Best beginner powder for 9mm Luger

[tateconcepts]

Unique would be great if it could be found. Agreed with the above members on W231 but don't rule out WSF or Winchester Super Field. Works great, can also be used in shotgun loads (if you ever wish to reload 00 buckshot) and can be used with 115gr, 124gr and 147gr. Based upon powder load data and the Winchester Ballistics App - I'm pretty confident they use this same powder in their 'target' white box value ammo.

All the above are good charges, but read the load data that came with your dies and start with the starting load and watch the OAL - this is very important and do not over taper. If you seat the bullet too deep it will raise pressures and this is most important on never exceed loads. Do the dummy round test and make a primer less round and see if it goes 'plink' and seats / spins freely in the chamber. Lee Load Data calls for the max OAL to be min OAL with WSF and although it is a long bullet, it will fire accurately. The majority of threads I read state that depending on powder burn rate - google that for hodgdon - the faster burning powders should be reserved for small caliber semi-auto, medium fast for revolver or semi-auto heavier calibers (.40+), and slow for rifle in general theory. Sometimes some cross over like H110 is a handgun powder but it also is the recommended powder for subsonic 300 AAC Blackout due to the type of powder.

Read this link for some really helpful info - http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481170

Read, read, read and make a dummy round, then make your first ten with the powder load of your choice, weigh one or two of them for the powder to ensure accurate and consistent charges, check Min OAL and above all - if they pass the barrel depth and spin test - GO SHOOT EM!

Have fun and practice firearms safety - we don't have 'guns' in our house - those are for the kids. Grown Ups have firearms and we teach respect from the beginning for guns and for firearms differently.

[57K]

Flake powders like Power Pistol and Blue Dot will give excellent case-fill/load density. In Blue Dot's case, some loads will even be compressed. Unfortunately, the lower density of flake powders do very little in regards to preventing bullet set-back. There are sphericals (ball type) like AA#7 that can give load density up to 100% and because the powder is so dense. 100% load density would prevent set-back.

In reality, any spherical that gives at least 50% case-fill can be used where a double-charge, that will hopefully never happen, will overflow the case, or give case-fill too high to be able to seat a bullet.

Universal type powders can be used to load all handgun cartridges, but the best one available is not a flake powder, it's a very dense ball powder called Ramshot True Blue. It will give excellent accuracy in 9mm and the .40 S&W and many others from medium to factory level type velocity. Because of its physical size and very high density, it meters much better than any flake powder can and better than a lot of sphericals. For the reloader starting out, or someone that wants to load everything with a single powder, there are none better than True Blue and it's one of the most pressure stable powders while giving excellent ballistic uniformity. In some cases, it excels. I even use it for short barrel .357 Magnum loads, gotten the best accuracy with it and the .40 S&W cartridge as well as target grade accuracy in 9mm and that's but a few of its potential uses.

[Real Gun]

Flysubcompact - Something commonly available and tried and true

You canot buy most of the powders mentioned except in one pound containers when lucky. Since that is not enough to justify mail order and a HAZMAT fee, you should use whatever you can find locally for which you can find a load published by the powder manufacturer. Worry about the credibility of I-read-it-on-the-internet later.

Powders that are popular, very applicable to 9mm, often hopelessly backordered; are Unique, W231/HP38, Power Pistol, Bullseye, Accurate #5, HS-6, Universal, and Titegroup. Sleepers to consider and possibly more accessible are Green Dot and Accurate #7. There are several others with loads listed in the Lee book.

I am working off a two year old stash of 8 pounds of Power Pistol, but one that gave excellent results is Titegroup, which I will buy again when the opportunity arises. Any of the hard-to-get powders I listed would be worth grabbing, if I ever saw them in larger than one pound containers on line. I would buy a one pounder in a store, if it was a powder I hadn't tried before.

[Woolecox]

I have had great results with Blue Dot, AA#5, AA#7, 800X, V105, and Longshot. I read a lot of good things about Power Pistol. Now days, you may have to use what you can find.

Whether loading single stage or progressive, I visually inspect each and every case for a good primer seat, and proper powder drop. The powders I use will overflow if double charged.

