Need a powder recommendation for 45 ACP.

[Bmi48219]

I've been using TiteGroup for over a year. Works great. My concern is it doesn't take up much space in a 45 acp case. I load in 100 round batches, so I charge 100 cases, weighing every 5th charge, inspect them all, then set projectiles, then seat & crimp. I just witnessed what a double charge of TiteGroup will do to another reloader's 1911. So I'm thinking a bulkier powder will make double charges easier to spot.
I was using Unique good results, pretty dirty though. Switched to TiteGroup for 9 & 45 as it was cleaner, cheaper and more available. There are dozens of published loads for 45's using various powders. Don't really want to buy them all to find one that burns clean and takes up more space. Any powder suggestions, other than the obvious- be more careful during the loading process?

[waco]

Bullseye and the 45acp go together like beer and pretzels. W231 is another classic.

[Kosh75287]

I wouldn't give up on Unique, just yet. Try bumping the charge weight up by 1 or 2 tenths of a grain, and/or applying a slightly heavier crimp on the projectile, or even seating the projectile very slightly deeper in the case (one change at a time, please, and deeper seating isn't advisable in 9x19mm). Unique will NEVER be the cleanest-burning powder when used for lower-pressure loads (like under 22,000 psi), but it CAN be made to burn more cleanly than its reputation would have you believe.

You are right that vigilance while reloading is your first best protection against double-charging a case, but I also know that sometimes lightning strikes for no apparent reason. It is virtually impossible to double-charge even a magnum pistol case with Unique (I DO NOT include the .460 S&W and other similar "hand-cannon" rounds in that), particularly when charges giving higher performance are used.

I've never looked inside a bottle of Hodgdon Universal, but if it is bulky, it would tend to give you similar performance to Unique, and reportedly burns much more cleanly. Same situation with the new IMR "Target/Red/Green/Blue/Unequal" powders. The name of "Unequal" suggests (to me) that it is meant to compete with Unique, but again, I have no idea if it is a ball, flake, or other-shaped propellant. If it burns cleaner but does not fill the case like Unique does, you haven't really resolved your concerns.

All of the "clean-burning" medium-range pistol powders that come to MY mind are ball-powders or similar, and are not known for filling up the case. Perhaps someone else could address that?

[tazman]

Winchester WST has been a very popular powder for 45ACP with all boolit weights. It measures accurately and burns cleanly, giving good performance and accuracy. It also does a good job of filling the case.
I use it for everything from 155 grains through 230 grains in my 1911 pistols.

[wddodge]

I've used Clays powder for 200 gr and 230 gr loads. Relatively soft recoil and its not horribly dirty. I've shot idpa and ppc matches with it, it'll knock down steel and is accurate as I am.

Denny

[Moonie]

I like clays for target loads in 45acp with 200gr boolits. It is light shooting, bulky and very clean.

[CraigOK]

I've used Clays powder for 200 gr and 230 gr loads. Relatively soft recoil and its not horribly dirty. I've shot idpa and ppc matches with it, it'll knock down steel and is accurate as I am.

Denny

I also use Clays for 45 acp with 230 rn, idk how much of the case it fills up but it is a hoot to shoot.

[Bzcraig]

Red dot works too

[Texas by God]

.45ACP= Bullseye and Red Dot for me.

[Greg S]

I've tried alot of powders and always come back to 5.8/9 grains of Unique under a 230 LRN. All powders at 15-18K don't burn as clean as at higher pressure but if you run them wet with lube you can still get over 1k between cleanings. Biggest problem I've had with reloading 45 ACP is two ruputured Fiochi cases that were almost ballon head style. Fiochi brass picked up on the range is either left in place or scrapped. I only reload Win, Rem, Starline and speer cases.

[Kosh75287]

I don't know if RedDot is bulky enough to prevent double-charging a .45 ACP case, but if it is, you'll like the results you get with it. In my experience, it burns more cleanly than Unique. It is a faster-burning powder, so it won't have the broad range of applications that Unique has. If it is sufficiently bulky and you can live with less versatility than Unique, this may be one of your best choices.

[DerekP Houston]

Winchester WST has been a very popular powder for 45ACP with all boolit weights. It measures accurately and burns cleanly, giving good performance and accuracy. It also does a good job of filling the case.
I use it for everything from 155 grains through 230 grains in my 1911 pistols.

I've been using WST for the past year with 45acp as well, works great for my 2 1911's. It has been quite accurate and repeatable load with my hornady powder dropper

[Grmps]

I've had good luck with autocomp and unique for 230 grn.

[Lloyd Smale]

aa2 is my favorite. Followed by bullseye

[OS OK]

Instead of charging all 50 cases in the load block, why not charge one at a time and seat/crimp a round in the case right then...unless you have a brain fart you will not double charge your case.

That's your main worry right?

[Gewehr-Guy]

Another excellent 45 powder is 700x, very clean burning and usually available when Bullseye, R-Dot, and others are long gone.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

+1 for Red Dot, and as OS OK stated above....kinda. I charge a case and turn a boolit upside down into it immediately after. This tells me that, that case is charged and ready to accept that boolit. This is also handy if I get called away for a moment of time. No doubt where I left off and no chance of a double charge. YMMV. - CASTER

[fast ronnie]

I use a flashlight and check EVERY case for over or under charging. It only takes a momentary distraction .........

