If you could have only one powder...

[hdfinder47]

W231 for 9mm, 40S&W, 38Spec, 357Mag, 45ACP, 45Colt, 44Mag. Just happened to get started with it many moons ago and see no great reason to change. But if I ever needed to, looks like Unique would be worth a try - and/or 2400.

 

[ShinySix]

Haven't found anything better than BE for .45ACP. W231 rocks anything in .32 caliber. 2400 puts the thump in .357. Unique works with all of the above but isnt the best. Though I would really really really miss BE, W231, and 2400, I would have to say Unique "because it just works."

 

[madmikeb]

I do all my loading with Bullseye, Unique and 2400, with Bullseye being the one I load with the most. These are actually the only powders I have in the house.
If I could only have one I guess it would be Unique for the sheer versatility.

 

[mr-mom]

Another vote for Bullseye & Unique. The two powders I utilize the most. If only one, I'd take my old standby Bullseye because it meters so much better for me.

 

[Culina]

W231 and H110 or W296 for the magnum stuff here. I use the W231 for 9mm, 38 Special, 40 S&W, 45ACP and 44 Special. I have found it to be much more accurate in the 44 Special compared to Unique, plus W231 has a smaller flake size which means I get more consistant throws on the powder meter.

 

[sps282]

Unique is my favorite powder....it will work adequately in all the calibers I load. Second choice would be Universal (very similar to Unique).

 

[txbirdman]

If I could have only 1 powder for handgun and rifle it would be 2400. If I could have 1 each for handgun and rifle it would be Unique and H4895.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

WSF

What??? Really????

Yep. It is my staple handgun powder, shotgun powder, and although I haven't tried it in many rifle cases, I have in 25-20 and 45-70. But I think another powder is really necessary for most rifle cartridges. Varget is my go to one size fits all powder there.

I keep a pound of Unique around, but don't use it all that much.

 

[TripleLock]

Another vote for Unique.

 

[Russell Cottle]

And the answer is...... Unique!

 

[Muley Gil]

Been using Unique since the early 1970s. It works in all of my handgun loadings, and I've loaded for .32 Long, .32 ACP, .32-20, 9mm Luger, .380 ACP, .38 special, .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, 10mm, .44 Special, .44-40, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, .45 Auto Rim, .45 Colt, and .455 Webley.

Why change?

 

[Quarterhorse]

I only have one powder - Bullseye. I don't check speed, but it makes my slides move back and forth and puts holes in paper. Basically all I'm after at this point with my reloads. Trigger time trigger time trigger time.

 

[jibjab]

Use the correct tool for the job, if not then your work will be 2nd rate.

 

[358156hp]

I really love it when I see this question asked. I see complaints posted about Unique being dirty, but it always wins because it's... Unique.

I vote for Unique too. It can do anything I really need to have done, not perfectly, but very, very well. Nothing else is as versatile.

 

[blujax01]

Use the correct tool for the job, if not then your work will be 2nd rate.

But if you could have only one tool...?

 

[PattonTime]

One powder.

While I agree with everyone else about how versatile Unique is, I have a much more unique, powder to vote for.
If I could only have one, it would be Accurate # 5 because as far as I can tell it will do everything Unique will , but it meters , much , much better.
I am not kidding MUCH, MUCH better. I know burn rate is not only factor for loading, but it is right next to Unique in the burn chart I just looked in.
So, that is my take, Power Pistol is right up there for me too, but sometimes its flash and bang get to be too much.
If you do not need top end Magnum loads either Unique or #5 will do quite well at every cartridge you load for.
Chris

 

[Quarterhorse]

Use the correct tool for the job, if not then your work will be 2nd rate.

These type of posts do nobody any good. It lacks reason and credibility.

Nobody had a specific job posted that I saw other than what one powder pushes a bullet out of your gun safely out of multiple calibers. Lots of posters put up answers, so I'd say that one powder they put up did it's job correctly.

I've built car engines, drag suspensions, boat hulls, transfer cases on mud trucks, transmissions, set up driveline angles on scratch built cars, built bikes from metal tube to one off rideable condition. I would put my name on it all including my reloaded bullets with my one powder.

