Powder recommendations (and availability)

[n0ukf]

A week ago my brother asked me to keep my eyes open for more powder for reloading his pistols because he has trouble finding what he wants, Winchester 231 for his .38 (and my upcoming 9mm) and Ramshot Enforcer for .357.

While I didn't get a chance to look for those when I got into Cabelas for a few minutes before closing, a more local place has Hodgson Longshot which his data says will work for all 3.

Any recommendations on these or others from this forum group?

 

[MasterTech1960]

If you can find it , Hodgdon Universal Clays , is a good all around powder. I have loaded it in 9mm , 40 cal, 357 mag and 44 mag. It shoots well , burns clean, and when reloading it meters great. I guess you can tell l like it. Unique is also a good one for multiple calipers.

 

[gwpercle]

Finding pistol powder is tough. I reload cast bullets for 38 special and 9 mm, needed some powder, so I pulled out two Lyman Cast Bullet Handbooks #3 and #4 , looked at the bullet weights I cast, and made a list of all the powders I could use to reload with. I am sure some would be suitable for 357 magnum. But here is my list:

Tightgroup
Bullseye
700X
Red Dot
231
PB
Green Dot
Zip
Power Pistol
Unique
Universal

Unique and Universal can cover a lot of different applications...if you can find it.

At Cabella's a few weeks ago the only pistol powder they had was 700X, it was on my list so I bought a bottle....maybe I should have bought two.
I'm an older reloader , not used to powder shortages and just can't seem to get into buying all the powder in the store and hoarding it....just have to learn to buy at least two or three bottles. I keep saying this is going to end soon...but I don't think so.
Gary

 

[smokindog]

Just have to keep your eyes open.

Never used it but I noticed mid-south has Silhouette in stock and per the description, it may serve your purpose. They've had several come in and out of stock lately.

Just trying to help. I am fortunate to have plenty of what I need except for Trail Boss .

Ramshot Silhouette Smokeless Handgun Powder (1 Lb) by WESTERN & ACCURATE POWDER)

 

[John P.]

I use W231 and Unique in 9mm and .38 Special almost exclusively. I haven't been able to find any locally, but I was able to buy 10lbs of HP38 off gunbroker. HP38 is the same powder as W231 only with the Hodgdon label. I did pay top dollar, $300, but I was nearly out of pistol powder.

Good luck

John (KM1A)

 

[M1A]

If you go to In stock ammo, guns, magazines, and reloading supplies and pick powder and go through your list it will give you links to suppliers all priced low to high. The site is good for ammo and components.

 

[imakmst]

my local bass pro has bullseye....too bad you're so far away, I'd sell some W231 I have

 

[Calliope]

My LGS has a pretty steady supply of the Alliant basics, Bullseye, Red Dot, Unique, but still no 2400.
HS-6?
HP38? (same as W231)
All would work.

 

[Magload]

As usual my LGS has pistol powder but wants $40 a pound for it. Don

 

[alwslate]

Longshot would be fine for use in 9 mm and 357 but Hodgdon only
lists data for +P 38 spl as it burns better at higher pressure than std
38 spl levels. Autocomp seems to be one of the powders that is easier
to find these days and would be fine for 38 spl, 9 mm and midrange
.357 mag.

 

[rwsmith]

IMR powders that work in .38

PB, SR 4756, SR 7625, 700 X from IMR will all work with the .38 and .38 plus P.

I have read that SR 4759, a reduced load rifle powder, will work with pistols, but not especially great for a pistol powder. If I was in a jam though, I'd try it. They were supposed to stop making it but I still see it around.

PS. The Vihtavuori powders are excellent, but pricy.

Maybe Ramshot powders are available in your area. Competition, True Blue, Zip.

 

[Decker]

The only way that a reloader can make do today is to make do.
So while I have my favorite powders, I have also compiled a list of about a dozen more that would "make do" for the kind of shooting I do.

My biggest irritation is that I will work up a load spending more than a couple of long trips to the closest range to arrive at a sweet spot for a given powder/caliber/bullet/velocity/dependability combination.
But when I have to buy a different powder just because it's the only one available, the "working up a load" clock starts all over.

Bottom line is to keep your long list of "will do" powders and be willing to buy one of them while you constantly keep looking for "the one", and when you find "the one", don't be afraid to stock up a couple or more 8lb tubs.

