Power Pistol in G34 vs other powders- UPDATES

[lugnut]

I have been making 9mm loads with 5.6gr PP, 1.130 COL, 124gr Berrys bullets, WSP primers. This gives me plenty of cushion for making 125 PF. Matter of fact these loads are over 1100 ft/s easily. Now I have just under a couple pounds of Power Pistol left and many thousands of the these bullets. So I'm wondering if there is something that might be better for IDPA/USPSA.

I don't have too much of a problem with the loads now but others say it seems fairly hot relatively speaking. The flash is a potential issue indoors but outdoors the flash is no issue at all. I've searched and read up on this a bunch- seems like lots use TG and 231. For those of you that have used PP do you notice differences with other powders? Better? Worse? Thanks!

Edited July 9, 2008 by lugnut

[BillGarlandJr]

5.6 of PP is a pretty warm load. My dad shoots 5.1 out of his G34 it does about a 135 pf with 124gr MG. TG and 231 are both a bit faster than PP so the biggest difference you will likely notice is a reduction in felt recoil. You could stick with PP, reduce your load and be ok, or you could go with any number of other very good powders and get good results as well. Another benefit of either TG or 231 is you'll use less powder for each round which means a pound of powder will stretch a bit further....a good thing considering how much reloading components cost these days.

[safenate]

lugnut,

I used up my TG and am using up my Bullseye. I use 4.5 grains under a MG 115 JHP for about 130 PF. It is pretty clean and will get about 1500 rounds per lb. I can also use it for 40, 45, 38 Spec, 357 Mag... I'm trying to get down to a few pistol and few rifle powders then buy my powder by the 8 lb keg. The other pistol powder i want to stick with is PowerPistol. Have fun; be safe

[SA Friday]

The most popular powders it seems have a faster burn rate than power pistol. You will typically see people using Titegroup and N320. Others pretty common are Solo 1000, N310, Clays, WST, and WSF. I've tried almost all of the listed powders and am currently shooting Titegroup under the jacketed bullets and Solo 1000 under the lead and moly bullets. If I had to choose just one powder for 9mm it would be Solo 1000.

[ben b.]

...If I had to choose just one powder for 9mm it would be Solo 1000.

I started with Power Pistol for .40 and 9mm, chosen b/c I'm a new reloader and PP had better safety margins than, say, Clays. Now I'm thinking that PP is not a good choice for my minor 9x19mm 147 gr lead loads. I've seen rec's for Solo 1000 a few times. Are there hazards a newby should know about S1000, i.e. erratic/unpredicatble/unforgiving etc.?

Thanks

Ben

[SA Friday]

...If I had to choose just one powder for 9mm it would be Solo 1000.

I started with Power Pistol for .40 and 9mm, chosen b/c I'm a new reloader and PP had better safety margins than, say, Clays. Now I'm thinking that PP is not a good choice for my minor 9x19mm 147 gr lead loads. I've seen rec's for Solo 1000 a few times. Are there hazards a newby should know about S1000, i.e. erratic/unpredicatble/unforgiving etc.?

Thanks

Ben

Nothing out of the ordinary. I find it has almost no pressure signs at 130-135 pf. It burns almost exactly like N320. Make sure you check and recheck the powder throw a couple dozen times to ensure you are getting a consistant throw. I found it a tad more difficult to get to throw consistantly, a little harder than TG or N320, but doable even for a new reloader. Just be anal about it.

Start out at 2.9 or 3.0gr and work up over a chrono till you get to the right pf. Check each batch and each round for pressure signs. My current recipe for my G34 and a lead/moly round is: 147gr Precision bullets, 3.2gr Solo 1000, WSP, mix brass, 1.125 OAL. At the end of the session, be sure to check your barrel for leading or build-up. It happens with some lead in some glock barrels. It's hard to predict. There are a lot of threads about this in the reloading section to refer to if you see leading.

[sargenv]

I use Solo 1000 in 38 spl at about 4.1 gr with a 158 that makes about 135 pf. In a 9mm, you will want to start lower in charge weight with a similar bullet weight due to less case capacity. I like Solo 1000 since it's a single based powder and it tends to burn a bit cooler than other powders that are double based.. Titegroup, 231, etc. I haven't noticed any erratic behaviors.

[lugnut]

Well. I think I might just make a batch with 5.2 and 5.4gr of Power Pistol since I have a bunch. I figure that should get me a PF of 135 which gives me some good margin.

Then I'll try some of my 231 (use it for .45ACP now) with 4.2 and 4.4gr and see how they compare. I made some of these for my old P228 a while ago... before I got a chrono. They seemed very mild from what I recall.

Then maybe I'll buy some Titegroup and see what it's like.

I've never seen Solo anywhere.

Edited July 9, 2008 by lugnut

[matt2ace]

I have about 5 years of experience shooting Power Pistol almost exclusively for 40 limited and open and more recently using 147gr bullets to make major in 9mm. Power Pistol tops out at just about 170PF in a 9mm major load (6.4gr, 1.15 OAL, WSPM). I could not get more than about 150PF with a 124gr bullet. I found that Silhouette is a very nice powder for 9mm loads, major (7.3gr), minor (4.8gr)........in my G24 (converted to 9).

Silhoutte cost about the same as Power Pistrol (~$55/4lb) at Powder Valley. It's a nice, dense powder that meters very well and does not fill the case more than 3/4 in a major load (less spillage).

Edited July 9, 2008 by matt2ace

[Nate]

I have loved N350 with 124's but it is pricey and hard to find. It shoots very soft and accurate at 135 PF.

