W231 in .45

[Commander47]

I was wondering what you like to shoot in .45 acp with Hodgedon/Winchester 231

My rangemaster today said I need to be careful as it could ruin a gun, as it did his. Seems like all the data I've seen is all over the map.

I have some 230 fmj, and 225 hp. I am very comfortable in the 830-850 speed range.

My .45 acp guns are many and varied.

Any and all insight appreciated.

[Jim Watson]

Ruin a gun, hmm.
Hasn't hurt any of mine, any non-magnum caliber for about 40 years.
Pardon me if I do not furnish a "recipe" where a typo could indeed ruin a gun.

[44 AMP]

WW231 is a fast powder. Been in use a long time. 230gr fmj .45acp book loads MAX around 6 grains showing mid 800fps velocity.

The case WILL hold more than that, and if you put in more than that, it can damage your gun.

"ruin" is a questionable word when it comes to 1911A1 pattern guns. Unless, until you damage the frame enough to make it unserviceable, the gun can be repaired, and isn't "ruined" just damaged.

I don't use 231 in my .45acp loads, simply because I use Unique in several other calibers I load and it also works fine in the .45ACP.

OK, its old, its dirty, and it smokes, but then, so am I!

[mikejonestkd]

Visit : https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

hope this helps

[Aguila Blanca]

When I began reloading, I started with .45 ACP. I wanted the cleanest powder I could get. After reading a lot about reloading specifically for .45 ACP, and asking questions on a couple or three different forums that cater to 1911 guys, I eliminated two of the top three contenders and settled on Winchester 231. I have never looked back. I've loaded thousands of rounds of .45 ACP with Win 231, and I have also used it with no problems to load 9mm, ,380 ACP, and even .45 Colt. In .45 ACP, I use it for 230-gr plated round nose, 200-gr plated semi-wadcutters, and 185-gr plated round nose. In 9mm I use it for 115-gr plated round nose, 124-gr plated round nose, and 147-gr plated round nose.

The only loading I've had concerns about is .45 Colt. The rounds I loaded with Win 231 fired okay, but there's so little powder in the case that I worried about velocity (and pressure) variation due to powder position. So I bought a couple of bottles of Trail Boss specifically for use in .45 Colt.

You can damage any firearm with any powder if you overcharge. That's not a knock on the powder, that's a reminder to pay attention to what you're doing when reloading.

[markr6754]

Along with Aguila Blanca, my reloading journey began with W231, or rather his brother HP-38. I loaded 45ACP, 9mm, 380 ACP, and 40 S&W. For the 40 S&W, Hodgdon lists loads for 16 different projectiles including polymer, plated, jacketed, and frangible, and for 12 projectiles in 45 ACP. It's more universal than Universal.

I've added many other powders to my shelf now, but HP-38/W231 remains a favorite.

By the way... I buy HP-38 because I get it cheaper than W231...go figure.

[Hammerhead]

Sounds like he ruined his gun with sloppy reloading habits.
W231 is perfect for 45 auto.

[pete2]

I just bought 8# of 231. Good for 45ACP, 9MM, 38, and reduced loads in 357 and 44 mags. Not my favorite for these calibers but very good.

[BJung]

Ken Waters' book, Petloads lists 5gr of w231 with 185gr-200gr LSWC as a good target load for his Gold Cup.

[rc]

231 is actually one of the better powders for 45 ACP ball ammo as would be something as fast as bullseye. It's a low pressure round that likes fast powders. Clays works well in 45 too.

[higgite]

You can ruin a gun with too much of any powder. W231 is not unique (pardon the pun) in that sense. As for 231 actually ruining a gun, I think it would take some doing. Did your rangemaster say exactly how it ruined his gun? Wore it out? Blew it up? Made it so dirty that he couldn't clean it? Made it shoot crooked?

[Mike / Tx]

Ken Waters' book, Petloads lists 5gr of w231 with 185gr-200gr LSWC as a good target load for his Gold Cup.

