Is Win231 the best overall pistol powder?

Is Winchester 231 just about the best overall handgun powder?

  • YES. I believe it is the cat's meow.

    Votes: 46 44.2%
  • NO. Absolutely not.

    Votes: 58 55.8%

  • Total voters
    104
  • Poll closed .
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I'd rather use a powder designed for what I'm after.

It's not really a "yes" or "no" question, IMO. I don't understand why anybody would want just one powder for multiple calibers/bullet weights.
 
Of course you're right, but asking the "best" question conjurers up thoughts of what if I could have only one. Handloader Magazine fairly recently did an article on that what if, but they added a rifle powder also. Unique was chosen as the "one" pistol powder because of its versatility, and I think one of the IMR's was chosen as "the" rifle, but I can't remember which. Maybe 4350???
 
There are several propellants that are GOOD in many applications that's for sure. IMHO if you load for a lot of different calibers then you will not think along the lines of a single great propellant for very long. It is not that there are a lot of accurate loads in a bunch of calibers with a single propellant but rather there is not a single best load for each caliber/bullet weight found in a single can. If there was then we would only need one can of Perfect Pistol Powder and all the others would fall by the wayside. I have to agree that my best bet these days would Unique----no 231----no Trail Boss----no---------You get the picture.:D
 
If you guys like Unique, you should LOVE Universal Clays. Basically all the benefits of Unique with far less mess and easier to meter.

YMMV
 
Only one pistol powder? Man, that sure takes the fun out of reloading. I have used 231/HP-38 for many years. It works well in range loads for .38, 9mm and .45.

Right now I am about halfway through a keg of Clays for .45 wadcutters. When I am out of that, I will probably get back in to WST for mid range .45 loads. I would load VV 310 if I could afford it.

There are many 'best' powder that are dependent upon caliber, bullet weight and velocity. 231 will do it all, but not as well as a particular powder for each option. That's the fun of handloading.
 
I am really getting the feeling that Winchester 231 is just the best overall pistol powder. Any comments?

I did not vote; so I don’t know how the race is going…. But the question bugs me a bit. It’s like asking “What’s the best motor oil (including viscosity) for most situations?” Many will keep you motor running, but a few will cause it hiccup and die.

Back to the best powder topic … It’s more of question of what powder suitable in what situations? Powder characteristics that may be acceptable for person A may not be acceptable person B. For me, metering is important as I use a turret press and auto-disk. For others it may not be as important as they load rounds via a trickler and scale. Hypothetically speaking, for someone who can only afford to buy one pound at a time, the number of rounds per pound may be important. WIN231 (aka HP38) and Unique are very versatile powders and have loads for many calibers. I have cans of both and load five handgun calibers. Bottom line: If it works BEST FOR YOU, it’s the best powder. :cool:

Chuck

PS: When I was about 10 years old back in the 70s, when I went to the sporting goods store what amazed me was all the different kinds of gun powders. Now I understand.
 
I can't say whether it's "best" without knowing the criteria it's being judged by, but I can say this. If I could have only one pistol powder, it would be 231.

If I could have two, it would be 231 and flaming dirt (unique).
 
What can I say, I've liked dirt all my life. Flaming or otherwise. My greatest passion when I was younger was motocross racing. I finally had to hang it up and sell my well used Suzuki 370 racer, and with the money I bought a brand new 70 series Colt Gold Cup. It loved your flaming dirt, and so do I. :D

I love New Mexico as well......lots of sunshine and dirt!
 
Well I will tell you this, W231 is the only pistol powder I have ever bought an 8lb jug of. I have about a dozen pistol powders but only 1 in bulk.
 
Wow, I didn't expect so many mixed reactions. Thanks to all who have read, replied, and/or voted!

I have not had a problem with Unique, only concerned about the powder bridging in the hopper. I have not had that happen, and I am quite impressed with it in my .45 auto.

Perhaps I should have thought more about this topic before I posted and started a poll.

My intent is to buy (1) 8lb. keg to save money and consolidate my standard plinking in the desert loads. I don't need top speed or best accuracy to shoot vegetable cans in the desert (10, 25, & 50 yds).

I keep going back to 231 because it burns very clean and meters great. It fits all of my handgun calibers, provides great accuracy in each one, and charges are small enough to save $$. When I shoot 231 I notice less recoil and report. It makes me smile.:)

In retrospect, I should have set the poll up differently. Options to include, 231, Unique, Other, and No best overall, would have better served our hobby craft. Thanks again to all who gave feedback. Now I need to decide if Unique is better overall for me than 231.
 
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I keep going back to 231 because it burns very clean and meters great. It fits all of my handgun calibers, provides great accuracy in each one, and charges are small enough to save $$. When I shoot 231 I notice less recoil and report. It makes me smile.
I agree, that's why I keep coming back to W231 too...
 
I would have to agree with some here, why would you need a "best overall powder"? if you wanted one thing why not just buy factory loads? trying all kinds of powders is what makes this hobby great.

And the unique powder metering myth keeps getting put forth here, what exactly does "hard to meter" mean? i crank my 550 and get 600 round per hour, i weigh my charges from time to time and get very consistant throws, i get very accurate ammo, what exactly does a difficult metering of unique look like? what are the symptoms and how can i tell if i get a difficult metering of my unique?
 
Absolutely not. W231 is way to fast for many of the handgun loads I shoot. Unique or Universal are mech better in the versatility department. I like both of them.
 
My favorites are AA #5,Bullseye, and HP38.That doesn't mean they are the best just my favorites BUT trying new powders and loads is part of the fun!
 
Constrictor said:
And the unique powder metering myth keeps getting put forth here, what exactly does "hard to meter" mean? i crank my 550 and get 600 round per hour, i weigh my charges from time to time and get very consistant throws

I don't think it's a myth, but I do think it's exaggerated. Hard to meter generally means hard to get consistent powder throws. I haven't loaded unique in pistol, but I've loaded power pistol (another alliant flake powder, slightly slower burn than unique). With ball powders like 231, my measure is spot on almost every time. Every once in a while, it will throw +/- 0.1 grains, with 231. With power pistol (flake powder), +/- 0.1gr is more common, and sometimes +/- 0.2gr happens.

I don't think unique is as bad as some say it is. If it's throwing that bad, they should spend less time bitching about it, and more time fixing it. The first two things that come to mind is to clean the powder measure, and verify the consistency of the scale.
 
They are exactly the same. If you have any doubts, email hodgdon. They will send you a response telling you they are the same.

The only differences between hp38 and win231 are the price and the label on the can.
 
I agree with Oldreloader,trying a new powder is the "FUN" part of reloading.

This is where Reloading can get overly expensive.. I have like 5 cans of "Fun" reloading testing that never panned out, so $100 just sitting there.
 
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