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Thread: Beginning Reloading Powder Suggestions -

  1. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by spinmove_ View Post
    So basically what I’m hearing is “buy the biggest tub of both you can find and stick to those until you run out. By then you’ll have a really good idea of what you’re doing and will probably be buying both again later since I’ll most likely have worked up a good load for both and consistency is king.”


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    This is a do-as-I-say and not a do-as-I-do statement. Buy a large bottle of one type of well known, established powder with a lot of load data. A powder suitable for .38 spl and 9mm will be relatively fast, but can load up to .44 mag, but not with blistering speeds. The get a well known good bullet, and work up some good loads. You’ll waste more money buying a bunch of bullets and powders looking for nirvana. Have a bunch of left over bullets and powders is a pain. Plus it takes a LOT of time to load up test loads and shoot them.

    So one good powder with one good bullet. Try 3-4 known accuracy loads, and maybe a ladder test, and get shooting. You are unlikely to see any difference between N310 and Clays loaded in .45 Acp with known bullseye accuracy loads. N310 is cleaner, but more expensive. But in shooting, they’ll group a good bullet into 3 inches at 50 yards.

    Get shooting and after 5-10 years, you’ll know what you like and what works for you.


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  2. #52
    Site Supporter Jamie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BehindBlueI's View Post
    My system for this is to leave the power container next to the hopper, even if empty. All powders not being used are stored on shelves.
    I pretty much do the same, except for my Unique as it's in 8# containers (but it's sitting out within my visual field). I also label my powder dispensers. All powders not in use are locked up in a cabinet.

    (Excuse the clutter.This pic is a couple of years old and I was loading 5.56 on the old Lee press)... I need a bigger space!

    Attachment 42500

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by john c View Post
    This is a do-as-I-say and not a do-as-I-do statement. Buy a large bottle of one type of well known, established powder with a lot of load data. A powder suitable for .38 spl and 9mm will be relatively fast, but can load up to .44 mag, but not with blistering speeds. The get a well known good bullet, and work up some good loads. You’ll waste more money buying a bunch of bullets and powders looking for nirvana. Have a bunch of left over bullets and powders is a pain. Plus it takes a LOT of time to load up test loads and shoot them.

    So one good powder with one good bullet. Try 3-4 known accuracy loads, and maybe a ladder test, and get shooting. You are unlikely to see any difference between N310 and Clays loaded in .45 Acp with known bullseye accuracy loads. N310 is cleaner, but more expensive. But in shooting, they’ll group a good bullet into 3 inches at 50 yards.

    Get shooting and after 5-10 years, you’ll know what you like and what works for you.


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    Good bullets can’t be that hard to find. Pick a weight and manufacturer. Powder on the other hand is what I’m trying to determine.

    Are you saying N320 is good for both 9mm and .38 Special? Or should I be going for HP-38? A pound or two of one or the other?


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  4. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by spinmove_ View Post
    Good bullets can’t be that hard to find. Pick a weight and manufacturer. Powder on the other hand is what I’m trying to determine.

    Are you saying N320 is good for both 9mm and .38 Special? Or should I be going for HP-38? A pound or two of one or the other?


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    Power Pistol may also be a good choice. Suitable for both calibers, fine grained, so it meters well, and clean burning. Burn rate is close to Unique. I burned a pound of it in 357mag.

    Chris

  5. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by spinmove_ View Post
    Good bullets can’t be that hard to find. Pick a weight and manufacturer. Powder on the other hand is what I’m trying to determine.

    Are you saying N320 is good for both 9mm and .38 Special? Or should I be going for HP-38? A pound or two of one or the other?


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    From your questions, all of which are very good, it appears that you may think that powders are "narrower" in scope than they are. Obviously, some powders are better in certain applications than others, and there's a wide gap between rifle and pistol powders. But powders in the same general range overlap one another to a huge degree. N320 and HP38 are very similar powders. HP38 is a tad faster, but N320 is not far behind. Check out the Vihtavuouri burn rate chart (one of the best). With a bunch of caveats, powders that burn with similar speeds are roughly equivalent and are usable in similar applications.

    There is published load data for both .38 spl and 9mm for both N320 and HP38. The burn rates for each powder are in the very good to perfect range for each cartridge.

    Looking at the Vihtavuori burn rate chart, you'll see probably 20-30 different powders that would be perfect for both cartridges. The reasons to choose one or the other is very small between them.

    Getting back to versatility, there are published load data for both HP38/Win231 and N320 for every cartridge between .380 and .44 magnum. You won't get top velocities in a .44 magnum, but you'll get within 85% of top velocities. So there's little need to get a bunch of different powders for each application.

