Powder for pistols

[B R Shooter]

If there was one powder to buy that could be used in: 38 Special, 357 Mag, 9MM, 44 Mag and 45 Auto, which would work best in all of them? I know the magnums should use a slower powder, but just looking for something that would do a decent job in all. A one stop shop!

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I would have said Blue Dot until you threw in the 45 ACP at the end there. I'd say Unique as a one size fits all but you won't get top performace in all those calibers with any one powder I can think of. You can certainly get OK performance with Unique in all your cartridges you list there.

[JohnnyFlake]

"Unique"

[Walt]

Power Pistol could cover all of those pretty well. Unique would do a good job also, velocities would be lower but still acceptable in my view. It's really hard to cover 18,000 psi cartridges and 35,000 psi cartridges with one powder. When I was a pup Bullseye, Unique, and 2400 would cover the handgun cartriges from top to bottom. If you take out a few of the newest monsters that still holds true.

[felix]

Prolly I would select 4756/Herco as a compromise speed. The 44 mag is the monkey wrench and the monkey must eat fairly well too. Herco is only a half grain slower than 4756 in these applications on AVERAGE, having used various lots of each. Nominal boolits are used throughout. 4756 is single base and small tubes; Herco is double base and large flakes. ... felix

[sixshot]

Unique, WST or 231 will work. I use a great deal of all 3, especially WST.

Dick

[Nazgul]

My vote is 231.
It will launch 44 mag 240 gr bullets at a decent velocity.

Don

[222]

"Unique" or Power Pistol

[subsonic]

Longshot or Unique

[lbaize3]

Universal Clays

[subsonic]

Universal Clays

Which is Unique's less dirty sister.

[Larry Gibson]

"Unique"

+1, no doubt about it.

Larry Gibson

[williamwaco]

If there was one powder to buy that could be used in: 38 Special, 357 Mag, 9MM, 44 Mag and 45 Auto, which would work best in all of them? I know the magnums should use a slower powder, but just looking for something that would do a decent job in all. A one stop shop!



I am afraid you have unrealistic expectations.

There is no best powder.
Best depends on what type of load you are going to load.



There is NO powder that will give you maximum velocity in the .44 mag and also work in the 9mm.

[Longwood]

:hijack:

Can I butt in here and ask about members favorite powders for 45 Long Colt.
I have two rifles chambered for Long Colt but would really like to shoot rounds loaded for the rifles in my friends Single Six, Ruger Replicas.
I like and use a lot of 231 because I have about ten pounds of it.
I also have 700X, Unique, Bullseye, Greendot, Trailboss, and Clay's.
I also have too much H110 and 4227 that I have used in various pistol calibers but I would rather stay away from those.

[Longwood]

I am afraid you have unrealistic expectations.

There is no best powder.
Best depends on what type of load you are going to load.



There is NO powder that will give you maximum velocity in the .44 mag and also work in the 9mm.

He needs the H110 and 4227 that I no longer need for the 44..

[Frosty Boolit]

Bullseye or Accurate #5

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If there was one powder to buy that could be used in: 38 Special, 357 Mag, 9MM, 44 Mag and 45 Auto, which would work best in all of them? I know the magnums should use a slower powder, but just looking for something that would do a decent job in all. A one stop shop!

another vote for Unique.

unless you want to shoot hot loads with heavy boolits in
the Mags, I like H110 and Blue Dot for this.
Jon

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

:hijack:

Can I butt in here and ask about members favorite powders for 45 Long Colt.
I have two rifles chambered for Long Colt but would really like to shoot rounds loaded for the rifles in my friends Single Six, Ruger Replicas.
I like and use a lot of 231 because I have about ten pounds of it.
I also have 700X, Unique, Bullseye, Greendot, Trailboss, and Clay's.
I also have too much H110 and 4227 that I have used in various pistol calibers but I would rather stay away from those.

another vote for Unique

[EMC45]

Unique

[freedom475]

+10..Unique

[dnotarianni]

With the range of calibers the only powder I would use would be unique. Several powders would be better A fast powder like Bullseye for the 9mm 38 and 45 and 2400 for the Mag loads
Dave

[MT Gianni]

Red Dot will make them all go bang.

