Thank you for pointing out that titegroup is easy to load incorrectly when not careful. I saw others mentioned this also.
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w231 & HP-38 replacement for new 45 acp ReLoader
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Thank you for pointing out that titegroup is easy to load incorrectly when not careful. I saw others mentioned this also.
Mid Post takeaway.
4 powders look to be favorites
Bullseye
CFE Pistol
HP-38
W 231
These are recommended but not as often
Power Pistol
Unique
Universal
Autocomp
I plan to load with a Dillon 550, so metering is very important. Are all 8 powers equally well metering?
And any additional info on the second 4 powders I listed is welcome
4 powders look to be favorites
Bullseye
CFE Pistol
HP-38
W 231
These are recommended but not as often
Power Pistol
Unique
Universal
Autocomp
I plan to load with a Dillon 550, so metering is very important. Are all 8 powers equally well metering?
And any additional info on the second 4 powders I listed is welcome
smokindog
Member
It's like being in a candy store these days compared to the recent drought 
Lot's more than this in stock but .........
Hodgdon CFE Pistol Smokeless Powder 8 Lb by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
Winchester Autocomp Smokeless Powder 8 Lbs by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
Hodgdon Titegroup Smokeless Powder 8 Lbs by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
Lot's more than this in stock but .........Hodgdon CFE Pistol Smokeless Powder 8 Lb by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
Winchester Autocomp Smokeless Powder 8 Lbs by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
Hodgdon Titegroup Smokeless Powder 8 Lbs by HODGDON , IMR & WINCHESTER
GCF
Member
I've found that Unique's metering characteristics leave something to be desired - w/ my Dillon 550 powder dispenser.
That said, when hand measuring (which I do a lot of), It works well for heavy bullets - in large cases.
Interestingly, no one has mentioned VV N-310 for .45acp. Pricy, but popular. Got a reputation for clean burn, efficiency, & accuracy.
VV powders provide fairly good, case filling bulk, & also meter very well.
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venomballistics
Member
these shouldn't necessarily be sorted into a powder popularity contest.
often times in a Ford Vs Chevy debate, its most gratifying to drive away in the Porsche
a better way of looking at powders, quirks aside, is to organize them like gears in a transmission.
of the 8 we will drop Unique for its dubious metering leaving 7
HP-38 and 231 are the same powder so its really 6
bullseye ... clearly first gear
231 is probably second
power pistol and auto comp run tight to eachother for third
cfe pistol 4th
Universal fits somewhere in the power pistol area as well
Where an engine might make peak power at 5000 RPM and become shrapnel after 6500, this stuff works similarly.
Powders come into their grooves at some point in the upper end of the pressure curve without playing chicken with the redline.
you need an easy shooting target load ... bullseye might be your thing.
want a little more power to make that 45 feel like what you paid for, something out of second or third gear might be what your looking for.
defense / bear / special collection .... 4th gear.
these shouldn't necessarily be sorted into a powder popularity contest.
often times in a Ford Vs Chevy debate, its most gratifying to drive away in the Porsche
a better way of looking at powders, quirks aside, is to organize them like gears in a transmission.
of the 8 we will drop Unique for its dubious metering leaving 7
HP-38 and 231 are the same powder so its really 6
bullseye ... clearly first gear
231 is probably second
power pistol and auto comp run tight to eachother for third
cfe pistol 4th
Universal fits somewhere in the power pistol area as well
Where an engine might make peak power at 5000 RPM and become shrapnel after 6500, this stuff works similarly.
Powders come into their grooves at some point in the upper end of the pressure curve without playing chicken with the redline.
you need an easy shooting target load ... bullseye might be your thing.
want a little more power to make that 45 feel like what you paid for, something out of second or third gear might be what your looking for.
defense / bear / special collection .... 4th gear.
Hey thats great, being a car guy that makes a lot of sense. Thanks. Not having loaded pistol rounds I started with the favorites approach. your explanation is better.
se
I'm an OLD bullseye guy. Have used it since I began loading pistol many years ago. For .38 at the range, I load 3.2 grains of BE pushing a 158 grain plated semi-wadcutter produced by Xtreme bullets from Carson City, NV. Comfortable load which won't beat your hand and very accurate. As for the .45 ACP, I load 4.2 grains of BE pushing a 200 grain plated semi-wadcutter also from Xtreme. Again, this is a load that doesn't beat you up and provides excellent accuracy.
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SLT223
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Any of the very fast powders will work best for moderate target loads. If this is the route you go, try to find some Hodgdon Clays or Alliant Bullseye. If you want to velocity a bit, try the medium burn rate powders like BE86, HS6, Unique. The medium powders work best toward the warm end of their load spectrum.
Bkreutz
US Veteran
these shouldn't necessarily be sorted into a powder popularity contest.
often times in a Ford Vs Chevy debate, its most gratifying to drive away in the Porsche
a better way of looking at powders, quirks aside, is to organize them like gears in a transmission.
of the 8 we will drop Unique for its dubious metering leaving 7
HP-38 and 231 are the same powder so its really 6
bullseye ... clearly first gear
231 is probably second
power pistol and auto comp run tight to eachother for third
cfe pistol 4th
Universal fits somewhere in the power pistol area as well
Where an engine might make peak power at 5000 RPM and become shrapnel after 6500, this stuff works similarly.
Powders come into their grooves at some point in the upper end of the pressure curve without playing chicken with the redline.
you need an easy shooting target load ... bullseye might be your thing.
want a little more power to make that 45 feel like what you paid for, something out of second or third gear might be what your looking for.
defense / bear / special collection .... 4th gear.
I'm going to disagree a bit. From what I've observed, CFE Pistol and Autocomp are the same powder (much like HP38 and W231). I use both powders CFE for minor and Autocomp for major power factors. But I have substituted CFE for Autocomp in my powder drop, didn't change any settings, and the weight of the powder was identical for both powders, then I shot them over a chrono and found that up to 160 power factor, they both shot the same speed. Now when I got over 165 and finally to the 172 that I normally shoot 9 major, the CFE was 20 fps slower. I was getting 1380 fps from CFE and 1400 from Autocomp. Hard to say what the difference was caused by, I could load up some new rounds and the results could be reversed. But in the minor power factor range, I use them interchangeably.
Disclaimer...9Major loads are not for the inexperienced (or timid). the load data is well off the chart on the right side of published data
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scattershot
Member
231 and HP38 aren't going anywhere to my knowledge. Hodgdon sells tons of the stuff, and it,wouldn't make much sense for them to discontinue it.
That said, if you want another powder that works well in the 45ACP, look at Bullseye, Unique, or Red Dot.
That said, if you want another powder that works well in the 45ACP, look at Bullseye, Unique, or Red Dot.
Sauergrapes
Member
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LOL, yeah, me too! Surprising how many calibers I can use it for.
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I really like the fact W231 comes in 4lb jugs. I have 3 left but just opened one. Even though I load a lot it still lasts a long time because I don't use much in each case. The possibility of the powder going bad is less when tapping a 4lb jug than an 8lb jug. I fill a 1lb jug with the bigger jug for loading.
I just hope Hodgdon doesn't stop selling the 4lb jugs.
ChuckS1
US Veteran
Bullseye is all you need.
Unique,Bullseye,Herco,etc... [emoji12]
