hodgdon TITEWAD in .45 acp

[wes777]

So after much debate over time about whether or not Titewad is safe for 45acp, many saying no, some saying yes...... Hodgdon has posted data on their website!

Reloaders rejoice less than 3.5 grains to make major!

Bullet Company Powder Diameter OAL min vel pressure max vel pressure 230 GR. LRN Hodgdon Titewad .452" 1.200" 2.8 684 14,700 PSI 3.3 767 19,400 PSI

[TonyT]

A lot of fast shotgun pwders can be used in 45 ACP with lead bullets. I shoot a 185 gr. LSWC at between 720 and 800 fps and have used Alliant E3, WAA Lite, PROMO (Red Dot).

[old506]

Thanks. Titewad is so, so cheap and found everywhere I have looked in local stores. I always wondered......Now I will have to try it out.

[anachronism]

I've never heard of a dispute about it's safety. It's simply the dirtiest powder I've tried for light loads, and my cast bullet guns simply hate it.

[ltcboy]

I've never heard of a dispute about it's safety. It's simply the dirtiest powder I've tried for light loads, and my cast bullet guns simply hate it.

Is that because it's a very fast powder? I use 231 and Titegroup. But I just picked up 1 lb of Titewad and was planning on using it for the 1911. I was going to load 230 grn RNL cast bullets. Please advise.

Thanks-

Mike

[TonyK]

I just loaded 15 test rounds to run through the Chrono before I get carried away.... I only bought it after I found the specs on Hodgdons website.

I bumped the powder just a touch as I only set the OAL to 1.24, didn't like the idea of pushing the 230 grain Berry's all the way to 1.20 which is where Hodgdons sets the OAL for just about all their specs.

[TonyK]

Bit perplexed after I ran those 15 rounds over the chrono

3.5 grains of Titewad with an OAL of 1.24 only registered an average of 700 fps through two different 1911's

But I was pleasantly surprised by the spread, low was 686 and high was 709

No signs of overpressure even though I pushed the load .2 over max

Hodgdon's numbers say that 3.3 grains with an OAL of 1.20 should push a 230 LRN at 767....

Now if I can get it closer to 800 I would be happy....

[buckfynn]

A lot of fast shotgun pwders can be used in 45 ACP with lead bullets. I shoot a 185 gr. LSWC at between 720 and 800 fps and have used Alliant E3, WAA Lite, PROMO (Red Dot).

Hi Tony,

New to the forum, but was curious if you have specific load data for WAA Lite 45 acp loads. Just curious and many thanks in advance.

[gigamortis]

Just tried some Titewad under some 230gr Bayous today. Metering and ES are awesome, but book max of 3.3gr only gives me 700fps out of a 5" 1911. Stupid soft load though, but not enough for major. Tried sneaking over max up to 3.6gr since I load .040" longer than Hodgdon's data, but was only seeing 740fps. It's discouraging since Hodgdon says 3.3gr should give 767fps.

[mont1120]

This week I grabbed a pound of Titewad to try it out since winter has struck here in earnest, and it gives me something to tinker with. I also found the FPS was not near what the loading manual says it should be. Using 3.3 grains with Blue Bullet 230 bullets, i never got near major. It ran from 715 at the high, and down to 696 on the low side. The recoil was not harsh, but to get to major I would suspect it will be getting heavy as compared to Clays or WST.

So, it is not a powder I would buy again, so ointo more tests, E3 and American Select are on the list. Since I cannot find Clays anywhere, I need another good reserve .45 major powder. I've found 700X to be pretty good, and I do like WST, but the inverse FPS issue is a problem with me.

 

[eern]

2 hours ago, mont1120 said:

This week I grabbed a pound of Titewad to try it out since winter has struck here in earnest, and it gives me something to tinker with. I also found the FPS was not near what the loading manual says it should be. Using 3.3 grains with Blue Bullet 230 bullets, i never got near major. It ran from 715 at the high, and down to 696 on the low side. The recoil was not harsh, but to get to major I would suspect it will be getting heavy as compared to Clays or WST.

So, it is not a powder I would buy again, so ointo more tests, E3 and American Select are on the list. Since I cannot find Clays anywhere, I need another good reserve .45 major powder. I've found 700X to be pretty good, and I do like WST, but the inverse FPS issue is a problem with me.

 

I use Titegroup with coated 230 @ 4.3 grains and easily make major.  I have never experimented with titewad and pistol loads.

[gigamortis]

On 12/2/2016 at 8:06 AM, mont1120 said:

This week I grabbed a pound of Titewad to try it out since winter has struck here in earnest, and it gives me something to tinker with. I also found the FPS was not near what the loading manual says it should be. Using 3.3 grains with Blue Bullet 230 bullets, i never got near major. It ran from 715 at the high, and down to 696 on the low side. The recoil was not harsh, but to get to major I would suspect it will be getting heavy as compared to Clays or WST.

So, it is not a powder I would buy again, so ointo more tests, E3 and American Select are on the list. Since I cannot find Clays anywhere, I need another good reserve .45 major powder. I've found 700X to be pretty good, and I do like WST, but the inverse FPS issue is a problem with me.

 

If you can find some, give Accurate Nitro 100 NF a try.  Just as soft if not softer than Clays with much better metering.  3.5gr pushing a Bayou 230 RN is good for 740 fps out of my 5" Kimber.  Accurate's starting load is 3.6gr at 770 fps, but we don't need quite that much for major pf.  I have ran a couple of matches using the 3.5gr load and it is very consistent with no soot down the sides of the cases.

[mont1120]

I had seen the reviews on here and Im trying to find some. We are at the end of the supply chain up her in the NW mountains.

[zzt]

mont1120, your will find e3 to be excellent and give the same velocity as the same load of Clays, but with more consistency.   It also has none of the pressure spikes Clays develops as you near maximum pressures.   That is especially true in 40sw. Am Sel is a superb powder, but it does not give real world velocities as high as Alliant states.  Another superb powder for 45 major is Solo 1000 when it becomes available again.

[mont1120]

Thanks ZZT, I have been leery of Clays since I am so close to max for major. I would like something with a bit more room on the high end for comfort. I do not want to blow up a .45.

[mont1120]

Well, I found a bottle of Nitro 100 (12 ounces, kinda light compared to others), and what surprised me at first was that it looks a lot like Clays in size and color. I loaded up 25 Blue Bullets 230 grain, with 3.4 grains. This should make 740 FPS, making a PF of 170. My chrono is not working right, but I tired a few rounds just to see what the recoil was.

 

Now, if that is indeed 740 FPS out of my SA Range Officer, it is indeed a great replacement for Clays. It even feels lighter in the recoil department then Clays, and it can be loaded hotter of you want, without getting too close to max loads for the powder. I also loaded up 25 rounds of 3.2 grains, this would be a minor load for steel. When I get my chrono working I'll do some in depth testing.