Pistol powders?

[Mikeinkaty]

What attributes does a powder have to have to be called a "pistol powder"? Does it make a difference for an autoloader vs a revolver?

 

[Fishslayer]

Generally pistol powders are faster than rifle powders. Lines do cross at the edges, and shotgun powders often make good pistol powders.

Powders have other characteristics but burn rate is the one we generally go by.

Look at a burn rate chart and load data charts and you'll get the idea.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Red Dot powder has won a lot of trap meets over the last 60 years in a Winchester AA hull........

as well as Unique or PB powders.

Some powders will do double duty but they generally fall into a class where they do their best.

 

[Alk8944]

Hodgdon has a "Burning Rate Chart" available on it's web site usually. This is for almost all U.S. domestic propellants as well as some European ones. The propellants are listed in descending rate, from fastest #1 to slowest at #148.

Propellants from #1 to #50 roughly have application in standard handgun ammunition.

Propellants from ca. #51 to #66 are usually used in Magnum handgun ammunition.

Most of the propellants from #1 to #66 also have application as shotgun propellants.

All propellants from #67 to #148 are strictly for rifle cartridges.

ALWAYS refer to standard reloading manuals to make specific propellant selections for a specific cartridge application.

 

[Qc Pistolero]

Wether a slow or quick burning powder,1# of powder has the same energy stored in it.So,a quick burner will release its energy...you guessed it,more quickly.The quicker it releases its energy,the quicker the pressure rises up.Sadly,the release of energy is not linear(constantly raising in a predictable way).This means stick with the published data(data published by the powder manufacturers).
Quick powders are used for shotgun and revolver cartridges while the rifles will normally use slow burning powders.The reasons for this are numerous but as a rule of thumb,rifles(.270Win.,300Win.Mag etc.)will operate above 50KPsi while a shotgun will operate at around 10K PSI and a handgun between 10K(.38 Spl target load)to 40K PSI(for magnums)thus requiring powders that will release their content of energy much more quickly.
Wew!Hope I haven't bored you along the way with that lenghty explaination!
Qc

 

[Mikeinkaty]

I have two burn rate charts. I once took a slo-motion video of me shooting my 3" 686 using Titegroup. Only one of the seven rounds showed any flash and it was slight. Since then I've only used it and Trail Boss in my pistol. TB for fun and TG for carry. 125 and 158 grain respectively.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

What attributes does a powder have to have to be called a "pistol powder"? Does it make a difference for an autoloader vs a revolver?

Like said above, powder speed is what distinguishes handgun and rifle powders. Handgun powders are much faster.

No, there really aren't powders that are specifically used for autos or revolvers. Bullet weight and pressure determine which powders are better for cartridges.

Most reloading manuals have a section in the front if the book explaining powders and primers. Most times that part if the book is passed over and reloaders go right to the data. The information provided in the load manuals is very valuable and can explain powder and primers in more detail than I just did. It's well worth a read. If you don't have a book load manual the new Lyman 50th Edition is a good place to start.

Lyman Reloading Handbook: 50th Edition Reloading Manual

 

[DWalt]

Most shotgun powders can be used in handgun cartridges, and for the most part, vice-versa. Powders used in heavy magnum handgun loads with heavy bullets generally have the lowest relative quickness. Lighter loads in smaller handgun calibers normally use powders having higher relative quickness. Most centerfire rifle cartridges use much slower powders, but shotgun/pistol powders work well for making up light low-velocity loads in rifle calibers.

 

[fredj338]

A powder burn rate chart, along with a good reloading manual, will help to explain the usefulness of most powders. The slowest pistol powder is faster than the fastest rifle powder. Faster powders build pressures at a steeper curve, best used for light loads. Slower powder have a gentler pressure curve & best used for max effort & magnum loads.

