Titegroup really a clean-burning powder?

[ER_STL]

I've heard people say that powders like 231 and Titegroup are clean-burning but I find them both to be dirtier than the WWB I used to shoot. Here's 100 rounds of Titegroup...3.9gr under a 124gr PD bullet with an OAL of 1.14":

Does this seem to be everyone else's experience?

[noypi916]

That's looks normal to me if I use moly/lead bullets and a little clean if I use MG bullets.

[SLM]

I never did like the stuff for minor loads. No matter what bullets I used I had to scrape the gunk out of my gun after a match. I went to Solo 1000 and never looked back. I do shoot with a couple guys who use it for major in Limited and seems to be cleaner at the higher pressures.

[gm iprod]

All powders are cleaner at higher pressures. TG and otehr ball powders are a little to a lot dirtier than flake (Universal) and extruded (Vihtavouri) as far as visuals ar concerned. All powders leave residue. BAll powders leave black obvious carbon deposits. They are usually easy to remove. Hoppes #9 is cheap and simple, brake cleaner is not so cheap but simpler.

I use a lot of ball powders, specifically Titegroup and like them for their alround performance, yes they take some time to clean up. but that's just the way it is.

No personal experience with the Solo powders, but comments around are that they are good reliable and less messy.

Your call.

[Vlad]

Err .. I don't think I've heard anyone call TG a clean powder. I will say that its residue is very fine, only builds up so far and it will not make a gun stop even after 1000 rounds and no cleaning or oil, but it is not a clean powder. Now if you want a dirty powder .. try AA #5.

[JimmyZip]

I will concurr with Vlad that I haven't known of TG as a clean burning powder. And, yes it will burn cleaner at higher pressures,(as alot of powder do) but it isn't a "clean" powder in my experience. Consistent in metering and lot to lot though and good under jacketed bullets. It is cheap and I used to find it locally all over the place. Lots of people I know used it quite a bit, so there are alot of recipes out there for it too.

That pistol though doesn't seem filthy. Did it effect accuracy, function, or obscure the target? If not then are there other reasons you might not use it again? You should try some others as well and see what residues they leave. You might not think of TG as that dirty either after that.

[CocoBolo]

No.

If you want clean and soft try N320, but it will cost you.

[FranDoc]

I shot TG under a 124 gr PD or MG for a couple of years. It's "sooty", but cleaned up pretty easily with Hoppe's Elite -- didn't need to be scrubbed very hard to clean out. TG is relatively cheap and reasonably available. I like N320, but we went through a time period where it was very difficult to get. N320 is roughly twice the price of TG. Rounds loaded with Solo felt much harsher in the gun, and I never reliably made minor out of a 4" XD (I do like Solo for the Limited gun, though).

[LPatterson]

I gave up on Titegroup because it heats the gun up too much and brass needs about 10 minutes before pickup. Any powder is going to have one thing or another that someone doesn't like. So buy a 1# can and try it to see if it is acceptable then go get another 1# can of something else. Finally you will find a powder that fits your personality. So far I have 15-20 partial cans and I am still looking because someone here on the forum said the powder they just tried is the best thing since sliced bread.

[Chris Spiess]

I have heard many folks call TG clean as well, but that was never my experience. With minor loads at least, it was horribly nasty dirty for me.

I never did like the stuff for minor loads. No matter what bullets I used I had to scrape the gunk out of my gun after a match. I went to Solo 1000 and never looked back. I do shoot with a couple guys who use it for major in Limited and seems to be cleaner at the higher pressures.

+ 1 on Solo 1000. I use Solo 1000 for everything anymore.

[bkeeler]

I have used TG for a long time I have also used N320. (although I do not use minor loads) I don't think TG is dirty sure it has soot but it just wipes out,same for N320.TG does not gunk up like 231 in my opinion.YMMV

Edited January 24, 2010 by bkeeler

[HRider]

I have never heard of Titegroup being a clean powder. I use it for my .45 (5gr and Precision 200gr RNFP or 5.9gr and MG 185HP). It does soot up the gun some and is smokey with the moly bullets. I have not had any problems because of it though. I usually fire between 5 and 7k rounds per year and clean my gun shortly before going to the first match of the year. Brake cleaner gets most of the residue, and a nylon brush gets the rest.

