Which powder companies tend to make the best smokeless powder?

[44Blam]

I've been impressed recently with Accurate. But I really like some powders from Hodgdon, Alliant and Winchester...

[dragon813gt]

First, define best.
Second, define application.
And then wait for everyone’s opinion. There is no one best powder manufacturer. There is no one best powder. I have jugs from all the manufacturers. And they each work for the given application.

[M-Tecs]

For competitive long range shooting I don't purchase smaller the 8 pound jugs to minimize lot to lot load development. Powders like Varget are purchase 32 pounds at a time requested to be all the same lot. Normally with matching velocities accuracy is the same but it may take a little more or a let less to get the same velocity. On your list Norma is the only one that I have limited experience with. For most applications in handgun, shotgun and non-competitive shooting smokeless powder variables are not detectable.

[Taterhead]

It us an interesting question because several of the powder companies listed don't actually make powder. E.g. Hodgdon, Winchester, Accurate, Etc. And others source powder from a variety of manufacturers abroad.

General Dynamics in St. Marks, Fl makes powder for a few on the list.

That being said, a scan of my load journal shows that I've used more Alliant powders than any other.

[mjwcaster]

Best will be completely subjective.
My needs are simple, i am not an accurate enough shooter to notice small differences.
I hope to get better.

I run a progressive so easy metering is important to me.

Also I believe in using powders with over 50% fill rate for safety reasons.
Hard to double charge if powder is flowing out of the case and I cannot seat a bullet.
Also easier to see charges and make sure the case is charged.

Cost is a factor, as is availability, so while I know of some that love the Vihta Vuori powders I have never tried any.

Also I am more interested in shooting than testing a bunch of powders so now that I can get powders easily I have standardized on just a few powders that meet my needs, HP38 for most pistol and TAC for 5.56 cover all that I reload now.
I am stocked up on those and just trying to use up all the other powders I picked up during the shortage.

[Conditor22]

This is kind of like asking which automotive company makes the best vehicles.

like mj said "Best will be completely subjective."

[gloob]

The best powder is the one I have loads worked up for. I have a big jug of a new-to-me pistol powder, due to cost/availability at the time of purchase. I have created only a couple of loads for it as of yet. But after my current powders run out and I am forced to learn how to use this stuff, I predict it will be my next and potentially last favorite... simply because I have enough to potentially last that long.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have consolidated my powders to four. I only reload for revolvers and pistols. I use bullseye, unique, 2400, and h110. They all serve a different purpose.

[Rcmaveric]

Honestly they are all good. Like mentioned earlier there are only a few manufacturers. They are then sold in bulk to be labeled by the brand name. I have found the equivalents powders to be very close and only require a minor tweak to bring in normal accuracy. As long as you match the powder to the purpose you wont have any troubles.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[jmort]

Agree, they all work. If there is a run on powder, Alliant will disappear first and be the hardest to get.

[Texas by God]

I've used IMR, Hodgdon, Hercules(Alliant), Winchester, Accurate, Norma, and V-V and they are all good!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[trapper9260]

It is hard to say because of how it was before 2017 , if you did not have in stock enough of what you use normal ,you find what is about the same or close to it and go from there.,with different make of powder.

[Green Frog]

I voted for Alliant because for all around general reloading, I could get by with Bullseye, Unique and 2400 for a whole bunch of the metallic reloading I do, and Green Dot for most of the shotgunning. That said, for some specific applications (notably Schuetzen) I've long used IMR 4759 and some 4227 for my 32-40 and Hodgdon's H-108 for lead bullet bench rest. Note that 4759 and H-108 are both discontinued, but I've squirreled away a large enough supply of each to cover my shooting in those venues until I turn at least 80, so that's probably enough!

As others have indicated, this poll is to some degree influenced by what powder is available, by what kind of shooting the respondent does, and the old "Ford vs Chevy" phenomenon involving just which powder the respondent likes best without a real objective standard to base it upon. I will state I'm glad I have a backlog of powder work with and that over the years I've had the opportunity to evaluate a wide variety of powders.