[Clark]

When I started reloading, one of the first thing I did was to overload work up 9mm with 90, 115, 124, and 147 gr bullets with Bullseye, Unique, Power Pistol, Blue Dot, 2400, 3N37, HS-6, AA#5, 800X, H110, and LIL'GUN.

I stored the results for each combination in EXCEL. That was dumb. It should be in lab book notes format, like Ackley's overload work ups in his books on handloading.

In AA#5 and 115 gr I kept working up, past a hole blown in the case over the feed ramp. That was dumb. I blew the extractor and mag bottom plate out of the gun, and I had to wait for parts from Kel-Tec before resuming testing.

Anyway, most those powders have too low a speed x density product to get a beginner into an overload problem. If I were to get my kids started loading 9mm, of those powders I would not give them any 3N37, HS-6, nor any AA#5. If they accidentally put too much of those powders in a 9mm, they might hurt themselves or the gun.

[WESHOOT2]

I started using it in 1995 to make "Major Nine" (as it was referred to in that time).

I worked with 115g, 124g, 135g, 147g, and 151g choices.
I shot (and still shoot) them using (mostly) one hard-fit Nowlin-barreled EAA Witness (thank you Mr. Bob Cogan) and one stock Witness.
I have developed certain loads that demanded special techniques to settle the charge enough to seat a bullet.

But I still recommend Alliant Power Pistol as the powder for 9x19.

[skizzums]

i have only loaded 1000 rounds of 9mm. still very new, but in my town here, supply is very limited. looked for days for something and found HODGDONS "TiteGroup". it has worked well for me, even as a beginner, so if you cantt find anything else, it'll work. it is pretty smoky on the lower end of the charges. but anything over 3.8 grains has been fine. i cycle reliabily as low as 3.4, but it's too smoky and dirty that low. i'm keeping my eyes peeled for some hp38, pistol power, or unique. hoping to find something better soon. ive shot it all the way from 3.3 up to 4.4 and ive found a nice medium at 3.9gr with 125gr roundball using cci#500. so i have nothing to compare it to, but i haven't had any problems with the "titiegroup" except cleanliness, and i have had, well, some tite groups........

[Nick_C_S]

Lots of good choices and recommendations in this thread.

For me, I load 124g JHP's the most. And the recipe I settled on is 6.1g AA5. Works flawlessly; burns clean; and has good pop.

I also load 115g's with W231 (HP38) sometime. But I can't remember the grains and I don't have my load data with me here at work

[MrApathy]

I started with PowerPistol its good for 9mm and 40sw.
PowerPistol meters well it fills case pretty good. Unique fills cases a bit more but doesnt meter as good and is a little dirtier than PowerPistol. PowerPistol is pretty stable as far as pressure goes hard to double charge,wont spike in pressure and is not temperature sensitive.

[balyon85]

I've been using hp38, but I'm still a beginner.

[Silver00LT]

W231(same as HP-38) is a great ball pistol powder. Excellent consistent metering.

[Real Gun]

A "beginner powder" is probably one that is not so popular that all the non-beginners haven't hoarded it out of existence. It is as much about good substitutes as those considered ideal. It can also be thought of as powders to watch for while using something else. Powders that are secondarily used for pistol are good ones to watch for. American Select and Blue Dot would be those from Alliant, for example, that have published loads for 9mm.

[Forrest68]

I agree, HP-38 has worked very well for me as has HS-6 luckily I have been able to get my hands on it locally for a decent price and on a fairly regular basis. So good luck

[Silver00LT]

What's funny is HP-38 and W231 are the same...yet I can get HP-38 at $21 a pound and W231 is none existent right now.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

I wouldn't suggest a flake powder.(measuring problems w/ some equipment) Nor would I suggest to any new reloader to use a powder like Red Dot. (which is very easy to double charge and not catch your mistake) A ball powder or a grainy powder that nearly fills the brass is perhaps your best & safest way to proceed.

1. Accurate #5
2. Winchesters 231
3. Alliants Unique

S/S

[Real Gun]

I wouldn't suggest a flake powder.(measuring problems w/ some equipment) Nor would I suggest to any new reloader to use a powder like Red Dot. (which is very easy to double charge and not catch your mistake) A ball powder or a grainy powder that nearly fills the brass is perhaps your best & safest way to proceed.