Hurley

[BSeevers]

Titegroup is a cheap alternative to VV320. That's it.

now 320 is also a clean alternative to Titegroup too.

[ER_STL]

Great, thanks for the feedback. It's not causing any problems...just have to clean the gun (carry gun) every time I shoot. I'm just about out of Titegroup so I'll try another powder.

Now, what I really need is a second Glock 19 so I can carry one and shoot the other.

[Corey]

Titegroup is a cheap alternative to VV320. That's it.

now 320 is also a clean alternative to Titegroup too.

I like that concept!

[SCV]

I love TG mostly because of its cheap price and its easy to fijnd localy.... As far as clean ... Its not really that big of a deal to me.... If my weapon gets dirty I clean it.....

[lpspinner]

I've noticed that after a shooting session with TG, the bore is cleanest of the few powders I've used. There's very little to none smut inside.

[Steve J]

At least for 45acp, the combination of TiteGroup, Wolf LPP and fully plated bullets is very clean. TiteGroup with any other brand of primer (I've tried them all) is dirtier, and any exposed lead on a bullet will always be dirtier regardless of powder.

[Flexmoney]

Here's 100 rounds of Titegroup...3.9gr under a 124gr PD bullet with an OAL of 1.14"

That is a pretty light load, even by light load standards, I think?

I usually shoot 124/125g Zero bullets at about 1.135-1.140 and load 4.2g of TG. That runs 135pf'ish.

I'd call you results "sooty"...and not dirty. I carry a shop rag/towel in my range bag. That stuff will mostly wipe right off.

[D.Hayden]

Here's 100 rounds of Titegroup...3.9gr under a 124gr PD bullet with an OAL of 1.14"

That is a pretty light load, even by light load standards, I think?

I usually shoot 124/125g Zero bullets at about 1.135-1.140 and load 4.2g of TG. That runs 135pf'ish.

I'd call you results "sooty"...and not dirty. I carry a shop rag/towel in my range bag. That stuff will mostly wipe right off.

Flex.. 4.2 seems a little steep?

Zero 124, OAL 1.15, 3.7 of TG -gets me PF128 in my G34 - absolute minimum, so walk it up a bit

3.8 = 129.6

3.9 = 132.6

4.0 = 136.8

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Tite Group is cheap and fairly soft shooting. I use 3.1 grains with Precision Moly's 147's in my Glock 34 that is 134PF. Thanks, Eric

[Steve_Leach]

I'm a little late to the discussion, which otherwise seems to have run its course. I heard the other day that Titegroup that I've been using in my 9mm, .40 and .45 for years is a very abrasive powder, as it is charcoal based. Short of calling the manufacturer, I cannot confirm either. Vit powder on the other hand is cotton based and thus is not abrasive. I don't know if the powder base is the cause of dirty or clean burning and frankly I clean the top ends of the guns about every other time I shoot them so I don't care about if either is clean or not, but I am concerned if a particular power will shorten a barrel's life. Thoughts?

[toddrod]

Since it seems that people are just too lazy to wipe their guns down, why don't you all just send me all the Titegroup you have and I will dispose of it. It is as clean as anything else out their.

[DWFAN]

Since it seems that people are just too lazy to wipe their guns down, why don't you all just send me all the Titegroup you have and I will dispose of it. It is as clean as anything else out their.

I happen to think its pretty clean also. Ive got about 1.6 lbs of it through my M&P Pro right now without cleaning. I bet I could wipe it clean with rags and patches, no brushes or solvent.

[98sr20ve]

All this talk of clean powder. Try a 1k rounds of lead bullets through a gun. I just check the barrel and clean it if needed, oil the gun and go shoot again. It gets a little ugly but never chokes. So in the end whats the difference?

Edited April 22, 2010 by 98sr20ve