[Nick_C_S]

Make no mistake:

231 (HP38) is NOT the powder to go playing how-high-can-I-load-it-up games with.

I've been loading for decades. And 231 has been a big part of my loading experience. It's great powder - one of the best at what it does. If I could only load with one powder from now 'till the end of my days, I'd choose 231 (although it sux in 357 Mag - but that's another post lol).

As a loader, what you do with 231 is find a recipe that chronographs consistently, burns clean, and is accurate (if it does the first two, it'll do the last one). It tends to have a broad window of where it works well, so achieving this goal is rarely difficult. Once you find that load recipe - you leave it alone. Then load ammo to that recipe as needed.

What you don't want to do is go loading 231 in search of its upper pressure limits - it WILL bite you. 231 can develop a sharp pressure curve with little warning - especially with 9mm.

9mm has the added problem of cartridge volume variance. If you're playing with high pressures and not sorting by headstamp, you're setting yourself up for a damaged gun (or worse).