I cast most of my target bullets in the form of the HG 130 and 68. These coupled with the above listed data shoot great out of both of my Colt 1911s and my G41.

As mentioned if you push it it can get wiggly but shouldn't within listed data working up as usual.

[Mike Irwin]

I started using WW 231 in the early 1980s for .38 Special.

Then 9mm.

Then .32 Long

Then .357 Magnum

Then .45 ACP.

It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite powder ever.

[ilmonster]

Like the previous post, I’ve used HP-38 & 231 to load 9mm, 38 spcl, 44 spcl. and 45ACP. In 45, I’ve got literally thousands of rounds down range. This guy can’t just say it ruins guns without explaining why. It’s a great powder along with many others.

As far as data, go to Hodgdons website. All the data you could want and it’s been tested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[T. O'Heir]

Like mikejonestkd says, go to Hodgdon's site and follow it religiously. Except for when they say use a magnum primer with magnum named cartridges. Kind of odd that cast bullet data is so close to being the same as jacketed data though. Really odd that the cast bullet start load is .1 more than the jacketed load.
If the RO ruined his firearm, it had nothing to do with the powder.

[edfardos]

win231 is all i use in 45acp. up to 900 fps in full size 1911. it's the powder i had on hand when i worked up my first loads, and i never had a reason to switch.

[rc]

You can shoot 230 ball with max charges of 231 or just a bit below and be perfectly fine without breaking your gun. Many competitors use this powder because it produces good accuracy and is economical to use.

[1MoreFord]

When I played IPSC with a .45 I primarily shot WW231/HP38. Great stuff for the round.
Also good for 9mm and .38/.357 plinking rounds.

[Commander47]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I checked the Hodgdon site and feel very comfortable with this powder.

I have only used Bullseye in my .45's and since that is all but impossible to find now, and I have 231 I've NEVER even opened.....I'm off to the races.

[lee n. field]

Originally Posted by Commander47

I was wondering what you like to shoot in .45 acp with Hodgedon/Winchester 231

My rangemaster today said I need to be careful as it could ruin a gun, as it did his. Seems like all the data I've seen is all over the map.

I have some 230 fmj, and 225 hp. I am very comfortable in the 830-850 speed range.

My .45 acp guns are many and varied.

Any and all insight appreciated.

"Ruin"? Nothing particularly exotic about .45ACP and 231. Stay within published data. I don't use 231 unless I've run out of Bullseye, and I've got 7 lbs of Bullseye at the moment, so, no recent experience.

Originally Posted by Aguila Blanca

When I began reloading, I started with .45 ACP. I wanted the cleanest powder I could get. After reading a lot about reloading specifically for .45 ACP, and asking questions on a couple or three different forums that cater to 1911 guys, I eliminated two of the top three contenders and settled on Winchester 231. I have never looked back. I've loaded thousands of rounds of .45 ACP with Win 231, and I have also used it with no problems to load 9mm, ,380 ACP, and even .45 Colt. In .45 ACP, I use it for 230-gr plated round nose, 200-gr plated semi-wadcutters, and 185-gr plated round nose. In 9mm I use it for 115-gr plated round nose, 124-gr plated round nose, and 147-gr plated round nose.

Likewise with Bullseye.

I run Bullseye because, when I was starting, I asked at a gun store what was good for handgun, naming the rounds I was likely to reload. The guy said "Bullseye", so that's what I went with. Experimentation got me to what turned out to be pretty mainstream common loads for each.

[Scorch]

Win 231 is much like Bullseye in that you could double charge the case and still not overflow it. Unique, on the other hand, is fluffy and bulky, and if you overcharge the case it will overflow all over your loading bench. Universal Clays is much the same. But none of these will ruin a firearm unless you overcharge cases. I switched to Unique years ago due to its volume. When I switched to Universal Clays, I used the same reasoning. If I cannot double charge the cases without noticing it, I am much more comfortable with my reloading. Nothing wrong with 231, I just don't like the risk.