Recommendations on powder.

I've gotten to like.....

.......HP-38. Shoots good, meters well, clean. I started using Titegroup because of no Alliant powders. It seem about the same as Bullseye, maybe a little cleaner.

BE-86 is supposed to be a wonder powder but I've only seen one pound of it in a store.

Power Pistol gets good velocity, but I haven't used it much.

The Accurate Powders (I used #7) I thought were very good.

Of course Unique for medium and 2400 for hot magnum loads is good.

I got to where I liked Red Dot.
 
4barrel said:
Unique--A very forgiving powder high and low. A wide power range. SELL me that new gun & you wont have to worry about it.:)
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Lol, Idk if I'm gonna sell it as of right now. This is probably the sweetest revolver I've ever owned. I didn't know a revolver could ever have such an awesome DAO trigger.
 
Thank you everyone for the replies. I'll be going to the store tomorrow to see what they have in stock. I'm pretty sure HP38 is one that is usually there in the shelves.
 
I use HP-38 in .38 Special, but it scares me because the powder charge is so small in most cases that it would be possible to not only double, but even triple charge a case.

I've had good luck with Hi-Skor 800X and the "Dot" powders, particularly Green Dot as well as Blue Dot (in longer barrels) which are bulkier and to me, not so frightening.
 
hdwhit said:
I use HP-38 in .38 Special, but it scares me because the powder charge is so small in most cases that it would be possible to not only double, but even triple charge a case.

I've had good luck with Hi-Skor 800X and the "Dot" powders, particularly Green Dot as well as Blue Dot (in longer barrels) which are bulkier and to me, not so frightening.
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I hear ya but I've tested it and you can quadruple charge CFE.
 
Safe routine.....

fixitfred said:
Titegroup is economical but can be dangerous for novices. If you feel confident that you will not accidentally double or even triple charge it's a good 38 spl powder.

Availability needs to be considered and powder availability is better but see what they have where you buy your powder. Do you go to the Army-Navy store on 42 north?

My powder guy from TN should be at the big gunshow next month in Jonesboro. Go early and he usually has a good selection including Titegroup and sometimes Bullseye.
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The key is to building a 'foolproof' regimen with blocks to possible overloading like a Pharmacist does in filling prescriptions with checks at steps along the way.

One way is to keep a case turned upside down until it is filled.

I work from left to right from a bin to a reloading block.

Afterward, before pressing bullets ALWAYS visually check your loads with a flashlight where you can see the powder in the bottom of each case.

Mistakes and accidents happen but you can minimize the possibilities of goofing up.

I have used fast target powders for a long time and so far, so good.
 
Oh, my......

GA_Sheepdog said:
I hear ya but I've tested it and you can quadruple charge CFE.
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You mean you can fit four charges of CFE in a .38 case? And it's not a problem???


PS: The only (common) pistol powder I've heard of that you CAN'T overcharge is Trail Boss. That in itself may not be true, but I don't of any powder that can be quadruple charged safely.
 
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Around here a 1lb can of Bullseye,Red Dot,Power Pistol and Unique will set you back about $30 while a 1lb can of Tite Group is about $20

If you buy your powder,primers and bullets,what does a box of 50 115gr 9mm cost you to reload?

What I want to know is where are all the Federal pistol primers at,especially the Gold Medal Match Sm and Lg.
 
I've used W231, Titegroup, Unique, and Bullseye in .38, I've settled on Bullseye. I think it has an edge over the others in accuracy. W231 is my 2nd choice. I think it burns a little cooler and leads slightly less than Bullseye. They meter about the same. I haven't had much luck with unique with low power target loads. Don't like Titegroup at all. Burns really hot and leads a lot worse than the others.
 
I started out using Red Dot many years ago in 38. Put the reloading equipment on the shelf as I moved around for jobs. Started up again and Titegroup was now the rage so I tried it. I use it in 38, 9, 40 and 45. I also use HP38/W231 in 38 so far. I just picked up some CFE-P but have not had a chance to try it out. I just wanted a somewhat slower powder and some additional characteristics that CFE provides. I hear the TG bashing that you have to watch for double and triple charges but I don't find it any different than most powders. You can double PP, HP 38, TG and a host of others.

