Anyone use 231 powder ?

[Jack Stanley]

I have several pounds of 231 I'd like to try , starting with the forty-five ACP and a Lyman 452374 round nose bullet .

Does this powder work fairly well in the big bore ?

Thanks , Jack

[Wally]

Using a Lee 230 Grain .45 cal bullet and 6.0 grains W-231 in my Ruger Blackhawk I get 930 FPS MV...

[oldhickory]

Yep, it's a very good powder for the .45 auto, I keep several pounds on hand just for that reason. The latest edition of Handloader states it's the same powder as HP-38.

It works very well with the Lyman 452630 200grSWC. 5-6gr should get you in the black quite easily and keep you there with a good 1911.

[ReloaderFred]

Many consider Winchester 231 as THE powder for .45 acp. If it won't shoot with 231, then it probably won't shoot with anything......

Hope this helps.

Fred

[armed_partisan]

Just loaded 600 rounds of .45 ACP cast and jacketed for a friend (in exchange for repairs to my Kayak!) using 231 exclusively. Burns clean and shoots accurate. I used RCBS-230-RNs and SAECO #68 200grn SWCBB. Not a fan of that last mold, all of the edges are filleted AND it's a Bevel Base, but I got a great deal on it.

[thegreatdane]

231/HP-38 is a joy to shoot. As stated above, it burns clean and meters well.

The only drawback is that it's a bit flashy in low-light.

[Wots]

Im using hp-38 in my Beretta Storm W/230 grain round nose lead. With a mild crimp.
It gets a bit smoky. Am I doing something wrong?

[ReloaderFred]

The smoke is mostly from the lube on the bullets.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Char-Gar]

231 is a kissing cousin to Bullseye which was the original 45 ACP powder. 4.5 to 5 grains is a good load with 200 to 230 grains bullets. I certainly would not shoot that 6 grain load in a 1911 pistol. It is way over the top. It won't take a good Ruger BH apart, but would not be gentle on the autopistol.

[9.3X62AL]

5.0 grains of WW-231 is a pretty good "hardball" 45 ACP duplicator using Lyman #452374 @ 1.260" OAL.

[Ferdinand]

The max load listed for 231 and a 230 grain round nose is 5.3 grains, showing 16900 CUP. Interpolating from the pressures listed associated with the min and max charge, 6 grains would likely be over 20,000 CUP.

[Triggerhappy]

I love 231 in my .45's. I usually shoot 200g's though @ 5.2-5.5 depending on what I need. It's a nice clean burning powder that meters nicely.

TH

[S.R.Custom]

The max load listed for 231 and a 230 grain round nose is 5.3 grains, showing 16900 CUP. Interpolating from the pressures listed associated with the min and max charge, 6 grains would likely be over 20,000 CUP.

Probably. But it's stunningly accurate.

6.0 grs of 231 is my "+P" load, and yields 980 fps. 5.4 grs is a closer approximation of good 'ol hardball, and very accurate as well.

So yeah, you can put me down in the "231 is THE powder for .45ACP" column.

[Jack Stanley]

That's all good news to me fellas , now , all I gotta do is find a bullet of proper hardness and choose a powder level . There's where it get's tricky , The winchester booklet I have shows a range of 4.7 to 5.1 . The Lyman book and a couple others start near five grains and go to 5.8 .

Hardball level would be fine for me I don't really need plus "P" for this load . What sort of bullet hardness do you use ? I cast some RN today that are at eleven brinell right now , the mix is lino and wheel weights . I have LBT blue in the sizer hoping that will work for lube and a 451 die that leaves bullets at almost .452" .

Jack

[BoolitBill]

I use 452374 cast up in straight WW for a 233 gr. round nose boolit. Then load it with 5.4 gr. of 231 and it gives me about 830 fps. out of a 1911. About as close to hardball as I can get. ( sized .452 and use carnuba red lube)

[MakeMineA10mm]

That is exactly the load I use for a cast hardball duplication load. 5.4 to 5.6grs is just right and will give you from 830-870fps, depending on the exact burn-rate of the powder, and the conditions your loading/shooting under. It's a good factory ball duplication.

I also would not shoot 6.0grs, as the 5.6grs is pushing +P level already, and is all the snap I want in a 1911. Of course, I shoot WWII-era 1911A1s with the narrow grip safety, so maybe the guys with the beavertails can stand the heavier loads...

You can't do much better than W231 in the 45ACP, although Green Dot comes close...

As far as the smokey-ness, yes, that's a problem. It's mostly the boolit lube, but I've noticed 231 being smokey even with jword loads. I think it's partially due to the formula of the powder and partially due to the low pressures developed in 38s and 45s.

[beagle]

The three powders used by the military over the years in the .45 ACP were WW231, 700-X and Bullseye.....dependent on the manufacturer and lot numbers. Wish I had a 50# keg sitting in my shop./beagle

[Wots]

The smoke is mostly from the lube on the bullets.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Sure does.
Thanks Fred

[casterofboolits]

231 is an excellent powder for the 45 ACP. 231 is much better than Unique in progressive loading tools.

Fired a couple hundred thousand rounds of 45 ACP in practice and IPSC loaded with 231 over the years.

Checked my supply of 231 last week and have four three pounders and several one pounders in the powder mag.

[mtnman31]

I really like 231. It meters well and gives me some accurate, consistent loads. I feel it can be a bit smoky and dirty as well, but I don't mind it. For the calibers I load it is pretty versatile and covers most all of my pistol needs. I would venture to say that I have burned more 231 than all other the other pistol powders I use combined.