    Load development takes a LOT of time and range trips. If that's your thing, by all means go for it. If you want to shoot more, research some good loads and bullets and load them up. Maybe do a little bit of ladder testing in 3% increments up and down from the known accuracy load to see if your gun is a little off from others. In an autoloading pistol, there are so many other factors at play that the known good load will likely be the best.

    Another point I want to make it that good bullets are probably 70% of the accuracy equation. Powder is maybe 10%. Finding good bullets is a real issue with cast bullets, but now with cheaper FMJs and JHPs this is less of an issue. But cast bullets there are probably 5 major variables that determine if a bullets will shoot into a playing card or garbage can lid.

    Thus my suggestion to buy a 4 or 8 pound can of a good, available powder with a bunch of known accuracy loads. Get a good bullet. RMR FMJs are pretty good for practical shooting; Hornady XTPs are the best for Bullseye accuracy. Good cast bullets will shoot 95% as well as XTPs for 1/10 the cost.

    Good luck!

  6. #56
    One more thing: I've loaded Bullseye powder extensively, and a bit less with Unique. Both great powders, but I feel that technology has surpassed these with better metering and cleaner burning. The benefit to these powders is the sheer volume of load data developed over 100 years. The powders are so well understood that I'd have no problem loading either of these in rifle, pistol, or shotgun (with a lot of care rifle). That's not true with newer powders.

    A downside to newer powders is that if you work up a good load, but the powder never gets popular, it will be discontinued in a couple of years. You'll need to develop new load data. So popular powders are a better choice.

  7. #57
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spinmove_ View Post
    Good bullets can’t be that hard to find. Pick a weight and manufacturer. Powder on the other hand is what I’m trying to determine.
    You need to read loading data. This is Hodgdon's site, but a manual will work.

    http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

    As @john c says, there is a lot of overlap. Also, IME there isn't a lot of accuracy difference between one powder and another. In 9mm I load what I can get a deal on, or whatever is available. During one panic I could get Bullseye, so I went retro. Since then I've used Unique (what I could get), ETR7 (CSB1 relabeled), CSB1-M that I bought in bulk, Longshot. I've also switched between plain lead, plated, and coated bullets. For a long time I shot 147/150gr, now I'm back to 115gr.

    You can chase components all you want, but the only accuracy problem has been me, not the ammo.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

  8. #58
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spinmove_ View Post
    Good bullets can’t be that hard to find. Pick a weight and manufacturer. Powder on the other hand is what I’m trying to determine.

    Are you saying N320 is good for both 9mm and .38 Special? Or should I be going for HP-38?
    I have no idea about .38, but I prefer n320 for 9mm.

    Bullets:

    Avoid bullets with exposed lead bases. Look for TMJ or JHP in jacketed.

    I don’t like plated bullets, especially if they are soft lead. Soft bullets can behave unpredictability as you approach max charge weight. Plus, they make barrels dirty and shave lead when you load.

    I like Blue Bullets. They are polymer coated. I’ve shot maybe 50k since I switched from SNS, and am very happy with them.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  9. #59
    Member SecondsCount's Avatar
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    My favorite loads for the calibers that the OP listed-

    9mm- 124 Precision Delta 124HP with 5.0 grains of WSF or 3.9 grains N320. I have shot tens of thousands of these.

    38 Special- I don't remember the exact load but I liked Hodgdon Clays, 3.5 grains if I remember correctly, behind a 148 grain lead bullet. This is one that you have to be very careful of a double charge. I don't shoot a lot of revolver but I have won a few informal target competitions with that load.

    45ACP- 3.9 grains of Hodgdon Clays behind a 200 grain lead semiwadcutter. Very soft shooting and accurate.

    Lately I have been testing some 135 Blue bullets with Clays and am like the results. Light recoil, and will cycle my P30, but recoil is pretty soft so it may not be making minor if that is a concern.
    -Seconds Count. Misses Don't-

  10. #60
    Picking a bulky powder that is hard to double charge a case with, is a good idea for a beginner. I started out with Universal Clays in 9mm, and Varget in .223. Sticking with popular powders often gives you more data options to look at. Once you find a combo you like, then you can buy in bulk. Pistol powders generally go a long way per pound. It sucks to have a partially used 8lb jug of a powder you don't particularly care for sitting around.

    I use quite a bit of W231 in .38 and .357 (target velocity) loads. 2400 for boomer .357 loads. 4ish grains of WSF and a 147gr bullet is my current go-to 9mm load, and is very accurate for me.

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