Froggie

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The Best?
That's easy.
While Herters didn't make powder, the smokeless powder they sold was the World's Best, cleanest burning and always Guide approved...that with their Perfect Primers...you just knew you had the BEST.

[Rick Hodges]

The Best?
That's easy.
While Herters didn't make powder, the smokeless powder they sold was the World's Best, cleanest burning and always Guide approved...that with their Perfect Primers...you just knew you had the BEST.

[smilie=1:Loaded on a Model Perfect press and measured in the Model perfect scale as well?

[upnorthwis]

The best one I've found is the one on the shelf when the others aren't available. Had to switch from Universal to 20/28 for 28 gage, and from H110 to Lil'gun for the .410. And I'm not going back!

[mdi]

I agree with most above, it's a personal choice and it depends...

I weigh most of my reload charges so while metering is important, not 100% essential to me. I'm not a "cleanliness nut" so if my load leaves some soot/debris, I'm OK with that. In 30+ years of reloading, I can't remember a "bad" powder and I've been able to work up good loads with almost every applicable powder. I have chosen some "classic" powders and made them preform quite well in my guns (Bullseye and W231 in my 38 Specials, Unique and 2400 in my 44s, IMR 4895 and IMR 4064 in my 30-06, etc.) but I will try "new and improved" powders too.

[stubshaft]

Alliant seems to maintain a consistent burning rate from lot to lot.

[RogerDat]

I would have to say ADI Powder is the "best" since they are the source for much of what I would buy under the label of the brands in the survey.

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/powder-equivalents/

Very useful list of equivalent powders from the different brands. We know that some powders are "really close" to a powder from a different brand. With ADI making the same powder for both brands one can see why they would be "close". The charts and load data on the ADI site can be most useful. Provides a good way to find what you need that is almost the same as what you wanted when you can't find what you wanted.

A shopping situation we have seen in the recent past and will probably see again, unless one has sufficient quantity on hand to weather the next panic or disaster induced shortage. ADI had a fire in the pistol powder production facility. That was one major reason for the shortage of pistol powders a few years back. Production Shortage + Sandy Hook = Panic Buying and stockpiling

[JBinMN]

RD, Thanks for the chart link. It does look useful.
:)

--------------------------------------
OP, & All,

I did not vote, since while I use powders from more than one maker, I still try to use powders that are compatible with what I caliber I am using, as well as have options.

I primarily use Red Dot/Promo for many calibers as well as shotguns, due to it accomplishing what I want, it seems to be pretty accommodating thru a wide range of use in different calibers/gauges, & it is inexpensive as compared to other types of powders. ("Bang for the buck", literally)

While I have about 20+- different powders from Alliant, IMR, Hodgdons, etc., I don't choose what one is "best" for "All", but rather what is "best" for my use in whatever caliber /gauge I am using, & what I want the resulting cartridge/shell to do.

So far, since RD/Promo has been doing what I want, for most of what I want done, I would have voted Alliant, but that would not be fair, IMO, since I some of the other powders do a better job than Alliant in other calibers/gauges, so they would be the "best" in those types of uses. Picking one over the other would be difficult for me to do honestly, and so far all have been fine so I have no complaints one way or the other to say which one might be the "Worst" powder either.

Interesting topic for a, "What/Which is the Best.... ??" type topic, though.
:)

[Beerd]

The Best?
That's easy.
While Herters didn't make powder, the smokeless powder they sold was the World's Best, cleanest burning and always Guide approved...that with their Perfect Primers...you just knew you had the BEST.

Best hell.
That was THE FINEST PROCURABLE!
..

[M-Tecs]

The Best?
That's easy.
While Herters didn't make powder, the smokeless powder they sold was the World's Best, cleanest burning and always Guide approved...that with their Perfect Primers...you just knew you had the BEST.

Until your turned the next page than is was the super best in the world. I really missed the old Herter's catalog. You did forget to top your load with the Herter Wasp-Waist Sonic bullet.

