Bullseye vs W231 in 45 ACP 230 gr LRN

[John Hill]

I am loading 45 ACP Lee TL452-230-2R which is a 230 gr. tumble lube boolit and want to shoot either Bullseye or W231. Any preference and what accuracy loads would be suggested for each or either?
Thanks
John

[huntrick64]

When I used to load and shoot my SR1911s (4 and 5 inch), Bullseye showed a little more accuracy, but not much. My gun became so dirty shooting Bullseye that I switched to HP-38 (aka W-231) and liked the results. I was shooting 200 gr. LSWC. Verify this, but I think I was shooting 5.0 HP-38 and 4.5 of Bullseye.

[CHeatermk3]

231 was the go-to powder for 45acp for me but I mostly shot an H&G #68 clone which was purchased from a now defunct boolit maker. It ought to work fine for you, if you can find it for sale anywhere.

[NC_JEFF]

Bullseye is the powder used in developing the 45 ACP. That being said, I have used every powder between titegroup and Unique in the 45 and I think all make accurate loads. WW231 is a fav of mine but not in 45, with the exception of target loads using a fairly soft compound from that very same mold. Power Pistol is what I prefer in standard pressure 45s

[dougader]

I use 5.4 grains 231 with a 230 grain RNL in a G21 and a G30; 5.2 grains in a tuned 1911.

[clintsfolly]

Ayes both work great

[w5pv]

I use titegroup and have had good luck with it.

[dudel]

I've tried many; but come back to Bullseye. It's also a useful propellant in many other calibers I shoot. Easier to keep fewer powders in stock.

[s1120]

I like bullseye. Bolth worked great, but my 45 likes BE a little more, and my 38 revolver liked hp38/231 a little more... so the deal was done. Im wanting to find some WST because I hear the low end target load 45 loves it. FYI I am shooting real mild target loads...

[W.R.Buchanan]

When I used to load and shoot my SR1911s (4 and 5 inch), Bullseye showed a little more accuracy, but not much. My gun became so dirty shooting Bullseye that I switched to HP-38 (aka W-231) and liked the results. I was shooting 200 gr. LSWC. Verify this, but I think I was shooting 5.0 HP-38 and 4.5 of Bullseye.

Ditto: I went to W231 because of Bullseye being dirty. But the reason it is so dirty is that unless the load is near the top it doesn't develop enough pressure to burn cleanly. And since the .45 ACP is not a High Pressure cartridge it is difficult to get the pressure up high enough fro clean burning.

None of this exists with W231.

Randy

[noisewaterphd]

Both are great.

Neither are my favorite. There are so many really good powders for 45 acp, it's pretty hard to go wrong.

[Victor N TN]

Bullseye and WW 231 are both functional powders for your cartridge. AND both are just about as nasty. I shot NRA Bullseye for roughly 10 years. Then I shot IPSC for about 15 years. I think I shot about every pistol powder made. I decided to shoot Vhitavouri N-340. In my pistols... all 5" barrels, 6.0 grains with a jacketed 230 FMJ makes 890 fps. With a 230 grain RNL same charge gets about 950 fps. BUT it's the cleanest powder I've ever shot 45 acp in at USGI spec loads.

When I was shooting either competition, sometimes I had to clean between relays or stages. With the N-340 that isn't a problem.

Good luck with your choice. Clean or shoot... Your choice.

[Mk42gunner]

I am somewhat embarrassed to say I have never loaded Bullseye into a .45 ACP. I have loaded a whole lot of 231 though; normally behind a 200 grain SWC, but I occasionally used 230 grain RN. It worked fine, and as to the gun getting dirty; that's why they make powder solvent.

Robert

[nagantguy]

Bullseye is my got powder for that exact boolit, or any other boolit or bullet in .45 acp. There maybe cleaner burning powders around but I've never found one so consistent and as accurate. I do not use 231, I know blaspheme it's on my list and the last few years I've bought powders I need when I could and tried to narrow my field, lots of bullseye, lots of h110, lots of 4895 and lots of varget.

[Char-Gar]

I have used Billseye for the 45ACP for over 50 years with complete satisfaction. I wash my hands and clean the pistol every time it is shot, so I have never noticed it was dirty as some assert.

[Went2kck]

Try 700X seams to burn pretty clean for me. Decent accuracy.

