Bamaboy Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Shooting my matchmaster and looking for a cleaner powder then CFE. And one that is less snappy. It is about double the price of CFE but I am ok with that if it is worth it. Thoughts from the experts please. And what load would you recommend to start with with a BBI 124 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
open17 Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 3N38 runs soft, flat and clean in my guns. Downside is that it is a FULL case. I've tried pretty much every powder suitable for Major 9, (and a few that were not) and I keep gravitating back to HS6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 2 minutes ago, open17 said: 3N38 runs soft, flat and clean in my guns. Downside is that it is a FULL case. I've tried pretty much every powder suitable for Major 9, (and a few that were not) and I keep gravitating back to HS6. When you say full case how many grains are you loading. And why do you keep going back to hs6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevadazielmeister Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 I am no expert, but I really like my short term experience with 3N38. It shoots really well through my comp gun and it is a breeze to clean while running Montana Gold bullets. I think I used two patches through the barrel to make it all sparkly. One thing to think about is that even though per pound 3N38 is more expensive, the powder for each round is the least amount. So increasing that price when compared to the whole round is quite minimal. For example, with 3N38 I can get for about $28 / pound. This nets me about 777 rounds loaded at 9 grains per round. Compare that to let's say AutoComp at $18 / pound, which gets me 1,044 rounds loaded at 6.7 grains per. 3N38 is $0.036 per round and AutoComp is $0.017 per round. So a difference of only $0.018. That's less than 2 cents per round. With the projectile at about $0.12 per round and primer at $0.028 per round, $0.02 is the smallest component to the whole mix, not including the brass, which sometimes can be less or more, depending on your source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdnok Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 For my open guns I tried 3N38 and while it was relatively soft shooting, I was having inconsistent load length due to compressed loads. HS6 was pretty good, but autocomp even better. For me choosing a load is more about how the gun reacts in recoil and the dot movement. HS6 produced more of a circular dot movement and Autocomp was by far the most consistent with small vertical dot movements in my guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 1 hour ago, xdnok said: For my open guns I tried 3N38 and while it was relatively soft shooting, I was having inconsistent load length due to compressed loads. HS6 was pretty good, but autocomp even better. For me choosing a load is more about how the gun reacts in recoil and the dot movement. HS6 produced more of a circular dot movement and Autocomp was by far the most consistent with small vertical dot movements in my guns. I've used auto comp before and don't think I was too happy. How many grains are you loading to. And what is your setup gun and bullet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 Lovex D037.1 is the ticket: slower than 3N38 at half the price and doesn't fill the case as high. I'm loading 10gr under a 115 and the case is not as full as 9gr of 3N38. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy Posted August 9, 2018 Author Share Posted August 9, 2018 2 minutes ago, kneelingatlas said: Lovex D037.1 is the ticket: slower than 3N38 at half the price and doesn't fill the case as high. I'm loading 10gr under a 115 and the case is not as full as 9gr of 3N38. I have never heard of that brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 1 hour ago, Bamaboy said: I have never heard of that brand. https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/77203 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echotango Posted August 9, 2018 Share Posted August 9, 2018 5 hours ago, xdnok said: HS6 produced more of a circular dot movement and Autocomp was by far the most consistent with small vertical dot movements in my guns. I had similar results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 You'll never know if it is worth it for you in your gun, before you try it. Make test loads using some likely combinations of powders and bullets, and see how they work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 20 hours ago, Bamaboy said: It is double the price but that's ok if it is worth it. Depends on whether your current powder is holding you back from shooting your true potential. If your grip is not secure, and you're not running FAST, and you're not quite sure which target to shoot next, and getting too many C's, D's and M's, dropping your splits down from 0.25 to 0.17 isn't going to help too much. You have to be really doing everything else correctly and looking for a Very Slight improvement to advance, based on the dot settling a LITTLE bit faster. But, the price really doesn't matter if you have a $ 4,000 gun, does it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johansson81 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 17 hours ago, kneelingatlas said: Lovex D037.1 is the ticket: slower than 3N38 at half the price and doesn't fill the case as high. I'm loading 10gr under a 115 and the case is not as full as 9gr of 3N38. Will the Lovex powder dirty the gun more than VV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 10 minutes ago, Johansson81 said: 20 hours ago, Nevadazielmeister said: I am no expert, but I really like my short term