Pistol Powders

Vision · May 30, 2012

I just started reloading and have my new Lee Turret Press all set up and I did my first batch of 7 or 8 rounds with Hodgdon HS-6 (.40 S&W - 175 Grain Lead Bullets from Alpha Bravo and Remington Primers) and when I took them to the range (Elk Neck, Shooting a Springfield XDM) I found them to be very smokey as well as a much higher level of muzzle flash than I usually get out of retail ammo.

I was thinking of trying a couple of different kinds of powder to see which ones I like best. I was thinking of trying out Accurate #2 as it requires less powder than #7 according to the load guides, am I correct in guessing that a smaller charge should equal less smoke?

Also Accurate seems to be tougher to get a hold of in the area than Alliant Powder which due to the same logic above has me leaning towards Bullseye over Unique.

Does anyone have any recommendations about Alliant over Accurate? Given one over the other, which of the two alternatives for each category are recommended from there?

Thanks.

BradMacc82 · May 30, 2012

I don't use those powders myself, but I can say that you may want to try a diff't powder. What firearm are you running these reloads thru? Have they been lubed also?

Bullseye would seem to be a good choice - if your lucky maybe another .40 S&W reloader will happen upon your thread and give some input.

Vision · May 30, 2012

I did an edit to the original post but I'm shooting a Springfield XDM.

I did not lube this batch as I'm using the Lee Carbide Dies which (supposedly) don't need additional lube. If this is something I should do anyway, please feel free chime in, always looking for more feedback

DocAitch · May 30, 2012

Congratulations on the first big steps -you have loaded and fired your first reloads!!
:thumbsup:

Most of your smoke is from the bullet lube, not the powder.The muzzle flash is unburned powder exiting the barrel and then flashing.
Your surmise is correct in that the faster powders may flash less, but that is only part of the story. The pressure curves are different with different burn rates. I see a lot of folks on forums using fast powders with the .40, but my preference is for a slower powder. I like WSF(Winchester Super Field) which has served me very well, but I don't shoot cast bullets in my .40 (yet), and I would also like to hear from the folks who shoot cast bullets.
DocAitch

Addendum: I think BradMacc refers to the bullet lube, not case resizing lube. With cast bullets , the lube is the colored waxy stuff in one or more rings around the bullet circumference.(Plated and jacketed bullets have no lube). There are some bullets that have alox or some polymer stuff also/

BradMacc82 · May 30, 2012

I meant lubing the lead rounds, not the cases - should've specified some.

I typically don't shoot cast rounds, I know there's plenty of other's here that do, those would be the ones to truly listen to in your case.

NathanJ · May 30, 2012

Try Win231. Great powder and very clean.

Deep Creek Rock · May 30, 2012

I dont reload or shoot 40 S&W. But some of the smoke you are getting may be from the lube on the lead bullets themselves. Some bullet lubes for casted bullets do smoke more over jacketed.

As far as powder - consider trying Win 231. It is a low flash powder (less chance of causing night blindess in a dark shooting situation). Meters very well, and is found at just about any place that carries reloading supplies. It works for a wide range of calibers as well - so if you load multiple calibers, it may work well for the others.

Powder that fill the case less does not always equate to better performance - usally the opposite. Excessive air gaps in pistol rounds, can cause the cases to be more sooty then rounds that fill the case more - due to more air being introduced into the combustion.

j8064 · May 30, 2012

I haven't used the powders you mention. Both Unique and Bullseye are very universal powders for various small pistol cartridges. Many of us have used both powders for a long time. They can both be smokey and dirty, but they are reliable and shoot well. Recently I was intro'd to Win 231 and it seems to burn cleaner.

40 S&W is very similar to other straight-walled pistol rounds in the semi-auto series (.380, 9mm Luger, 9mm Mak, .45ACP). I load them all for my guns.

Smoke, soot and a little after burn are not uncommon with reloads (especially with home cast boolits as the lube burns). It's a messier cleanup of the gun and cases when back home, but not a big deal.

At the end of the day, I still keep Unique on hand as my go-to powder for pistol loads because it powers so many different rounds.

mbz300sdl · May 30, 2012

j8064 said:
At the end of the day, I still keep Unique on hand as my go-to powder for pistol loads because it powers so many different rounds.

