Powder for multiple calibers?

[R1_Demon]

Hey all,

 

I’m wondering what powder you would suggest to use for multiple calibers?

 

I’m looking at starting to reload 9mm, .380ACP and .45ACP. Is there a preferred powder that would work well for all three of those rounds?
 

If it is a powder that would fill up cases to avoid double charging, then all the better.  

 

I’m not looking at making competition rounds at this point. Just solid reloads for all three calibers. 
 

Thanks!

Mat

Edited September 9, 2020 by R1_Demon

[Chrisyoung]

My vote is for win 231 or hp 38.

There the the same powder just different jug.

It's a very versatile powder that can be use for a lot of handgun calibers.

[R1_Demon]

42 minutes ago, Chrisyoung said:

My vote is for win 231 or hp 38.

There the the same powder just different jug.

It's a very versatile powder that can be use for a lot of handgun calibers.

 

Thanks Chris.  Someone else also posted (on another thread) that N320 or W231 would work for all three calibers.  So, that's what I'm going to shoot for getting.  LOL  If both are out, I'm screwed.  LOL!

 

I'll add HP38 to my list too, just in case. 

 

Again, the info is much appreciated.

[AHI]

Bullseye will load them all. And usually available everywhere.

[thermobollocks]

There's a lot of them that will work well for those applications. Titegroup and N320 are my go-to for a ton of stuff, and if you're not trying to game power factor, that opens up a ton of stuff that aren't considered "optimal" (e.g. fast burning and low charge weight). I want to say Unique is also super versatile but not really my favorite.

[Intheshaw1]

A lot of powders will load those calibers, just see what is in stock and look up the load data. I have try to keep 231 and sport pistol in stock but I also picked up some AA2 as it was all PV had in stock when I snatched up some primers.

[BadShot]

I use TiteGroup for all 3 of those calibers.  Works great, cheap, ton of data, and easy to find.

[R1_Demon]

Thank you all for the suggestions.  I went down to the shop and they didn't have any N320, but they had W231 and HP-38.  I grabbed a pound of W231 and figured that would work.  I don't think they had Titegroup either.  I know a lot of places are out of a lot of things.  I got lucky and they had .380 Auto brass, so I grabbed 500 of those for later.  No bullets though.  So, I ordered those through Everglades Ammo since they had some plated bullets in stock.

 

So, I have everything I need to load .380 Auto and 9mm, EXCEPT the stupid primers.  LOL!  But at least with the cases, I should be able to setup my new press according to the Dillon YouTube videos.    Then I either wait for small pistol primers or I pay the 3x pricing off Gunbroker.  We will see how bad I want to start reloading once things are setup.  LOL

[GrumpyOne]

Alliant Power Pistol is what you seek. Relatively cheap and available, fills a case nicely, and will load all those calibers and more. The downside is that it is loud and can be flashy. Not a great powder for competition loads, but for plinking...it's hard to beat. When it's in stock, Powder Valley has it for $78 for 4lbs.

[R1_Demon]

1 hour ago, GrumpyOne said:

Alliant Power Pistol is what you seek. Relatively cheap and available, fills a case nicely, and will load all those calibers and more. The downside is that it is loud and can be flashy. Not a great powder for competition loads, but for plinking...it's hard to beat. When it's in stock, Powder Valley has it for $78 for 4lbs.

I’ll have to look into this. I don’t think I saw it locally but that’s a good price. Thank you!  

[12glocks]

Power Pistol is probably the most accurate pistol propellant I have used.  I don't use it for competition because its not as soft shooting as Sport Pistol or N320.  I think unless your going for max velocity in a 10mm or magnum, there are a lot of multi-functional pistol propellants that will work.

[R1_Demon]

Thanks 12glocks. I’ll have to see if they have it locally or bite the bullet and order from Powder Valley. 
 

I know it varies by caliber, but does anyone know approximately how many rounds (say 9mm) one pound of powder will make?