1. Accurate #5
2. Winchesters 231
3. Alliants Unique

S/S

Yeah, but how does "a beginner" buy powders as popular as those? You can't find them mail order for more than an hour and gone, if at all, and they fly off the shelves in a store. I would just make a list of all the powders for which I have a credible load, and go shopping gun shops that support reloading. Grab a pound of something, and start becoming a veteran reloader.

Titegroup was my first 9mm powder, and I found it outstanding. If you solve the squib question with a flexlight to see down the case, you also solve, as best anyone can, the problem of double charging one of the smaller volume charges. The 9mm size case helps with that better than larger calibers. It shouldn't be a problem. I don't recall any peculiar powder measure problems with Titegroup.

[WESHOOT2]

For today's USPSA match I made up 200 rds of 9x19 with a Montana Gold .356" 130g FMJ-RN and WSP and used brass and 5.3g WAP at an OAL of 1.125".

I wonder how it will shoot......

[pmeisel]

Just went and bought a couple pounds of 800X to reload for my son's 9 and 40 and my 45, based on some research like this.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

1.-The 9mm size case helps with that better than larger calibers. It shouldn't be a problem. {red dot usage w/ double charges} ///2.-I would just make a list of all the powders for which I have a credible load, and go shopping gun shops that support reloading.

1.- The OP states he's reloading more than just for the 9mm but also for a 40 cal. Which in my opinion a 40 cal could prove to be problem if indeed it were overcharged or double charged.

2.- Your way of shopping for powder is a excellent idea. But as you know were all dealing with the same problem of component shortages. Beginner & veteran alike. Not that the OP couldn't use Red Dot if he chose too. It's just I would not recommend its use until he/OP gets a little familiar with his equipment and hones his technique a little. Now we all know there are similar powders in other brands that nearly duplicate the ones I previously mentioned. A counter person perhaps could help the OP with that distinction.
As of this day I personally know a few (veteran) reloader's that have stopped reloading because of issues they have encountered in today market place. Not that none would. But I highly doubt any would buy a powder that their not familiar with just to stay busy at their press. As far as I know I've never encountered a person that jumped into reloading and learned everything there is to know in a day or two. I've been at this hobby well over forty years and I'm still picking up hints and tweaking ability's all the time. My advice to this OP: Take your time. Be observant at your press. Buy the products you feel are appropriate for your application. Always read and make use of the reloading manuals recipes for your intended loadings. Never use word of mouth recipes period /ever. Do your research before sitting down at your press. You'll do just fine then. Welcome to a hobby that's a life long with its un-ending learning experience.

S/S

[57K]

OP, I don't think we've mentioned it yet but the former Winchester Action Pistol, or WAP, is now Ramshot Silhouette. They are identical and load data is interchangeable. For defense type loads in 9mm and .40 S&W, I don't know of anything better. If you don't need factory JHP performance (or higher in some cases) and you're more interested in accuracy, I'd say look for some True Blue. I use both and even use Silhouette (WAP) in my high velocity .45 ACP JHP loads for defense. For a 2 3/4" Ruger Speed-Six in .357 Magnum that I have it gets loads charged with True Blue that is very pressure stable and meters better than most. It is very universal and can be used in any handgun cartridge load and since it meters much better than Unique or Universal, it's a much better powder choice for any application where Unique or Universal might be recommended. Here's a link to data: www.ramshot.com

[skizzums]

i ould say as a beginner, doesnt really matter what type of powder you choose. im sure all ofthese choices are great. as for "double-charging".....just pay attention and don't do it. im a beginner and have a method of checks and balances to prevent mistakes. im sure everyone has their own rythym, but double charging shouldnt be an issue.

[WESHOOT2]

800X works fine.
Ensure your powder dispenser (of whatever type: scale, powder measure, scoop, whatever) offers consistent charge weights with 800X.

[FM12]

Bullseye. Good for almost all handgun calibers.

[mythbusted]

Hodgdon hs-6

[TimSr]

Considering this thread was started in July of 2012, I would seriously hope the original poster is no longer a beginner, and not still awaiting further advice in order to get started.