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March 1, 2012, 03:05 PM | #26 |
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+1 for 231 and Unique. I use 231 for 9mm, 40 and 45. Flows well too!
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March 1, 2012, 04:10 PM | #27 |
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This question has been asked so many times.
The powders traditionally used are Unique, Bullesye, and 231. More modern powders are Universal and Power Pistol, to name a few. The "best" powder is one that fills the case at least half way so you will know if you get a double charge.
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March 1, 2012, 04:19 PM | #28 |
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Win 231 and 200gr.Hornady XTP. . Me and two Glocks luv it..
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March 1, 2012, 04:25 PM | #29 |
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I've settled on Bullseye for .45ACP. Tried other powders, but had the best luck so far with it. Note I shoot .45 ACP in revolvers.
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A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king. |
March 1, 2012, 04:29 PM | #30 |
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Unique is great shooting and universal powder but I am done with its due to its metering issues.
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March 1, 2012, 08:03 PM | #31 | |
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Not saying this to be mean or start a pewter fight but this has always bothered me.
Quote:
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March 1, 2012, 08:31 PM | #32 |
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W231/HP-38,AA#5,WSF,WST,N320,N340,N350,Power Pistol,HS-6,Sillhouette,AA#2,SR4756,Auto Comp,Longshot,SR7625,Bullseye,Unique,Blue Dot,and Universal are the best for 45 ACP. I probably forgot one or two though.
Unfortunately any powder "we" like or works for us, may not work for you. Every gun is different. PS. when I started loading,I looked through several loading manuals,they almost always say what was their most accurate powder. I then picked what powders I wanted to try. That is how a person learns things. While yes,it is rude to complain, but just look back the last four pages,the answer IS in there five or six times. Lately it has been getting bad. My $.02
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March 2, 2012, 10:34 AM | #33 | |
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Quote:
If this (myth) is true then how can they sell Match ammo without people grumbling that they can't hit anything with the it? People whine over anything nowadays, and ammo is expensive. Where's the threads calling Federal Premium Match junk? So many well known and established loads are used and referred, and again confirmed after trying it. For example; 44 Mag 245gr/8.5 Unique 44 Mag 245gr/19.0-20.0 2400 45Colt 255gr/8.5 Unique 45ACP 225gr/5.5 WW-231 These are well known loads and work great for me and for a lot of others. Perhaps the occasional gun has a quirk which makes it not like some ammo, but for most part, good ammo is good ammo. |
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March 2, 2012, 11:14 AM | #34 |
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Where's the threads calling Federal Premium Match junk?
I don't know a single bullseye or benchrest shooter who would buy his match ammo. They all load their own, for exactly this reason. The benchrest guys re-load on the spot, at the match, to use the same case. Go to a match, there's a lot to learn, even if you don't enter.
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March 2, 2012, 01:09 PM | #35 |
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Edward ; I will agree with you on the fact that "some" loads are quite good in many guns,that there is. Not a whole bunch and generally with lead bullets,but good "standards".
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March 2, 2012, 03:31 PM | #36 |
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The results are in!
The OP asked for opinions on the best all around .45 ACP powder. So I decided to count the times in this thread that a given powder was mentioned as a good choice. Here are the results from the above posts:
Powder Times mentioned 231 16 Bullseye 10 AA #5 6 Unique 5 Power Pistol 3 Universal 1 Universal Clays 1 Clays 2 (same as above?) WST 1 AA #2 1 Bluedot 1 HS-6 1 Tightgroup 1 AA #7 1 Red Dot 1 So, It appears that the majority of those who have posted an answer to the OP's question believe that 231 is the most versitile .45 ACP powder available! One of the Worlds' mysteries has been solved!
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March 2, 2012, 05:49 PM | #37 |
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Add another one for 231. :-)
Come to think of it, I use 231 for most of my pistol loads except the magnums. --Wag--
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March 2, 2012, 05:54 PM | #38 |
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Man, is that count off...
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March 2, 2012, 06:25 PM | #39 |
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I started with Unique and it's still pretty good, but AA#5 brought my plain jane
1911 into the modern era, performance wise. |
March 2, 2012, 08:42 PM | #40 |
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I like Clays for 45 ACP. It is clean, inexpensive, and soft shooting...Illini
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March 2, 2012, 10:30 PM | #41 |
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Geese, I'm ready to try WST.
I like W231 because it crosses over well with other cartridges I reload for |
March 3, 2012, 12:01 AM | #42 |
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i use unique mostly because I can use it for my other loads (there are decent .32 acp, .357, and .380 loads).