It also does a good jobs on burning people trust me I know. :lol2:

ThumperIII · May 30, 2012

W231 / HP-38 esentially same powders for nearly any loading. Use it for 38Spec, 9mm, 357SIG, 40SW and 45acp. Meters really well. I load on a Lee turret press with attached powder measure. I usually use copper electroplated soft lead bullets. When I bought, they were nearly as cheap as uncoated lead and do not need any lube. Easier cleanup of guns afterward and don't get your hands all black when handling the bullets (both during reloading cartridges or when loading magazines/cylinders with finished product). I have only needed lubed cases for loading with the 357Sig cartridges - as that die set is not carbide. Except for 38Spec shooting from XD-45 or XDM 40 (with 9mm & 357Sig barrels). Also like the W231 powder as the volume amount used is enough that a double charged cartridge would be easy to spot. Also, not much variation of firing pressures with temperature changes.

Biggfoot44 · May 31, 2012

As mentioned many times , the primary sourse of smoke is the bullet lube.

As to muzzleflash , (certain) factory loads use flash retardents that are custom blended by the OEM mfg. Canister grade propellents don't.

I am a big fan of 231 for reasons already mentioned. However , those handloaders who really, really care about "clean burning" seem to predominatly swear by Titegroup.

pcfixer · May 31, 2012

Titegroup is also a very universal powder.

Flipz · May 31, 2012

pcfixer said:
Titegroup is also a very universal powder.

True. But not a good choice for beginners.

pwoolford · May 31, 2012

Flipz said:
True. But not a good choice for beginners.

Oops...I just started and I used Titegroup. I've only reloaded and shot one box of .40 and 9mm but very little smoke and all was well. I guess I should have asked before but what should beginners watch for while using Titegroup?

tech24 · May 31, 2012

pwoolford said:
Oops...I just started and I used Titegroup. I've only reloaded and shot one box of .40 and 9mm but very little smoke and all was well. I guess I should have asked before but what should beginners watch for while using Titegroup?

I don't understand the statement either???

Bullseye, unique, titegroup, and w231 are pretty well perfoming powders with most calibers and loads. My personal go to favorite is bullseye at the moment as I've had best luck with little work with it.

Bikebreath · May 31, 2012

mbz300sdl said:
It also does a good jobs on burning people trust me I know.

Your new nickname --> FLASH

:lol2:

Vision · May 31, 2012

Alternatively with regards to the muzzleflash issue, the manuals recommend a minimum of 6.1 grains with a max load of 6.9 grains for 180 grain bullet. I am currently loading at 6.5 grains. Would dropping down to 6.2 or 6.3 grains reduce muzzle flash or are there other factors involved as well?

tech24 · May 31, 2012

I doubt it would be a noticable difference. I'd venture to guess it has more to do with the compund than charge weight

Flipz · May 31, 2012

pwoolford said:
Oops...I just started and I used Titegroup. I've only reloaded and shot one box of .40 and 9mm but very little smoke and all was well. I guess I should have asked before but what should beginners watch for while using Titegroup?

tech24 said:
I don't understand the statement either???

Bullseye, unique, titegroup, and w231 are pretty well perfoming powders with most calibers and loads. My personal go to favorite is bullseye at the moment as I've had best luck with little work with it.

First I'll say that all powders will perform well IF they are loaded properly.

Titegroup is an extremely fast burning powder with a high pressure curve and a very small margin of error. Dont get me wrong, its a great powder and I use it all the time. But because of its characteristics its not always the best choice for someone new to reloading. As long as the loader understands that it has a very small margin of error, there should be no issues. Powders like Titegroup are very sensitive to bullet weight and slight differences in OAL. Being able to spot signs of overpressure is not something beginners have the experience to do. This is another reason why Titegroup isnt the best choice for beginners. It is also very easy to not notice a double charge of Titegroup since the charges are so small in appearance.

IMO, the 2 best powders for beginners loading pistol calibers are W231 and Unique. They can be loaded in many different calibers (.38, 9mm, .40S&W, .45acp) and dont have the higher pressure curve of Titegroup or even Bullseye. They are also very volumess powders so its easier to spot a low or high charge.

theBIGone2087 · May 31, 2012

I use unique for my .40S&W loads also out of an XDm. No muzzle flash and very consitant velicoties. Those are with Rainier 165 Plated bullets. Unique is one of those powders that all of my loads like. .40, .357sig, 10mm, .45ACP, they all will run Unique and be very accurate. Bullseye is also a GREAT powder.

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