Power Pistol for non-magnum, H110 for magnum.
Power Pistol for non-magnum, H110 for magnum.
I load all of those with HP38/Win231 or WST; If I want a mag load, use AA-9
God Bless America
US Army, NRA Patron, TSRA Life
SASS, Ruger & Marlin accumulator
I mostly use Unique, but that doesn't mean I didn't try stuff that was in stock at my local shop. So I've loaded Unique in all the calibers listed below, plus these...
357 Magnum
VV N110, AA #7, Alliant 2400 and Accurate 4100
357 Maximum
VV N110, AA 1680, AA 5744
38 Special
Trail Boss, Solo 1000, AA #2, AA #5, Hi-Skor 700X
44 Special
Don't own one. I'm living in sin.
44 Magnum
VV N110, AA #7, AA #9, AA 4100, 2400, AA 5744
9mm
Solo 1000, AA #5, AA #7, 700X
45acp
Solo 1000, AA #2, AA #5, AA #7, 700X
45 Colt
AA #5, AA #7 (Ruger-only), AA 5744, and Trail Boss
231, Clays, 700X, 4227, Unique, Titegroup, and CFE Pistol do most of my work with the calibers mentioned. Right now most are rarer than hens teeth so I buy what I can find. We don't see a lot of Alliant powders up here hence their absence.
Take Care
Bob
Its been months since I bought the book, "How to scam people online". It still has not arrived yet!
"If the human population held hands around the equator, a significant portion of them would drown"
I’ve only used Universal Clays and Titegroup so far in 25 years of hand loading for .38 special and .44 special (tiny bit .45 acp and .45 Colt) and good results. Some unburned powder using Univ clays but could be something I’m doing wrong. I use these because I bought ALOT years ago and will use it all up. Accuracy good and I am not a scientific handloader, just want decent loads for range fun mostly.
Only load 45 ACP now and use Bullseye (12 # on hand) but have used WW452, WW473, and Unique.
38 spcl Unique and Bullseye
357 Mag Unique and Allaint 2400 (heavy loads)
9mm Unique, WW473, Bullseye
44 Mag Unique and Alliant 2400 (heavy loads)
Most (90% +) of my 357 and 44 were milder loads for plinking and paper punching.
I like BE, AutoComp, HP-38/W231, H110 (all ball powders)
IF I could do ALL my reloading with just ball/flattened ball powders I'd be a happy camper.
Like Outpost said --- they (ball powders) just meter great
Bullseye unique red dot will all do me fine.
Old retired guy in Baton Rouge La.
I use unique,2400,WW296,H110,RX 7 as well as IMR3031 and 4198.....use unique the most 44-40, 44mag (light to mid range), 45 colt,9mm. YMMV
If you want one powder that is not the best in any one of them, but decent in all of them:
Accurate #5
Or
Universal Clays
Any primer will do.
Stopsign32v, I load for all the cartridges listed - except 9mm.
I have been reloading for ~45 years and it seems like I tried every new powder along the way. I also "bought out" other folks' reloading supplies, as they aged out of reloading. This fostered a lot of experimentation and with use of a chronograph, I solved some old reloading questions, busted a few myths, and finally settled down with a reloading "program", that standardized my reloading. I don't really load anything "HOT" anymore, it just never really paid off. Yes - I did wear out a few guns.
In the non-magnum calibers listed, I found that a "balance" between SAAMI pressure specs and "standard velocity expectations" are easily attainable in most handguns - with multiple powders. Your chronograph's data is your guide. It will help you find that "sweet spot" - for a particular handgun, using a particular powder. Then, you can literally chase similar performance (using fewer reloading components) with other powders, to reproduce the sweet spot with multiple powders (if you want to). Some folks just quit at that point, and load up all the cases they have with one powder / one load. This works until your favorite powder is in short supply.
