Dirty Powder or Something Else?

[hfl73]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to reloading and just finished my first batch of 9mm with my Dillon XL650. I have been using 115gr.bullets w/FMJ on once fired brass with 4.2 grains of Bullseye powder, the max load is 4.7 as per the data from Alliant. The OAL is 1.145 with 1.125 being the minimum recommendation. After shooting 50 rounds or so out of my M&P it seems pretty dirty when I clean the barrel, more so than any commercial ammo I have used in the past. Should I be looking for a cleaner burning powder or be making some other adjustments in my reloading process? Thanks

[Hi-Power Jack]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to reloading and just finished my first batch of 9mm with my Dillon XL650. I have been using 115gr.bullets w/FMJ on once fired brass with 4.2 grains of Bullseye powder, the max load is 4.7 as per the data from Alliant. The OAL is 1.145 with 1.125 being the minimum recommendation. After shooting 50 rounds or so out of my M&P it seems pretty dirty when I clean the barrel, more so than any commercial ammo I have used in the past. Should I be looking for a cleaner burning powder or be making some other adjustments in my reloading process? Thanks

I haven't used Bullseye for 40 years but I've been using WW231 and it seems very clean to me.

I don't remember the Bullseye?

Sorry,

Jack

[TMC]

Nothing is going to be as clean as commercial powder. I don't know what the use but I wish I could buy it.

[indyparks]

I like Tight group, seems to be a cleaner burning powder

[mda]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to reloading and just finished my first batch of 9mm with my Dillon XL650. I have been using 115gr.bullets w/FMJ on once fired brass with 4.2 grains of Bullseye powder, the max load is 4.7 as per the data from Alliant. The OAL is 1.145 with 1.125 being the minimum recommendation. After shooting 50 rounds or so out of my M&P it seems pretty dirty when I clean the barrel, more so than any commercial ammo I have used in the past. Should I be looking for a cleaner burning powder or be making some other adjustments in my reloading process? Thanks

Bulleye is just a dirty powder as well as being fast buning on an exposed lead base bullet.

MDA

[Biloxi23]

In the old days, everyone loaded 2.7 grains of Bullseye and a 148 grain hollow base wadcutter in .38 Special. It was really accurate, and really dirty.

[CocoBolo]

Treat your self to some N320 it is clean consistent and it shoots nice in 9 mm. TiteGroup is nasty stuff and it burns way hot, melts the rear end off the bullet, smokes like a freight train, well it does shoot fairly well. Also try some 124/125gr bullets take a little flip and recoil out of your shooting, then when you think you are spoiled get some 147gr.

231 and WST are similar and work very well in 40 and 45, but not as well in 9 mm, but clean compared to TiteGroup.

Stick with jacketed bullets, skip, the plated, lead, and moly till you have mastered loading jacketed bullets.

Drop check every round, a fat 9 mm case is a way ugly jam, when it won't go into battery, and you bloody up your hand trying to knock it loose.

Edited May 20, 2011 by CocoBolo

[98006]

I load my 230gr 45 with 5.0 of BE. After i shoot it, there is always a lot of soot on the end of the slide. Only happens with BE.

[whistlepig]

+1 on N320. Good stuff. Powders are diff and bullet selection does play a big part. for example, W231 is great with a lead 230 gr RN in my .45's but is so smokey the other guys disparge it by asking if its a black powder load.... Very acurate, but the smoke is silly thick.

[FLSlim]

I too found BE pretty sooty. But, if you are happy with the powder and its performance, don't worry about it. Just clean the gun after your range trip.

[hfl73]

Thanks to all for your timely responses. I appreciate the feedback. It's good to know the soot problem wasn't from unburned or partially burned powder due to my mistake reloading. Even though the fired rounds performed well I think I will experiment with some different powders especially the N320. Thank you Coco Bolo for your reloading tips, 124gr. FMJ bullets have been added to my future supply list.

[7mmb]

Bullseye is very dirty, but gives very good accuracy and consistency. N320 is accurate and consistent too, and much, much cleaner. This is because the VV handgun powders are single base; there is no nitroglycerin in it. If dirty doesn't bother you Bullseye is a good powder; cheap, available everywhere and lots of data for it. Personally, I like N320.

[noylj]

If it gives you the accuracy and velocity you want, who cares if it is "dirty." If it starts to clog up the gun after only 100 rounds, then you have a problem.

There are two philosophies:

1) shoot until you get a failure to chamber and then clean (or, clean when you decide to)

and

2) Oh my god, I've just fired 50 rounds and I must clean my gun before it starts to corrode.

Neither is going to lead to more work whether you see the powder as clean or dirty--you're either to clean any way or you're not.

Amazing how many posters complain about how "dirty" a powder is and how few ever mention how accurate the powder is.

Bullseye has been the powder that target loads are compared against and where ever accuracy is more important than how many rounds are fired in a given amount of time, you will find Bullseye in most of the rounds.

For 9x19 and a 115gn FMJ, I find that 4.3gn of Bullseye is a target load that is hard to beat. Zip is excellent from starting load to max. TightGroup is only really accurate in my guns at the starting load of 4.2gn. 5.6-5.8gn of 3N37 is very good, but pricey. Clays has a range of 3.6-3.9gn from start to max, which is too close for me to have any interest. Competition is OK, but it is not a powder that is going to get into the 125 PF range. 4.8gn N330 with a Sierra TM FMJ is reportedly the marine standard target load. I have never tried it. For a dirty powder, 5.1gn of Unique is a very accurate load. Finally, 5.3gn WSF is a very accurate load.

I really don't know how "clean" any of them were, but I would be willing to bet that N330 is very clean.