[gpidaho]

Can't say for sure it's the best, but my most used and personal favorite would be Alliant. The Dot powders + the RL powders. Pretty much covers anything I load. Gp

[goryshaw]

A quick look through my powder closet shows in order by weight; Alliant (mostly because I have full 8 lber's of 2400 and Red Dot specifically for cast shooting and between 8 and 9 lbs of RL 15 for service rifle), IMR (19 lbs of 4759, 6 lbs of 4166 and 4 lbs of 4895 for 30-06 Garand, a few of 4198 for 45-70), Hodgdon (8+ lbs of Benchmark for Service rifle practice loads, lots of 1 lb one offs), Accurate (only about 6-8 lbs total, a few AA 7, a couple AA 9, couple 2495, went through 3+ of 4064 in 2014 but switched to IMR 4166 when it became available, Winchester about 5 lbs of pulldown 231.

I don't believe there is any such thing as 'best', they all work for their intended purposes, and there is so much overlap that you can't say any one is better than any other. AA has/had a reputation for lot to lot variation, but that seems to be less of an issue than it used to be. Most of my variety is due to the great 2012-2016 powder shortage, beggars can't be choosers, and hodgdon's burn rate chart is irreplaceable for finding comparable powders for unavailable types.

I was down to 6-8 lbs total and maybe 3k primers when the component crisis kicked off in 2013. Decided that never again will I be so short of supplies. Started buying powder and/or primers with every paycheck and am now up to 100+ lbs and 10k+ primers in my cache. Just turned 52 so figure that's probably a lifetime supply for most purposes. Could use another 20k primers, and more RL 15 and IMR 4166 as hi-power and JCG matches go through a lot of that each year.

[Two Barrels]

I use IMR most often for rifles. I have gravitated towards Hodgdon for most shotgun loads. For revolver and pistol loads I have yet to settle on one manufacturer.

[Hossfly]

I use Hodgdon the most, but have used a pulled powder that was 40+ years old and worked very well with what I was doing.

[megasupermagnum]

For most uses, Alliant. I used to shoot 700x a lot for light shotgun and handgun loads. I've found American Select to be a better powder for my uses. The exception is full power rifles, which I do not shoot a lot of, I use IMR the most for that. H110 is about the only thing I really like from Hodgdon. Accurate powders meter like smooth sand, but I never found a load I liked. I do really like Blackhorn 209, which is produced by Accurate/Ramshot.

[NWPilgrim]

My “best” got realigned to “what is reliably available and works.” Generally that is Hodgdon. I started off really liking the Accurate powders, esp AA2, AA5, but they often ran out and were only in small quantities.

Now I mostly load with HP38, H110, Varget, H335, and BL-C2, along with Alliant Power Pistol and Unique. I gave up on many of the IMR powders because of the measure unfriendly kernel (log!) sizes. But IMR 8208XBR is very excellent accuracy and short cut extruded measures nicely.

Just from trying a couple of VV powders I would guess they might be best, but too expensive for my talent to make it worthwhile. N110 gave superb accuracy and clean burning in .44 mag. I may try it again someday.

[Arkansas Paul]

I'm an Alliant fan, but am under no illusions that it is "the best".
I just like it the best.
I could do all my pistol loading with Unique or 2400. Rifle could all be done with RL15 or RL17.

[44Blam]

I knew this was gonna be a little bit of a quagmire. But there is some good info here.
I have my favorite powders for my calibres, but I was talking to a friend recently who was really having a hard time. He shoots IDPA with power factor. Forgive me, I'm still not 100% on what this means. And he tuned his pistol to basically shoot just at the level of power factor.
Then the company he uses moved all their plants from Australia to US and since he says the same charge is not as consistent and occasionally, he gets low power from the same charges.

I have some focus on developing loads on a couple new calibers. One is 357 Sig, then 40 S/W and I am still working on the good old Tokarev.
I got some Accurate powders: AA7 and AA9 and both of those powders burn really nicely.

Recently, I shot 176 rounds of 357 sig with a 125 grn boolit (actual weight was between 127.5 and 128 grn) under 12.5 grn of AA9 at a COL of 1.14" with an Acurate 35-125yg that was PC'd. I ran one wet patch of Hoppes and one clean patch and each patch after was clean as can be. After 100+ rounds, I tend to have to run 1 wet, 1 dry in a couple rounds to get the barrel clean.

