What three pistol powders to try?

[SheepDogAlpha]

hello everyone! My buddy and I just started reloading and we are about to make a purchase of 2-3 different powders in 1lb cans. I would like to know what three you all would suggest to try out. Here is what we are looking for

- Wide application of pistol cartridges
- "Accurate" measurement with lee auto disk measure
- Clean burning
- Low smoke

I know you have to give in certain areas to gain in others, but any suggestions would be great. I have done a little research and found Power Pistol to have some good results and wide application. Would any of you suggest this as one? -SDA

[LUCKYDAWG13]

what pistol are you loading for 9mm 45 acp Bullseye
357 44mag 2400 / H110

[Bonz]

PowerPistol and Bullseye for sure. Will be trying my first loads with Vihtavuori tomorrow at the gun range. Vihtavuori is more expensive but it is supposed to be very consistent. I hand weigh every charge on a RCBS 1010 but I can see that the Vihtavuori should meter very nicely.

[SheepDogAlpha]

9mm, .38, .45, .44 mag, .38 +p, maybe others in the future.

[jmort]

I would get Trail Boss (Not a pound, but very fluffy so it goes a long way despite its weight), Unique, and 2400.

[SheepDogAlpha]

i hear unique aswell but I heard its dirty

[John Allen]

I would get power pistol, unique and bullseye. They have been around a long time and work with numerous cartridges.

[geargnasher]

Bullseye or Titegroup for clean-burning light loads, Unique for all the midrange stuff, and Power Pistol, HS6 for magnum autos and 2400 for heavier magnum revolver loads. Unique will do it all, but is a tad dirty at very low pressure and too fast-burning for top-end magnum handgun loads.

Unique can have trouble in the Autodisk, but meters very well if you strip the reservoir and carefully smooth and round all the sharp edges leading to the hole in the bottom.

Gear

[RayinNH]

A lot of the smoke and dirt is from boolit lube, that is if your using cast...Ray

[KYCaster]

Hodgdon Clays.....similar application to Bullseye but much, MUCH cleaner.

Hodgdon Universal.........similar to Unique but much, MUCH cleaner.

Ramshot True Blue..........similar to Blue Dot but cleaner and not so temperature sensitive.

Jerry

[rexherring]

Most of those mentioned are good but nobody has mentioned Accurate #2, #5, and #9. I've found that they are all clean, easy to measure and applicable to all the ones you mentioned.

[Muddydogs]

Unique for most pistol loads and some H110 for the heavy loads thats all a guy needs.

[flipajig]

HP-38 and 2400 gets my vote.
Works well in my Autos and wheel guns

[429421Cowboy]

Only three we use are Bullseye (.44 Spl, 9mm) Unique (everything, pistol, shotgun, reduced rifle loads) and 2400 (almost never).
With 9.5 gr of Unique under a 240 boolit the cases seal well and it is as clean as anything. It has been around forever so i can find a load for anything, and also has a measure of safety for beginners. In has good bulk, so in big cases like .44 mag a double charge is hard to miss, almost overflows the case, and also i have data from 6.0 up to 12.0 gr for a 240 boolit, which gives me a WIDE margin for error if something does happen to go haywire and all my safety checks miss it. I use a 250 429421 Keith boolit pushed by 9.5 of Unique in our Super Blackhawks as a hunting and trail load, it will punch end to end on a deer. We quit using 2400 for hunting because 9 more grains of powder to pickup 150-200 fps just wasn't worth the extra blast and cost.
Just my 2 cents worth on why we use what we use!
Welcome, hope you enjoy it here!

[DxieLandMan]

Unique for sure and AA#7 and AA#9 I use a lot of.

[bobthenailer]

IMO Tight Group for 700 to 1,000 fps , WSF or Power Pistol for 900 to 1.300 fps and 296, H110 or surplus 820 for the full loads in the 357 or 44 mag .

[gwpercle]

When I started the popular powders were Bulleseye, Unique and 2400. Still not a bad choice because they are still around. I used to try just about every powder that hit the market untill I realized the companies would go out of business and leave you looking for another " perfect powder ". I still have cans of powders that haven't been made for years and there is no data for newer cartriges.
Just try and find up to date data on Alcan, Scott ,B-West and Thunderbird powders... it's little or none out there. So stick to the tried, true and well known powders from companies that have been around a while.

[Ed in North Texas]

Several years back Unique was reformulated to burn cleaner than the old powder. As Ray said, Unique contributes little to the smoke and gunk in rifle and pistol shooting, the lube is the primary contributor there. I use it for pistol loads, rifle reduced loads and shotgun target loads (and if it was as dirty as some allege, it would really show up there as there is no lube in use).

