Pressure ranges for pistol powder?

[Jtarm]

Is there any sort of reference for the pressure specific pistol powders are intended for?

[Winger Ed.]

That's sort of a moving target.
Pressure will go to different levels with a given powder under different circumstances.
Barrel length, amount of the charge, compression (if any) of the charge, etc.

I go by the limits for a specific cartridge in a loading book, and the powder charges they recommend for a given bullet.
A lot of research goes into the data in them and it's done with all sorts of tools that measure pressure for that cartridge.
All things considered, beware of going off into uncharted waters----- there be monsters out there.

[TurnipEaterDown]

I interpret the question as: Is there optimal pressure ranges in which pistol powders burn in a controlled & Predictable manner.
The answer to that is: YES.

The "generalized" answer is that shotshell powders are meant to function effectively and predictably at shotshell pressures, handgun powders at handgun pressures, and rifle powders at rifle pressures.
This is Really generalized as there is a pretty large range here and obvious overlap in pressure range across these 3 applications.

Pistol/handgun likely being the broadest.
There are common long serving handgun cartridges w/ max published pressures any where from ~12,000 psi to ~40,000. Newer ones in the 60,000 psi range.

Taking a powder outside it's intended pressure range can invite issue. Two generalized examples:
A powder for a low pressure application that burns cleanly there may well act very spiky and "non robust" to statistical or environmental factors if used in a high pressure round.
A powder for a high pressure application may well burn very dirty or fail to reliably ignite & burn with a smooth pressure curve if used in a low pressure round.

There is more to selecting an appropriate powder for an application than peak pressure achieved.

I am also not aware of any publication that provides ideal pressure usage range for the variety of powders available. That is the realm of a ballistician. You can get some insight by looking at powder application and peak allowed pressure in those cartridges, but using this insight in creating non book loads does invite some variable level of risk.
Cast bullets in rifles at low pressures don't really fall in this cautionary statement. We have manuals, and slight usage selection "broadening" is not really totally new use territory.

[Harter66]

Loading manuals and manufacturer data books .

Unique does about all I need but I only use it 380, 38 Short , ,9,38,357,40, and 45s in ACP , GAP , S&W , and Colts . It's dirty and sooty under 14 kpsi so in 380 , 38 Short and Special it isn't ideal but it's stable from about 8,000 to 40,000 psi and doesn't seem to be overly sensitive to temperature swings .

[dtknowles]

Is there any sort of reference for the pressure specific pistol powders are intended for?

My answer is, not that I know of. Not ones with like a table of numbers.

When you say pistol powders, what powders are you talking about?

I think there are only a small number of different powders that are mostly for pistols. Most powders are multipurpose.

If you specify a powder, a bit of research can help understand what pressures that powder works best at.

Tim

[BD]

Quickload has given me the most insight in this area. It allows you to model nearly any powder in any cartridge or load and gives an estimate of the heat of explosion, burning rate factor, chamber pressure and percentage of propellant burnt. Just keep in mind that it is only a computer model, and it's accuracy is dependent on your accuracy inputting the parameters of the cartridge and firearm involved. A chronograph gives a practical "gut check" against reality.

[Bazoo]

There is a book entitled Propellant Profiles, by Wolfe publications, that is basically a collection of articles from handloader magazine, each featuring different powders. It may be of interest to you. If there is specific powders you're interested in, I can photograph pictures of the articles and text them to you, though I only have the 5th edition, which isn't the latest.

[charlie b]

The best place to start is the advertising page from the powder mfg. They usually list what the powder is good for, fast burning, medium, ease of metering, std pistol, magnum pistol, std shotgun, magnum shotgun, etc, etc. Of course there are some that cross boundaries, shotgun powders that work well in pistols, pistol powder that works in some rifles, etc.

Trying to find the "best" powder? There isn't one There is always quite a selection of different powders that will work for any application.
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Examples from Hodgdon's website:

Titegroup:
As the name implies, this spherical propellant was designed for accuracy. Titegroup’s unique design provides flawless ignition with all types of primers, including lead-free versions.

Unlike pistol powders of the past, powder position in large cases (45 Colt, 357 Magnum and others) has virtually no effect on velocity and performance. Cowboy Action, Bullseye and Combat Shooters should love this one!

Titegroup has it all - low charge weight, burns clean, mild muzzle report and superb, uniform ballistics.

Win231
Winchester 231 is a ball powder, one of the most popular handgun propellants in history. It is ideally suited to 38 Special, 45 Auto, and 9mm standard loads. Consistency, clean burning, low flash, and a broad range of applications make this powder a choice for any handgun cartridge loader.
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PS and don't forget that each powder mfg usually lists a lot of reloading data for each of their powders.