What are your Favorite Reloading Powders?

[nortac]

So, what are your favorite reloading powders and what cartridges do you use them for? Historically there have been a lot of choices with overlapping applications. Currently, many if not most powders have become hard to obtain, but things are slowly starting to improve. But if an old favorite is unavailable, we may be forced to use a powder we haven't used before, which in some cases is not a bad thing. I load for most of the popular pistol calibers and several rifle calibers. If you look in any reloading manual, you will see several powders for any given cartridge. How do you choose which one to use? Potential accuracy? Burn rate? Velocity obtained? Clean burning? Widest applications for different cartridges? Most economic? These days it's mostly availability.

There are several old standbys that are regular staples in my reloading when available. "Unique" is an older pistol powder that is very versatile, and I have used it for everything from .380 ACP to .45 Long Colt. It is a classic for non-magnum loads in larger revolver loads but it can be used in most pistol cartridges. It's a good powder to keep on hand but is currently hard to come by. Luckily, I have a large jug of it as I'm using it frequently for .380, 9mm, .38 Spl. and .45 ACP. It may not be the best for any one of these cartridges, but it works for all of them.

Winchester 231 is another versatile powder, as is its twin, HP-38. I've been out of W 231 for a long time, but it's a classic for .38 Spl. and .45 ACP, particularly for target loads. I let my stock of W 231 run out long before the current shortages because an old shooting buddy gave me several pounds of a long-discontinued powder that was very similar, Winchester 452 AA. I have finally used up my supply of W 452 AA and will stock up with W 231 and HP-38.

H110 is another classic powder used for magnum pistol and some small rifle loads. I use it mostly for .357 mag., .30 Carbine and .300 Blackout.

Accurate Arms AA2230 I use for my general purpose/plinking .223 rounds. It meters well through my Dillon powder measure on my 550 semi-progressive press.

Varget I use for my precision .308 Win. rifle rounds. IMR 4895 and IMR 3031 I have used for my general purpose .308 rounds used in my AR 10 and M1A1. I have also used IMR 4895 and IMR 3031 in .30-06.

While I haven't used it in a great while, I use H4831Sc in 6.5 x55 Swedish Mauser.
I'll be loading for 6.5 Grendal and 6.5 Creedmoor soon, i haven't developed any loads yet, but I could use a powder I have on hand or maybe something else when available?

I have several other powders on hand and several other calibers that I load on occasion, but these are my most frequently used. What's yours?

 

[jkingrph]

i have not reloaded in several years now. I used to use a fair amount of Unique and 2400 in pistol, and used some IMR 3031 before discovering H 380 a little over 50 years ago, It just metered through a power measure much easier than the rod shaped powders.

 

[Possum092]

Anything in-stock this year. W760, W748, H1000, H335, BL-2.

 

[Ad Astra]

I use Trail Boss in ways not prescribed: mousef@rt range loads/cast bullets for 8mm Mauser and 7.62 NATO (Spanish carbine).

With the shortage, I've loaded odd shotshell powders in pistol rounds too - Red and Green Dot.


AA

 

[Esox]

.22-250 - IMR4895 in my Savage 110. In my Browning B78, BLC2.
.270 Winchester - IMR3031
.338 Lapua - IMR7828
.44 Mag heavy loads - Winchester 296. Indoor range and plinking loads, Bullseye.

 

[ColtRevolver]

I could load nearly all of my handgun rounds with Unique. My second and third choices are BE86 and Power Pistol. I keep 2400 on hand for when I want some stout .44 magnums.

.30-06 - IMR 4350
.22-250 - Varget

 

[Whisky]

Bullseye for .45acp, Unique for .45 .38 9mm , H110 for .357, Varget and H335 for 5.56 depending on bullet weight, H4895 and Varget for my M1s and other 30/06 loads. When I used to reload shotshells I used Red Dot. I have other powders that I load with but these are the ones I go back to over and over.

 

[nortac]

I use Trail Boss in ways not prescribed: mousef@rt range loads/cast bullets for 8mm Mauser and 7.62 NATO (Spanish carbine).

With the shortage, I've loaded odd shotshell powders in pistol rounds too - Red and Green Dot.


AA

The W 452AA I referenced was a shotgun powder that was often used in .45 ACP target loads, roughly equivalent to W 231. I called Winchester to verify it could be used in pistol loads and inquired if it was indeed equivalent to W231, but they would not confirm that and said they only had shotgun data for it. I had already been using it and continued to do so without any ill effects. I have some Red Dot on hand, and I used to use Blue Dot for 9mm and .40 S&W.

