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View Poll Results: What is your favorite, go-to powder for handgun and reduced rifle loads?

Voters
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  • Trail Boss

    41 6.98%
  • Unique

    254 43.27%
  • Bullseye

    41 6.98%
  • Red Dot

    69 11.75%
  • 2400

    71 12.10%
  • Black Powder

    5 0.85%
  • Other

    106 18.06%
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Results 41 to 60 of 141

Thread: Favorite Go-To Powder for Handgun and Reduced Rifle Loads

  1. #41
    Boolit Master
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    Trail Boss is a great powder for reduced loads in the .44 magnum. Cast boolits can be shot with absolutely no leading. It is my belief that the long string of Trail Boss "doughnuts" behind any cast boolit acts as a buffer as well as a cleaner and the bbls come out clean as a whistle.
    It's all chicken, even the beak!

  2. #42
    Boolit Master


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    Oct 2009
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    Red Dot, when I lived in Moscow on the Charles 40 years ago could only have 5 pounds of powder and needed a FD storage permit to purchase it. I shot a lot of trap so 4 pounder of RD was bought and had a can of 4831 for my rifle. Used the RD for my handguns 38spl and 45 auto.

    Got used to using it a lot including the 13grn for rifles with cast.

    Now I use lots of powders for everything.

  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    Oct 2006
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    763
    Quote Originally Posted by John Boy View Post
    Fail to find the powder you mention ...
    http://www.maxamcomponents.com/en/ou...rs/csb_powders
    It's listed in their catalog (pdf): http://www.maxamcomponents.com/media...gue%202015.pdf
    Hi-Tech Ammo has it in stock for $65 per 5 lb jug.

  4. #44
    Boolit Grand Master
    9.3X62AL's Avatar
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    I voted "Alliant 2400" because it gets a LOT of use in cast-bullet rifle loads and magnum revolver rounds at my house. WW-231 and Herco get the call for the less-intense revolver and autopistol calibers, though; Herco does good work for my field-load 12 gauge and 28 gauge refills. But in terms of "Pounds per year consumed", 2400 cops the prize. It gets the nod for 410 bore shotguns ammo, too.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  5. #45
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    For me it is not just one because of different use ,I use 2400,Red Dot, Unique ,Bullseye
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  6. #46
    Boolit Master

    Loudenboomer's Avatar
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    2400. It could do in a pinch for most every thing I cast for. And the smoke smells, oh so good.

  7. #47
    Boolit Mold
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    May 2017
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    700x for 9mm, 38, .357, .45ACP, .45Colt, and light .44Mag. Have heard that it does well in .223Rem, but have no personal information on that.

  8. #48
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    Mar 2014
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    4 years ago I got back into shooting. Powder was hard to come by, and prices were rising, fast.

    I happened to run across Mr Harris's article about "the load" and pistol powders for rifle.

    So I started digging deeper. Which eventually lead me to the Lyman Cast Boolit Manual #3 which included a Red Dot load for an absolutely astounding number of different calibers and boolits.

    Eventually I got my hands on some, started with the 7.62x54r in my Mosin's. Great results, low recoil, virtually no muzzle blast, and the best accuracy I had seen up to that point. From there it was one caliber after the next, pistols, rifles, and yes some shotgun.

    It worked in EVERYTHING. It was amazingly accurate in most as long as you don't try to push the speed too far. It is incredibly thrifty. My average load for most rifles is 4.6 grains. The big .444Marlin I have loaded from 6 to 13 grains. Even at lets say 7 grains average, that is 1000 loads from a 25 to 30$ pound of powder. Or 2 to 3 cents each. Does it get much better than that?

    No it does not do well with semi auto rifles. My SKS is a Yugo, if I want to shoot Red Dot I turn the gas off.
    It becomes a very easy, accurate 10 shot straight pull bolt rifle. Which for targets is just fine.

    It is the one rifle cartridge that I stock another powder for. IMR 4895. I have some others but I have not bought any in almost 3 years other than Red Dot. I simply don't have the need.

