WIN 231 vs Titegroup in 9mm
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Palladan44
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231 would be my vote.
Tightgroup would be just fine though
Tightgroup would be just fine though
I don’t disagree, I may open both but I’m going to start with 231.
Targa
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I have been happy with 231. I chronographed a 10 round string of 4.7 grains of 231 under a 115 grain Berry’s bullet out of my wife’s Beretta 92.
They were very accurate with an average velocity of 1078 fps, 18 fps standard deviation and 43 fps for a maximum deviation.
A bit lighter than most factory loads but cycled the Beretta and four other 9mm guns reliably.
They were very accurate with an average velocity of 1078 fps, 18 fps standard deviation and 43 fps for a maximum deviation.
A bit lighter than most factory loads but cycled the Beretta and four other 9mm guns reliably.
Palladan44
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My all purpose target 9mm load is very very similar. It's an xtreme plated 124gr. HP (target not the X-DEF) over the top of a 4.3gr charge of W-231. The OAL is matched to mimick my 124gr. Gold Dot carry ammunition (sorry, forgot the actual OAL) Its Around 990 fps. with similar extreme spreads as yours. I've never had a cycling problem, not even once in thousands upon thousands of rounds.
With the Glock 17L stock, or the G34 It shoots 10 yd 1" clover-leaf groups if I'm on that day. It's my bread and butter. The W-231 burns clean enough that I can clean only every thousand rounds or so. The copper plating means little to no lead exposure when loading, and does not leave any copper fouling in the barrels at this velocity whatsoever.
Never anywhere have I ever had a factory Load perform this clean, this accurate, or this reliable (all 3 at the same time) Let's have a round of applause for the art of handloading.
My bulk, blasting 9mm for years has been 4.3gr 231 under either a plated 124gr RN or, since I started casting & PCing my own, 120gr TC also with 4.3 in 7 different pistols; including 2 Lugers, which can be picky about what you feed them.
Of course there are plenty of other powders that will work great (I've played with Sport Pistol a little in 9mm and like it) but with 12lbs of 231 sitting on my shelf, I'm definitely in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" camp!
Of course there are plenty of other powders that will work great (I've played with Sport Pistol a little in 9mm and like it) but with 12lbs of 231 sitting on my shelf, I'm definitely in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" camp!
brewer12345
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I ended up with a 4 pounder of titegroup prior to the bad times rolling in and have been burning it up. I am most of the way through it using 3.8 grains for a 124 grain and 3.4 for a 147 grain jacketed 9MM load. It makes a nice, accurate target load, meters well, and boy do you get a lot of shots per pound. The working range is really small, but it meters well and it isn't hard to keep in your zone once you find it. I will be switching to unique once I run out of TG simply because I have a bunch of it on hand, but on my list of things to get my hands on when things loosen up as much as they will is more TG. Versatile and many, many shots per pound, so I can live with the other issues.
NapalmMan67
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Either or have always done what I've asked of them with either 115 or 124 slugs. If you use 231/HP38, you won't get the coveted stain on your brass. 
n2omike
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For blammo ammo, I use 3.8 grains of W231/HP38 under a 147 grain RMR FMJ at 1.14" overall length. Provides 980-990 fps in my 5" Canik barrel and provides very consistent velocities. It's also still subsonic in my 10.5" AR. ZERO issues with this powder under a 147 grain bullet.
Palladan44
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That's impressively fast, with W-231 at only 3.8gr and 147gr.
Are you sure they're going that fast?
From all my years loading 147 grain bullets out of 9mm pistols, 1000fps. Is almost always the benchmark a full house load, and typically achieved with a tad slower powder like Power Pistol, BE86, Blue Dot, Longshot, etc....to get the velocity up and keep the pressures in the limits.
If I had a 147grain WIN- 231 load in 9mm that was pushing 1000 fps. I would reconsider my powder choice in the interest of keeping pressures (which are completely unknown to us) lower if possible.
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n2omike
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From chrono data. Remember, this is a Canik with a 5" barrel, which will be faster than most smaller 9mm handguns. Have loaded and shot around 1000 rounds or so through two Canik METE SFX pistols and a couple of 9mm AR's. No issues. The Canik/European pistols generally have a stiffer recoil spring than American pistols. The AR's are PSA. They do not work off gas. They are simply recoil operated. They have had 7.62 AR10 buffer/recoil springs installed, and run very smoothly. Did this early on, and the gun runs much more smoothly, and still functions will all the ammo I've tried so far. JP Enterprises. JPS-OSC.308 TUNED AND POLISHED BUFFER SPRING, .308 CARBINE $22.95
Factory Winchester 147 grain FMJ that was stored in the safe for years was supersonic in the AR's. These were close.
Canik w/5" barrel
988
987
998
983
983
Carbine: 10.5" barrel PSA 9mm AR
1080
1074
1093
1090
1081
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Tcruse
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HP-38 and Win 231 are the same. They both work well for 9mm and many recommend them as the powder to start with. Today, it seems like W-244 is going to replace the HP-38 in that it is cleaner (CFE agent) and about the same burn rates and power curve.
TightGoup is excellent for target ammo, just be a bit careful with the measuring since it does not fill the case very full. I use about 4.1g for 115g FMJ, Coated and Plated.
CFE Pistol is another powder that is good for just about every load and caliber.
Airborne Falcon
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This thread is like a data journal for loading practice/plinking plated 9mm .... it is outstanding. Worth taking notes and entering data into my notebook for cross referencing.
I'm so done with Unique in my plinking 9mm ammo.
I'm so done with Unique in my plinking 9mm ammo.
I cast and PC'd a bunch of lee 125 RN.
I was actually thinking about trying Unique again.
I tried it 25+ years ago in 9mm but, for some long forgotten reason, I gave up on it.
Having finished off the last of about 10 pounds of Titegroup I can attest that it does burn hotter than normal. I thought the "hotter" claims were similar to the "softer shooting" shotgun powders. Nope, my gun barrel is significantly hotter after a couple of magazines worth of TG at the rate of one shot every 3 seconds or so. Titegroup also tends to leave a significant soot mark on the top half of my brass. Since the bottom is still shiny, I know the brass eventually expands to seal off the gases and there is no blowby but with 9/40/45/38/357 the top part of my brass has the soot marks. No big deal other than dirty fingers after picking up hundreds of cases.
Since moving to TX and having to leave most of my powder, I've only been able to find W231/HP38 in appreciable quantities. I can find Titegroup but unless it's the only one available, I'll pass on buying anymore. My favorite powder before the drought was BE-86 and Unique before that. Both are impossible to find (by me) lately.
Since moving to TX and having to leave most of my powder, I've only been able to find W231/HP38 in appreciable quantities. I can find Titegroup but unless it's the only one available, I'll pass on buying anymore. My favorite powder before the drought was BE-86 and Unique before that. Both are impossible to find (by me) lately.
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