 

[nortac]

I've used 2.8 grs of Bullseye before in the classic .38 Spl 148 gr. DEWC target load. When I first started loading .45 ACP, I used Bullseye, until I double charged a round and blew up a Wilson barrel. Actually, it just sheared the lugs off the barrel and blew the magazine out of the mag well, the rest of the gun was fine. That dissuaded me from buying more, but eventually I may buy another pound for wadcutter and small charge pistol rounds, but there are other powders to fill that void.

 

[Whisky]

I've used 2.8 grs of Bullseye before in the classic .38 Spl 148 gr. DEWC target load. When I first started loading .45 ACP, I used Bullseye, until I double charged a round and blew up a Wilson barrel. Actually, it just sheared the lugs off the barrel and blew the magazine out of the mag well, the rest of the gun was fine. That dissuaded me from buying more, but eventually I may buy another pound for wadcutter and small charge pistol rounds, but there are other powders to fill that void.

Double charging Bullseye is always a worry for me. I have a lockout die installed in my press and will occasionally, intentionally, double or under throw a round to make sure it catches it. I’ll also weigh random charges just to make sure my powder thrower hasn’t increased/decreased the charge it’s throwing. It worries me enough that a while back I pulled 100rnds and reweighed each charge because I was worried I may have double charged a round. The nice thing about Unique is if you double charge you’ll overflow the case.

 

[Ad Astra]

Double charging Bullseye is always a worry for me. I have a lock out die installed in my press and will occasionally, intentionally, double or under throw a round to make sure it catches it. I’ll also weigh random charges just to make sure my powder thrower hasn’t increased/decreased the charge it’s throwing. It worries me enough that a while back I pulled 100rnds and reweighed each charge because I was worried I may have double charged a round. The nice thing about Unique is if you double charge you’ll overflow the case.

I know I'm a Luddite, but ever since a bud blew a Nambu cylinder in half with a double charge, I've always used Lee powder scoops. Slower, yes, but safer.


AA

 

[nortac]

That DC of Bullseye learnt me!

 

[shoelessjoe]

Most frequently used:
AA #7 & #9 - 357 Mag; 38 Super; 40S&W, 400 CorBon & 10mm.
Blue Dot & Hi-Skor 800 - 357 SIG & 7.62x25
WSF, AA#5 & Titegroup - 45 ACP
H110 - 30 Carbine & 22 TCM

Painting with a broad brush, I use all of the below for all of those below them…

 

[shoelessjoe]

@nortac - thank you for sharing the 308 Winchester powder info … I’m a day or two away from a, Your M14 is ready to ship phone call & I’ll be reloading 7.62 Nato for the very first time.

 

[Chandu]

Whatever gives the best accuracy. Dad and I used mostly Winchester or Vihtavouri. We shot benchrest so try various powders, with various loads and chrono and target them. Powder and the load along with the rest plays a big role in accuracy when punching paper.

 

[Whiterook]

W231 - 9mm, .38Spl, 45ACP, & 44Spl.
H110 - 357 Mag, .30 Carbine, .300 BO
IMR3031 - 7.5 French, 30-30
IMR4350 - 7.5 S-R, 7.92 Mauser
H335 - .223

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I have hardly any primers and not much powder left, so I am shooting .22 rimfire more.

 

[Rudy Vey]

9 mm: Nobel Sport Vectan Prima V
45: CFE Pistol
38 spl: Titewad
357 mag: Nobel Sport Vectan Ba 91/2

Good thing is that I loaded up on Prima V and Prima SV when some dealer discontinued them...

 

[alpster]

Hodgdon HS-6 for 9mm 45 Colt and 45 ACP
Alliant 2400 for 44 Mag and 357 Mag
Alliant Titegroup for 38s
I used to use Bullseye, but its such a dirty powder I've come to avoid it.

 

[nikonNUT]

Only reloaded for the .338LM but in order of preference...
Retumbo - Yeah... Unicorn if ever there was one these days. Clean and VERY temp stable.
Ramshot Magnum - Not sure how such a small sphere can burn so slowly. 285gr ELD-M at 2858 with an ES of 10! Twitchy regarding temp changes.
H1000 - Consistant but DIRTY! Temp stable. Also a unicorn.
RL33 - BIG kernels, meters like crap. Never got a decent ES/SD from this one.

 

[Esox]

285gr ELD-M at 2858

Ouch lol. The recoil from that load would have been unbearable in the little Sako I had.