A better powder to use?

[marc257]

I'm getting a lot of unburned powder residue from my loads in my 4" 625. Using 4.8 gr 231 behind a 200 gr lswc. Is there a cleaner burning powder I should be using or is this really a non-issue?

 

[Tell Sackett]

I know I'm a newbie here but I've used W231/HP-38 a lot in the 45ACP and for quite a while. I don't get any unburnt powder when I shoot the same kind of loads.

Although, my loads for the most part are with Bullseye. 4.5gr to 4.8gr is what I use. I shoot them from a M625 4" too.

 

[flat top]

Are you crimping the bullet?

 

[Joni_Lynn]

I use WW231 & HP38 in most of my 45acp loads. The closer you get to a max powder charge the less unburnt powder you'll have.

 

[Black_Talon]

Assuming that's a 45ACP load, somewhere's around 5.3-5.7 gr of 231 with that 200 gr LSWC will give you less unburned powder.

 

[1moa@500]

I agree that you need to increase your powder charge to 5.0 to 5.2 before it cleans up. If you want a cleaner powder Clays is what I have used for my idpa load for the last year. Give it a try

 

[TSQUARED]

I'm getting a lot of unburned powder residue from my loads in my 4" 625. Using 4.8 gr 231 behind a 200 gr lswc. Is there a cleaner burning powder I should be using or is this really a non-issue?

If you want a light load with minimal unburned powder then you should choose a faster cleaner burning powder such as Clays, WST, Amercian Select or VV N-310.
W-231 burns very clean at much higher pressures than the above mentioned powders. For example I use W-231 in my 38 Super chambered S&W 686 and it burns very clean at somewhere between 20000 and 30000 psi.
I have used 3.8 gr. HS-700X behind a 185 gr. Star LSWCHP for bulseye psitol. At ca 720 fps it's a very mild and superbly accurate load but talk about unburned powder - you get flakes of unburned powder on your hand. If you cannot tolerate that then you have to switch to a much cleaner burning powder.

 

[roundgunner]

I needed a 165,000 power factor load for IDPA. 231 left so much junk in my chambers after 18 rounds you had to press them in.

I switched to Titegroup and have used better than 5 lbs in the last few years. A light 45ACP is 230gr cast over 4.5 TG. Clean and about 725fps if I remember right.

 

[btruman]

I agree with Black Talon. I've used 5.3 to 5.5 of 231 in 2 autos and in the extra cylinder in a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible for quite a while with no problems of unburned powder. I do use a firm taper crimp.