ChuckS1
US Veteran
When I meter Unique, I make sure my RCBS Uniflow has the baffle in it and I keep it at least 2/3 full, plus trying to be consistent on how I work the lever. Those three things will keep me +/- 1/10th of grain.
Best metering powders for pistol
- Thread starter millrite
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what is the baffle ? I don't think my rcbs powder measure has one. It is about 30 years old though.
jimkim
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A powder baffle fits in the bottom of the reservoir and helps equalize the pressure in the cavity.
Lyman Powder Baffle - Sinclair Intl
Redding powder measure baffel - Sinclair Intl
Uniflow Powder Measure Powder Baffle
They aren't that hard to make.
Moe Mentum
Member
There is nothing wrong with Unique, it just doesn't get along with powder measures. Most flake powders don't. Use a ball or spherical powder in your powder measure and your good to go....If you want to use Unique or any of the dot powders use a Lee dipper and a scale.
Knock on it.....
When your powder measure is in the 'fill' position, knock with the handle a couple of times, just do it consistently when you find what works best.
And I use the dipper and scale and trickler a lot. Practice makes it go faster.
When your powder measure is in the 'fill' position, knock with the handle a couple of times, just do it consistently when you find what works best.
And I use the dipper and scale and trickler a lot. Practice makes it go faster.
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Collo Rosso
Member
I try to avoid the whole "will it meter" thing and just buy ball/spherical powders. Reloading is hard enough with ADD without watching throw weights go up and down.
I hear such good things about AA#5 I would like to try it for .45 hardball loads. Bullseye meters well, but is not case filling. Green Dot is case filling but meters terribly.
I think you will find that case filling powders are either very large flakes (meters poorly) or slow and requiring more powder, which is inefficient if you are not going for top velocity.
I think you will find that case filling powders are either very large flakes (meters poorly) or slow and requiring more powder, which is inefficient if you are not going for top velocity.
I prefer WSF for metering perfectly with a burn rate very close to Unique. A commercial reloader shared a number of his loads and discussed WSF vs Unique. After trying WSF I am a convert.
The best luck I have had with Unique was using the RCBS little dandy. The fixed rotor drums never changed or dumped inappropriate charges.
To the original question- what powder will work well and meter well for light charges in the cartridges listed?
Winchester 231, WST, WSF would all work well with the disclaimer that some of the loads will not be found in XYZ loading manual. (of course there are several new powders out that are not in manuals either..and people are getting great results with them..)
VVn320, 330 or 340 would work well too.
The greater question is which powders can you easily obtain and work with. Powder availability seems to vary more from state to state than S&W prices..Hope this helps
The best luck I have had with Unique was using the RCBS little dandy. The fixed rotor drums never changed or dumped inappropriate charges.
To the original question- what powder will work well and meter well for light charges in the cartridges listed?
Winchester 231, WST, WSF would all work well with the disclaimer that some of the loads will not be found in XYZ loading manual. (of course there are several new powders out that are not in manuals either..and people are getting great results with them..)
VVn320, 330 or 340 would work well too.
The greater question is which powders can you easily obtain and work with. Powder availability seems to vary more from state to state than S&W prices..Hope this helps
scooter123
Member
Powders that meter superbly.
1) Any of the Accurate Handgun powders, as in #2, #5, #7, and #9. If you can't find a suitable burn rate among those 4 you aren't loading a handgun.
2) IMR SR7625, a great choice for reduced recoil range loads. The one negative is that it's extremely position sensitive in the revolver calibers. However, it works great in 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP.
3) Vihtavouri 3N37. It's what I use in place of SR7625 in 38 special and a 6.7 grain charge will produce 800 fps from a 6 inch revolver with a 125 grain plated bullet. Based on what I've read the N320, N340, and N350 should also meter superbly.
4) Hodgdon H110. It is simply a FANTASTIC powder for full power 357 Magnums featuring a 140 grain or heavier bullet. The only potential downside is that it can be flashy and a real boomer out of a shorter barreled revolver. The upside is with a 6 inch revolver or any rifle it is a powder that produces excellent accuracy.
5) Hodgdon CFE Pistol. I recently picked up a few pounds for my reserve/new trials. Looking at the granule size and shape it's very similar to SR7625, so I expect it will meter superbly. However I haven't tried it out yet so there is a remote chance I could be wrong about the metering and the following is speculation. As for uses, looking at the load data it seems to be a bit or a tweener that falls in the Accurate #5 to Accurate #7 range. As a result it should be good for near full power loads from any of the major semi calibers, and the 38 and 44 specials. For a Magnum caliber it's a bit fast so it should work best with a light for the caliber bullet and should work fairly well out of a 3-4 inch barrel.
PS; those who are seeing "only" a 1/10 grain variation with Unique in a small sampling really should do some reading up on Statistics. I use an RCBS Competition and I've done a 50 piece Capability Study on Unique. Based on the results 93% of the thrown charges will be within 1/10 grain, 5% will exceed 2/10 grain, and 2% will have a variation up to 4/10 grain. IMO a 4/10 grain variation isn't acceptable even if it's only 2 out of 100.
1) Any of the Accurate Handgun powders, as in #2, #5, #7, and #9. If you can't find a suitable burn rate among those 4 you aren't loading a handgun.