I haven't noticed it being any more dirty than winchester white box or remington/umc. Some people say it is. I may try universal when I run out of this lot, just because I hear it compared favorably. My 1911 LOVES 185gn FMJ over 7.5 gns of Unique. Im not sure why, but my XD eats 230s better. |
March 3, 2012, 12:30 AM | #43 | |
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Quote:
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March 3, 2012, 04:57 AM | #44 | ||
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Quote:
You'll often see me recommend W231/HP-38 (same exact powder but HP-38 costs less) that is moderately fast burning but slower than Titegroup with broader load range that's more forgiving for a new reloader. Even at lower mid-to-high range load data, W231/HP-38 will produce accurate target loads and burn relatively clean (compared to other powders in the same mid-to-high load data range). It is cleaner burning than Bullseye with less recoil pulse but Bullseye loads are accurate. It is a flattened small ball powder and like other ball powders, meters very consistently (particularly in Lee Pro Auto Disk with less than .1 gr variance). Unlike flake powders (Bullseye/Unique), W231/HP-38 is coated which also help lubricate the Auto Disk operation surfaces. For 200 gr Lead SWC bullet, 5.0-5.5 gr of W231/HP-38 produces very accurate loads and is like bread-and-butter, peanut butter-and-jelly, etc. I like clean burning and accurate WST for 45ACP also, but if you are loading other calibers like 9mm/40S&W, W231/HP-38 is hard to beat for producing accurate and moderately recoiling target loads. For me accuracy is everything and holes on target speak volumes. From Hodgdon load data - http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp Quote:
For economy, although Promo's larger than Unique flake size doesn't meter that well, 200 gr Lead SWC with about 4.0 gr of Promo also produces very accurate and mild recoiling yet clean burning target loads (I said "about" 4.0 gr as my Pro Auto Disk will throw with .2-.3+ variance. As to load data, Alliant states to use Red Dot load data by weight). For me, Promo is also becoming a good general purpose powder as it has produced very accurate 45ACP/9mm lead loads using 2004 Alliant Red Dot load data. Last edited by BDS-THR; March 3, 2012 at 05:07 AM. |
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March 3, 2012, 03:13 PM | #45 | |
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Quote:
That experience also taught me the value of challenging the old "If it ain't broke don't fix it" mantra I'd said so many times. It might not be broke, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved. So now I'm a little more open to trying new things, at least to see if there is a benefit to be gained. In some instances there's no real benefit to me, so I return to what I know. But I try at least to not be so narrow minded so as to not even consider that there's still some things I can learn and ways I can improve. That said, 231 is a powder I keep coming back to no matters what else I try. It meters exceptionally well and is also so versatile that it's hard to beat. Not that there aren't other good powers out there, but I've yet to find anything fill the same void as 231 and improve on it at all. |
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June 6, 2012, 04:23 PM | #46 |
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Bullet Manufacturer
Hello All,
The reload data for a specific powder also lists specific bullet makes. Accurate, as an example, lists three makes along with three types. The only match for my .45 ACP bullet, a 200 gr, JRN from Power Bond Bullets, is just the bullet weight. Neither the type nor the make match. Same goes for the W231 load data, which lists only two types for a 200 gr bullet, a JHP and an LSWC. My question then is, does the make and type matter when reloading? If so, I guess that means I have to find a powder that lists those details. I would think that as long as I use the reload data for my bullet weight and make sure the overall length is correct, that I would be ok. My second question regards the primer type. After reading about them for about a week, it would appear that the only thing that matters is the size. All my brass takes a small primer. I also noticed that the Accurate reload data lists a Federal 150 as the primer make. How important is it to use this listed primer? Am I able to use any small primer or must I use the type that is listed in the reload data? Thanks very much. Please be gentle, I am a first time reloader. Last edited by ThisIsMySig; June 6, 2012 at 04:35 PM. |
June 6, 2012, 05:26 PM | #47 |
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The only component I substitute (and then it's like for like) brand names is bullets.
Brass, primers and, obviously, powders all make a difference in both pressure and velocity between manufacturers. I don't like 231, and recommend Titegroup across the board in .45 ACP.
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June 6, 2012, 06:21 PM | #48 |
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Thanks for the reply JammerSix.
So if I understand, you are saying that I can substitute any bullet for any brand as long as I use the load data for the weight of the bullet. Is this true even though the load data is for a 200 gr JHP? My bullets are JRN. And, that I can use any small primer with any powder. |
June 6, 2012, 06:55 PM | #49 |
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In loading manuals, there is usually a number called a ballistic coefficient.
That number is used to compare the flight characteristics of one bullet to another, and is, in my opinion, the best way to compare one bullet to another. (Assuming the material, lead, jacketed or plated is the same.) Smaller companies (like a lot of the one or two man companies that produce lead bullets) frequently don't produce either data or manuals, and then the best way (again in my opinion) is to measure the weight, diameter and length of the bullets, and keep styles and type (jacketed, plated, lead) the same. For .45 ACP, there's not going to be any problem finding data for a 230 grain JRN-- it's probably the most common round loaded. The other super common bullet would be the semi-wadcutter. (SWC). You can find all sorts of listings for those in 200 grain, in plated, jacketed and lead. The last method I would use would be to substitute styles. I might do it when I've made a hard search, but so far, I've always managed to find the same style-type-weight, particularly in .45 ACP. Sometime you might need to buy a different manual, and if, for instance, you're loading Hornady bullets, then the Hornady manual is guaranteed to list exactly the bullet you're loading. Another approach is to buy one of the big manuals (Hornady, Speer, Federal) and then buy exactly the right components to match one of their listings. That's probably the most conservative approach, but in reloading, conservative habits are good habits in my book. And no, I said that changing brands of primers or changing brands of brass changes both pressure and velocity.
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June 6, 2012, 08:34 PM | #50 |
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I'm going to purchase a Lyman manual. Hopefully I'll be able to reload my 200 gr bullets.
Thanks very much for all the info. |
Tags |
.45 , acp , bullseye , gun , powder |
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