Opinions on the best general use pistol powder?

I have used Bulls Eye for 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45acp so far, but decided to try some "flammable dirt" (Unique) because of how well it was received here. I was surprised how 6.5 grains filled the usable portion of my .40 S&W cases after seating 155 grain Hornady bullets. No double charges with this stuff.

I used Lee dippers for my initial trials. I hope it meters well in my Lee Perfect powder measure. ;)

Now I have to go out and shoot the 10 I made up. :D
 
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I loaded a lot of .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .41 Magnum ammo with Bullseye for target, Unique for "medium" loads and 2400 for the heavier stuff. All three performed well for me and I don't seem to recall Unique metering poorly or being all that much dirtier than the others. But since then and until recently, I've only helped my son load some .45 ACPs with 200-grain lead RN bullets and Unique powder - yes, some of the last pound I bought "back then." They all go "bang" and print decent 25-yard offhand groups from his 1911.

Lately, I became interested in revolvers again and have acquired several stainless steel S&Ws. Three of them are 629s and my favorite is a 5" Classic DX that I expect to shoot the most. I loaded up 50 rounds using 240-grain Hunter's Supply hard cast SWCs over 6.0 grains of Bullseye and CCI 300 primers in new Remington brass. I haven't had an opportunity to shoot any of it yet but I was after a nice target load and the books call that a 900 fps load (I'm interested to see what my chronograph says). I'm wondering if any of you have tried it or would recommend a different powder.

Thanks for the input!

Ed
 
Came to this discussion late. Began reloading with the .38 Special. Used Unique from the start... 4.5 gr. w/ 158-160 gr. SWC lead bullet. Worked extremely well for 30 years. I have used other powders. Unique can be used for target right on up to full power loads. Works well for me in .357 S&W Magnum. Other powders suit other people. Unique remains my favorite. JMHO.
 
VAdoublegunner said:
I bet no one says Unique! :D

Actually, with those cartridges (and adding 44SP, 45Colt, 10mm... and probably a few others) I can't seem to get along with out at least WSF, WW296 and more recently Power Pistol.

I still keep Blue Dot and 2400 around for a few things though. Old habits just die hard.

And yeah, I still have Unique too...it really is a good all purpose powder if for no other reason that soooooo much load data is out there for using it!
Click to expand...

These were so close to my thoughts I thought I wrote this untill I did not see Green Dot. I dont even know if they still make it but I know I've still got quite a few lbs. of it. And of corse 231
 
AveragEd said:
Lately, I became interested in revolvers again and have acquired several stainless steel S&Ws. Three of them are 629s and my favorite is a 5" Classic DX that I expect to shoot the most. I loaded up 50 rounds using 240-grain Hunter's Supply hard cast SWCs over 6.0 grains of Bullseye and CCI 300 primers in new Remington brass. I haven't had an opportunity to shoot any of it yet but I was after a nice target load and the books call that a 900 fps load (I'm interested to see what my chronograph says). I'm wondering if any of you have tried it or would recommend a different powder.

Thanks for the input!

Ed
Click to expand...
Just an FYI-

Your Classic DX should have undersized throats in it, unless a previous owner had them reamed.

S&W intentionally made them that way. In extensive testing using jacketed ammo, they found that throats that measured .428" gave the absolute best accuracy. Why this is so, when conventional wisdom has always said that accuracy is usually best when throats, bore, and bullet match is still a mystery, but the Classic DX's were the most accurate .44's S&W ever made.

Unfortunately, the tight throats also caused pressures to rise and often normal loads would cause brass to stick (sometimes to the point of having to have the brass tapped out with dowel rod). When enough customers complained they opened them back up to .430", which they had settled on for all their other .44 magnums in 1990 at the end of the endurance package upgrades. All S&W .44 mags made before very late 1989 had throats that measure .432"- .433". That dimension had been used right from the very beginning of the .44 magnum in 1956.

Just something to remember when checking your load of Bullseye against known velocities from the past, and something to be aware of when loading to full power. I found I always needed to back down by 2-3 grains to get the brass to extract properly in mine.:)

Edited to add-
the bores of most all S&W's including the early Classic and the Classic DX's, will normally mike out at .429"- .4295", but measuring them without a three point mike or some other speciallty gauge can be a an effort in futility.
 
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Miata Mike said:
"flammable dirt" (Unique)

I hope it meters well in my Lee Perfect powder measure. ;)
Click to expand...

The whole 'Unique not metering well' issue is a puzzle to me. I've never had any problem with Unique not metering well through either of my two powder measures, a Dillon and an RCBS. Goes back to 1974 or so when I first started reloading .45 Colts. Maybe others are more persnickety in their charge weights but I've never found that I could tell any difference between weighed Unique loads and those thrown with a powder measure.