2) IMR SR7625, a great choice for reduced recoil range loads. The one negative is that it's extremely position sensitive in the revolver calibers. However, it works great in 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP.
3) Vihtavouri 3N37. It's what I use in place of SR7625 in 38 special and a 6.7 grain charge will produce 800 fps from a 6 inch revolver with a 125 grain plated bullet. Based on what I've read the N320, N340, and N350 should also meter superbly.
4) Hodgdon H110. It is simply a FANTASTIC powder for full power 357 Magnums featuring a 140 grain or heavier bullet. The only potential downside is that it can be flashy and a real boomer out of a shorter barreled revolver. The upside is with a 6 inch revolver or any rifle it is a powder that produces excellent accuracy.
5) Hodgdon CFE Pistol. I recently picked up a few pounds for my reserve/new trials. Looking at the granule size and shape it's very similar to SR7625, so I expect it will meter superbly. However I haven't tried it out yet so there is a remote chance I could be wrong about the metering and the following is speculation. As for uses, looking at the load data it seems to be a bit or a tweener that falls in the Accurate #5 to Accurate #7 range. As a result it should be good for near full power loads from any of the major semi calibers, and the 38 and 44 specials. For a Magnum caliber it's a bit fast so it should work best with a light for the caliber bullet and should work fairly well out of a 3-4 inch barrel.
PS; those who are seeing "only" a 1/10 grain variation with Unique in a small sampling really should do some reading up on Statistics. I use an RCBS Competition and I've done a 50 piece Capability Study on Unique. Based on the results 93% of the thrown charges will be within 1/10 grain, 5% will exceed 2/10 grain, and 2% will have a variation up to 4/10 grain. IMO a 4/10 grain variation isn't acceptable even if it's only 2 out of 100.
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thndrchiken
Member
I load W231/HP38 for standard loads and W296/H110 for magnum loads.
Freischütz
Member
HS-6, CFE Pistol, SR7625, and 296 have metered well for me.
NJM15
Member
Tite group for me use it in 9mm,40,45 colt except for 357 sig use power pistol for that "a little goes a long way"
Green Frog
Member
I hesitate to get into this discussion because there are so many variables about type of measure, technique, and other factors besides the powder itself, but "Fools rush in..." so here I come. If you want an easy to meter powder, even at the expense of clean burning and accuracy, just go with the smallest ball powder you can find. I'm using Accurate #7 and a long discontinued proprietary equivalent of #9 in my 327s for instance and am getting great results, but I can't do the same for their weak sisters, the 32 S&W Longs because they seem too slow. OTOH, I work carefully with appropriate measures such as the Little Dandy or Accu-Measure with fixed rotors to dispense Bullseye and Unique, etc. This works for me, YMMV. Technique, technique, technique! 
Froggie
Froggie
johnc486
Member
Daboone, I agree when using the 55 as well, it is very consistent when repeating the same technique for each throw. I use it when loading on the Redding T-7 turret press.
ChiefStealth
US Veteran
I recently picked up some Bullseye. It meters very well in my Lee Perfect Powder measure. Very consistent throws. Does not leak from the side of the measure. Small problem is that the BE sticks in the output tube a bit more than some other powders. Not a problem. I just give the measure an extra tap. Works fine.
lhump1961
US Veteran
^^^right there. I use the 55 and if a person raps and taps consistently it will throw consistently. I think that with any powder or meter you can get variation depending on how you throw it. I don't use flake powders like 700x in pistol applications for this reason...too many other choices that are easier to use...but it's my go-to powder for trap loads at 18g. Power Pistol meters/performs well and I use it often but it's not quite as economical as some powders like 231. My Lyman 55 does as well as any as far as I can tell. IMHO it's more the powder and the technique than the brand of meter. I like and use Bullseye, PP, 231, HS-6, 2400, H-110 and their brand equivalents but have used others with good results. I recently used SR-4756 for 45acp and was happy with it. As a side note with 45acp I can't tell any difference between large and small primed cases in terms of range results. YMMV.
Moe Mentum
Member
My RCBS does very well with the flake powders, +/_ 1or 2 tenths of a grain. I stay below max so it works for me.
Clovishound
Member
Well, I just picked up a pound of HP38 today (stealth gloat). First I have seen in over a year. I loaded up about 30 development rounds and was very pleased with how well it metered. After the first 6 or 7 throws, every one was spot on.
AveragEd
Member
Along with the other ball powders already mentioned, AutoComp also meters nicely. I use it for target loads with lead bullets in my 1911s chambered for .38 Super (125-grain Missouri IPD #6) and .45ACP (185-grain Precision Delta HP) and it is plenty accurate enough for me. But like a lot of semi-slower powders, it doesn't burn well in revolvers, I guess because of the pressure drop induced by the barrel-cylinder gap.
Ed
Ed
Same here. I have used Unique in an RCBS measure since 1980 with superb results.
I think there is an over emphases here on perfectly uniform propellant charges. My own testing has proven that flake powders provide very uniform velocity and accuracy, even with deliberate and measured changes in the powder charge. This is not true for ball powders. Since I learned this I do not use ball powders at all; only flake for all my pistol loading.
The proof is in the results of actual range testing. I suggest trying it for yourself.
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