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Bye Bye Bullseye
- Thread starter TAROMAN
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I used "tons"of Bullseye powder when my main caliber was .38 special. It was reliable, cheap and readily available however I did not like the fact it tended to be "dirty". After a number of years I switched to Titegroup. TG is less case position sensitive, works better for 357 mag's and a bit cleaner. I have been using TG for decades now with no problems. Whatever Bullseye powder I had left, (two 8 pound cans I believe) I sold to a fellow reloader, we were both happy. While Bullseye was a mainstay in the reloading hobby for decades, I believe it was replaced with cleaner burning, more efficient powders.
DWalt
Member
It was one of, if not the, first American smokeless handgun propellant in widespread use. There were several different variations of it used by the ammunition manufacturers, in addition to the canister grade sold to the reloading market. Its formulation is exactly the same as Unique, except the granule dimensions are different. Somewhere I have a history of the early smokeless powders in the USA. There are several satisfactory replacement propellants, at least at present, but who knows how long they will be available.
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taz666
Member
Hope this isn't the beginning of a trend.
Say, chief38, I used TiteGroup quite a bit and switched over to AA2. Have to say I like AA2 a bit more as it's cleaner burning, not as "snappy" and priced very close to TG.
Say, chief38, I used TiteGroup quite a bit and switched over to AA2. Have to say I like AA2 a bit more as it's cleaner burning, not as "snappy" and priced very close to TG.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Not very many propellant powders can claim a successful run of over 100 years on the market. It is difficult to argue whether some more recent developments are improvements or not, but it is very difficult to argue with that kind of success.
rockquarry
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Regarding Bullseye and other unavailable or discontinued powders...handloaders have an abundance of equivalent powders available today, but to duplicate the results of a favorite powder requires starting over with load development, maybe something many of us don't won't to do.
However, it's not a big project and the results are worth the effort. I've lately been working with .38 Special and .45 ACP cast target loads using Titegroup and WST. Accuracy has been roughly the same (sometimes better) than my previous Bullseye loads, but I still have some fine tuning to do.
However, it's not a big project and the results are worth the effort. I've lately been working with .38 Special and .45 ACP cast target loads using Titegroup and WST. Accuracy has been roughly the same (sometimes better) than my previous Bullseye loads, but I still have some fine tuning to do.
I used Bullseye and found it doable in starting loads in my 12 Ga, 38. 375 and later my 9mm pistols.
It even got up to factory loads in the 9mm that matched w231 powder with a 115gr FMJ, in mi 5" barrel.
One thing that we liked was the small amount of powder needed for a accurate target load,
that kept the price of the ammo low, for us.
I have other powders that will take it's place if needed, but it was one of the powders, that started us offwith a "BANG" !!
It even got up to factory loads in the 9mm that matched w231 powder with a 115gr FMJ, in mi 5" barrel.
One thing that we liked was the small amount of powder needed for a accurate target load,
that kept the price of the ammo low, for us.
I have other powders that will take it's place if needed, but it was one of the powders, that started us offwith a "BANG" !!
dubshooter
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I think I have about 8lbs of it left.
rockquarry
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Me, too. I've been buying 8 lb. kegs of Bullseye for quite a while, but fortunately, it's accuracy and other aspects can be duplicated.
Another point - do we really know Bullseye is gone forever? In sixty years of handloading, I've seen a number of powders make a return.
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AJ
US Veteran
To bad to see it go. I have about 12 or so pounds of it left..........I guess I will use it sparingly. Have a 9 pounds of 231 and 7 pounds of Unique on hand so I should be OK for a while.
ACORN
Member
Hmmmm. I just saw a vendor at a local show yesterday that had it for $43/lb.
LostintheOzone
US Veteran
I switched from Bullseye to American Select a long time ago, but it's also an Alliant powder and mostly unavailable now. Really clean wafer shotgun powder. I think it performs about like TG. Many people were using it for 45acp, 9mm and 38 spl. I have enough to last me until the end of days so no worries. Sorry to see it disappear.
LostintheOzone
US Veteran
Wasn't it the powder used in the then-new .45ACP for the 1911? It should be kept in production at least for historical reasons!
.38SuperMan
Member
I agree AA2 is a good replacement and as you say cleaner and not position sensitive. AA2 has become my go to powder for 38 special along with Accurate Nitro 100NF which is a little faster than Bullseye and cleaner and not position sensitive. And as you stated it’s a mild recoil powder. I wouldn’t have believed that powders could exhibit different recoil characteristics with comparable loads but there’s a noticeable difference.
I still have 2.5 LB of Bullseye and still use it in my 32 Long cartridges but when I run out I’ll start using AA2.
