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June 11, 2012, 06:41 PM | #76 |
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I ran out of 231 and had a bunch of trail boss I use in my 45 colt loads so out of curiosity I loaded some 230gr. with 4.5 gr. of trail boss and I was surprised at the results, I like it better than the 231, cleaner and more accurate. I liked it enough I will using it instead of 231 since I have a lot of trail boss.
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May 14, 2018, 04:29 AM | #77 |
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Alliant Red Dot for.45 ACP
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May 14, 2018, 09:32 AM | #78 |
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Rodfac,
They are the same powder. Both are canister grade OBP231 from the St. Marks, Florida plant. I found that in the MSDS sheets from around 2009. More recent ones omit that information because rule changes allow them to.
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May 14, 2018, 10:03 AM | #79 |
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This thread is 6 years old. I bet the OP found a powder that works by now.
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May 14, 2018, 10:20 AM | #80 |
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I just read the whole thing (wasn't sure why it was resurrected) and surprised nobody mentioned Herco. It's like Unique with longer legs.
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May 14, 2018, 11:11 AM | #81 |
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Hah! I didn't even look at the dates. Yes, I'm sure it's long since been decided by the OP. It is, however, a topic for periodic update as new powders come out.
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May 16, 2018, 12:37 AM | #82 |
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For me, it's still Unique.
For 200grn bullets, I can sub in W231 or WST and be happy, but for 230grn factory-level loads... it's Unique.
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May 16, 2018, 06:47 AM | #83 |
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Still 231 for me, all bullet weights.
Likely will always be 231 for me for all bullet weights.
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May 16, 2018, 10:21 AM | #84 |
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I would say Bullseye. It may be dirty, I don't know as I shoot cast bullets and they are so filthy it doesn't matter. I clean my guns every 200 to 250 rounds so being dirty is no great concern. I'm currently using WST and may switch to WST totally but too soon to tell.
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May 17, 2018, 06:58 AM | #85 |
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And 6 years later after the original post was made what have we learned ? Everyone has a different opinion, LOL
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May 17, 2018, 09:43 PM | #86 | |
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Quote:
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May 17, 2018, 11:33 PM | #87 |
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I tried some Alliant BE-86 they list 45 ACP +P loads these are not +P
Fired from full size H&K USP 45 ACP 230gr lead round nose 5.7 grains average FPS 800 5.9 grains average FPS 800 6.2 grains average FPS 862 Fired from UZI 16 inch barrel 5.7 grains average FPS 989 5.9 grains average FPS 1016 6.2 grains average FPS 1079 Fired from UZI 16 inch barrel 200 grain cast wad cutter 7.3 grains average FPS 1221 I just started loading with this powder . |
May 18, 2018, 08:34 AM | #88 |
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A valid question day to day.
Bullseye is popular since the 1911 pistol, the standard charge was 5 grains of it behind a 230gn round nose bullet as I recall. It is hard to say that is bad. I am a HP-38/Win 231 guy, because there are good loads for pistol in my .380 9mm and 45 acp pistols. A good powder from .380 all the way up to .44 SP in fact. I like not having 6 different powders. I think I do have a couple different 1 pound bottles of BE, power pistol, maybe something else I can't recall right now, but three 8 pound jugs of HP-38. Ha. |
May 18, 2018, 09:18 AM | #89 |
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Bullseye is still my favorite all around powder for the .45 ACP
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May 18, 2018, 11:20 AM | #90 |
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Bullseye, 700X, Solo 1000, AA#2, W231/HP38, AA#5, Unique, just some of my favourite .45 ACP powders.
Don
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May 18, 2018, 01:48 PM | #91 |
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I love this thread.
One thing I can say for sure is that 45 ACP is something of a wild card when it comes to a propellant's burn rate. They tend to behave slower in 45 ACP than other calibers. W231 (my favorite, to answer the original question) for instance, can be used to wind up some pretty stout 230 grain ammo. We're talking well into the 800 f/s range. Whereas other calibers, moving to a slower powder would be in order. Someone mentioned Unique. I only use Unique in 45 ACP when I'm going for near-max velocity. It actually runs rather slow in 45 ACP.
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May 19, 2018, 09:05 AM | #92 | |
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Quote:
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May 19, 2018, 11:15 AM | #93 |
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The Army marksmanship unit likes a full power load of Vitavouri n310 with a Nosler 185 JHP as their 50 yard bullseye pistol load.
