Steve D. Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Hello Gents (& Ladies if you're present), I would be eager to hear any thoughts regarding selection of an accurate "forgiving" powder that will work well in .45 ACP and 9mm for a brand new reloader (me) to use in a progressive press. I guess this is a "training-wheels" question as I know some powders will Bite you if you screw-up by a very small margin (particularly in small-frame 9mm automatics). I am thinking 124 Gr. jacketed and 200 gr. jacketed in the bullets...no plans for lead. Clean-Burning is probably a preference to recoil characteristics. I will have very good measuring / metering equipment and I am pretty anal-retentive about deatils and precission whenever I do anything mechanical / fabrication (which think will help)... Many parts already coming for new precision AR build in 5.56 / .223 so will soon be striving to make near-match-grade ammo for this thing too. All Comers Welcome.. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Alliant Power Pistol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I recommend Accurate Arms #5, although any powder in its range (unique, universal) will likely work as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Winchester Super Field! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contactcole Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Unique. IMO the "Unique is too dirty" commments are way overblown, and Unique is a very forgiving, very versatile powder with tons of load data available. Also, any of the other mid-burners will be fine, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.E.Anglin Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I load both 124 9mm's and 200 .45's and I like tite group, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carharttfarmer Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 +1 for unique Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 +1 for unique As a newbie, I used lots of WW231 for both 9mm minor and .45. Works great ... Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'm sorry. I'm in the "Unique is dirty camp" but with a caveat. If you shoot outdoors, it's not as big an issue. If you shoot indoors on the other hand, keep your gear behind you. Try shooting indoors, in a shooting booth. Place a target face down in front of you on the table, and if you can, sweep away the brass in front of the booth. After about 10 or 20 shots, I've noticed a distinct spray of black stuff on the target and on the floor in front of me. Try to brush it away, and it just smudges and sticks to stuff. In the gun itself, there is a fine thin even distribution of carbon. Is Unique like Silhouette? Does it perform best when at major power factors for it to burn completely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canman Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Bullseye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff9mmM&P Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 So many to pick from but I use Bullseye also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I got most of my experience reloading with TiteGroup, and like it. It meters quite well and feels predictable. The downside for a beginner though is that it tends to have low drop volumes for common loads, so you'll have to be careful to look in the case to make sure there is some powder, as well as, there is no obvious warning that you did a double charge. Some people advise beginners to start with a powder such that it fills most of the case to make it easy to spot if there is powder in the case, as well as, make the case overflow in case of a double charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leas327 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Titegroup, Bullseye, and 231 would all be good powders. Most local places that carry reloading supplies will carry one of these powders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Not much published data for it in 9mm, but WST is real popular for 9mm and .45acp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bofe954 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 My vote is solo 1000. Clean, and I don't think you could double charge a 45 case without a mess. Cheap too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acekc Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Alliant Power Pistol. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 My vote is solo 1000. Clean, and I don't think you could double charge a 45 case without a mess. Cheap too. Absolutely.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DsWright Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 im going to be doing my first batch of .45 in a few days, im starting with Power Pistol. LOVE it in my .40 loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Msfinlayson Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) I used Hp-38 for both 9mm and 45acp but I have sense switched to Clays in my 45acp it is so much cleaner. Will be trying 9mm with it soon. Edited February 24, 2012 by Msfinlayson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I see a lot of people have listed their "preferred" powder, but the OP asked for the most forgiving powder for a newbie on a Progressive press. At least half the powders listed are NOT in the category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLSlim Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 My personal preference related to your question would be WSF, Unique, and 231 (in that order). I have no problem with Power Pistol, but you do get a lot of flash and bang! You can add "forgiving" insurance by avoiding loading at or near max or below min recommended loads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Since they reformulated Unique a few years ago it's not as dirty as it was. It is very reliable for every caliber. I even use it in my .38 shorts and have no problem making 120 pf without going over publised data. 3;8 is listed as max with a 158 grain bullet and I make minor with 3.3 grains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigamortis Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 If you can't find Unique, Clays Universal is just about identical to it on the load charts. It is what I started out with and fills the case up more so than the faster burning powders. The slower burning powders are friendly on pressures, but have more muzzle flash and report, along with more felt recoil. Once my beginner's phase was over after noting the boring reliability and repeatability of my Horndady LNL press, I felt confident in switching to some of the faster powders to reduce recoil and muzzle flash. I now use regular Clays for my 230gr .45 loading. This load has my fellow competitors teasing me about my loads being "mouse farts" due to the noticeably lower report as compared to store bought ammo. I sure fooled them when we had an informal after match chrono check and my "mouse fart" load was making 172pf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Solo 1k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve D. Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 Thank everyone for your input. Tonight I will start dropping charges in cases with the making of my first rounds ever. I ended up going with W231 and Bullseye for the first two pounds of "training-wheels" powder. I think I will probably end-up with Tightgroup eventually as it seems to be so overwhelmingly used here with very experienced reloaders & competitive shooters. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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