GONRA's justa Collector/Tinkerer.
Used WW 231 for all (normal) auto pistols, aged collector items etc.
(Developed "loads to function" - NOT beat up the pistol !!)
BUT -Used Blue Dot for .44 Auto Mag, .44 MAG . .45 Win Mag, etc. auto pistols.
GONRA's justa Collector/Tinkerer.
Used WW 231 for all (normal) auto pistols, aged collector items etc.
(Developed "loads to function" - NOT beat up the pistol !!)
BUT -Used Blue Dot for .44 Auto Mag, .44 MAG . .45 Win Mag, etc. auto pistols.
Last edited by GONRA; 02-06-2024 at 07:21 PM.
I have been using Sport Pistol with 140 gr cast with Hi-Tek coating for the last 2years.
Thanks everyone for the input. A lot of thought and effort went into your responses and it all is appreciated.
1Iron
I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Looking for a Hensly &Gibbs #258 any thing from a two cavity to a 10cavityI found a new one from a member here
(1) Get several manuals.
(2) Study the written info about .9mm & what the publishers have to say about what they discovered as the most accurate.
(3) Using several manuals,, you will find a selection of different powders that seem to be more prevalent than others.
(4) Select a couple of those powders and start low & build some sample ammo.
(5) Your gun will then tell you which powder & load it likes the best.
(6) Tweak a couple of the best ones to find the best overall powder & load.
I am going through my powder inventory and using up odds and ends of powder I will not be stocking. The fast powders will load 9mm and .38 loads for plinking. Some “odds” are less than a pound and some “ends” are under four pounds.
My “go to” powder for both calibers will be Clean Shot because I have over 25 lbs of it. IMO people tend to overthink things. For what I do, the difference of an inch at 25 yards is not worth worrying about.
If I run out of Clean Shot I will revert to Promo. I am not shooting to win pickup trucks. Still like W231/HP38 but have less expensive choices at tge moment.
Don Verna
As you can see, lots of powders work well in 9mm. I load thousands of 9 every year, using VV n320, WSF, and Nobel Sport SV. All of those are just fine for range ammo, all will make power factor for USPSA.
w231, cheap, measures accurately on the powder measure, it is always available, at least here in Argentina. I have no complaints.
In my country, a very good one is made in the military factory, which until recently sold to us civilians. It's called the A22b and it's the best powder I've ever used for 9mm, which is the caliber it was designed for. It burns very cleanly, fills the brass well, and measures very well on the dillon powder meter.
Unfortunately it is not exported.
I have not used all the powders you mention above either, but from my short experience it is the one I liked the most.
Unique....also in .40 S&W, .45 Colt, and mid-range .357, and mid-range .44 magnum.
Makes logistics easier! But, "I am a man,...I can change...I guess...if I have too!" (Red Green words of wisdom)
Maker of Silver Boolits for Werewolf hunting
Bullseye, cuz I have lots of it. Downside, is that you have to weigh every charge, if you're picky like , even though they are just target loads
Personally, the two powders I use for 90% of my handloading of Pistol cartridges are Unique and Red Dot.
Honestly, when it comes to 9mm I use Unique for most cast loads, and Red Dot for jacketed. I load a lot of jacketed in 9mm due to having an AR9 SBR that doesn't feed all cast boolit types easily, often get flat spots from the impact into the feed ramp... That said, my new MP357-125-RN doesn't seem to have this problem, and feeds without issue. So I am just now starting to work up a load for it starting with 4.0gr Unique at 1.100" OAL. With jacketed, what I load most is a 115gr FMJ at 1.100" over 4.3gr of Red Dot. This is a decently spicy load, and may be close if not at a max load based upon the data I have seen and the recoil felt with my pistols.
But, the there are three other powders I want to dip my feet into: Power Pistol, Ramshot True Blue, and Ramshot Silhouette. But with pounds and pounds of Unique and Red Dot left, it may be a while before I do.
JDGabbard's Feedback Thread
Jdgabbard's very own boolit boxes pattern!
GOA and FPC have done more in the last decade than your NRA has done in it's entire existence... Support the ones that actually do something for you.
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
Longshot as I load it in 20 ga, 28 ga and 12 ga HV loads.
"My main ambition in life is to be on the devil's most wanted list."
Leonard Ravenhill
Red Dot for most 9mm loads, as I have a lot of it. Still using some from the 70's.
NRA Life 1992
My avatar is almost a dead ringer for my little buddy Chico. Six pounds of mean that thought he was a Pit Bull. Miss that little guy.
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 |