more guidance please

[ammopoor]

In general do you want to use fast powders with heavy bullets or light bullets? I'm loading 9mm 124gr, 40 155gr, and 45 200gr. Unique is filling cases past half so volume is more than W231, but slower burning. I have titegroup which is fastest of the three but have yet to try any loads which also takes less volume in case. If I understand what I've read rate of burn fastest to slowest of the three powders I have is titegroup, w231, and then unique. What's your opinions? Thanks for the help.

 

[jfh]

All three of your powders are considered relatively fast powders--e.g., they're at about 20 on a typical burn rate chart, like This Hodgdon Chart .

While powder burn rate can be somewhat correlated with bullet weights, I don't think it is accurate to say one uses faster powders with a given bullet weight. Power Pistol, for example, can work across a broad range of bullet weights through two calibers--38 Special and 357 Magnum. There are reasonable correlations between burn rates and pressure--e.g., faster burning powders tend to spike faster--so faster burning powders are usually used with heavier bullets in low- or moderate- power level recipes. So, for example, a faster powder like 231 is used in lower recipes for softer-recoiling loads when using a bullet considered to be one shot for accuracy in the .45ACP--like the 200-gr. LSWC.

There is also a correlation betwen the powder burn rate and barrel length--faster pistol powders are not usually efficient in carbine barrels. So, rather than look for the burn rate / powder weight correlation, consider find the powders that have a general reputation for working with a certain bullet weight in a given caliber.

Jim H.

 

[Floppy_D]

Generally speaking, I have had success with slower powders on heavier bullets. I use Unique for darn near everything, plinking wise. Unique is your slowest powder, but is not particularly slow as far as pistol powders go.

I like the fact that Unique takes up so much space (it makes it easy to see your powder line and hard to double charge a round)

I'm sure your manuals have data for all of the above listed powders and bullets, the trick is to see what cycles your guns well, what produces reliable results, what burns clean, and what's cost effective.

For plinking, I like Unique.

 

[ammopoor]

I also am leaning towards unique but it meters so poorly through Lee powder measure but I do like the results thus far.

 

[redneck2]

Universal Clays is the modern equivalent to Unique and burns considerably cleaner.

I use a lot of AA5. Meters exceptionally well and burns clean also. IIRC, not as bulky as Unique.

 

[ammopoor]

being that I haven't used titegroup yet how does it meter compared to w231?

 

[evan price]

I use Titegroup primarily and it meters in my Autodisk very well, no problems, as good as W231.

I use Titegroup for nearly every pistol caliber.