My favorite after using all others you can list over 25 years of shooting and reloading .45 acp is Bullseye. 4.0 grains under a 200 LSWC for a bullseye accuracy load. 6.0 grains under a 185 JHP for self defense. Some of the bullseye pistol high master shooters at my club swear by accurate arms solo 1000 instead of bullseye, some are using vv N310. |
May 19, 2018, 11:19 AM | #94 | ||||
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I used Unique for a while when I first started loading (1984). It fell out of favor with me at the time mostly because I was shooting big magnums and wanted everything full-throttle (youth). I didn't shoot much from the mid-90's through much of 2012. I reached a point in my life when I started to get back into shooting more often. My shooting style changed (age) and I then needed an intermediate burn rate powder - right when the big shortage hit. Out of desperation, I bought 2#'s of Unique; then two more. I was also able to get ahold of other intermediates - AA#5, HS-6 (which I also had previous experience with), and Power Pistol (which is awesome, but that's for another post) - all of which I liked more than Unique. For about the last two years, I have been working on paring down the number of propellants I am holding in my inventory. Unique is on the cut list. I still have a little over a # and won't miss it when it's gone. It makes good ammo, in some applications; particularly driving 230's in 45 ACP. But it meters wonky as hell. And I find it flighty in 357 Magnum (light bullets), where Power Pistol just beats the tar out of it in every respect. So it's got to go; and I've been loading with it at every opportunity lately - to move it out of inventory. But I have lots of load data, should I need to use it again some day.
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May 19, 2018, 06:54 PM | #95 |
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W231 is generally my first choice for the 45 Auto. Bullseye is great, but it doesn't meter nearly as smoothly through my powder measure. Accurate #5 is another one that has worked well for me.
I've used several other powders, but they haven't done anything better for me than those three listed above. Most of my 45 Auto loads are for target/plinking. |
May 20, 2018, 06:24 AM | #96 |
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"No, what we learned is Unique is the best handgun powder evarrrrrrrrrr... everything else pales in comparison. But, you already knew that, right?"
I've often said here at TFL that Unique is the single most flexible and useful powder ever offered to the American handloader. That said, I don't like it, and I don't use it, simply because of its poor metering qualities.
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May 20, 2018, 01:50 PM | #97 | ||
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Here's my experience: Unique is only useful in 38/44 Special pushing heavies (158/240 respectively), pumped all the way up (or maybe beyond) to the top of "P+." Otherwise, it runs sooty with unspent propellant all about. Does fairly well pushing heavies in 9mm. But the metering thing makes me a little nervy in such a small case. Makes good 357 Mag ammo pushing 125's. But even at that, Standard Deviations tend to run high. Seems to settle down a little with mag primers. All in all, I've rather given up on the combo. Velocity lacks with 158's, so that's out. As for 44 Mag, I suppose results would be similar to 357 Mag; but I don't load that way for 44 Mag. So I'm neutral on my opinion of using Unique with 44 Mag. I load 10mm Auto; but have never done so with Unique. Neutral. With 45 ACP, I get high SD's with light bullets. But with 230's - now that's where Unique really shines. I am very pleased with Unique for making both upper tier range shooters (slightly potent); as well as full-throttle bad boys. Yes, Unique does this quite well. And I bet most all of my final # of the stuff will be used for these two loadings.
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May 20, 2018, 05:48 PM | #98 |
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Well, I'm glad this thread was brought back to life. For me, I use Unique, Clays and Universal in the old .45 Auto. Just bought some BE-86 to try. Thinking I'll be staying with Unique and Clays tho.
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May 20, 2018, 08:04 PM | #99 |
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Flexible in that it us useful in probably a broader spectrum of handgun, rifle, and shotgun loads than any other powder.
I never said that it would do everything any other powder would, from powder puff loads to full on magnum thumpers. It does, like any other powder, have its limitations.
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May 20, 2018, 11:34 PM | #100 | |
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It may not be my cup of tea, but that doesn't make it a lousy propellant. No powder is "bad." Every one is useful in some application. I got to thinking about it, and for me, I would consider AA#5 the most versatile powder I use. I believe #5 is just a tick faster than Unique; but if somebody took issue with that notion, I wouldn't argue the point. I have successfully used AA#5 in every handgun caliber I load. Like Unique, its use is somewhat limited in the large volume / low pressure 38 & 44 Specials. But other than that, I have used it quite a bit in lots of chamberings. In the magnums, it's reserved for more tame loadings with light bullets - but does this niche well (better than Unique IMO). Makes great 180gn range shooters in 10mm Auto (and probably even better 165's, but I don't shoot 165's). Nice potent 45 ACP rounds - all weights (behaves much better than Unique with light bullets). And 9mm is its wheelhouse caliber. Makes exceptional 9mm ammo - range shooters as well as defense loadings. A bit limited with 147's, but other than that, AA#5 really shines in the 9-mil. I don't load 40 Cal, but I'm sure it would prove exceptional there too. Runs much cleaner; and meters infinitely better than Unique too.
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