In the higher pressure cartridges, the game changes a little, but by setting a reasonable limit for pressure, you can select a powder with an appropriate burn rate and not get into pressure problems, if you just "sneak up" on the "Magnum Sweet Spot". I have found it simply amazing how well everything works at 90-95% of maximum. In this case, "maximum" doesn't always mean maximum pressure. I am not aware of any of us regular reloaders that have access to pressure testing equipment, so we have to look at physical evidence, like case head expansion, ease of case extraction, effort to resize fired cases, primer flattening (not always consistent, brand-to-brand), and chronograph data. When you begin to duplicate velocities in modern reloading tables - with the same relative barrel length - you can track your own physical evidence - FOR YOUR GUN - and "see" the physical effects of increasing pressure. As you approach the maximum loadings in modern reloading tables, it can get "squirrely". Then you back off slightly, check velocity and if that meets your own velocity expectations, your shot-to-shot variation, and produces good accuracy - you are at/near the "Sweet Spot".
For the non-Magnum cartridges, I frequently load at 95% of the listed maximum. It just seems like velocities are "nominal", everything is working in harmony and this includes multiple powders. Nothing gets stretched, nothing erodes, no squibs, no real surprises.
In the Magnums, I find myself loading cast bullets at three power levels: 1. ~800 ft/sec - that duplicates "Special velocities" in Magnum cases and guns are easier to clean. 2. 1000 ft/sec - this produces a significant increase in power, while not challenging transonic effects. Few cast bullets should lead your bore / cylinder at 1000 ft/sec. 3. 90-95% of "Maximum" - roughly 1200 ft/sec - this is pretty potent stuff and still doesn't stretch anything. You can shoot at this pressure level and still enjoy it - maybe all day.
Now, back to my powder selection. I have a wide array of powders and this still irritates some folks, but for cast bullets - BULLSEYE, UNIQUE, and 2400 will still get the job done, in all the calibers listed (I don't load 9mm).
Multiple powders of other brands (2 steps up and down, in the Burning Rate Table) will also provide good results and if you scale them carefully, will get you to the Sweet Spot quickly, without wasting projectiles, primers, or powder.
A lot of folks feel that cleanliness is important, but I just haven't found that to be essential, or even attainable, with cast bullets. Yes, UNIQUE is dirty, but that may be more bullet lube, than powder. I am too old fashioned to even try powder coated bullets.
I am in total agreement with 358429 (above) - "I like the smell of unique, power pistol and ww296. It smells like freedom." I had an old friend that had his doctor "prescribe / recommend" more pistol shooting - as therapy. It was the nitroglycerin vapors that made his heart feel better.
I hope this makes sense, for cast bullet loading. We can discuss jacketed stuff , if it interests any of you.
Thanks, Tom "carelesslove" Love
These are my favorites, from most liked to least per caliber. But if I could only have one, it would definitely be WW-231.
Some may notice the absence of Unique from the 44 magnum, but I only load 44 Magnums as Magnums, strictly for hunting these days. Light and mid-weight loads are loaded in the 44 Special case.
Last edited by rintinglen; 08-13-2021 at 10:52 AM.
_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.
Trail Boss, Unique, and IMR4227
A bumble bee is considerable faster than a John Deere tractor
H110 for magnums and 45 colt. 231, SR7625, titegroup for 45 acp.
.38 spl--Unique
.357--2400 or Universal
.45acp--Universal
.45 Colt--Unique [been playing around with BE-86. Seems to be working well, so far]
Bullseye, Unique, 2400.
I gotta say, if you're looking forward to Cabela's and Academy runs, you're doing it wrong unless you plan on giving up reloading soon.
If you're buying enough 8 lb jugs of powder and sleeves of primers, hazmat is not even a consideration.
Alliant Bullseye, Alliant Unique, Alliant 2400, IMR4227 are what I use the most of.
It don't make much sense that commonsense don't make no sense nomore
If you died today would you have lived your life or have you simply existed
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 |