dh1633pm
Contributing Member
I have some 231. Was going to load some 45 acp with it. Might use it for 9 since I am about out of No 7.
That's why you start from the beginning
Which beginning? Even though the two powders are the same powder they have different starting loads in the Speer data.
That is a question you will need to ask Speer.I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read over the years that HP-38 & W231 were the same powder so does someone have any idea why the current Speer manual treats them as separate powders in their 38 Special & 357 Magnum loads? For the bullets where both powders are listed Speer gives different starting and maximum loads which seems odd if the powders are the same.
Amen to reading the manuals. Doesn't anyone use any common sense anymore? Reloading isn't an exact science or rocket science. It is more like medical science. Ever wonder why Dr's are said to "practice medicine"? Because every patient is different. Reloaders "practice ammo production". Every thing we use to load with fluctuates like the weather. If you change anything in your load (gun included) you work up from low again.Not sure why you're overthinking it to such an extreme. It actually is true that different lots of powder vary, despite your skepticism.
How would you know what data to use? Maybe follow the guidance in every reloading manual ever printed and not start with max loads, but instead reduce 10% and work up from there.
HP38/W231 is an excellent all-around powder; I use it for 9mm, 40S&W, 10mm with great satisfaction, and even 44Spcl and 44RM. I'll be trying it in 45C soon.
I thought it was called "practicing" because they could never get it right.Amen to reading the manuals. Doesn't anyone use any common sense anymore? Reloading isn't an exact science or rocket science. It is more like medical science. Ever wonder why Dr's are said to "practice medicine"? Because every patient is different. Reloaders "practice ammo production". Every thing we use to load with fluctuates like the weather. If you change anything in your load (gun included) you work up from low again.
I can load all my handgun cartridges and load them well with just 3 powders.
W231 / HP-38 (same powder)
W540 / HS-6 (same powder but W540 is discontinued)
W296 /H110 (same powder)
W571 / HS-7 (same powder
If anything happens to HS-6 or W231 I can go to W572 and W244 and be happy but they aren't going anywhere soon.
It's my understanding that W231 and HP38 were two different powders at one time... someone correct me if I'm wrong
Many of us, myself included have asked Hodgdon and St. Marks Powders about those 2 products. I was told they are the same powder and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!
If anything happens to HS-6 or W231 I can go to W572 and W244 and be happy but they aren't going anywhere soon.
Just for safety sake .... I tried to add a smiley face
Right you are! When they don't have exactly what you are looking for the common sense comes into play. Sometimes we have to make some assumptions and sometimes we use our 20/30/40 yrs of experience to back up our assumptions {or are they educated guesses?} lol, I not sure. Have a Merry Christmas fellows!@Fooey, welcome to THR!
Manuals and published data are the starting point, but may not have exactly what you’re looking for. Still, I’ve had better results with my reloading than most interactions with Drs. Good luck.
I was exploring the Hodgdon load data and checked charges for W231 and HP-38 and they are exactly the same for the rounds I load. Are these the same powder by chance?
I find this comment very encouraging as I bought 2 - 8lb jugs of Universal. Since finding it to be my least favorite powder I'm praying that it stays healthy for as long as your HP-38, as it's likely to be part of my estate. It's funny (sad?) that during this entire pandemic product shortage, I never encountered anyone looking for more Universal.I currently have 8 lbs of W231 that's about 16 years old, it was around 100$ for it back when...
HP-38 was my first powder (2/1/2018 - $24.99). It works so well I could have stayed with it. But, I was a brand new reloader, (I bought CCI 550 instead of CCI 500), and wanted to try other powders as I read these forum posts. I quickly learned that Hodgdon's and Winchester have several interchangeable (read identical) powders, but Hodgdon is always slightly cheaper. It may be a buck or two here and there...but it all adds up. My first 8lb jug was also HP-38, followed by Universal, CFE-BLK, and Hi-Skor 700-X.
I find this comment very encouraging as I bought 2 - 8lb jugs of Universal. Since finding it to be my least favorite powder I'm praying that it stays healthy for as long as your HP-38, as it's likely to be part of my estate. It's funny (sad?) that during this entire pandemic product shortage, I never encountered anyone looking for more Universal.