[terrapin]

I just had this discussion with a friend. I pushed him towards CFE Pistol. Works in just about any pistol, reasonable price, and readily available.


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[Intheshaw1]

7000 grains in a pound so roughly 1600-1700 depending on charge. Powder is by far the cheapest part of reloading.

 

For me, it's cheaper on PV vs lgs as long as I'm buying at least 4 lbs and 5k primers or 8 lbs of powder but now it's more on what's available.

[stick]

Stay with the 231.  As you mentioned in your post, you wanted a powder to fill the case to avoid double charges.  231 will work for those calibers and depending on your load, should provide ample powder in the case for visual verification.  I use Titegroup.  BUT it is a low volume powder and it seems you are a new reloader.  Stay away from it until you are very familiar with the ins and outs of reloading.  Titegroup is very easy to double charge because of the low volume of the powder drops.  Get into the habit of looking in the case and visually verifying the powder drop. It won't take long before you can determine what you drop looks like for a particular load.

[R1_Demon]

4 hours ago, stick said:

Stay with the 231.  As you mentioned in your post, you wanted a powder to fill the case to avoid double charges.  231 will work for those calibers and depending on your load, should provide ample powder in the case for visual verification.  I use Titegroup.  BUT it is a low volume powder and it seems you are a new reloader.  Stay away from it until you are very familiar with the ins and outs of reloading.  Titegroup is very easy to double charge because of the low volume of the powder drops.  Get into the habit of looking in the case and visually verifying the powder drop. It won't take long before you can determine what you drop looks like for a particular load.

 

Thank you very much.  I'm glad to hear that the W-231 fills the cases decently that I should be able to tell.  Even years ago I heard Titegroup can be touchy and you have to be careful with it.  So, I figured I would avoid it for now.    

 

Also, even if one pound lasts me approximately 1500 rounds (depending on charge, as mentioned), that will work fine for me starting out.  At max I was only planning on making 1000 rounds of 9mm and 500 rounds of .380 Auto, so that works out fine.    The biggest holdup now is the primers.   

[Intheshaw1]

What I did when I got my 550 I doubled charged a 9mm case with 231 to see what it looks like and it filled the case pretty much to the top. The bigger issue now would be a no charge and squib.

 

And yeah, 1 lb would work for your 1500 rounds as 380 would need less powder. Powder can be found, it's the primers that are nearly impossible to find and long waits on bullets. 

[Youngeyes]

55 minutes ago, R1_Demon said:

Also, even if one pound lasts me approximately 1500 rounds (depending on charge, as mentioned), that will work fine for me starting out.  At max I was only planning on making 1000 rounds of 9mm and 500 rounds of .380 Auto, so that works out fine.    The biggest holdup now is the primers. 

Be careful here. Slow down.  Only load a small amount at a time and test them out( chrono). You don't want to undo 1000 mistakes. Once you have a good reliable load, it's time to start cranking. This may not have been mentioned before, but the biggest safety tip I can give anyone is to visually inspect EVERY SINGLE case to make sure it was loaded with powder. At the end of this process, you will have a supply of the best ammunition you can get.

[124gr9mm]

1 hour ago, R1_Demon said:

 

Thank you very much.  I'm glad to hear that the W-231 fills the cases decently that I should be able to tell.  Even years ago I heard Titegroup can be touchy and you have to be careful with it.  So, I figured I would avoid it for now.    

 

Also, even if one pound lasts me approximately 1500 rounds (depending on charge, as mentioned), that will work fine for me starting out.  At max I was only planning on making 1000 rounds of 9mm and 500 rounds of .380 Auto, so that works out fine.    The biggest holdup now is the primers.   

 

I'll echo those who recommend W231.  I used it to load 9mm, 38 Special, and .45 ACP for a few years with great results with plated, coated, lead, and all other projectiles I loaded.

