9mm,45acp: What powder to use?

[Winterborn]

I use Titegroup for .45, 9mm, and .357. It meters great, the loads are small (powder lasts) but it is rather dirty when using lead bullets.

 

[jimbobborg]

Of the handgun cartridges I reload for, the only one I DON"T use Unique for is 10mm.

 

[Robert Avery]

Ramshot Competition is my Powder of choice for 9mm,40,and 45acp. It is not position sensitive so all of your shots will perform the same. It has less recoil as well or you could use Auto-comp as well for even softer recoil. Both of these are very clean if loaded correctly.

 

[MAKINTRAX]

You can't go wrong with W231, Accurate #2 or Titegroup in those calibers. I stopped using the flake powders of Alliant (Hercules) years ago. I like the ball/spherical powders for their smooth metering. I lean towards W231 if you only have one powder. It's been used successfully for many years and burns fairly clean.

 

[skidmoe77]

tite group works great for me. a little goes along way.

 

[kohburn]

Ramshot zip

ZIP is a clean burning, double-base propellant designed for a wide range of handgun calibers. Low charge weights make it the most economical and versatile choice for high volume shooters with the added benefit of low recoil, low flash and minimum residue. 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP are just a few of the cartridges that are well-matched with this powder.

the charge for 9mm is so small i had ot get the micro adjuster for the lee power measure. it uses very little power per charge so the powder goes a long way.

 

[Pinecone]

I use 231 as a basic pistol powder. But would use a slower powder in .357.

 

[Billman]

Win231

 

[wiseguy813]

I'm looking into reloading 9mm and 40

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[4MDGunRights]

W231 for both...

 

[Machodoc]

W231/HP 38 is my all around powder for 32 S&W Long,.380,9mm Mak, 9mm Para,.38 Spec, .45ACP,.44Mag(downloads), and .45Colt . I have used Titegroup, Clays and American Select but go backto W231.
I use WSF for .40 because it is a tad slower that 231, and have considered it for other calibers but have yet to run out of W231,
DocAitch

There's just no "one best" powder for all loads.

• As Doc said, W231/HP38 is great stuff for 9mm para and 9mm Mak, as well as .38 and .45ACP.
  
• Unique will cover some of the faster semi-auto loads, and is another versatile powder. I use it for 7,62x25
  
• Winchester WST loads a good .45 ACP round, and you can sometimes still find it when other stuff is gone because most people think of it as only being a shotgun powder. It's good for 9mm, too.

The three of these will cover a whole lot of territory when it comes to loading for handguns.

 

[pcfixer]

Tite-group is all I use for .45ACP currently (had a shit-ton of it).

It meters well, even thru my Lee stuff. Can be sooty at lighter loadings, but it does get much better (cleaner) when you find your "happy spot".

+1 . TG shoots clean at max load in 45 ACP and 45 LC for me.

 

[slimm2]

I have had good luck with Bullseye and Unique if you are just starting out and want to stay on a budget

 

[mstraus]

Win231 on both

 

[NRA-Benefactor]

I've used W231 in the past with good results, but I recently got a large amount of tite-group and it works great!

 

[pulplv]

I use Red Dot for both with great results.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Trying to limit the powders. Can I use the same powder for multiple calibers? For handgun I'll be reloading, 9mm, 357' 45acp.

Not the best powder IMO for loading any of the three. But if I were forced to hold on to only one powder with handgun load versatility being primary, it would probably be Unique.

 

[Mooseman]

Hey you Hooligans, maybe we can trade in Hooli the Goat for a unicorn?

How dare you!?

 

[Streetgang]

I fell into a good deal on Bullseye and it does well in 9mm. For .45 ACP, I'm going to work up a load with that and see how it goes. Currently I'm trying to burn up the last of my HS-6. Stuff burns like black powder.

 

[Pinecone]

I started many years ago with Bullseye in .45 ACP. Then moved to Unique.

Now don't use either as they are very dirty.