[Cherokee]

BE or 231 will work fine; I have used both but switched primarily to 231 many years ago and see no need to change, although WST is also good.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

W231 get my Vote

[Virginia John]

As stated Bullseye and W231 are good but I prefer WST in the 45.

[Dave C.]

Bullseye is the most accurate of the two (231 vs bullseye). But it is dirty as I must clean my pistol every 1,000 rounds or so.

Dave C.

[gwpercle]

John , the truth is the 45 acp is one of the easier rounds to load for. I've shot a lot of NRA Bullseye Match and have found that I could use Bullseye, Red Dot , N320, AL-5, 700X, W231 and even Unique with acceptable results.
In this day of nearly non-existent powder on dealer shelves the big question is ...what powder can you get ?
If you do have a choice between Bullseye and W231 , whichever you can get the best deal on , try both , or coin flip !
Between those two I would lean towards Bullseye only because it uses a bit lighter charge to get the same velocity as W231. lighter loads = more loads per pound of powder = more savings. In theory .

I carry a list of all the powders I can use just in case I spot something on a dealers shelf.....if it's on my list I'm going to buy it.
Gary

[vzerone]

The new 231 and the current HP38 aren't the same as the old original 231. I bought an #8 jug of HP38 and am not happy with it at all. I easily fine many other powders around it that give much better accuracy and velocity. I agree with Char-Gar I love Bullseye. Alliant has cleaned it up a tad and unless you're shooting competition I don't fine it all that dirty.

[lotech]

I shoot the Lyman RN 220 grain #452374 occasionally. Never found a 231 load that was as accurate as 5 grs. Bullseye. As for dirty, other folks eyes are much keener than mine. Using lubed cast bullets, all loads are dirty.

[Motor]

Work up loads with both. That way you have it covered if you can't get one or the other. I have more than a few loads that use the same bullet or boolit but with different powders that work equally well. Sometimes I have to use the powder I have on hand or maybe want to save one for another caliber or load.

It's all about choices and the more the better.

On the flip side a have a j-word .308 Win that I use 4 different bullets in with the same powder and charge weight. All 4 shoot within 1" of each other at 100 yards so I don't have to worry about not finding my "pet bullets" in a pinch. :)

Motor

[noisewaterphd]

Bullseye is my got powder for that exact boolit, or any other boolit or bullet in .45 acp. There maybe cleaner burning powders around but I've never found one so consistent and as accurate.

I happen to have years of chrongraph data that would lend to backing that up. Very consistent velocities across the scale, and across lots.

It's not the only one, but it is one of the few.

[Steve E]

I have used 231 for about the past 38 years mostly with the Lee 200 SWC. I have never used Bullseye.

Steve..........

[TXGunNut]

I used 231 because that was usually in my Dillon (for loading PPC 38 loads) and I didn't want to swap it out. At the time BE was a slightly better powder but my 45 wasn't accurate enough to take advantage of it, come to think of it I probably wasn't either, lol. There may be cleaner powders now but I have enough 231 to get me by for awhile.

[Plate plinker]

Either. As mention above Vitavouri is alot cleaner and spendier I might add. That said most top level competitors run that stuff.

I run bullseye because it is cheaper and it works for me.

[Dale53]

A few years ago, I decided to simplify my life. I had a number of partial containers of various pistol powders. I decided to use them all up and settle on just one powder for my handgun target loads. I was shooting a lot of .45 ACP/.45 Auto Rim through my two Smith .45 ACP 625 revolvers. Both will easily shoot well under an inch off a rest at 25 yards. I had Bullseye, HP-38/.231, 7625, Dupont PB, Unique, Hodgdon's Clays, and Red Dot, to name a few. I loaded the equivalent of 4.0 grs. of Bullseye behind a Mihec correct copy of the H&G #68 (200 gr. SWC). I was easily able to get every powder in the pantry to shoot under an inch at 25 yards. There wasn't a thimble full of difference between any of the powders, as far as performance. Clay's was the cleanest but when the guns got dirty, I cleaned them (see how that works?:roll:).

Well, did I get all of my powder shot up? Yes and no... Just as I was about to call "Victory", I ran onto an estate sale in one of my local gun shops. I bought a bunch of opened cans of powder (all easily identifiable) for $25.00. As I remember, there was about 15 lbs. total. It put me right back in the same situation that I was before.:razz: Not long after, the powder shortage hit. Here I was "stuck" with a pantry full of pistol powder.:Fire:

Since I lost the vision in my right eye, I have gotten rid of nearly all of my long guns. I looked around to my friends and offered to trade them rifle powder for any excess pistol powder they might have around. It worked, and I was able to help a couple of friends with powder they couldn't get and I got some powder useful to me. Win-Win!

