# Overall pistol powder



## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

So I have been reloading for rifle and 44 mag, although I do not have a progressive *yet*, its time to start tinkering and create a couple recipies, the main calibers I would reload for are .45, 9mm, 38spcl, W231 has been recomended to me as a versitile powder that works well in all of these, just wondering what everyone else thought about this? I was told unique would be a good choice as well, but it tends to run dirtier.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

You know I always hear that about Unique, but it's one of my favorite powders. I noticed about five years ago they started advertising it as "cleaner burning". To tell the truth the front of my 44 gets as dirty with H110, W296, BlueDot, etc. My favorite load isn't a hot load at all. It's 9gr of Unique with a 240 cast bullet. My 8 3/8 inch Smith puts it out at 1157 fps and my 4 inch puts it out at 1050 fps. I forget what the velocity is in my 44 Marlin.

I also shoot a heavy load in my Kimber 1911 in 45 auto. I cast a 185 gr Lyman for that load. It's the most accurate load out of that Kimber. It has a huge hollow point. I think Lyman calls it the Decimator, but my memory may be screwed up on that too. If I wasn't lazy this morning I would go look.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

I went with Hodgdon Clays. Works in .45, 9 mm, .38 and 12 ga.

I went with Clays for a 12 Ga load originally because it was the cleanest burning I could find. It went that way into pistol too.


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## coyote sniper (Apr 15, 2009)

Plainsman I think that bullet you are casting is called the Devistator isn't it?


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Think I will pick up a pound of unique, w231, and silhouette, not like any of them will go to waste and start tinkering from there. Seems like there are so many options for loading pistol rounds as opposed to rifle, and everyone has their own personal favorites, but unique is generally the most recomended, w231 is boasted as being economical, and I just want to try the silhouette and see if it really does reduce muzzle flash.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

compare the load weights in W231 to Clays. Clays if I remember is more economical.

115 gr Speer GDHP 
Clays 3.9 vs W231 5.1

Cleaner and more loads per pound.


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Ill do some reasearch on clays as well, I didnt that up last ngiht. Like I said I am just tinkering to come up with some recipies so I am willing to try just about anything.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

I was looking for some information on .38 special and came across this...

(Note H110 & W296 are the same as of 2008 as is HP-38 & W231)
http://www.reloadammo.com/38loads.htm

What I was specifically looking for is bullet size of 9mm (.355 or .356) vs .38 special (.357 or .358)


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Here is something to keep in mind while loading. An economical powder isn't always the safest powder to load. For example I think a 38 wadcutter uses only 3 to 4 grains of Bullseye. If your off .1 grain you will notice a velocity variance. Also, it would be very easy to double charge this type of load in some progressive presses. A powder that is more bulky or requires 10 gr of powder could be loaded .1 grain more or less and not show as great a velocity variability as Bullseye.

Decide why you reload. I don't load for economical reason, I reload for performance. Most often that performance is precision, but sometimes it's for velocity. When loading for precision I more often pick bulky powders. Some manuals will give you a percentage of case filled. Some of my loads are up into the neck of the case and I compress it when seating the bullet. It's perhaps the least economical, but I can load premium ammo for the price of plane Jane ammo over the counter.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

statistically speaking.

I do not think there is a modern loading machine that can maintain that kind of a process. I expect to see a .1 gr and even pushing a .2 gr difference. Process wise, it's just a fact.

Taking that into consideration, I still see the use of Clays over W231 to be enough of an economy of scale issue when the loads I plan on using are going to count 12,000+ rounds for the year.

It works out to about 2 1/4 pounds every year in less powder used.

Even with 231, the powder charges are maybe 1 gr higher. Around 4.8-5.

By your logic, that same .1-.2 powder charge isn't significantly different.

I have also found Clays to be a rather sound performer. If you haven't tried it, don't knock it. A lot of people have given me flack for trying Clays. Seems they have never worked a load up for it either.

It performs, low recoil, clean burning and economical to load over anything else I have tried. When people see it shot in the 92FS, the comment on how well the pistol does not climb or appear to recoil.

And plainsman, what you pointed out WAS a concern for me as well when I started to load this powder. I found it to be a moot point.


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Yeah its more of a hobby than a cost saving measure, who knows how many thousands of rounds I would have to load to make up for the cost of the equipment. I went to Scheels at lunch, they do not carry silhouette, and only have 4lb jugs of unique, which is fine but for tinkering on a single stage its more than i wanted at the moment. The guy said they would get more in at some time, but that is what they told me last week as well. They do not carry w231 in anything larger than a 1lb container if that is what I decided to use. I am really missing wholesale sports right now. I did pick up 1 pound of 231 to play with for now. Plainsman makes a good point, about low volume powders, its something I will have to think about.


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## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

I am going to try clays but when I was at scheels I couldnt remember if you said clays or universal clays.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

specialpatrolgroup said:


> I am going to try clays but when I was at scheels I couldnt remember if you said clays or universal clays.


There is that. Just straight Clays. The other two with that in the name are shotgun only powder for International and Universal will be a pistol/shotgun.

Universal will be a 5 gr load where the Clays is a 3.9 gr. I never tried the Universal because of how clean burning the straight Clays is.

I use 17.5 gr in my shotgun load and get zero residue. Same with my 9mm and 45 acp loads.

ETA:

After a marathon day of shooting a case of Federal Target loads out at Horace Skeet range, I really wanted a light recoiling load. I found that with the Clays and a 7/8 oz load. I tried Red Dot, Green dot and a couple other powders including Clays. I settled with Clays. You can fire a case of this in a Rem 870 and still want to shoot at the end of the day.


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## noylj (Nov 10, 2010)

For almost all pistol loads, where highest velocity is not a priority, 231/HP38 is hard to beat.
I prefer AA2 for loads under 25ksi and AA5 for load greater than 20ksi (yes, there is overlap), and 2400 or SR4759 for my magnums. 
I could be fairly happy with 231/HP38 and 2400 only.


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