[JBinMN]

Instead of charging all 50 cases in the load block, why not charge one at a time and seat/crimp a round in the case right then...unless you have a brain fart you will not double charge your case.

That's your main worry right?

^ That is what I do most of the time with powders that leave a lot of room in a case. ^

Should solve the issue if ya don't let yourself get distracted. If ya do leave the bench, don't leave any cases with powder in them.

PS - I like Red Dot. A Lot. ;)

[charlie3tuna]

I use a flashlight and check EVERY case for over or under charging. It only takes a momentary distraction .........

As an OLD former Bullseye shooter who loaded a ton of 45 ACP, I agree. I batch loaded 50 at a time. Using a flashlight, going down a row at a time, you can instantly see any over or undercharge in any case. Never had any problems and had reliable ammo.

Also used the flashlight to inspect primers for anvils and compound. Never found any defective ones, but this was years ago, when high quality was
'normal.'....charlie

[OS OK]

You know...way back when I had only a Rock Chucker and my case blocks and...when I used to charge all the cases and then proceed to seating/crimping...I used a flashlight to peer into every case in the block. Just the same as anyone else, just like the book says to do.

Why did that work so well?
For this one reason...It took less than a minute, I started top left and went across every row to the right...just as you read a book. In that minute I knew that this one step is more important than anything else I would do to this batch of loads. No distractions, no tapping my foot to the radio music, no 'quick scan' of the block as a whole...just 100% attention to the task at hand..."Peer into each and every case in the block!"

When we get in a hurry or start shortcuts to save time, when we are distracted or minimize the importance of each and every step in reloading...well, we set ourselves up for 'Old Murphy' to play havoc with our craft!

[Ed_Shot]

Instead of charging all 50 cases in the load block, why not charge one at a time and seat/crimp a round in the case right then...unless you have a brain fart you will not double charge your case.

That's your main worry right?

+1 .... set out 100 boolits, powder drop into a case (check weigh every 5th drop) and seat the boolit in the charged case....repeat. Crimp as a separate step. You have to keep your wits about you no matter your methodology.

[jcren]

I feel ya, early on I double charged a 38 with bullseye, still have the rest of that can. 5 of red dot is my cheap 45 plinker, a double is just almost brim full, no way to seat a bullet. For performance loads hs-6 is awsome, in my hi-point carbine 9.6 gets 1300 fps with 200 rf boolits.

[Buckeye357]

Another excellent 45 powder is 700x, very clean burning and usually available when Bullseye, R-Dot, and others are long gone.

One of my favorite,700X is an often overlooked powder. Never had problems finding it on the shelf and don't let all the "meters like Corn flakes " keep you from giving it a try.

[Texas by God]

I use a flashlight and check EVERY case for over or under charging. It only takes a momentary distraction .........This. Pistol and rifle. Everytime. I have caught a few mistakes this way in 40+ years of reloading.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[lotech]

Bullseye for all weights.

[18Bravo]

I like the shotgun powders for 45ACP. Use a lot of WSF and when it was available, Solo 1000. Both gave decent velocities and acceptable accuracy. Loaded both 200 LSWC and 230 LTC with 6.0 to 6.2 WSF. I think Solo 1000 was about the same.

[oldsalt444]

WST is outstanding for lead boollits. I shoot a lot of bullseye matches and it is my "go to" powder. VV N310, Bullseye, Titegroup are also excellent choices. All are very accurate in my guns.

[Loudy13]

I use Trail boss for my 2 current favorite loads 200/230 gr HP and you would have a hard time dropping 2 charges in the case with this powder. As I have found with most Trail boss loads either pistol or subsonic rifle loads the case is basically full.

just my 2 cents

[therealhitman]

Winchester WST has been a very popular powder for 45ACP with all boolit weights. It measures accurately and burns cleanly, giving good performance and accuracy. It also does a good job of filling the case.



Another excellent 45 powder is 700x, very clean burning and usually available when Bullseye, R-Dot, and others are long gone.

+1 on both. 700X is a bit bulkier than most of the other powders mentioned, so you can see it in the case more easily IMO. I am running a 550 for pistol though so I am "peering into each case" automatically. I use it in .38 special and .45 Colt now in place of Bullseye as it burns cleaner and hits my velocity numbers economically, but doesn't smell as good as BE lol.
Like Tazman, WST is my .45acp choice, and it does drop like BE. And even though 700X meters less smoothly than the ball powders it's at worst + or - .2 gr on a bad day. If I ever run out of WST I would go to 700X in 45acp before 231 (my old standard) or BE. WSF is nice recoil wise in hotter .45acp loads but requires more powder for a given velocity. So it sits a tiny bit higher in the case too, just takes an extra half grain or so to hit a number.

[Kosh75287]

Red dot works, too. +1

One of my favorite,700X is an often overlooked powder. Never had problems finding it on the shelf and don't let all the "meters like Corn flakes " keep you from giving it a try. + 100 700X always APPEARS (TO ME) to not meter well, but I've never caught it throwing a too-heavy or too-light charge.