I need to do some chrono work, but I am impressed with Accurate powders - probably more so than other powders. But batch to batch is a big concern and when they move from one country to another or one factory to another, there has to be some variation.

[robg]

Whatever meters well is the best for me.

[derek45]

St. Marks Powder makes a lot of it

win231 and HP38 are the same
Win296 and H110 are the same

[GhostHawk]

I chose some 5 years ago when I got back into shooting to try alliants Red Dot for everything.

Now there are a couple of caveats in there.
A I am not hunting.
B I am not competing.
C I am just punching holes in paper.

That being said, 5 years later I am still very very happy being Mr Red Dot.
I have found that as long as I don't try to push the speed, they can be incredibly accurate in everything from the smallest of pistol rounds to big bore rifle. And incredibly thrifty on the wallet.

My handguns of choice these days all shoot .32sw long with 2 grains of Red Dot. 2000 round per pound of powder. 1.5 to 2 cents per load. Penny's worth of lead, and a 3 cent primer. At that rate you can shoot till your tired of shooting and still not burn up 2$ worth of ammo.

3-6 grains in a .30-30 does just fine. 6.5 grains in .44mag, .444marlin, or .45 colt stacks them up. Plus it is easy on the shoulder. You could shoot them all afternoon.

And they are all reasonably quiet, low on recoil. And chances are will not cycle a rifle semi auto.

But they sure cycle the pistol caliber carbines and the pistols just fine.

Your choices will reflect your needs, going to be different for each of us.

But for me, I'm happy with Alliant.

[lightman]

I can't define "Best" for a powder. There are too many that work well. I use Alliant, Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester more than any of the others but I've used some of all of them and they all work.

[Burnt Fingers]

It us an interesting question because several of the powder companies listed don't actually make powder. E.g. Hodgdon, Winchester, Accurate, Etc. And others source powder from a variety of manufacturers abroad.

General Dynamics in St. Marks, Fl makes powder for a few on the list.

That being said, a scan of my load journal shows that I've used more Alliant powders than any other.

Very true.

There is no "best". What works well for one person might be a complete dud for another. I mainly load and shoot pistol. I've got around 30 different pistol powders on hand right now. I have more WST than any other powder. I've caught a few sales on it and stocked up. I shoot a lot of .45 ACP and WST under a 200 gr SWC is hard to beat. Next up would be Ramshot Competition, again I caught a sale and picked up 16 lbs. I've used it in several cartridges but for me it shines under a MP 147 gr RN 9mm. 2.7 gr makes a nice accurate soft shooting load that will cycle my Canik TP9SFx and my Sig P365 with factory recoil assemblies.

I've also got a lot of Vectan A1 on hand, again another sale. Sport Pistol, while not on sale, I bought a 8 lb jug because I wanted to try it and had to order it. I've tested it in 9mm and .45 ACP and have found it works quite well in both.

I'd like to try Promo. One of these days I'll procure a jug and give it a try.

The biggest problem is that when loading .45 ACP and 9mm a pound of powder can go quite far. 1590 rounds out of a pound of WST, 2900 9mm loads out of a pound of Competition.

[jmort]

I'm an Alliant fan, but am under no illusions that it is "the best".
I just like it the best.
I could do all my pistol loading with Unique or 2400. Rifle could all be done with RL15 or RL17.

Agree, there is no best, per se, but both the poll and reality are clear, Alliant.

[Love Life]

I use a little bit of everything. Wish I would have standardized on bullseye, 2400, and IMR 4895 from the outset.

[dragon813gt]

I use a little bit of everything. Wish I would have standardized on bullseye, 2400, and IMR 4895 from the outset.

I should have stuck w/ W231, 296 and 748. Have lots of loads worked up for them. But then I decided I needed to “try” other powders. Their Hodgon versions obviously work for less money. I would have to add W760 for the 375 H&H.

At this point I’m seriously considering getting rid of all firearms that aren’t 9mm, 223/5.56 and 308/7.62. There’s the old saying about “beware the man w/ one gun.” That would really simplify reloading/casting.

