Clays powder

[MHicks]

The opinions on Clays powder seem to be all over the place. I've used it with good results so far,45acp 200gr lswc, but lately I see a lot of posts warning about Clays and "pressure spikes". On the other hand I see plenty of shooters that think Clays is very good and one of their favorites. I'm pretty much loading for competition and meeting the power factor requirements in each case plus enough to be over the requirement to allow for the variables if chrono'd at a match. So, I'm not loading light target loads, but not heavier self defense type loads either. I currently load 9mm 125gr lrn, 38 special 170lrn and the 200 gr 45's. Anyway, I'm in the process of experimenting with some different powders and loads and want to purchase more powder when I have settled on some loads. Mark

Edited May 30, 2011 by MHicks

[JFlowers]

I am loading Clays in 45 GAP/ACP and have had no issues with it. Stable, not too dirty, and readily available.

[CocoBolo]

Mark its that chicken little syndrome, some one makes a mistake blows the bottom out of the mag and all of a sudden everyone turns on the powder.

I shoot Clays in 45 with 200gr Precision Moly either SWC or RN, excellent in every respect. I have to move my gun to keep from shooting the same hole all the time so it is accurate. Your results may vary, depending on many factors.

I don't use Clays in 40, as 40 does not have the safety cushion that you find in say 9 mm when it comes to pressure, and I have it on good authority a multi time world champ GM i shoot with that yes he ran it in 40 and you will blow the top off a piece of brass once in a while and maybe have one that splits, but it shoots so good. For me I don't want to deal with it. I like my WST load in limited or N320 as a backup.

I've shot Clays in 9 mm with 147gr and with SPP primers the pressure is within what I call acceptable, reading the primer signs. In 125gr I thing there are better powders, like N320. I'm going to try RamShot Competition next on 9 mm minor, since I've tried most of the rest of them.

I don't shoot enough wheel gun to load 38Special.

As always start low work up looking for pressure signs.

[Steve RA]

Clays is great for .45. Try 4756 in the 9m/m and .40 S&W.

[blueeyephil]

I use Clay's in 40 Minor and it's fine. But you will have problems if you try to go major in the 40.

[MarkCO]

Agree with the above. I use Clays in .40 Minor and .45 ACP. Both are low pressure loads and work great with Clays. When you pass about 30K psi, then the pressure spike can become an issue. Alos, remember there is Clays (keep under the 30K psi and you will be fine), and Universal Clays which can be loaded to USPSA major and beyond in .40, 10mm and several other cartridges.

In the FWIW category, pressure signs in relatively low pressure (under 40K psi or so) pistol cartridges are not discernable visually. If you measure brass before and after and know how to do the math, you can calculate the area under the curve, but not the spike. If you see primer flow in normal revolver and auto-pistol cartidges, you are already well over max!

[Avezorak]

I use Clays for .40 minor with a 180, 9mm with a 130 and 3.9 gr with a 200 gr coated lead RN in .45. I love the stuff

[Jeff Matzka]

The opinions on Clays powder seem to be all over the place. I've used it with good results so far,45acp 200gr lswc, but lately I see a lot of posts warning about Clays and "pressure spikes".

In my experience, Clays is perfectly fine for .45 ACP, as long as you do your part - that is, pay attention while reloading and make sure your finished cartridges have the correct charge as well as the correct length so as not to cause excessive pressure. But I'm pretty sure that applies to any ANY powder we reload with. Clays IS a faster burning powder, which is what gives it its lighter-recoil feel. But faster also means it can be a bit more sensitive to variables than say a slower, more forgiving powder. It just means ya gotta pay attention, that's all. That said, if you're not already paying attention while reloading, you're probably heading for some kind of mistake anyway someday.

So, regardless what powder you use...pay attention!

[PJones1911]

I have used Clay's in 45 ACP and 38 Special for well over two years, about 1000 round per month, with no issues. It measures pretty will in my Dillon 650 with some variance due to the powder shape and size. The 45ACP and 38 Special are pretty low pressure rounds and while I would be careful, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I love the power for is soft shooting characteristic and clean burning properties.

Paul

[GBertolet]

I use 4.0gr Clays in my 40 cal Para for IPSC major with a 175gr cast bullet. NO problems whatsoever. My Lyman manual shows 4.0 gr as OK with this bullet. I think the controversy on using Clays for IPSC major, was with the 200 gr jacketed bullets, when the PF was 175. Of course when you are shooting a major match, you are going to load to at least 180PF, and that's where the trouble began. At those loadings you were right on the edge, and bad things occasionally happened. There was an article in Front Sight magazine some time back, warning of this problem, and recommending you avoid Clays for this reason. I avoided Clays for the 40 then too, when I was using 200 gr jacketed.Now the IPSC major has been reduced to 165PF, and you are back from the edge. Also using cast bullets will lower pressures somewhat. I think you will be alright if you follow sound loading practices. My 2 cents worth anyway.

Edited November 5, 2012 by GBertolet

[noylj]

I am chicken little. Sorry if I make warnings based on my findings.

I loaded 200gn L-SWC from very low starting load of 3.2gn to low max load of 3.8gn. All were individually weighed and all cases inspected before the bullet was seated.

At 3.8gn, 2 of the 5 rounds had noticeably more severe recoil. Went back and loaded 3.7gn and, again, 2 of the 5 rounds had noticably more severe recoil. In 40 years of reloading, I have only found this with N310, Clays, and TiteGroup. Thus, my warning has been to use these powders only for minor loads. Just my opinion. They don't seem to have advantage that makes the risk of a weighing error on top of spiky pressure to be worth the risk when compared to Solo 1000 or AA2 or, even, Bullseye.

[Steve RA]

Here is a chart a friend made awhile back:

Velocities were taken with the 5" Taurus, not the Colt Commander.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Steve RA