Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .45Auto powders.

I've been using Unique, Clays and a little bit of Universal with 230gr LRN . Just started loading up some X-trerme plated 230's and was wondering what you guys load up for powder nowadays. And, if anyone shoots the plated bullets, what do you think of them. Thanks guys.

I too have and do use a bunch of Unique, but recently have been using some CFE with very good results.

After a long dry spell on handgun powders when they became available again I vowed never to let myself get critically low so ordered 32#'s of universal from Powder Valley. You could say I've standardized on my medium fast handgun powder

Pick anything between Bullseye and Blue Dot, they all work for the 45, just depends what kind of load you're looking for.

The Universal powder is what I use for "Accuracy loads" if you will, Unique and Clays for target and plinking. That CFE that Scott mentioned seems to be a pretty damn good powder as well. Might just pick-up a lb, and give it a whirl. Yondering, mostly just plinking/target loads. Switching between plated and lead. Those accuracy loads I mentioned are with Sierra Tournament Master 230's. A wonderfully accurate bullet. But, pricey.

I've always used 231 with both plated and fmj. Truthfully, with a bit of shopping around you can get fmj at a price so close to plated that it isn't worth it for me to mess with plated or cast. Other than 231 I was thinking of trying power pistol for for higher velocity loads.

231

been using Zip in my 9's and thought I'd try it in 45 for S&G

I used HP-38 or 231 ,but during the powder crunch I had to go back to old school Red Dot, when out of Red Dot I'll start buying BE-86 as I fo in 9,40,10,38,380 . Makes life simple .

231 covers the 45 acp pretty well. Its about all Ive used in an ACP.
Ive used CFE Pistol in several handgun rounds as a replacement for Unique and being as it has run in 38s, 32s, 41s, 44s and 45AR so well, I cannot imagine it would do worse in a contraption.
Flash suppressed, position insensitive, low residue and copper reducing and all the bells and whistles....

It works great for cast, and doesnt lead like some of the newfangled cleaner powders often do. All I shoot is cast, so that's a bonus.

It's hard to beat Universal for an accurate 230gr lead bullet target load. WSF is quite good too though, and being a ball powder it meters nicely.

Handgun powder is easy.

Lead bullets get Universal.

Jacketed bullets get Power Pistol.

Works in 'most everything but the fire belching magnums.

Power Pistol
Unique
BE
Be-86
Auto Comp
Solo 1000 when I can get it


Are my main powders.

MM

Fairly new to handguns, but have been loading for a 5" Sig 1911 Stainless Target for a few months. Using homecast Lee 200gr swc(#68) and 200gr RF bullets, I've tried Solo1000(old enough that the 8lb jug is labled Scott powder), Unique, Universal and HP-38.
The Solo1000 was fine at low target velocities, but anything above that gave huge velocity spreads.
The little Unique I had left was fine if a bit dirty.
Universal has really worked well, especially above 800fps. Since I keep a lot of it on hand for my 16 ga. shotgun and plinking loads in the 38-55, it's nice to have an all purpose powder.
HP-38 is fast becoming my standard in this pistol. From light loads with either bullet, to just over 900fps with the 200RF it just works. Flows through the measure better than Universal too.

Universal Clays works well in mine.

VihtaVuori N340

I burn a lot of red dot.....only because I scored 16 lbs of it cheap many years ago....I actually prefer lead bullets to the plated ones..they seem to be more accurate for me..

Back in the day AA#7, lately, power pistol, longshot, and a piece of an old paper can of unique.

I heard this before about plated bullets not being as accurate as FMJ or lead. Why would that be? Un-even process on the plating?

Near-pure lead for swaging being too soft for the pressure of many modern cartridges. Plated bullets are typically swaged with a thin copper plating. The accuracy problems can be a result of slumping, uneven rifling engraving (from imperfect alignment and the alloy not hard enough to straighten the bullet out), and/or stripping the rifling. Take your pick, it could be any or all of the above. Excessive crimping can break the plating and cause issues as well.