    I am sitting on about 29 pounds of Red Dot and Promo. I am not shooting as much as I used to, so I seldom need to worry about replacing a pound or 2. When that hits 25 pounds I'll have to decide if I'm going to keep shooting enough to justify buying another 8 lb jug. Frankly I suspect that will take a few years.

    You can call be a red dot fan boi. It fits, its not for everyone, it does not do everything equally well.
    Like any other powder it has its good points and its bad.

    But for me it simply works.

  9. #49
    Boolit Buddy
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    Mar 2018
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    2400 is a good clean burning, much better than unique. Also like Bullseye

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
    JoeJames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 2wheelDuke View Post
    If I could have only one, it'd be Unique. I use Bullseye for most of my light pistol loads. I use Unique for the mid range. I use Red Dot for reduced rifle loads. I haven't got around to experimenting with Red Dot in pistol because Unique and Bullseye work for me.
    I have not tried Red Dot, but I agree on the other two - Unique for regular 44 Special loads, and Bullseye for 38 Special and 32 S&W Long. I have recently been trying Trail Boss for light 32 S&W Long loads, and Win 231 for medium in 38 Special and 44 Special, mostly because it appears to meter much better than Unique and Bullseye. I hate having to throw each charge, weigh each one, and then trickle. It seems to do ok in 44 Special though.

  11. #51
    Boolit Bub doctorxring's Avatar
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    Jun 2008
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    Blue Dot for reduced rifle loads. 2TU.

  12. #52
    Boolit Master
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    AA#9 is tops and replaces H-108, other good ones are AA1680, 4100.

  13. #53
    Boolit Buddy
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    Unique in a pinch, but 2400 was a close second.

  14. #54
    Boolit Buddy Cast_outlaw's Avatar
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    So far I have used blue dot for sub 2000fps rifle loads with cast seems consistent and is not position sensitive but works best with a small bit of fluffy filler to keep it around the primer loose was around a 200fps max spread and with filler brought it down to under 50fps for subsonic I have only tried tight group in 7.62x39 2.5gr gives about 900fps

  15. #55
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Red Dot or WW231(HP-38) for me....burn through a lot of it down through the years.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  16. #56
    Boolit Grand Master

    dragon813gt's Avatar
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    W231/HP-38, I’ve probably burnt more of it then all other powders combined. I started using Red Dot/Promo for reduced rifle loads and it works really well. I’m also a fan of Green Dot.

  17. #57
    Boolit Master OnHoPr's Avatar
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    Oh, I don't know, Unique does have its place. But, Green Dot does a pretty good job at versatility as well. Small pistola, medium pistola, it will push a hunk of lead out of a big bore too, 20 ga clays and field loads, 12 ga clays and field loads, 12 ga cold weather slugs, and rifle plinking which GD has uses for. It has more applications seemingly than RD and saves a .5 cent on reloads to Unique maybe. It burns clean too and can be fairly accurate.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    May you hands be warmed on a frosty day.

  18. #58
    Boolit Buddy
    jrmartin1964's Avatar
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    I have been, currently am, and so long as they are available will remain an adherent to the "Holy Trinity" of powders: Bullseye, Unique, & 2400. For me, it's Bullseye or Unique for non-magnum handguns, and Unique or 2400 for magnum handguns and reduced rifle loads. Were I limited to only one, I suppose I would have to go with Unique. Fortunately, I am not limited to only one.


  19. #59
    Boolit Buddy

    Ranger 7's Avatar
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    W231/HO38 and Unique for several decades.

  20. #60
    Boolit Mold gschwertley's Avatar
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    Washington state
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    I have quite a few different pistol powders. However, I seem to use 231 more than any other single number. Powder for reduced charges in rifle, my favorite is SR 4759 and unfortunately it's no longer made so I have to use what I have sparingly now. I also use IMR 4198 and IMR 4895 for reduced charges in rifle.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check