 

[Skeet 028]

PB, SR 4756, SR 7625, 700 X from IMR will all work with the .38 and .38 plus P..

I have been lucky finding powder..esp the discontinued 4756 7625 and PB. I bought a large 12 lb keg of 700X from a shotgunner. The discontinued powders I got mostly at gun shows for less than 1/2 new costs. In fact I got 1 lb of each last weekend at a gun show locally along with a can of 2400 and an almost full can of Unique thrown into the deal with a set of S&W K frame target grips for 50 bucks. Of course I keep a keen eye out for pistol powders and I use Unique in shotgun shooting..as well as 7625 and PB. The grips had a date of Sept 1979 stamped on them. The fellow also gave me half a can of Blue Dot...but I don't really use it. Not even in shotgun.

 

[max]

I never ran out as I was prepared. If I had to, I could use 231, Bullseye, Unique, Red Dot or 700-X.

 

[fredj338]

Long shot is a bit slow for 38sp, but you can make just about anything work in any caliber. Anything from unique up to hs6 will do for 38 & 9, also work decently in 357mag. You won't reach mag vel, but you can't do it all with one powder moving across that wide a range of pressures.

 

[Bkreutz]

Here's a list of powders that have published load data online for 9mm Luger. This is what I used at the height of the powder shortage. I've since stocked up a good supply of Autocomp and CFE Pistol so I don't use it anymore. But times being what they are, I may have to use it again. Hope this helps.

 

[Clovishound]

If you have an android phone or tablet there is a free app called Reloading Assitant. It works offline, and has tons of reloading data for all the common calibers. I wish I had had this available last year when I was looking hard for pistol powder. You can quickly look up detailed data for the powder that you happen to find on the shelf.

 

[Rule3]

I like Longshot for the 9mm a lot! As well as the 40 SW. Have not tried 357 but it should be good in that also.

 

[shil]

I have been lucky finding powder..esp the discontinued 4756 7625 and PB. I bought a large 12 lb keg of 700X from a shotgunner. The discontinued powders I got mostly at gun shows for less than 1/2 new costs. In fact I got 1 lb of each last weekend at a gun show locally along with a can of 2400 and an almost full can of Unique thrown into the deal with a set of S&W K frame target grips for 50 bucks. Of course I keep a keen eye out for pistol powders and I use Unique in shotgun shooting..as well as 7625 and PB. The grips had a date of Sept 1979 stamped on them. The fellow also gave me half a can of Blue Dot...but I don't really use it. Not even in shotgun.

"Almost full" can of Unique? "Half a can" of Blue Dot? Do you know this guy? I hope the stuff in the Blue Dot can isn't Bullseye. You are taking an awful chance buying opened powder, no matter how cheaply. There are lots of ripoff artists at gun shows.

 

[Skeet 028]

To be honest.. I have been reloading since 1958. Blue Dot is distinctive as is Green Dot Red Dot 700X and yes even Bullseye. Unique is also distinctive if you have ever looked Herco not so much but larger flakes and darker gray than Unique.. 800X yep easily picked out. Even most of the IMR powders if you ever really study them. Yep..I have gotten mixed powders... in fact A fellow gave me 3 lbs of mixed powder 700X and 2400. I till it into the gargen. great fertilizer. I also have some old surplus 4831 from Hodgdon. No I don't use it. It is also distinctive as it looks so much different than currently made 4831. I still have(and use) almost 10 lbs from the last 100 lb keg I bought in the mid 60's. To put it bluntly If I am not certain it either gets burned or spread for fertilizer. The only powder I do not use is Bullseye. I recently got an unopened 15 lb keg of it..Someone wanted it a lot more than I did. 40% nitro from 35 yrs ago does scare me...as does old dynamite. LOL!!

 

[Goblin]

Ahlman's in southern MN surprised me with their in-stock selection. Maybe a road trip?

 

[BB57]

Older editions of re-loading manuals can be a great help today where you need more flexibility with powder.

Most bullet company manuals like Hornady, Speer, Sierra, etc, will devote the available space in new manuals to newer powders, and the data for the older powders is no longer included. However, in the last few years with powder being in short supply, forcing me to take what I could get, I found that dusting off some of my really old editions was quite helpful.

I've started using Red Dot extensively again, something I had not done since the mid 1980s. I dusted off the old reloading notes and loads and found they still work just as well as ever in .45 ACP, .45 Colt, 9mm Para, .38 Special and .380 ACP.