[D. Manley]

I have about 5 years of experience shooting Power Pistol almost exclusively for 40 limited and open and more recently using 147gr bullets to make major in 9mm. Power Pistol tops out at just about 170PF in a 9mm major load (6.4gr, 1.15 OAL, WSPM). I could not get more than about 150PF with a 124gr bullet. I found that Silhouette is a very nice powder for 9mm loads, major (7.3gr), minor (4.8gr)........in my G24 (converted to 9).

Silhoutte cost about the same as Power Pistrol (~$55/4lb) at Powder Valley. It's a nice, dense powder that meters very well and does not fill the case more than 3/4 in a major load (less spillage).

Yeah but with Silhouette, you miss out on all that impressive, "flash/bang" from Power Pistol.

Now with the silly mode off, I've pretty well settled on Silhouette and WSF in my 9MM loads. Silhouette is a great 9MM powder...very linear, meters like water and seems to perform well from mild to wild.

[matt2ace]

I have about 5 years of experience shooting Power Pistol almost exclusively for 40 limited and open and more recently using 147gr bullets to make major in 9mm. Power Pistol tops out at just about 170PF in a 9mm major load (6.4gr, 1.15 OAL, WSPM). I could not get more than about 150PF with a 124gr bullet. I found that Silhouette is a very nice powder for 9mm loads, major (7.3gr), minor (4.8gr)........in my G24 (converted to 9).

Silhoutte cost about the same as Power Pistrol (~$55/4lb) at Powder Valley. It's a nice, dense powder that meters very well and does not fill the case more than 3/4 in a major load (less spillage).

Yeah but with Silhouette, you miss out on all that impressive, "flash/bang" from Power Pistol.

Now with the silly mode off, I've pretty well settled on Silhouette and WSF in my 9MM loads. Silhouette is a great 9MM powder...very linear, meters like water and seems to perform well from mild to wild.

+1 for Silhouette.......I just finished setting up a 9mm load for my Glock with 124 bullets, replacing the 147gr PP load.

Yea.....flash......BANG! That's PP for you. I was shooting a hybrid barrel (5-port) G22 in 40 with a PP load. The first popowell hole was 3/4 of a inch from the end of the bullet. I had to double plug just to keep from flinching and most ROs hated my gun once they experienced it. It really is a nice powder for 40, but it is real loud!.

[lugnut]

Well after testing the following new loads, here are the results (using WSP, 124gr Berrys, 1.130" COL, 80+ degrees):

5.2gr PP, 1089 ft/s AV

5.4gr PP, 1114 ft/s AV

4.2gr 231, 1044 ft/s AV

4.4gr 231, 1060 ft/s AV

I was VERY surprised at just how much hotter the light PP load was compared to even the heavier of the 231 loads was. I like the way the 231 feels.. however I was also suprised that the 231 loads shoot a good 1" higher at 30ft compared to the PP loads.

I'm considering switching to 4.4gr 231 and seeing if I can get the adjustment out of my Dawson rear sight. I like to have the bullets grouping at the top of front sight- not sure if the Dawson can go low enough.

Edited July 9, 2008 by lugnut

[lugnut]

Well to make things more fun- it appears that from the bench at least- PP seems more accurate than 231- tighter groups. I really like the feel of the 231 loads- it's significantly different than PP for sure. I got some Titegroup and made a quick batch of 4.0gr and 4.2gr loads. The 4.0gr averaged 1071 ft/s (1101 for 4.2gr) and felt very similar to the 4.4gr 231 loads. Didn't do any real group testing with the TG loads though.

[TonyT]

I have been making 9mm loads with 5.6gr PP, 1.130 COL, 124gr Berrys bullets, WSP primers. This gives me plenty of cushion for making 125 PF. Matter of fact these loads are over 1100 ft/s easily. Now I have just under a couple pounds of Power Pistol left and many thousands of the these bullets. So I'm wondering if there is something that might be better for IDPA/USPSA.

I don't have too much of a problem with the loads now but others say it seems fairly hot relatively speaking. The flash is a potential issue indoors but outdoors the flash is no issue at all. I've searched and read up on this a bunch- seems like lots use TG and 231. For those of you that have used PP do you notice differences with other powders? Better? Worse? Thanks!

Power Pistol produces some very accurate loads but I prefer the faster burning powders such as WSF and even the old reliable, Bullseye.

[waxman]

I use solo 1000, for both 9 and 40. I never really gave it alot of thought, but I switched over to 1000, mostly to keep the smoke down when shooting moly. reduction in recoil, was just a bonus. Well the other day, I got down to the bottom of my reload stash, and ended up grabbing a box of my old PP loads. I went to the range and shot a few. Whent the first few PP loads went off, I thought I might have over charged some of my reloads. I looked at the load label, and found that it was just a Power pistol load. having shot a 170 PF 1000 load all summer, the 170 pf PP load, was ALOT more snappy. The whole gun acted different. PP is safe, and you could make any PF you want, but i think Solo 1000 is a lot better choice for this game. It has to be easier on the gun too. Now all of this testing was with a SV In 40, but I am sure the same applies to 9mm.

Edited July 13, 2008 by waxman

[Carlos]

I would suggest you switch to Solo 1000. It is what I use in 9mm minor and .40 Major. I used to use a brand called Vihta Vouri - specifically N320 - which is also a single base powder at the fast end of the burn rate chart. Solo 1000 is a single base powder and though it does not meter quite as nice as N320, its a heck of a lot easier to find and much less expensive. Plus, the single base powders seem much cooler burning - especially compared to Titegroup. And they burn cleaner. Its Solo 1000 all the way for me (except 9Major).