 

[muddocktor]

Also, when you get to the big bore bruiser magnum pistol rounds such as 460 and 500 S&W, you start to see some crossover into the quicker "rifle type" powders you normally wouldn't relate to pistol cartridge loading. Examples of this are Accurate 1680, IMR4198 and CFE-BLK right offhand. Normally those powders are too slow to be efficient in a pistol cartridge, but those monster calibers can take advantage of them.

 

[noylj]

It's really not pistol vs rifle (and certainly not semi-auto vs revolver, as any look at a reloading manual will show).
Like most things in life, there is a spectrum and any given cartridge, depending on case volume and chamber pressure, will do best powders over some range of burn rates.
If you want to work up a light cast bullet load for your rifle, you will do well with Red Dot to Unique. If you want to work up a near max load for your rifle, you'll need a very much slower powder and a LOT more of it.
A small pistol case simply can't hold enough powder to use the slow rifle powders. Likewise, a rifle can't really use a slow rifle powder for a very light cast lead load as it simply won't produce the pressure or heat required for such a slow powder.
So there is no demarkation where you can say that these are ONLY handgun/shotgun powders and these are ONLY rifle powders.

 

[Wise_A]

A powder burn rate chart, along with a good reloading manual, will help to explain the usefulness of most powders. The slowest pistol powder is faster than the fastest rifle powder. Faster powders build pressures at a steeper curve, best used for light loads. Slower powder have a gentler pressure curve & best used for max effort & magnum loads.

What's really interesting is when you start comparing real-world group sizes between different powders of different speeds loaded to the same velocity.

Swapping from Unique and Universal to the moderately faster 700-X shrunk my 9mm group sizes measurably. If it shrinks further when I try Bullseye--not that I would waste my Bullseye stock on 9mm for anything but experimentation--it will be...interesting.

 

[fredj338]

What's really interesting is when you start comparing real-world group sizes between different powders of different speeds loaded to the same velocity.

Swapping from Unique and Universal to the moderately faster 700-X shrunk my 9mm group sizes measurably. If it shrinks further when I try Bullseye--not that I would waste my Bullseye stock on 9mm for anything but experimentation--it will be...interesting.

One of the most accurate 9mm loads i ever put together was with unique. Powders like unique are at their best running near the top for more uniform combustion. A 124gr xtp over near max charge of unique would go under 1" at 50ft in my bhp.

 

[Wise_A]

Unique performed better than Universal, but I suspect that I'm getting better groups out of a Glock 26 with 700-X for reasons related more to the gun and shooter than the cartridge itself.

I'd be super-interested in testing both in a blowback-operated pistol.

I've got some other powders to test, but to be honest, even Universal gave adequate results, and I have more of that stuff to get rid of. I was happy to find that 700-X worked well--I'm wary of that powder since it's so bridge-happy, so being able to run it in bulk through 9mm cases gives me an easy means of disposal.

 

[Fishslayer]

Red Dot powder has won a lot of trap meets over the last 60 years in a Winchester AA hull........

It's also won a lot of fans in the pistol loading group since Bullseye became unobtanium. Lots of guys who've tried it in pistols love the stuff.

 

[DWalt]

"I'd be super-interested in testing both in a blowback-operated pistol like the High Power."

What happened to all of the short-recoil High Powers, and when was that change made?

 

[DWalt]

My favorite handgun powders:

1. Bullseye
2. Unique

I don't need any others.

 

[gwpercle]

It needs to be listed in a reloading manual.
No data = unsuitable.

That's the way I select powders , may be unscientific but it's safe !

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My favorite handgun powders:

1. Bullseye
2. Unique

I don't need any others.

You have no use for the third powder of the original powder trinity, 2400?

My powder trinity is W231(HP-38), W540(HS-6) and W296(H110). There are no handgun cartridges I can't load with those three and do it well.

 

[rwsmith]

These are NOT pistol powders...

Hodgdon US869, Vihtavuori 20N29, Accurate 8700, IMR 7977 and Alliant Reloader 25.

These powders are the opposite end of the scale from pistol powders and are so slow as to be useful in magnum rifle loads.