Unique is a powder I never stopped using as it is very versatile in everything from the .380 ACP to the .45-70 (with cast bullet loads). It's a great .357 Magnum powder, particularly in barrel lengths of 4" or less. Someone made a comment above that you won't get magnum velocities out of it in a .357, but that's potentially misleading. In a short barrel, you won't get magnum velocity out of a slow burning powder like 2400 or 296 either. In fact, in a short barrel, you'll get higher velocities out of a faster powder like Unique. It's one of those areas where a chronograph will tell you what is really going on with a load, rather than what you think is going on based on published load data.

Bullseye is another old reliable powder with a broad range of applications from .380 ACP to .45 ACP.

 

[fredj338]

Unique is a powder I never stopped using as it is very versatile in everything from the .380 ACP to the .45-70 (with cast bullet loads). It's a great .357 Magnum powder, particularly in barrel lengths of 4" or less. Someone made a comment above that you won't get magnum velocities out of it in a .357, but that's potentially misleading. In a short barrel, you won't get magnum velocity out of a slow burning powder like 2400 or 296 either. In fact, in a short barrel, you'll get higher velocities out of a faster powder like Unique. It's one of those areas where a chronograph will tell you what is really going on with a load, rather than what you think is going on based on published load data.
.

I am not sure how much chrono work you have done with the 357mag & 2 1/4"-4" bbls, but it is just not true that you can get faster vel with faster powders. With say 125gr bullets, you can get close to slower powders with unique, with less flash & blast, but you won't get higher vel. I have 5 diff 4" 357mags. If I could have only one powder for them, it would be Unique. I'm not kidding myself though, it will fall 50-150fps short of slower powders, depending on bullet wt. chrono some factory loads, then try to get there with Unique. Those are magnum vel, even in 2 1/4" bbls.

 

[Skeet 028]

The above poster is correct. There is a caveat attached. I am not a big fan of thunder and lightning. Using the slooww powders you WILL get lots of sound and fireballs. A very inefficient load...with a lot of velocity variation(sometimes as much as 150 ft). The faster powders will usually be much more consistent and usually more fun to shoot....and alot more neighbor friendly at commercial ranges esp indoors. Doesn't affect me as I use my range here on the ranch. My 4 inch 41 and 44s are much happier with Unique and other powders. Well, maybe it is me that is happier. And every now and then I get a chance at long range shooting at curious coyotes...LOL

 

[shil]

Skeet, sounds to me like you know what you're doing. Please don't take my comment as a criticism; only as a concern for your safety.

 

[Skeet 028]

I knew it wasn't criticism.. and realized the concern. I try not to do stupid things. I had a fellow give me an opened but full 15 lb keg of Red Dot. It was old really old from the early 70s. It had been moved so much over the years that the red dots were black from the graphite in the powder...but it was real Red Dot. tried a few 12 ga loads over the chrono and velocities were where they should have been. Kept 2 lbs and gave the rest to a serious Trap shooter. He was a very happy camper. Used the rest in some 38sp loads. The reason I don't use that older 4831 that was given to me is it broken grained much too much. I don't burn powder very often any more. A good friend burned powder one day and got burned badly. A freak thing but he lost his life. So I usually just till it in to the garden

 

[ChiefStealth]

The brother is smart to get another set of eyes looking for stuff. Like others said... have your list of all suitable powders. Scrounge the web. Don't be too picky. Grab what you can. If you think you need one.. buy three. When something pops up.. act quickly. It's been like this for two, nearly three years, now. Stuff does show up, now and then. Don't quit looking.

 

[Jboutfishn]

You have to be vigilant. I checked Gun Bot and other sites on the web daily looking for pistol powder. About 6 month ago Mid South listed some Autocomp and I jumped on it. I checked back after making the order and it was out of stock. You have to move quick. Last week I saw Win 231 at Recobs and ordered an 8 lb. jug. I checked back 5 minutes later and it too was out of stock. The 231 was delivered yesterday. Both orders were less than $24/lb. shipped UPS.

Getting powder through the bandits on gun broker and the likes only encourages gouging.

 

[carpriver]

I have been using Rimshot Competition for 9mm, 38spl, 45acp, it meters well, burns clean, seems to be accurate.

 

[Rogeronimo]

Widener has HP38 right now!