When working up loads, I used to weigh charges, keeping them as close to a given value as possible, working in .1 grain increments. What I discovered was, this is a BFWOT, at least for me. I could tell no difference on the targets.

In a big cartridge, such as the Colt, 1/2 grain increments are plenty good and so are thrown charges.
 
As I've explained up-thread, when I mention metering issues with Unique, I'm talking about the clumping that occurs with this "sticky" powder when using my RCBS 1500 automatic trickler/scale machine to weigh precise throws for max, target, or personal defense loads. This happens more with Unique than with other powders. When it comes to volumetric measuring of blasting loads, well - not really a problem.
 
Erich said:
As I've explained up-thread, when I mention metering issues with Unique, I'm talking about the clumping that occurs with this "sticky" powder when using my RCBS 1500 automatic trickler/scale machine to weigh precise throws for max, target, or personal defense loads. This happens more with Unique than with other powders. When it comes to volumetric measuring of blasting loads, well - not really a problem.
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Do you feel that going to the trouble of weighing every pistol load is worth it? I could see that for long range or BR rifle shooting but not for handgun loads.
 
A lot of people seem to like Unique, but I only recently tried it and really didn't find very much that's "unique" about it. I find I use three handgun powders more than any others, Bullseye, 2400 and SR 4756. SR 4756 will do everything Unique will do and more, plus it will equal 2400 in a lot of applications. If I ever use up the Unique I have, I probably won't buy anymore.
 
The 629-3 was only made in '91 & '92. They along with the 29-5 Classic DX's are the early ones I was talking about that had tight throats.

If you bought the gun new and have never had anything done to the throats, then it should have throats that will be .428", but if you aren't the original owner, try the following-

If you don't have plug gauges, you can check throats by very carefully using a set of calipers. They aren't as precise as plug gauges, but you should be able to get an idea. If not, see if a local gunsmith or gun shop has a set that they can use to check yours.

Generally, having the throats opened to .430" is about a $50 job at most gunsmith shops, but make sure you have a good one do it if you decide to have them opened. Opening the throats will reduce pressures, and it normally helps with any leading issues. It will generally make a gun more consistantly accurate with a wider variety of bullet types.
 
At the moment I'm using Clays for much of my reloading needs. Partly because I like it and partly becasue I have a lot of it on hand. I'm loading 12ga, .45 ACP, .38 Special and 9mm with Clays. If I wanted to I could also load .44 Special and .45 Colt with it as well. While it may not be the "best" it is quite a versatile powder and works just fine for my paper and steel shooting target loads. Since most Clays loads require only a small charge (3-4.5 grains) , it is a very economical powder that gets you a lot of ammo out of one jug.

If I was going to change, I would probably go with HP-38/ W231.
 
Powder(s)

I use Titegroup for 9mm , .38 special. If use use lead bullets for the 9mm you may get alot of smoke, just reduce the load alittle. Or use a moly coated bullet, this works great no smoke great accuracy. Any bullet in .38 works fine depending on your load. Even .357 depending on bullet and load and target shooting velocitys. My 2 cents worth.
 
cp1969 said:
Do you feel that going to the trouble of weighing every pistol load is worth it? I could see that for long range or BR rifle shooting but not for handgun loads.
Click to expand...

When Im loading MAX load I weigh every one. In fact I drop my charge a little lite and THEN use the powder trickler to bring it right up on the button.
 
I recently began handloading 38 spl and 45 ACP again after a nearly 30 year hiatus. I started with the powders I was most familiar with -- Bullseye and Unique -- and someone suggested I give Power Pistol a try even though it is advertised as being formulated for high pressure autoloader rounds like 9X19, 40 S&W and 357 Sig. Since I lost all my old records and had to work up new loads anyways I figured wotthehell, I'll get a pound and try it out

I was impressed. It feeds consistently from my Dillon 550, burns clean, I get consistent performance in 38 spl +P and 45 ACP and it seems to generate better velocities. I mostly use Berrys or Rainer plated bullets so I'm not creating barn burners with it.
 
From 1960 until recently, I was stuck in a Bullseye/2400 rut...because it works well and covers a broad range of handgun reloading needs. But there are Bullseye metering problems with older drum-type measures, like the Lyman #55. Unique is also excellent, much like Bullseye, but less troublesome.

Awhile back, I tried W231 and now prefer it over Bullseye. Yesterday, picking up a new 649-5, my FFL holder friend told me there is a strange problem with parties unknown apparently manipulating the availability of Winchester 231. He has not been able to obtain any for more than one year, and keeps getting what he considers questionable explanations and implausible excuses. One year! Maybe somebody here can shed light on this. Perhaps other powders are being promoted to replace it?

I hope W231 is available when I run low.
 
Keep your eye open for HP-38. It's the exact same powder as 231, and is usually cheaper.:)
 
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