I am currently in just about as bad a shape (several lots of different powders) as I was before. So be it, I'm shooting and having fun and I didn't even stumble during the powder crisis...

If you want to shoot your .45, don't worry. There are LOTS of powder that works well. There is NO "Best Powder", there are only suitable or unsuitable powders. If the burning rate is right, and you can get some, SHOOT!

FWIW - Shoot Center!
Dale53

[Caster1977]

I run my 200 gr LSWC's with 5.2 gr of 452-AA. The only problem is, I'm down to my last 3 pound container. Does anyone know of a near direct replacement since it's not produced anymore?

[Lloyd Smale]

toss up in my book

[lotech]

Bullseye is probably #1 from an accuracy standpoint, but by a slight margin. Much of the "dirty" comes from shooting lubed cast bullets and probably a small portion comes from the powder. Guns require cleanup; never seen any difference in time or effort required to clean a pistol fired with dirty or "clean" powder.

[beagle]

The Army has used Bullseye, WW231 and 700-X in its .45 loads depending on which arsenal or government controlled facility loaded it. I've used all three with all types of loads but have about gone to WW231 because it meters more accurately. With cast, they'll all smoke and are fairly dirty. You can't go wrong with either one./beagle

[Boolseye]

Powder flakes and carbon fouling means my gun is getting shot. If you want clean try needle craft ;-)

[Char-Gar]

Buy all the Bullseye you can, everywhere you can, for as long as you can!

[Shiloh]

Bullseye. Been using it so long it is habit. Dirty powder?? yep. Thats why there are cleaning cloths.
The other downside, is it has an acrid stink in the indoor range with LLA lube.

Shiloh

[35remington]

The stink is the LLA.lube. The powder don't account for it absent the lube.

[Boolseye]

I lucked into about 10 lbs of BE a couple years ago, it goes a looong way.

[Loudy13]

Trail boss is my favorite for that bullet FWIW

[kenyerian]

Bullseye is my go to powder.

[rintinglen]

Back in the 70's, I used nothing but Bullseye, but there was a period of about three years in the mid-80's where Bullseye was a little hard to find, so I switched to WW-231 and never looked back. I stock it, keeping at least 8 pounds on hand, and buying it whenever I can to keep the level up. I use it in 32 ACP, 32 S&W Long, 380, 38 Special, 45 Auto, and Auto Rim, though I think I'd be better served by Bullseye in the Auto Rim. I have used it in 9 mm Luger and 9 mm Largo, 44 Special, 45 Colt, 38 S&W, and 357 magnum. It is a very versatile powder.

However, my choice not with standing, I doubt that there is a dime's worth of difference between the two powders in the 45 auto and I've been out shot by people that used either of them in their 45 ACP loads. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

[dancingbear41]

I use both powders in my .45 ACP carbines and they work equally well. Bullseye has always been my preference simply because I have used more of it.

Simon.

[Caster1977]

I used to shoot IPSC on Tuesday evenings back in the late 80's early 90's. The go to powder at that time was 452-AA. I ran 5.2 gr under a cast 200 gr LSWC that Lomax was producing at the time thru my S&W 745 SA semi-auto. It made major, cycled well and didn't give a lot of muzzle jump. I still have about a 1/3 of a can that I'm using up. For my 230 cast, I'm running 5.5 gr of Unique. It's a mild load that works in the Sig 220, both S&W's (645/745), and my Colt Combat Commander. When the last of the 452-AA runs out, I'll be looking for something else, probably Titegroup or HP-38. I'll monitor the forum for some tried and true input.

[swheeler]

Win 231 for me in 45, 38 and 7.62 Nagant, sometimes in 357 too.

[Boolseye]

Win 231 for me in 45, 38 and 7.62 Nagant, sometimes in 357 too.
what are your loads for 7.62 Nagant using 231, if you don't mind my asking?

[swheeler]

lee 311-93 1r powder coated, 3.5 grs W231 in 32-20 RP brass, 800+ fps. as cast they weigh 88 grs and fall from the mold just under .313" sized to .313 after shake and bake powder coat, 1.505" OAL