Pistol Powders, what do you use?

[Dale Gribble]

I only reload for 38spl and 9mm in handgun right now, but I will be adding 45acp. I use primarily plated bullets (X-treme from freedom munitions).

My reloads are primarily for plinking, training. I use factory ammo for SD and other really important stuff.

So what powder would you use? I've used Unique and I am about to use IMR SR 4756 since its the only powder I could find.

I am thinking about switching to Hodgdon HP-38 or Winchester 231 (they are exactly the same powder) for all loads and back ordering a fuck ton of it, so that I can not go through this bullshit again.

Anyone have any other recommendations?

[Fishtale]

I am using Winchester 231 for 45 acp and Tite Group for 9mm and 40 cal. According to what I found HP 38 and W 231 are now the same.

[Dale Gribble]

Would you consider 231/hp38 for 9mm?

[Fishtale]

Thanks to Johnny for a previous heads-up, I recently picked up a magazine style book entitled RELOADING Hodgdon 2014 Annual Manual. It was at the Quincy Winn Dixie. This manual does have 9mm loads for W231 and HP-38 for almost all of the bullets types and weights listed. I am only using Tite Group since I had more of that. I do like 231 in my 45 acp. If I had an equal amount of W231/HP-38 I would use it just to stay with the same powder for all pistols.

[mapper]

38,9,45..
Bullseye for all of them.

This is mainly because it is what I have.

[marcus6176]

Dsh had a few pounds of clay's and that's what I have been using for years for 45. I know mapper has tons bullseye and it will work with 9 40 and 45

[Frady]

I only load 9mm.

I'm an n-320 snob, but I pay dearly for it. That being said, over the life of a pound of powder, the cost is tiny. N320 is temp stable, meters consistently, burns clean and doesn't smoke as bad with molly bullets. That being said, it is impossible to find. I snatched up 8lbs of it the other day from Powder Valley only because I happened to check FB right when they announced a big shipment. That shit didn't last an hour.

I've heard great things about WSF (slower) and WST (faster) and Solo1000 (faster). Of course lot's of people use titegroup, but that shit smokes like crazy, is filthy and somewhat temp sensitive.

[Rumbler]

Accurate Arms #5
Hodgdon HS-6
Hi-Scor 700-x
Hi-Scor 800-x
Universal
Clays
Universal Clays
LongShot

. . and several others. I'm not a powder snob.

I chose which powder to use in what based primarily on bullet weight and case volume.

[WinterSoldier]

Accurate Arms #5
Hodgdon HS-6
Hi-Scor 700-x
Hi-Scor 800-x
Universal
Clays
Universal Clays
LongShot

. . and several others. I'm not a powder snob.

I chose which powder to use in what based primarily on bullet weight and case volume.

Lest you forget... I've also noted you talking about choosing a particular powder for certain uses because of its low muzzle flash.

But you just managed to put a sandspur in my Army boots... As far as I can tell there is no Universal separate/distinct/different from Universal Clays. Clays, just plain ol' Clays is a thing in and of itself. But even Hogdon seems to sometimes call Universal Clays, just Universal... leaving off the Clays. This causes almost as much cognitive dissonance with me as there being Hogdon (H) and IMR (IMR) variants of several powders with the same numbers and the twain not coming up at the same place on the burn rate chart as well as having different min & max loads. This hand loading stuff is not only not for sissies, it's not for the dyslexic nor for blasé or the easily confused. For something that should be so clear and simple, the people who name the powders damn sure don't cut us any slack!!!

Now, I am... am I or not... correct about Universal and Universal Clays being one and the same thing? If I'm not I sure have squandered a lot of obsessive double-checking.

[AB]

Titegroup, Bullseye, Unique, Win WST, and Power Pistol.