[gandydancer]

:hijack:

Can I butt in here and ask about members favorite powders for 45 Long Colt.
I have two rifles chambered for Long Colt but would really like to shoot rounds loaded for the rifles in my friends Single Six, Ruger Replicas.
I like and use a lot of 231 because I have about ten pounds of it.
I also have 700X, Unique, Bullseye, Greendot, Trailboss, and Clay's.
I also have too much H110 and 4227 that I have used in various pistol calibers but I would rather stay away from those.
I'm sorry I don't mean to sound like a smart xxx but what is a Ruger Replica? GD

[Longwood]

I'm sorry I don't mean to sound like a smart xxx but what is a Ruger Replica? GD

I meant,
Colt copy, clone, replica. imitation or which ever.

[runfiverun]

231 will work in that guns 14k range just fine.
it will also work for the op's question with enough range to be pretty good in all of them.
but pretty much anything from bullseye to herco will work in all of them.

[Longwood]

231 will work in that guns 14k range just fine.
it will also work for the op's question with enough range to be pretty good in all of them.
but pretty much anything from bullseye to herco will work in all of them.


I really don't have any real favorite, I have burned about a wheel barrow full of Unique, maybe a pound of Bullseye, but never have tried Herco.
I liked the 231 quite a bit in my 38 super and 38 special loads. I am not sure why now.
I have used 231 in the 6-7 gr range in the 45 colts rounds and like how it shoots in the pistols but I get some spit back with the Taurus Thunderbolt pump if I load them too light. I was told to try hotter in the Taurus but then the Single six guns get too uncomfortable to shoot.
The rifles are both new to me and last year, I did more playing than serious testing.
I will do lots more serious testing this year.

[B R Shooter]

Thanks guys. I've used a bunch of Unique in the past, but don't have anymore now. I have Blue Dot, but haven't tried it in all of them yet. Never used any 231, and it seems like it has a following.

I know my question covers a lot of ground, but I want to buy an 8 pounder just to squirrel away, that will do in a pinch for all of them.

But why wouldn't Blue Dot work on a 45?

[bobthenailer]

I know you asked for one powder but selecting 3 different burn rate powder would be easier to reach your goals, also i let my guns tell me which powder it shoots the best in a given velocity bullet combo and thats the powder i use , I also wish there was a magic powder for all handgun loads but it has to shoot well and at the velocity you want but i havent found it yet .
My current favorites are Tightgroup/ BE , Power pistol, HS6 , WC 820 & H110 for all of my handgun ammo from 32 acp to 454 casull

[Silver Jack Hammer]

“There is NO powder that will give you maximum velocity in the .44 mag and also work in the 9mm.”

Williamwaco, have you not considered Blue Dot? For the 9mm it was my favorite, and although I no longer shoot the 9mm I still use Blue Dot in the 44 Mag. It burns clean gives maximum velocities in these two calibers and also in the .44 Special. I have never considered Blue Dot in the .45 ACP in a 1911 and don’t plan on trying it anytime soon.

[Certaindeaf]

Red Dot or Promo. Promo only comes in 8# jugs and is probably about $100.. I forget but it's way cheap.

[thegreatdane]

Unique without question.

[rond]

I've used Titegroup in all of those except 44 magnum and it can be used in that too.

[rintinglen]

My thought is that Unique, 231, Tight Group or Power Pistol would probably be the best choices, some of the others mentioned are either too slow for best economy in the lower pressure rounds or too fast for the Magnums to develop adequate velocity for the pressure generated.

There are other powders that also might merit consideration, AA #7, Herco, 4756, for example. But Unique benefits from having the most tested published Data to work with, so that would be (and is) my choice.

I just happen to have an 8 pounder out in the mancave now.

[Longwood]

I had other pistols to plink with so the 44 Magnum was never anything but.
I had a cast bullet gas check mold for it but jacketed were still cheap and worked so well. I never tried cast through it.
I liked 4227 or H110 in it.
Nothing else that I tried was as accurate for Magnum loads..
I tried a bunch, even RL7. Once.

[MikeD7]

I use Clays (not Universal Clays) in all of my loads and it is a very clean and accurate powder.