new reloader powder questions

thetonyage · September 16, 2009, 06:45 PM

i just got my new lee turret press kit in today and die sets for 45 acp and 38special. i am also goin to begin reloading 35 remington and 45/70 government soon. what would be a good powder to start out with? is there one powder i could use for both 45acp and 38sp? or are there 2 or 3 different powders i could use for eventually loading the 35 and 45/70 aswell?

dsv424 · September 16, 2009, 06:58 PM

For .45 ACP and .38 Special two common powders that work well for both would be W231 and Bullseye. I have good success with both in these calibers.

oneounceload · September 16, 2009, 07:03 PM

If you go to the various powder maker websites, you can look up load data and see what powders may be common for both pistol calibers as well as for your rifle calibers.

Jim243 · September 16, 2009, 07:29 PM

Your right that's a new reloader question, please go out and buy a reloading manual. It will explain the differences between rifle and pistol powders. And give you suggestions as to what powder to use and how much.

Good luck
Jim

wrangler yj · September 16, 2009, 07:30 PM

I like Bullseye for the pistols, Varget seems to be good for some rifles.

QBall45 · September 16, 2009, 07:31 PM

Very common "go to" powder for 45ACP is W231.

You would have to look in your manual but I should think there would be no reason that this would not work for 38 special as well.

Another choice would be Bullseye.

Jim Watson · September 16, 2009, 07:46 PM

I have loaded a lot of .38 and .45 with Win. 231. There are others but that is a good choice.

Pistol powder is not rifle powder. Get the books. The ABCs of Reloading and one of the bullet company manuals will get you going.

CowTowner · September 17, 2009, 06:37 AM

Please read this thread:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230171

I found it to be invaluable when I started reloading.

pbratton · September 17, 2009, 07:23 AM

Last year, when I decided to start reloading, I read everything I could get my hands on.

Particularly about powders. For my .45acp loads I chose Bullseye and for my 9mm loads I am using Zip.

Get a few manuals, measure your powder loads constently and measure overall length.

Most of all, have fun!

DavidM55 · September 17, 2009, 12:25 PM

Bullseye will do for 9mm and 45ACP, I use Power Pistol for 9mm and Bulls for the 45ACP.

fprefect · September 17, 2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

i just got my new lee turret press kit in today and die sets for 45 acp and 38special. i am also goin to begin reloading 35 remington and 45/70 government soon. what would be a good powder to start out with? is there one powder i could use for both 45acp and 38sp? or are there 2 or 3 different powders i could use for eventually loading the 35 and 45/70 aswell?

If had to choose only 2 powders that will perform well in nearly all pistol and rifle cases it would Unique and IMR 4895.

Unique should give you maximum or near maximum velocities in your 45 and 38 with the same being true for 4895 in the 35 Rem and in all 45/70 rifles other that the older falling block models. Plus they tend to be a few bucks/lb cheaper than some of the newer powders brought out over the past few years.

F. Prefect

BigJimP · September 17, 2009, 06:26 PM

I use Hodgdon TiteGroup for all my handgun loads ( .45 acp / .38 spl ) and
9mm, .40 S&W, .357 mag and .44 mag . Its a very clean / very consistent powder / measures very well. The only downside is the range on the minimum and the maximum charge for a load is often 0.4 grain / so you do have to be very confident in your equipment and your procedures to make sure your powder drops are very consistent - but you should strive for that anyway.

I don't think you'll find a good rifle powder and a pistol powder combination / but like others advised check the powder websites.

Dragon55 · September 17, 2009, 06:28 PM

Bullseye probably has the most recipes of any just because it's been around so long. It also doesn't dirty up the gun like some other powders.

wncchester · September 17, 2009, 06:39 PM

"Varget seems to be good for some rifles. "

True enough. So is BLC2, H-380, 4227, 3031, 4895, 4350, 4831, etc. In some rifles anyway.

(Okay, okay, I'll shut up. Just couldn't resist!)

September 16, 2009, 06:45 PM	#1
thetonyage Junior Member Join Date: September 16, 2009 Location: NEPA Posts: 1	new reloader powder questions i just got my new lee turret press kit in today and die sets for 45 acp and 38special. i am also goin to begin reloading 35 remington and 45/70 government soon. what would be a good powder to start out with? is there one powder i could use for both 45acp and 38sp? or are there 2 or 3 different powders i could use for eventually loading the 35 and 45/70 aswell?

September 17, 2009, 06:37 AM	#8
CowTowner Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Location: Cowtown of course! Posts: 1,747	Please read this thread: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230171 I found it to be invaluable when I started reloading. __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor *“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......”* President John F. Kennedy

September 17, 2009, 06:28 PM	#13
Dragon55 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 811	Bullseye probably has the most recipes of any just because it's been around so long. It also doesn't dirty up the gun like some other powders. __________________ sailing ... A way to spend lots of money and go real S L O W

September 16, 2009, 06:58 PM	#2
dsv424 Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Dallas, Tx. Posts: 266	For .45 ACP and .38 Special two common powders that work well for both would be W231 and Bullseye. I have good success with both in these calibers.

September 16, 2009, 07:03 PM	#3
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	If you go to the various powder maker websites, you can look up load data and see what powders may be common for both pistol calibers as well as for your rifle calibers.

September 16, 2009, 07:29 PM	#4
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	Your right that's a new reloader question, please go out and buy a reloading manual. It will explain the differences between rifle and pistol powders. And give you suggestions as to what powder to use and how much. Good luck Jim

September 16, 2009, 07:30 PM	#5
wrangler yj Member Join Date: July 21, 2009 Location: Southeastern Ohio Posts: 67	I like Bullseye for the pistols, Varget seems to be good for some rifles.

September 16, 2009, 07:31 PM	#6
QBall45 Senior Member Join Date: April 5, 2008 Location: South Central Minnesota Posts: 584	Very common "go to" powder for 45ACP is W231. You would have to look in your manual but I should think there would be no reason that this would not work for 38 special as well. Another choice would be Bullseye.

September 16, 2009, 07:46 PM	#7
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	I have loaded a lot of .38 and .45 with Win. 231. There are others but that is a good choice. Pistol powder is not rifle powder. Get the books. The ABCs of Reloading and one of the bullet company manuals will get you going.

September 17, 2009, 07:23 AM	#9
pbratton Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2007 Location: Sugar Land, Texas Posts: 171	Last year, when I decided to start reloading, I read everything I could get my hands on. Particularly about powders. For my .45acp loads I chose Bullseye and for my 9mm loads I am using Zip. Get a few manuals, measure your powder loads constently and measure overall length. Most of all, have fun!

September 17, 2009, 12:25 PM	#10
DavidM55 Junior Member Join Date: July 12, 2009 Posts: 12	Bullseye will do for 9mm and 45ACP, I use Power Pistol for 9mm and Bulls for the 45ACP.

September 17, 2009, 06:26 PM	#12
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I use Hodgdon TiteGroup for all my handgun loads ( .45 acp / .38 spl ) and 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 mag and .44 mag . Its a very clean / very consistent powder / measures very well. The only downside is the range on the minimum and the maximum charge for a load is often 0.4 grain / so you do have to be very confident in your equipment and your procedures to make sure your powder drops are very consistent - but you should strive for that anyway. I don't think you'll find a good rifle powder and a pistol powder combination / but like others advised check the powder websites.

September 17, 2009, 06:39 PM	#14
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	"Varget seems to be good for some rifles. " True enough. So is BLC2, H-380, 4227, 3031, 4895, 4350, 4831, etc. In some rifles anyway. (Okay, okay, I'll shut up. Just couldn't resist!)