New to reloading

[Kslatton]

Hey guys I'm new to reloading. Does anyone know where I can get information on powders? Or do any of you have any words of wisdom on choosing a powder. I will be reloading mostly 9mm & .40. At some point I will move onto .223. Thanks

[kilimanjaro]

Get at least one reloading manual and look up the recommended powders for your caliber and bullet weight. Pick the one with the results you want and use it. Stick with the one powder for a while. Don't use max loads until you know what you're doing.

Check what powder is available, might be limited to begin with.

[oldpapps]

Welcome to the forum and I'm sorry about the addiction you have decided to embark on, if you are like me, you will enjoy it greatly.

Now to your question/s.
Start by reading the sticky above. Then order or buy or find more than one loading manuals. Read them until you know what is next.
Next, supplement the above listed books with the on-line resources, in no particular order:
http://www.hodgdon.com/
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx
http://reloadersnest.com/index.asp
http://stevespages.com/page8a.htm

That should keep you active for a bit.

And finally to selecting 'powder'. Two problems here. First is picking the one or ones you want to try first, that is where the links above will help. And the last one is finding any. Please don't be a 'grab and buy' person with no idea what some powder is used for. Picking up a pound of some ultra slow powder and then trying to find a loading for it in your 9MM is not the way to do it. Read and understand the uses and names of powders, then look for them.

There are many, many very good powders out there (some place). I use 231/HP-38 for target/mid loads in most pistol rounds. There are many more. I like, for several reasons, 748 for use in .223/5.56, again, there are many others. The needed burning characteristics of a powder determines where it is useful. As the character of a pistol is much different from that of a rifle (long gun), the powder for each is normally just as varied. Read the books and learn the wisdom of those who have gone this route before you.

Enjoy and load with care,

OSOK

[Brian Pfleuger]

You should have The ABC's of Reloading and at least one good manual. The Lyman 49th is excellent.

The ABC's is for learning the process and the front section of your manual explains much too. The actual data in the manual is for handy reference and for reloading when the internet goes down. As a matter of routine, all the data you could ever need is available online.

[Kslatton]

Thanks for the info. I have read Modern Reloading a couple of times and some on line articles. I plan to pick up the ABC's next.

[serf 'rett]

Welcome to the forum.

It is difficult to find powder at this time, so you may not be able to get the "ideal" powder. As your reading will tell you, faster powders are good for lower velocity target loads, while slower powders are more suited for higher velocity, full power loads. Your choice may depend on what is available.

For 9mm, 40S&W and 45 Auto, I use the following:
Winchester W-231, fast powder for low recoil target loads
Alliant Unique, mid to upper range loads (low range is possible, but dirty)
Alliant Power Pistol, mid to upper range

Honorable mentions go to VV-320 and VV-340 but these are scarcer than W-231. I’m about to test some loads with Winchester AutoComp, a new powder of me.

[Nick_C_S]

Honorable mentions go to VV-320 and VV-340 but these are scarcer than W-231.

I haven't seen W-231 (or HP-38 - same powder) in a store since November 2012. Not sure how a powder can get more scarce than that.

[Wrangler5]

I think all "pistol" powders have been pretty much nonexistent on shelves for over a year. My local supplier has been reduced to selling out of a 55# (or so) tub of some nameless, supposedly shotgun, powder, but you have to bring your own empty containers. They provide some basic shotgun load data with a purchase, and don't seem to even mention its availability unless the customer asks enough of the right kind of questions to make 'em feel comfortable that he probably knows what he's doing at the reloading bench. A friend of mine bought a couple of pounds (he's completely out of powder, and has a kid who likes to shoot skeet, so . . . ) and thinks it looks a lot like the REX powder that was available a few years ago but seems to have lost its importer.

But like all powders, even the rifle powders of which a few types seem to be generally available, when they run out of what they have on hand they have no idea when (or if) they'll get any more, or what the next batch will include.

[Red_Eagle]

I had good luck with the following:

9mm
115 grain: American Select and HS-6
124 grain: Herco, Blue Dot, Unique, Accurate #7, HS-6, and Tite Group

40 S&W
155 grain: HS-6 and Power Pistol
180 grain: SR 4756, Winchester 231, HS-6, Tite Group, and 800X.

800X is a very accurate powder if loaded by hand (trickled), but I couldn't get it to give consistent powder drops in either my RCBS Uni-flow powder measure or a MEC 600 20 gauge shot shell press.

[Sevens]

Does anyone know where I can get information on powders? Or do any of you have any words of wisdom on choosing a powder. I will be reloading mostly 9mm & .40. At some point I will move onto .223.

Welcome!

I've been handloading for a long time, and I did so for MANY years without knowing very much at all about powders, how they work, how they differ, why some are better than others and the best way to use them. A few years ago, I got very interested in exactly that and I simply chased down every discussion I could find on the subject. (note: I'm a handgun guy and merely dabble in rifles, so my knowledge base is pretty much handgun powders)

I have found that picking powders ends up being a skill that you gain over time, with practice, and with trial and error. In the mean time, some suggestions I would make with much confidence:

--ask for specifics, on threads exactly like this one. Tell us what gun you've got, what your main purpose is for those loads, what component bullet you'll be using and then ask what we use and why we have chosen that powder. Our answers will vary and you can listen to the different reasons and arguments and take some of that experience directly from us.

