Titewad Powder for Handguns- A Question

[RobertJ.]

Hodgdon has published data for Titewad powder in both 9mm and .45 ACP. It's a fast burning shotgun powder, but obviously safe for both these cartridges. It makes sense to me that it would be safe in others, for instance, a .38 Special target load.

I sent Hodgdon an e-mail asking about this. I haven't heard back yet.

Has anyone tried it in a .38?

I'm asking because I have several pounds of it to load shotshells, and at the moment, I have no Bullseye. I have no shortage of other powders, like Unique, but just wanted to experiment with lower velocity target ammo. This would be for a Combat Masterpiece and a Colt Officer's Model Match. Neither one does as well as I would like with lower end loads using Unique, and that's the fastest burning powder I have on hand right now.

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[OKFC05]

It makes sense to me that it would be safe in others, for instance, a .38 Special target load.

Not to me. There is no safe load of titeWAD in a large low-pressure caliber like .38 special or .44 special. It is marginal even in the small high-pressure 9mm. (Reaches max pressure at only 942 fps, which is slow for 9mm)

If you want a fast pistol powder, get Titegroup, NOT titewad. Data are on the Hodgdon online loading site. I use a lot of Titegroup in 9mm and .40. For .38, I use HP38.

If I were trying to get by just with one relatively fast pistol powder, I would choose HP38, which is optimum in .38 special, and works in 9mm, .40, and .45.

 

[RobertJ.]

Not to me. There is no safe load of titeWAD in a large low-pressure caliber like .38 special or .44 special. It is marginal even in the small high-pressure 9mm. (Reaches max pressure at only 942 fps, which is slow for 9mm)

If you want a fast pistol powder, get Titegroup, NOT titewad. Data are on the Hodgdon online loading site. I use a lot of Titegroup in 9mm and .40. For .38, I use HP38.

If I were trying to get by just with one relatively fast pistol powder, I would choose HP38, which is optimum in .38 special, and works in 9mm, .40, and .45.

Hey, thank you for your input! That's why I asked here!

There's a store nearby that has plenty of slower burning powders, but no Bullseye or HP38. I'll just be patient and wait, and hope for the best. Both my target .38's shoot full power loads just fine, so I still have that.

Thanks again, R.

 

[venomballistics]

IME Just because a particular load combination is listed, does not mean in any way, that its a good load.

I know its still rough out there .. but do your grunt work, get the right components and put out better ammo ... leave the titewad for a trap shooter who can make better use of it than you can

 

[RobertJ.]

IME Just because a particular load combination is listed, does not mean in any way, that its a good load.

I know its still rough out there .. but do your grunt work, get the right components and put out better ammo ... leave the titewad for a trap shooter who can make better use of it than you can

Thanks, I've known all along about some loads not being as good as others, I just need to be reminded now and then!

I load shot shells, also. I'm not a bird hunter, I load slugs and buck, and I don't go for max loads. After the '08 election, I stocked up on AA hulls, primers, wads, various sizes of buck, and several pounds of Titewad. I've gotten good results, and I'll never want for shotgun ammo.

But I knew it was in the Hodgdon data for 9mm and .45 ACP, so I couldn't help but wonder. Thankfully, I also knew this would be the place to ask about it! Thanks! R.

 

[alwslate]

I load shotshells for trap and have used Titewad at times and also
thought that it might be a good powder for light 38 spl loads. I didn't
know that Hodgdon had listed loads for 9mm with it but i'm not
surprised. When I first saw the Titewad 45 acp loads I called Hodgdon
and asked about 38 spl useage. The rep I talked to would not endorse
it for 38 spl because no testing had been done but he told me he was
asking their ballisticians to develop loads in several other cartridges
along with 45 acp. He did agree with me that if it works in one round
with light lead bullet loads then there's no reason to think it wouldn't
work in another. I expected to see data developed for other popular
pistol rounds in time. It is a fast powder and most likely will be used
like Clays, narrow range light standard pressure loads. When you ask
questions like this on here you're going to get dire warnings from
people's opinions that have zero knowledge about the issue. Unless
you feel comfortable with working up loads on your own with no
published data for reference then I suggest you call Hodgdon and ask
to speak with someone who can answer your question. Patience may
be your best friend in this case though because you may just have to
wait until data is published. Hodgdon may have a winner in Titewad
for clean burning light pistol loads and I do believe data will be
forthcoming for other calibers in time.

 

[Rule3]

Fast powder for the 45 ACP, 38 Special, slower for the 9mm

HP38 is the same as Win 231 in case you see that around. It usually costs a little more as you pay for that Winchester name

 

[Zirges2000]

Been using Titewad in .45acp and .38 special for over a year with great results.

I started using tightwad in loading 45 ACP over a year ago because I couldn't find any Clay's locally. My developed road is 4.3 grains of tightwad with a 200 grain Precision coated lead bullet. The load works great very dependable no signs of overpressure. And just walks in at where you want to be for power factor (about 845 fps) shooting IDPA. Additionally, I developed a load using the same powder for 38 special. I use three point 7 grains of Titewad with 135 grain coated lead Bullet. Again it works great and I see no signs of overpressure. Have fired about 6k of the .45 acp and about 1.5k of the .38 spl. Hope this helps!

 

[RobertJ.]

Hey, thanks! I appreciate the input!

But since then, which was about three and a half years ago, I've been able to stock up on all my favorite fast-burning powders.

I can honestly say that I'll never run out of Bullseye, Red Dot, or 700x in this lifetime!

 

[rwsmith]

Check the Hodgdon website.....

Titegroup can be used in many cartridges as a target powder, but you HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL that you don't overcharge or double charge the cases. Just like Bullseye or other fast powders, this can blow a gun to pieces.

Check the Hodgdon website reloading center. I just checked and there are bunches of loads for .38 with Titegroup.

As far as medium powders go, there are several that are just fine for .38:

Unique, Universal, BE 86 and Acc #5 are good.