[JBinMN]

At this point I’m seriously considering getting rid of all firearms that aren’t 9mm, 223/5.56 and 308/7.62. There’s the old saying about “beware the man w/ one gun.” That would really simplify reloading/casting.

Nah... If you have kids, or plan to have some in the future, you & they will likely appreciate your not selling them off, along with the other stuff.
;)

Just a suggestion, but you do as ya like.
:)

[jimb16]

Although I voted for IMR, I use Unique the most. I use around 4 lbs of it for every pound of other powders because it is so versatile . But I load rifle, pistol and shotgun with it. But rifle is confined to cast bullets and I shoot a lot of jacketed as well. For handguns, I use a variety of powders. Application makes a lot of difference in powder choice. So the real question should be "what powder do you most often use?".

[44Blam]

At this point I’m seriously considering getting rid of all firearms that aren’t 9mm, 223/5.56 and 308/7.62. There’s the old saying about “beware the man w/ one gun.” That would really simplify reloading/casting.

But, what about when you REALLY need to take out the 44 magnum wheel gun and blow the bejesus out of some watermelons?

[dragon813gt]

But, what about when you REALLY need to take out the 44 magnum wheel gun and blow the bejesus out of some watermelons?

Don’t own a 44 mag and never will.

[1hole]

Which powder (or anything else) maker is 'best"? Well, IF there was such a beast it would have long ago taken the entire market and the others would only be a distant memory. ???

[jmort]

I did the caliber/cartridge reduction
9mm, .357, .308, 12 gauge and .223
Got rid of .380 ACP, .45 Colt, ,45 ACP, and .45/70
Now added those back, as well as 10 mm, ACC 300 BO and .458 SOCOM
12 is the sweet spot for me right now
But thinking that I should add one of these: .338 Lapaua, 416 Barrett, 50 BMG, or 20 mm
Also thinking .338 Federal
Probably will hit 15 +/-
And then go back to .45 ACP, .357 Mag, .223, .308, and 12 gauge
Who knows
Alliant Red Dot/Promo, Unique, Blue Dot, 2400, RL7, RL15 and call it a day.
In the end, just a 12 gauge and some Unique.
That is how I will go out.

[rototerrier]

The best would be the one I use, but I'll take that secret to the grave. Don't want you guys making a run on them and causing me a shortage.

[fredj338]

I don't think there really is a best, more like what suites your needs. I voted VV because they tend to be super uniform across the spectrum but almost twice the cost so that has to be factored in for competition shooters that shoot a lot.

[GhostHawk]

My #1 stocked powder is Alliant Red Dot and Promo. I know I have over 30 lbs stashed.
#2 is IMR 4895. Mostly used for my Yugo SKS. Probably 3.5 lbs total.

From there its all singles with a couple of doubles. I'm sitting on a couple of cans of IMR 3031 just because I can. And because it can be used in so many rifles.

There are maybe another 12-15 lbs of various single containers. Like a pound of both Blue Dot and Green Dot, just cause. A bit of Unique, Bullseye. Some odds and ends the neighbors showed up with.

But I am primarily a Red Dot shooter. And I have no no real reason in the last 5 years to change. For me it fits. YMMV.

[L Erie Caster]

I did not vote. I believe this is like chasing a ghost. All brands are held to tight tolerances.

[David2011]

No point in voting as there is no one best. There are a few that are very versatile and those are worth having. Unique, 2400, H4985, Bullseye, Red Dot and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. It would be easier to say I could get by with just one powder than it would to pick just one powder distributor. I don't load a lot of Unique but if I had to use just one powder it would work in all of my handguns and it would work for cast boolits in rifles at reduced velocities.

Alliant produces a lot of versatile powders but I think I have mostly Hodgdon and Winchester at the most suitable for my proposes.

[CrystalShip]

Another " What's the Best thread"

[jmort]

You just got here.
Why not slow your roll?
Don't like it, don't read it, then we are all happy.

[derek45]

I'm just glad there are powders on store shelves again.

My shelf is full of allient, hogdon, and winchester powders.
also have some TAC
western powders are harder to find in the midwest.

guess I don't really have a favorite brand.