I also reload my own bulles to punch paper with and keep my trigger time higher than it would be if I had to buy factory ammo as I can reload for cheaper. I'm also a father of a 4 year old with multiple hobbies that my wife, my son, and I participate in. Time isn't that abundant in my life after doing all that and working 11 hours a day 5-6 days a week. Some of us don't have time to nit pick certain powders for beating up paper. For that, we may have one or two powders to pick from to reload one or two or three calibers. I see nothing wrong with that.

Can you please elaborate the "right tool for the right job" a bit? Maybe Bullseye in my case isn't the "right tool" as it's a "dirty" powder. I clean my guns after each trip to the range if it's been shot or not, it's just a fun relaxing thing to do and I can get my 4 year old to "help" which is always fun time with the family since he's unable to go to the range with me.

I guess in short, I don't like suggestions without reasons, or should I say I think suggestions without reasons are useless.

 

[Hammerless-12]

The loads I load for handguns are 38 special, 357 Mag., 44 special, 44 Mag., 45 ACP, 45 Colt, mostly. I do however load for the 50AE and the 500 S&W. The powder I use the most is Bullseye, and then Unique. I have found Unique to not "meter" quite as well, and it is much more "dirty" when compared to Bullseye. I do however like the performance with the Unique in my 44 special and 44 mag. load. I would have to say If one of my handgun powders had to go I would be dropping Unique. Allot of this has to do with after loading for over 35 years and narrowing down my loads to what works best with each particular handgun. I have also found that being an active shooter, and shooting allot, its little things that make the differance. One such "little thing" would be how clean the gun is after several hundred rounds on the range in one day. Nobody likes to have malfunctions and have to stop shooting to clean a gun. The summer of 2005 I documented over 15,000 rounds through my Colt Gold Cup 1911 in 45 ACP. 100% of the ammo used was my reloads using Bullseye. This 1911 is stainless and was purchased new by me in 1986. Today it has well over 60,000 rounds through it and 90% of those where loaded using Bullseye powder. I believe that the average shooter whom only fires a few rounds off every-other weekend, well they just dont get the range time and probably wouldnt really care what powder is pushing the bullet. Like I said, sometimes its the little things that make the difference. I no longer shoot as much as I used to, but I still enjoy any range time and reloading time I can get. Happy shooting to you all.

 

[Fishslayer]

I guess in short, I don't like suggestions without reasons, or should I say I think suggestions without reasons are useless.

I'll take a shot. Nobody is really going to try to load 9mm to (say) .44 Magnum with one powder. If they do, they are going to get second rate results in some area.

Try to move a 158gr bullet @ 1400+ fps with Bullseye? Maybe. You might maybe be pickin yer top strap out of the ceiling, too.

Want a 700 fps .38 target load? H110 might yield less than optimum (ie... "second rate") results.

There's a reason we speak of a "powder trinity." We don't generally "need" to do everything with one powder. Why should we? Time? I have picked up more than one type on a trip to the store. Time expended was the same.

Edit: Having said that, I could probably live with just Bullseye & 2400 if I had to.

 

[Quarterhorse]

I'll take a shot. Nobody is really going to try to load 9mm to (say) .44 Magnum with one powder. If they do, they are going to get second rate results in some area.

Try to move a 158gr bullet @ 1400+ fps with Bullseye? Maybe. You might maybe be pickin yer top strap out of the ceiling, too.

Want a 700 fps .38 target load? H110 might yield less than optimum (ie... "second rate") results.

There's a reason we speak of a "powder trinity." We don't generally "need" to do everything with one powder. Why should we? Time? I have picked up more than one type on a trip to the store. Time expended was the same.

Edit: Having said that, I could probably live with just Bullseye & 2400 if I had to.

I understand what you're saying, but second rate to what? A guy with 3 different powders? 5, 10 different powders!?

For the AVERAGE guy one to two powders I would say is sufficient who is looking to punch paper and get the slide to rack back and load another round or the cylinder to rotate etc... and have results they can live with.