DuPont brought out Unique over 100 years ago. It isn't going anywhere. I have other powders (the 'dots', a couple of AAs - being ball powders they really meter well, 700X, etc.), but only Unique is bought in 4 or 8 pound jugs.

[runfiverun]

so nobody read the part about the LEE AUTO DISC.
get some 231.
or some accurate #2-#5.
the problem with the lee is flake powders bridge,and ball powders run out the seams.
find something inbetween.
231 is the one inbetween that is flexable enough to handle all those cartridges.

[TXGunNut]

231, Universal and 2400.

[AviatorTroy]

Unique, 2400, WST

[joec]

If I had to pick 3 only it would be Universal Clays, Bullseye and HP-38. Now I load 9mm, 45 ACP, 45 Colt and 45-70. For the pistols I have and some times till use the 3 I already listed but also Trailboss, Unique, AA#2, AA#5, LilGun, Titegroup and Clays. I also load the 45 Colt with black powder.

[uscra112]

Never found anything that worked as well in .38 target loads as Bullseye. (Well, Vihtavuuori N310 is equally good but more expensive and harder to find.)

Use AA#9 for high pressure .357 loads and Schuetzen rifle loads. Much better S.D. than 2400 in the rifle loads.

Use Power Pistol in 9mm and reduced .22 Hornet loads.

Other pistol powders I have around just can't seem to get used up. When those three get low I buy more.

(Am getting ready to try 300MP in lieu of the AA#9 in the rifles, on recommendation of the top ASSRA shooters. Stay tuned.)

[zxcvbob]

They all burn pretty clean if you load near-max loads. You really should tell us what cartridges you want to load, but Bullseye, Unique, and either Red Dot or American Select will load almost anything. You might have trouble finding load data for American Select, but it burns very cleanly (it's a double-base powder but just barely. There's only 2% nitroglycerin in it)

If you want to load .357 Magnum with cast bullets, get some Herco or AA#7.

I don't have that powder measure, so I can't say how Unique, Red Dot, American Select, or Herco will measure, they are large flakes. Bullseye, 231, and the AA powders should not be a problem because they are very fine flakes or ball -- like sand.

[MattOrgan]

Lee disk measure works best with ball powders. You can load just about any handgun round with W231/HP38 and W296/H110.

[Ben]

If I could only own 3 pistol powders , the 3 would be :

Bullseye
Unique
2400

[zxcvbob]

Lee disk measure works best with ball powders. You can load just about any handgun round with W231/HP38 and W296/H110.

Don't forget WSF. Use Herco load data where there's no WSF data (like for revolver cartrdges), but don't get too aggressive with that in case it's not a perfect match. That puts it right in the middle between 231 and 296.

[YunGun]

Haven't tried anything other than Power Pistol in my .40 yet. I've seen no need to since it provided the economy, accuracy & volume I was looking for right off the bat. It also metered very well for me through the Lee autodisk although I found that I had to use the next step up on the disk chart when using PP; their conversion chart shows that the .57cc cavity should drop 6.4gr but actually dropped 6.0 for me, & the .61cc cavity they say drops 6.9gr dropped @6.4gr consistently. Either one work quite well for me.

[SheepDogAlpha]

I was at the local bass pro and they had gotten a shipment in, so while I was getting my allotted 100 small pistol primers :( I picked up some bullseye. They also had some 2400, but its for my father in law so I am going to let him pick that up.

[KCcactus]

I started with Unique for target loads and 2400 for hot loads in 38/357 and 44 and haven't seen any reason to change. Unique can be a little dirty, but it hasn't been a problem for me. I haven't tried the new Unique that is supposed to be cleaner. When I started loading 45 acp, I added Accurate #5. I also use #5 for .380 and 9mm. #5 burns very clean.

I bought some H. Universal Clays when I couldn't find #5. I use mid-range or lighter loads in my autos. At those levels Clays leaves a lot of partially burned powder in the chamber. I went back to #5.

[imashooter2]

Wide application with good metering? Bullseye, W231 and AA5 will give you a decent spread on burn rates without moving into niche powders. To add a powder for full power magnums, Alliant 2400 is very flexible.

[Wis. Tom]

Because you are just getting started, I just want to tell you that Hodgdon bought Winchester's powders, so HP38 is the same as W231, and H110 is the same as W296, as Matt mentioned before. I load mainly with Bullseye, Unique, and W231/HP38 in my pistol loads.

[Larry Gibson]

9mm, .38, .45, .44 mag, .38 +p, maybe others in the future.