--don't fall in to the "NEW RELOADER TRAP" of putting cheap, low-cost and saving a buck ahead of getting the appropriate powder for the job. The easiest example I find is the guy who loads 9mm with Bullseye or Titegroup and then decides the second caliber he is going to try reloading will be his .44 Magnum. Hodgdon and Alliant show "published data" for .44 Magnum, so why on Earth would he try a different powder? Well... he should. And IMO, if he doesn't, he is going down a lousy road. The "why" behind my opinion is another subject entirely.

--don't be afraid to try new powders even when you like one that you're already using. Understand that if you develop a load using AA#2, it's still always going to be there for you to use any time you come across a supply of AA#2, but in the mean time, developing a load with Red Dot only costs you about $25 in powder and the time & costs associated with the bullets and primers and shooting you'll do to develop another different load. This way, you won't be tied down if you run out of powder and can't find the stuff anywhere.

--always look at the big picture, especially when it comes to getting drawn in by lower charge weights. Some guys see a low charge weight and they instantly see "MAJOR COST SAVINGS!" but when you consider how much powder actually costs (in handgun rounds), it's much like being penny-wise and pound foolish. Powder has an almost insignificant cost compared to the bullet, so I tend to choose my powder based on other factors that I deem far more important, including:
...how well the powder runs through my measure consistently
...how available the powder is for me to purchase
...what other calibers/places I can use that powder to good effect
...how appropriate that powder is for the task
...how well that powder is supported with published load data from different sources

To the immediate question, I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds of 9mm to great effect with Hodgdon Universal. For me, it is absolutely my GO-TO powder for 9mm. Unfortunately, the one company that actually produces that stuff has a manufacturing snafu and a press release has confirmed that it's absolutely out of production at the moment and I haven't seen it for sale anywhere for quite some time. So for as well as it works for me, I can't recommend it to you unless you FIND some. If you do, I say BUY IT!

For .40 S&W, I have loaded less, but still many thousands using Alliant Power Pistol and I've been happy with it. Power Pistol is a great powder that meters well for me in my Lyman 55, it seems to be as available as anything when I'm shopping and I use it in a few different places at my bench, all to good effect. I can think of only two complaints:
--Power Pistol seems to be really FLASHY and energetic, and it "seems" to me to give more snap/recoil than it may otherwise need to for what it does. Could be just my perception and it doesn't bother me, but it's noteworthy.

--Alliant, whom I have multiple complaints about, offers it only in a 1-lb bottle or 4-lb jug. That it's not available in an 8-lb'er is baffling to me. I can't see a good reason for this and frankly, it's money out of my pocket. It's annoying mostly because it seems inexplicable.

Good luck, ask questions.

[BigJimP]

The powder company websites or their catalogs are good sources of info / gun shops that sell powder will probably have some of their handouts.

In my area, some of the Hodgdon powders have been showing up ( TiteGroup, etc...)....

I like TiteGroup as a very good all around powder for handguns from 9mm to
.44 Mag.../ and its been my primary powder for a long time on 9mm and .40 S&W as well. Note: .40 S&W can be a high pressure round...so be careful with it / inspect your brass carefully. I would recommend you get up and rolling on 9mm for 4 or 5 months before you get into .40 S&W .

Read as much as you can / talk to a lot of guys and ask what they're using...especially if you know a few guys that have been reloading for a long time and have good procedures and follow good discipline on their reloads.

I like the Lyman reloading manual ...its good solid general info.

[Lost Sheep]

Sevens' essay is right on.

Let me give you my approach on choosing a powder.

Once you have chosen a cartridge and bullet and a muzzle velocity you want, you consult a couple of loading manuals and find a powder that delivers that bullet out of a firearm similar to yours at that velocity. Best if you find a powder whose maximum charge promises a muzzle velocity above your desired velocity and whose minimum charge promises a muzzle velocity below your desired velocity.

Find as many powders you can that meet those criteria.

Use more than one loading manual; different labs use different guns and their results will vary, sometimes a lot.

Favor those powders which have loading data in multiple manuals. You have a wider knowledge base on which to make your choices.

Since you are dealing with recoil-operated firearms (There are very few blowback operated 9mm or .40 S&W and no gas-operated ones I know of.), the momentum of the round will be operating the action. Too low a velocity will have trouble cycling the action and too high a velocity will batter your gun. You can easily detect failures to cycle fully. Too-high a velocity is harder to detect, but if you cannot adjust the velocity to get reliable functioning at your desired velocity, switching powders may get the results you want. This is a trial and error process. Sometimes it is simpler to change to a stronger or lighter recoil spring.

Good luck; thanks for asking our advice and welcome to reloading.

Lost Sheep