experience with 3N38. It shoots really well through my comp gun and it is a breeze to clean while running Montana Gold bullets. I think I used two patches through the barrel to make it all sparkly. One thing to think about is that even though per pound 3N38 is more expensive, the powder for each round is the least amount. So increasing that price when compared to the whole round is quite minimal. For example, with 3N38 I can get for about $28 / pound. This nets me about 777 rounds loaded at 9 grains per round. Compare that to let's say AutoComp at $18 / pound, which gets me 1,044 rounds loaded at 6.7 grains per. 3N38 is $0.036 per round and AutoComp is $0.017 per round. So a difference of only $0.018. That's less than 2 cents per round. With the projectile at about $0.12 per round and primer at $0.028 per round, $0.02 is the smallest component to the whole mix, not including the brass, which sometimes can be less or more, depending on your source. That's the kind of info I'm talking about. Where are you buying 3n38 that cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdnok Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 19 hours ago, Bamaboy said: I've used auto comp before and don't think I was too happy. How many grains are you loading to. And what is your setup gun and bullet Custom 5 inch gun with CK Arms Comp and 3 1/8 popple holes, MG or PD 115gr HP with 7.6gr of Autocomp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Johansson81 said: Will the Lovex powder dirty the gun more than VV? I wouldn't say so, it's cleaner than HS6 and AA7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johansson81 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 14 minutes ago, kneelingatlas said: I wouldn't say so, it's cleaner than HS6 and AA7. That is good news, here in Sweden Lovex and Vihtavuori are priced about the same so what is attractive about Lovex is that it fills the case less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 The biggest problem with 3n38 in 9 major is bullet push. The compressed load will cause your bullets to push out of the case and increase the length if they sit for any period of time after you load them. You need to load them and shoot them within a few days. This used to happen in supercomp when people were loading 4756. I tried about every powder know to man back when I shot 9 major. I use 3n38 in SC. HS6 or AA7 is what I would be using if I were to go back to 9 grenade. Dirty isn't a problem so long as it doesn't cause reliability problems during the course of a major match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevadazielmeister Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 2 hours ago, Bamaboy said: I get them at Powder Valley Inc. and purchased the 4 pound kegs. Otherwise it is $33 per pound with the 1 pound keg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevadazielmeister Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 53 minutes ago, Shadyscott999 said: The biggest problem with 3n38 in 9 major is bullet push. The compressed load will cause your bullets to push out of the case and increase the length if they sit for any period of time after you load them. You need to load them and shoot them within a few days. This used to happen in supercomp when people were loading 4756. I tried about every powder know to man back when I shot 9 major. I use 3n38 in SC. HS6 or AA7 is what I would be using if I were to go back to 9 grenade. Dirty isn't a problem so long as it doesn't cause reliability problems during the course of a major match. Thank you for sharing your experience. I keep getting push back (no pun intended) for choosing 38 Super Comp over 9mm Major. I am curious, how much did the round grow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave33 Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 On 8/9/2018 at 1:39 PM, kneelingatlas said: Lovex D037.1 is the ticket: slower than 3N38 at half the price and doesn't fill the case as high. I'm loading 10gr under a 115 and the case is not as full as 9gr of 3N38. Is this not AA#7 made in a different factory under a different name? I think AA#7 is a great major 9 powder but it does leave a little unburned residue in the gun. If its got some additives in it to make it cleaner then it would be an awesome major powder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevrofreak Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 1 hour ago, dave33 said: Is this not AA#7 made in a different factory under a different name? I think AA#7 is a great major 9 powder but it does leave a little unburned residue in the gun. If its got some additives in it to make it cleaner then it would be an awesome major powder. This is what I keep reading, too, but does anyone have any proof of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balakay Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 Lovex = Shooters World powder. Have not heard it is the same as AA#7 although the characteristics of D037.1 and AA7 are supposedly similar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadpilot Posted August 10, 2018 Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) 9 minutes ago, chevrofreak said: This is what I keep reading, too, but does anyone have any proof of that? Burn rate is the only common factor. I’ve found that the Lovex is cleaner and much softer in the hands. In the pic Lovex is on the left and aa#7 right. Edited August 10, 2018 by Leadpilot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevrofreak Posted August 11, 2018 Share Posted August 11, 2018 Silhouette looks nearly identical as well, but is a very different powder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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