Bullseye, Unique and 2400 will cover all those cartridges nicely.
Larry Gibson

[DrCaveman]

2400 and unique cover a lot. Unique meters so-so from my auto disk, as long as my charges are 4gr or higher. I guess i look at my tolerance as a +/- % more than +/- grains.

2400 or h110 are champs for performance and metering for me.

Ill throw this one out again, see if anyone bites: ramshot Competition.

It seems pretty similar to VV n320 but with a little higher pressure thus less max velocity. But very consistent, clean, economical, and accurate. Seems ramshot needs to up their distibution network because noone seems to know about this powder.

For the same velocity, it has been softer in recoil & bark than either bullseye or unique for me in the 45 automatic. Looking forward to trying it in 9mm soon. Plenty of load data for 38 spl

[RayinNH]

Bullseye, Unique and 2400 will cover all those cartridges nicely.
Larry Gibson

They also have history. Bullseye introduced in 1898, Unique in 1900 and 2400 in 1932. They're still around for a reason...Ray

[35remington]

Stay a long way away from the flake powders like Unique, 700X, Red Dot and Clays in charges much below 3.7 to 4 grains in the Auto Disk. Small cavity size that causes bridging is a problem. Above this level you'll be okay, but no light 38 Special, 9mm or .380 loads with these powders, for instance.

[ACrowe25]

w231, bullseye, and aa#2 is all I use. Great results in each, with each their own purpose. Primarily w231...

[Doc.Holliday]

Red Dot; Power Pistol; 800X

Doc

[SheepDogAlpha]

Just a little update. I went with power pistol, unique, and bullseye. The bullseye and pp metered fairly well via lee auto powder measure but the unique was god awful. The flakes were far to big and wouldn't drop consistent charges at all. I feel I am going to have a pound if unique in the shelf until I feel like blowing a tree stump out if the ground. I have yet to fire my test rounds but I will report my findings when I do! Thanks all

[Awsar]

Win 231 meters good shoots good and burns pretty clean i use it in 9mm-.38slp-.357-.45acp

[avogunner]

For the calibers you listed, my vote would be Unique, 2400, and Bullseye.

[MaineJim]

I would say Unique,Bullseye and 2400 as well.
Unique doesn't meter well in some powder measures but good enough out of my ancient Lyman 55 and Lee auto disc.
Smoke? I don't think its the powder that creates much of it using cast,rather the lube is the likely culprit.

[tuckerdog]

for those calibers I would go with bullseye unique and 2400. all 3 are tried and true in those calibers

[10-x]

I'll be another vote for Bullseye, Unique and 2400.

[Bullet Caster]

Another vote for bullseye in 9mm, .45LC and .45 acp. BC

[greenwart]

My vote red dot(or bullseye or tite group), unique, 2400. I also like H110 for the super ballistic stuff, but could live with 2400 if I had to create max loads. I wish they still made HS-7. I recently shot some in 10mm that I still have and trying to find a the replacement, I picked up some power pistol to see if it is close.

[MOcaster]

I use Titegroup, WST, and No. 7. I only load 40 S&W but I can load any weight bullet/boolit you can find. I recommend getting one fast powder, one medium powder, and one slow powder. Get Titegroup for sure. No. 7 works good but you will probably have trouble with it in the Auto Disk because it is so fine.

[dougader]

For your requirements with the Lee loader, etc, I'd go with WST on the fast side, keep the Power Pistol as a med-rate burn powder, and get VV N110 for high end loads in your 44 mag.

These should meter well and get you where you want to go with the claibers you mention.

[zxcvbob]

Just a little update. I went with power pistol, unique, and bullseye. The bullseye and pp metered fairly well via lee auto powder measure but the unique was god awful. The flakes were far to big and wouldn't drop consistent charges at all. I feel I am going to have a pound if unique in the shelf until I feel like blowing a tree stump out if the ground. I have yet to fire my test rounds but I will report my findings when I do! Thanks all

How much Unique are you trying to throw at a time?

[SheepDogAlpha]

It was a while ago but I think like 3.8 and it was maybe dropping 1.2-1.7 on the disc system.

I have since upgraded to the lee micrometer measure. I have yet to get unique powder drop numbers with this yet.

[white eagle]

unique,blue dot,2400

[DLCTEX]

One of my Auto Disc powder measures is an older style up graded to the red, round hopper and trying to load small charges was problematic. I found that the disc did not return far enough to get full alignment with the hopper hole. A little work with a file where the arm strikes the base let it come back so that the full cavity was exposed to the hole. Problem cured.

