Which powder?

[Rule3]

^^^^^^
Bah Humbug!!

Hp 38/win 231 will do anything Unique will and meters better

Unique is the evil spawn of Flaming Dirt Blue Dot

 

[venomballistics]

^^^^^^
Bah Humbug!!

Hp 38/win 231 will do anything Unique will and meters better

Unique is the evil spawn of Flaming Dirt Blue Dot

now I have the old Miller Light ads in my head

"Flames great" -------------------- "Less filling"

something tells me CFE pistol just might dethrone 231 in the long haul.
I haven't really had a chance to properly torture the stuff yet, but it seems to have a lot of the traits to achieve pistol world domination.

 

[Rule3]

Miller (or anything "lite")

Tastes like water, less filling

When I drank, I drank real beer not watered down weasel pee


Unique is OK, I use it in 45 Colt I have tried it in 45 ACP and 9mm and 357 it's works fine and is very broad use as is HP38.

 

[Twoboxer]

Ya, I am currently shooting about 6k per year of 9mm and my hope for reloading is to increase that by a good deal...

I wanted to start on a single stage until I get the processes down and I would be able to use it for precision rifle later. I sized/deprimed 5k of 9mm brass I had stored over the last week. I definitely see a Dillon press in my future.

I am lucky that I can get some 9, 223 and 308 brass for free.

If your goal is to match your duty load, you're looking for a powder that can drive your 147gr bullet around the same velocity as your duty load.

You need to double check what I found, but the claimed velocity for RA9T 147gr is 990fps. I have no idea what barrel length they used, or what velocity you actually get from your duty load/firearm.

The only powders that came up short but close were Accurate 5 and 7 using Accurate's published data. Hodgdon 9 says that 6.7gr of Accurate #7 drives 147gr bullets @1,000fps using a 4" barrel.

If I had your goal and no other data, I would try Accurate #7 first. (Note that Hodgdon reports 4.7gr of Longshot will also push 147gr to 1k fps. Maybe you can find others.)

 

[LostintheOzone]

Lots of recommendations here. I have my favorite for 45 ACP and 38 spl but it isn't on your list. Buy a pound of AA #5 and reload a few rounds. I haven't used #5 but I've used #9 and it's good powder. Meters well and gets the job done. Buying a large quantity of powder before you actually put some rounds DR might be a bit premature.

 

[LostintheOzone]

Unique is the evil spawn of Flaming Dirt Blue Dot

Not only that, it's a shotgun powder. Who in they're right mind would use a shotgun powder in their pistol ammo

 

[Rule3]

Not only that, it's a shotgun powder. Who in they're right mind would use a shotgun powder in their pistol ammo

Lots and lots of shotgun powders are also handgun powders or were you joking?

 

[Nevada Ed]

One powder that does it all in a 38 special from light 148gr target to +P 158gr lead loads is Red Dot.

In the 9mm it fills the case with its fluffy powder and a maximum load is right at the base of a plated bullet at standard OAL's........... which makes a great beginners powder.
No way to double charge with this powder.

True you might not be able to get a +P load in a barrel shorter than a 4" with a 124gr bullet but that is a good thing for people starting out, until they get more time to learn what is taking place.

Also nice to have around if you shot a shotgun, too.......