powder that will overlap between them all? Lookin for temp stable and clean burning.

For the 38, 357 & 9mm, PowerPistol is very, very good & quite clean but it's not ideal in the 44 but can be used.........it's burn rate & load data is fairly close to Unique but much cleaner.

If you want full power loads in the 44, WW-296 is your huckelberry, but it doesn't work in reduced loads.

I used Blue Dot for years in both the 41 & 44 & if I were loading for either today, I'd still use it, but Alliant is now recommending not to use it......FWIW.

MM

I found Power Pistol to be clean-burning, accurate and produced high velocity in the 9mm and 38 Super but it had so much static that some would stick in the powder measure and not allow consistent charges to be thrown.

Gave up on Blue Dot in the 41 Magnum because the lot-to-lot variation was so great. Didn't like having to work up new loads for every new can of powder.

Found some unique today. Ordering up some brass too. Hopefully will start loading by the end of the week.

Originally Posted by Freddy

Power pistol for target or plinking loads, 2400 or 296 for the serious heavy loads.

Agreed!

Originally Posted by MontanaMan

[quote=Wrangler13].

I used Blue Dot for years in both the 41 & 44 & if I were loading for either today, I'd still use it, but Alliant is now recommending not to use it......FWIW.

MM

They're still OK with it in .44, it is just .41 & 125gr .357 they warn against.

I like BD for several uses, but haven't seen any in a long while.

Starting with unique and nosler 200grn jhp. Looking for light target loads can I use 44 special max loads in mag brass?

Yes, with Unique anyway. I would suggest a load book like the one Lyman puts out as a good addition to revolver load recommendations. It probably has more than any other commercially developed load data source (other than multi-source compilations.)

Originally Posted by Wrangler13

Going to venture into pistol reloading have been reloading rifle for a few months now. I will be loading for .38, .357, 44mag, 9mm. Is there a powder that will overlap between them all? Lookin for temp stable and clean burning.

38 special-AA#5-125g hp

9mm-AA#7-124g hp and Tight Group

357 Mag-H110 or IMR 4227= 125g hp;

44 Mag
Mag-H110 or Win 296= 180g & 240g HP

If you are venturing into pistol reloading, then venture away from cast bullets till you get your feet wet.

Sierra 125g HP in the 38 and 357 Are super accurate

9mm- 124g HP in all with #7 rock, top velocity; Speer gold dots if you can find any

44 mag-180g sierra HP and 240g HP rule the world in accuracy in my experience. Win mag primers

All depending on the bullet weights you choose

Ruger GP 100 in 357 Mag rock the world, same with the 10" Ruger Super Black Hawk in 44 Mag

9mm match of some brand will put a smile on your face, mine is a Springfield XDM competition...Holy cow...what an accurate pistol, and same in the 40 S&W!!!

Trying to find one powder to fill all of them is brain damage to begin with because each bullet weight will have it's niche powder. Just get used to scrounging and supplies are loosening up.