[tuckerdog]

another powder that meters very well is IMR4227 I have had good luck in magnum revolver cartriges and pressures are lower than some powders like h110 without too big a loss of velocity. Atleast the deer cant tell the difference

[DougGuy]

OP, you don't say which auto disk you have, if it's the new round one or the old style square one. I had nothing but headaches out of the round one, with the micrometer measure, with H110, a ball powder that normally meters and measures EXTREMELY well. That thing threw powder all over the press, was staticy as all hell, threw very inconsistent charges, and with less than 100rds the white rubber thingy in there was looking all chafed and torn up on the bottom. I tried everything with it, even lubing it with graphite on the sliding parts, it was just horrible.

I replaced it with a Dillon, and older one for the 550 press, with the two powder bars, never looked back. Problem solved, dropping powder to the tenth grain now and liking it.

Years ago I had a square Lee auto disk measure, and I used a billet aluminum adjustable bar called an accubar, it worked really really good, pretty much just like the Dillon, but I could not find any of these at a decent price, nor could I find the billet bar. That one worked great with unique and 700x as well as bullseye and a host of other powders. I couldn't believe how problematic the new round auto disk measure was.

2400 for .44 magnum
H110 or LilGun for heavy bullet +P .45 Colt
Unique for standard pressure .45 Colt
W231 or 700x for .45 ACP

[Ed in North Texas]

It was a while ago but I think like 3.8 and it was maybe dropping 1.2-1.7 on the disc system.

I have since upgraded to the lee micrometer measure. I have yet to get unique powder drop numbers with this yet.

I think you have a problem with the finish on your disc. I've never seen that much variance - but that might be because I haven't used the Lee volumetric guide as a starting point in years and years. I pretty much know where to start for the load I wish to throw. If you have to have a load thrown exactly the same time after time for 1000 loads, you likely aren't using the Lee disc. If you have to have the exact on the money load, not off even a 10th of a grain, you are probably throwing max loads and should be weighing every one. I have found the Lee disc and Unique/Red Dot/American Select to be close enough that I can't see the difference at 3, 7, 15 and 25 yards. I will agree that the Auto disc is a problem in .380. The particular problem I have there is the spring being too stiff and the dispensing die crushing case mouths in the Lee LoadMaster. My .380 is locked breech and I throw 3.8 to 4.2 loads for it. A blowback pistol would need lighter loads. I expect to solve that problem with the auto Disc Pull Back Lever instead of the spring (I hope).

I freely admit that max loads are either thrown with a Lyman 55, or the RCBS Chargemaster (old one and slow, but so am I), with each one weighed.

[Kull]

231, Unique, and 2400 was my first thought. I've been using a lot of VV lately and I'd be tempted to go with all VV. Something like N320 (maybe N310 instead), N340, and N110.

[Bzcraig]

so nobody read the part about the LEE AUTO DISC.
get some 231.
or some accurate #2-#5.
the problem with the lee is flake powders bridge,and ball powders run out the seams.
find something inbetween.
231 is the one inbetween that is flexable enough to handle all those cartridges.

I use have used both 231 and Accurate #2 with my Lee auto disk and both worked well and around here are the best priced.

[Clinebo]

If I could only own 3 pistol powders , the 3 would be :

Bullseye
Unique
2400

Those 3 take up the most space in my powder cabinet. Only powder that I have more of is BP.

[pmeisel]

I use Unique in a Lee perfect measure with no problems, pretty consistent.

For same calibers I use mostly just use Unique and 2400.

[Wadestep]

I use the Lee powder measure and universal clays. It meters no problem. I also have 2400. Universal has lots of load data.

[dirtrooster]

Powders I mostly use for handguns are Red dot, 700x, Blue dot, H110, and I just started using tite group. I like em all. I use the red dot and 700x the most probably.

[joec]

My 3 choices mostly based on your requirements especially meter well through Lee powder systems is easy. Since I load 9mm, 45 ACP and 45 Colt I would suggest HP-38, Clays and Universal and forget about Bullseye as it doesn't meter well at all at least for me using any method aside from a powder scoop and a trickler. Titegroup also works well but very easy to double charge if not careful. AA #2 metered well but really didn't find the accuracy as good as the first 3 I listed. Trailboss also works in 45 Colt however never tried it in anything other than 45-70. Oh and I have on hand AA#2, Unique, Trailboss, Clays, Unique, Bullseye and Lil'Gun as well as tried them all in the 3 pistol calibers I load using lead cast bullets and 9mm/45ACP with some FMJ also.

[357mags]

Bullseye, Unique, I have great results with Green Dot also. Win231 is a great all around also. Nothing is more versatile than Bullseye!