[Knightflyer]

My favorites right now are the freebies at a friend's house. He's been hitting estate sales and buying mixed lots that have included quite a bit of rifle powder. He mostly reloads for pistol and already has a favorite rifle load.
He's got enough to keep me plinking for several years at least. 😁

[greenjoytj]

Which powder companies tend to stretch the truth as to what MV you’ll achieve with their smokeless powder when loaded to their published load recipes.

[Shiloh]

The ones I use all seem to be good.
Shiloh

[charlie b]

Over the past 40 years I've used some from all except Norma and VV. Never really found a 'best'. They all work well depending on what your goal is.

I've known about the common powder mfg's for a while, and the rebranding process. Happens a lot, not just with powders.

I have used Varget for a while now and I like the lower sensitivity to temperature extremes. And Hogdon seems to be applying some of the same technique to other powders in their inventory (H series and IMR series). The question is, are there other powders that are blended in the same fashion? For example, do AA2520 and AR2208 have the same lower sensitivity to temperature extremes as does Varget?

[ioon44]

I think all of the companies produce a good product, if not then they won't be around very long. I am currently using Allaint Sport Pistol in 9 mm very consistant and IMR 700 X in .45 ACP.

[kenton]

I think Hodgdon/Winchester/IMR has the most extensive and user friendly online reloading data so that makes them tops in my book. Accurate/Ramshot has pretty good and has comprehensive data as well but it is listed by cartridge in a PDF.

Pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but it seems like such an easy thing to do if you already have the data. To me it seems to indicate that you want to help your customers and it gives me another set of load data to compare my manuals with.

[PositiveCaster]

Here is the Western Powder (Ramshot/Accurate) loading manual with data listed by cartridge, just like every other powder maker...


https://www.ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WPHandloading-Guide-7.0-Web-REV.pdf


.

[kenton]

Have you tried Hodgdon's site? You can break down the information based on what calibers, powders, and bullet weights you want to see. Some people may not like it but I assume those are the kind of people who would rather look stuff up in the old paper McMaster Carr catalog than use their amazing website.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

(PS You are right I don't know why I said powder instead of cartridge. I went back and changed it.)

[kenton]

I actually just looked a Vihta Vuori online data and it seems to be pretty comprehensive as well. I had honestly never looked for their data since I'm not sure I have ever seen any of their powder available locally.

[Yooper003]

Right now ,I am very happy & impressed with the powder sold under the Shooters World label.

[Burnt Fingers]

Right now ,I am very happy & impressed with the powder sold under the Shooters World label.

The more of their powders I try the more impressed I am.

[charlie b]

FWIW, I don't think I've ever had a 'bad' powder. I've had some that were 'dirtier' than others, like 2400. But, when they perform well the extra residue doesn't bother me.

[redhawk0]

Which one is best? The one that goes BANG!!!!

I have to admit...I buy mostly Hodgdon powders...here is the reason why...its right on their website. (Same reason I'm a Buck knife fan too)

"and that our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ."

redhawk

[44Blam]

I'm waiting on a keg of Shooter's world precision... I was supposed to be here yesterday...

[Shuz]

Which one is best is in the "eyes of the beer holder"!

[bedbugbilly]

That's a hard one to answer - some folks like apples and some oranges.

I can only base it on what I like to use . . . and there are limitations to that depending on what your powder supplier carries. I kind of doubt if anyone has used every brand to the point that they can make a factual statement as to which is "best". Best for what? Rifle . . pistol . . . shotgun?

Personally, I've used a number of different manufacturer's but it usually has been based on what is available and on the shelf for what I'm loading/shooting and I don't shoot enough to warrant buying a half dozen different pounds of powder to "try them" to see which is "best" - especially at the price of a pound of powder.

For myself . . . I tend to use Alliant powders most of the time - again - because it's available where I buy it. Is it the "best"? Might be . . might not be . . . . . but it works . . . but then so do the other brands.

[Win94ae]

Some powder from some companies I've bought, have not worked well. Like any spherical powder, I don't like it. So the powder companies that make mostly spherical powder, I'll not like; kinda. Powder companies that make mostly extruded powder, I'll like!

With my 357 I use H110; and have used it well in the 44mag.