# Need help with powder selection



## hawcer

I will be reloading 9mm,40sw for starters and will add 380acp and 45acp for a friend that will go in half on the extra tooling if I reload for him.

Is there an all-around good powder that will cover all these calibers,because I would prefer to by in a bulk quantity?I prefer a consistant, cleaner burning powder if at all possible.I will mainly be reloading ammo for the range,so I have no interest in "hot" loads yet.

I remember reading somewhere that the more space inside the casing for the powder to move away from the primer can cause inconsistant data.So would it be best to use a powder that requires more grains for the load, to try to achieve max capacity of the casing without actually compressing the powder when seating the bullet?

For example:

A 9mm 115gr fmj using "Bullseye" requires 5 grains to achieve an average velocity of 1,180 with 31,000psi chamber pressure.

But if you use "Blue Dot" for roughly the same velocity and only 29,200psi pressure ,you have to use 8 grains of powder....thats a big difference!

I do realize that this is the extreme....Bullseye is about the fastest burning powder and Blue Dot is pretty slow compared.But,BlueDot will fill that case more,won't it?

I guess what I'm looking for is the g-spot between the two.....a starting point,then I can fiddle with fine tuning.


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## 220combat

In your example you would be using almost twice as much powder, there fore spending almost twice as much. I use Unique for .45ACP and .40 S&W. Check your reloading guide and see if it works for your 9 and 380.


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## hawcer

220combat said:


> In your example you would be using almost twice as much powder, there fore spending almost twice as much. I use Unique for .45ACP and .40 S&W. Check your reloading guide and see if it works for your 9 and 380.


Yes ,there is a load for both of them...whats strang is that it increases the chamber pressure on the 9mm and decreases it on the 380.

Maybe I'll try some Unique,but use less than the specified amount of the 5.5 grains in the 9mm.


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## 69Roadrunner

Some other powders you might look at are Winchester 231, HP38 or TiteGroup. They are all relatively fast burning powders, but they all burn cleanly. I really like 231 in .45 ACP loads. HP38 and TiteGroup do well in .45 ACP too, as well as in light 9mm loads. What I like best about ball types of powder is that they meter consistently through powder measures. If you're looking for reloading data and don't want to buy a manual, look up Hodgdon's website http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp This site provides data for not only Hodgdon powders but others as well.


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## OMSBH44

By the way, Unique is not very clean burning.


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## gmaske

69Roadrunner said:


> Some other powders you might look at are Winchester 231, HP38 or TiteGroup. They are all relatively fast burning powders, but they all burn cleanly. I really like 231 in .45 ACP loads. HP38 and TiteGroup do well in .45 ACP too, as well as in light 9mm loads. What I like best about ball types of powder is that they meter consistently through powder measures. If you're looking for reloading data and don't want to buy a manual, look up Hodgdon's website http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp This site provides data for not only Hodgdon powders but others as well.


Like 69Roadrunner said, the ball type powders meter the best so try to find something along those lines. Switching powders when you switch dies isn't a big deal but the set up cost is a bit more for sure.


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## 220combat

OMSBH44 said:


> By the way, Unique is not very clean burning.


I know, I'm new to reloading and I am finding this out.


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## hawcer

69Roadrunner said:


> Some other powders you might look at are Winchester 231, HP38 or TiteGroup. They are all relatively fast burning powders, but they all burn cleanly. I really like 231 in .45 ACP loads. HP38 and TiteGroup do well in .45 ACP too, as well as in light 9mm loads. What I like best about ball types of powder is that they meter consistently through powder measures. If you're looking for reloading data and don't want to buy a manual, look up Hodgdon's website http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp This site provides data for not only Hodgdon powders but others as well.


Excellent!

I have a couple loading manuals on the way,but that's a really good link and resource .Thanks! 

So ...Unique is dirty....that scratches that choice.
In the past I have been shooting Speer Lawman 115gr in my 9mm and it seemed to be pretty clean and not much clean-up was needed.This weekend I was using Winchester white box and I noticed the "sandy" looking stuff or powder residue around the chamber area and noticed flecks hitting me in the face when firing.

My friend was shooting a 380acp and was using remington fmj ammo.whatever powder they use in that round is really sooty and left black residue all over the barrel,guide rod and end of the slide...almost as bad as black powder....I don't want to load anything that nasty if I can help it.


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## benzuncle

I use Hodgdon's HP-38 for my .380 and 45ACP loads. I was going to use Winchester 231, but found the HP-38 first and then discovered they are the same powder. Here's the skinny:

*Hodgdon HP-38 and Winchester 231* are exactly the same powders. Anywhere you see data for one you can use the other. 
Dave Campbell 
Hodgdon/ IMR/Winchester


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## mactex

Power Pistol works for .380 and 9mm. I believe there are loads for the 40 45 as well. It's a good, clean burning powder which, like Unique, works for lots of different loads.


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## Baldy

If it were me I would buy 8lbs of Win-231 or HP-38 as they are one and the same. Cheaper in bulk. Good shooting. :smt1099


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## PanaDP

Baldy said:


> If it were me I would buy 8lbs of Win-231 or HP-38 as they are one and the same. Cheaper in bulk. Good shooting. :smt1099


Ditto. Get whichever is cheaper and don't think about it too much.


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## TOF

I don't load .380 but do load 9MM, .40S&W and .357. Friends load .45ACP.
We use Vihta Vuori N340 and like it. It's a little more expensive, on the order of $4 or $5 per 1000 rounds but burns clean and produces accurate loads.

:smt1099


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