All that said, for the way I shoot and load and for the bullets I use, I find Titegroup pretty hard to beat for accuracy. It is cleaner than HP-38 which I don't find to be clean at all. Either way I am set for the rest of my life for powder with TG, HP-38 and CFE stocked up. Now if I live much longer than I expect, all that can change. :)
 
I started reloading way back in the days when Bullseye and Unique were pretty much standard for loading popular pistol calibers. 2400 for magnums. These powders will still fill the bill today.

When the powder crises came about several years ago, I happened to acquire 15 lbs. of Titegroup; the only powder available. I have since grown really fond of it. It is clean, accurate, economical, and meters like a charm.
When this runs out I will buy some more.
 
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A year ago when I could not find powder I acquired 10 lbs of Autocomp. Works very well in the 45 ACP and looks good for heavier loads in 38 Spec. A bit bulkier, meters well.
 
fixitfred said:
Titegroup is economical but can be dangerous for novices. If you feel confident that you will not accidentally double or even triple charge it's a good 38 spl powder.

Availability needs to be considered and powder availability is better but see what they have where you buy your powder. Do you go to the Army-Navy store on 42 north?

My powder guy from TN should be at the big gunshow next month in Jonesboro. Go early and he usually has a good selection including Titegroup and sometimes Bullseye.
Click to expand...

When the shortage hapened, I bought a bunch of Red Dot from 42 North. It filled the void left by the absence of Bullseye. It allowed me to load .32 Long and .38 Special target loads.

I bought CFE-P when I couldn't find any more Unique, because it was the closest approximation that was available locally.
 
chief38 said:
I use Titegroup and have for many years. Works very well for me, goes a long way, and never any issues.

W231 (same as HP-38 as Hodgedon makes it for Winchester) is also a great powder but I use that exclusively for the .45 acp.
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No, Hodgdon does not make W231 or any powder. It's bought from St. Marks powder. W231 was first as a replacement for W230 and Hodgdon bought the same powder from St Marks and labelled it HP-38 (Hodgdon Powder .38)
 
Titegroup is my go to powder for full .38Spl(no +P).Economical and accurate.Not many powders will give you an honest 900Fps under a 150gr SWC out of a 6''bbl with less than 4gr.For target work,I rely on Red Dot,Promo and 700X(used to be Bullseye but I haven't seen a single pound for sale for the last 4 years).
I use HP38 and W231 in my 9mm and .45ACP.But to be honest with you,I would not cry if all I'd have would be HP38(W231).Darn good powder;clean,economical and accurate.
If double(or more)charging is so much a concern,either go to Trailboss only or develop a methodical way to ensure that it won't happen(the upside down case until there is powder in is a good one).
Have fun and play it safe!
Qc
 
I went to the local gun store today and they had a decent selection of powder, although they did not have HP38. They had Trail Boss at a very good price but I ended up buying a container of Winchester 231, due to the majority of people's input.


Thank you everyone.
 
Trailboss may seem like a good value based on the price per bottle. The problem is a "1 lb bottle" of Trailboss is really only 9 ounces. It is very fluffy. Using a 158 grain LSWC at max load you will get 1891 loads from HP38 1 lb bottle. Using the same bullet at max load with Trailboss gives you 937 loads.

Yes, I realize that powder is actually the cheapest component per round, but some people don't realize that Trailboss is sold in nearly half pound bottles vs full pound bottles.
 
Clovishound said:
Trailboss may seem like a good value based on the price per bottle. The problem is a "1 lb bottle" of Trailboss is really only 9 ounces. It is very fluffy. Using a 158 grain LSWC at max load you will get 1891 loads from HP38 1 lb bottle. Using the same bullet at max load with Trailboss gives you 937 loads.

Yes, I realize that powder is actually the cheapest component per round, but some people don't realize that Trailboss is sold in nearly half pound bottles vs full pound bottles.
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Yeah that's what I was thinking. It was a lot cheaper but you'll only get half the amount of loads as the other brands.
 
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