 

As a frugal person by nature I switched to Titegroup when I came across an ABSURDLY good deal from a local guy getting out of reloading.  Now that I'm through that lot I've switched back to W231 for good.  In addition to being hot/fast and not filling cases, I found Titegroup to be very smoky with coated bullets.

 

 

[belus]

Glad you found some Win 231. Don't make too many before you test them.

 

I use Universal for my pistol loads because it's bulky and efficient. There are lots of acceptable choices. The usual advice is to find a sufficient load and run with it. There's not much to be gained from tinkering with slight recipe adjustments once you have something reliable.

I know you're not thinking about competition right now, but it's probably not too far down the line once your ammo cost is 10-14 cents per round. If we were local I'd have a coffee can of .380 brass you could take home. I imagine other local competitors similarly have a small pile of .380 gathering dust.

Edited September 10, 2020 by belus

[R1_Demon]

4 hours ago, Youngeyes said:

Be careful here. Slow down.  Only load a small amount at a time and test them out( chrono). You don't want to undo 1000 mistakes. Once you have a good reliable load, it's time to start cranking. This may not have been mentioned before, but the biggest safety tip I can give anyone is to visually inspect EVERY SINGLE case to make sure it was loaded with powder. At the end of this process, you will have a supply of the best ammunition you can get.

 

I fully agree.  Sorry, I know it sounded like I was going to set it up and then push out 1000 rounds.  My apologies on that.  I was only going to make like 10, then go chrono them to make sure the slide cycles properly on each firearm and no keyholing and such like that.  I'm still trying to find out where to shoot here since I just moved to CO.  I've requested to join a couple of clubs, but they said there is a 2 year waiting list.  Sooooo...LOL

[R1_Demon]

4 hours ago, 124gr9mm said:

 

I'll echo those who recommend W231.  I used it to load 9mm, 38 Special, and .45 ACP for a few years with great results with plated, coated, lead, and all other projectiles I loaded.

 

As a frugal person by nature I switched to Titegroup when I came across an ABSURDLY good deal from a local guy getting out of reloading.  Now that I'm through that lot I've switched back to W231 for good.  In addition to being hot/fast and not filling cases, I found Titegroup to be very smoky with coated bullets.

 

 

Cool.  Sounds like I got a decent choice from the ones offered here. 

[R1_Demon]

4 hours ago, belus said:

Glad you found some Win 231. Don't make too many before you test them.

 

I use Universal for my pistol loads because it's bulky and efficient. There are lots of acceptable choices. The usual advice is to find a sufficient load and run with it. There's not much to be gained from tinkering with slight recipe adjustments once you have something reliable.

I know you're not thinking about competition right now, but it's probably not too far down the line once your ammo cost is 10-14 cents per round. If we were local I'd have a coffee can of .380 brass you could take home. I imagine other local competitors similarly have a small pile of .380 gathering dust.

Bob,

 

I appreciate that.    Yup, as Youngeyes mentioned, I'm only going to make a few and test them as soon as I can find a place to shoot here.  Also, I thought they only use 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP for most competition?  I thought .380Auto is too "small"?  Or is that what you mean?  People used to use .380Auto and now they don't so the brass is just sitting there?  LOL  Sorry, been working too hard and my brain is mush today.   

[GrumpyOne]

8 minutes ago, R1_Demon said:

Bob,

 

I appreciate that.    Yup, as Youngeyes mentioned, I'm only going to make a few and test them as soon as I can find a place to shoot here.  Also, I thought they only use 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP for most competition?  I thought .380Auto is too "small"?  Or is that what you mean?  People used to use .380Auto and now they don't so the brass is just sitting there?  LOL  Sorry, been working too hard and my brain is mush today.   

A double charge of Alliant Power Pistol in 9mm will overfill the case, pretty much the same in 40 and 380, almost impossible not to notice...I don't know about 45 ACP though...

[R1_Demon]

Good to know.  I'm keeping notes of all this for future purchases.