Powder recommendation for 45acp

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Last Post 29 July 2010

Standard Member

nlpro posted this 18 July 2010

I just got some 200gr cast bullets for my 191 ad want to load them up but i am out of powder . I was going to get some 231 because it was recommended by my dad he used to load with it but i can not find any locally . So what would be the best powder for 200gr cast bullets in a 1911 load will only be for paper punching so i'm not concerned with power only accuracy and how well it meters in my powder measure . 231 pretty much the only powder i can not find locally i can even find most the vihtavouri powders avail able . Or is 231 good enough to make it worth paying the hazmat fee to order online ?

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12 Comments

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Standard Member

Vassal posted this 18 July 2010

Hodgedon HP-38 is the same powder as W231. I would try to fond some of that. AVOID HAZMAT fees at ALL costs.

Unless your buying a great deal of “stuff” and then the Cost is not ALL that much. .>

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CBA Member

LWesthoff posted this 18 July 2010

I shot conventional 3-gun NRA pistol competition for over 30 years, with some success. I used Bullseye powder behind a 200 gr. Hensley and Gibbs semi-wadcutter. Bullseye is usually available wherever powder is sold. Loads are usually anywhere from 3.5 to about 4.2 grains. It's an old powder, but it's hard to beat success.

Wes

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Standard Member

cityboy posted this 18 July 2010

LWesthoff wrote: I shot conventional 3-gun NRA pistol competition for over 30 years, with some success. I used Bullseye powder behind a 200 gr. Hensley and Gibbs semi-wadcutter. Bullseye is usually available wherever powder is sold. Loads are usually anywhere from 3.5 to about 4.2 grains. It's an old powder, but it's hard to beat success.

I used BE, too, and it worked well. I also used 4.2 grains of 700X in my heavy-slide colt. The recoil spring was cut back to get good cycling.

Jim

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Standard Member

mtgrs737 posted this 19 July 2010

I use 5.7grs of WW231 behind the cst 200gr. SWC in 45 ACP. But I have used Unigue and other fast burning pistol/shotgun powders with great success. Bullseye is a standard for the 45acp that you can't go wrong with, but watch out for double charges.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 19 July 2010

Speaking of double charges, yesterday I loaded some .44 mag with Bullseye. Being concerned about a double charge I checked them 3 times. Then just to see I double charged one just to see how obvious it was. It was very obvious if you just look. And that was in a big case. It sounds like a lot of people avoid Bullseye for fear of a double charge. It's not a risk at all if you do your job right. Just have to really pay attention to what you're doing.

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Standard Member

mtgrs737 posted this 27 July 2010

A good idea is to turn the primed casings upside down in the loading block before charging them with powder so that you know that the case is empty. Never grab an upright case when powder charging as it should already have powder in it. I then use a flashlight to have a good look at the amount of powder in the cases before moving on to the bullet seating stage.

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CBA Member

Dale53 posted this 28 July 2010

In 2008 I was using up odds and ends of powder trying to empty all partial cans of powder before I ordered a new caddy of pistol powder for target loads. I was covering the NRA Convention in Louisville for a magazine and made it a point to talk to the techs at Hodgdon. I asked what their preference was in the .45 ACP. Without any hesitation at all, the techs said “Titegroup".

I have used, extensively, Bullseye, Win 231, and Dupont 5066 (my favorite, alas now obsolete), and Dupont PB.

I dutifully ordered a caddy (8lbs) of Titegroup and just after I took delivery of it a windfall occurred. I happened into my favorite gun shop and they had just bought out a reloaders estate. They had a bunch of powder at EXTREMELY attractive prices. So, I, AGAIN, have a bunch of different cans of powder sitting in my reloading shop (should last me until about the year 2020).

The .45 ACP is very accomodating regarding powder. Titegroup measures like water (which makes it nice for a progressive press), is position insensitive (which makes it nice to load target loads in large capacity cases like the .44 Special/Magnum and .45 Colt) so Titegroup would be my first choice.

On the other hand, I'll be shooting my .45 ACP's with PB for a long time simply because of my windfall.

Incidentally, 5.1 grs of PB with a 200 gr #68 H&G SWC works REALLY well.

FWIW Dale53

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CBA Regional Director

Tom Acheson posted this 28 July 2010

Double charges...in the '06 using small charges of powder, I use a tip i saw on this forum. use a short piece of wood dowel with random horizontal lines drawn on it. After charging the block of 50, drop the dowel down each case and make sure the depth is the same for each case. Can't tell with a strong light by only looking into the case. The case is too deep to see adjacent cases to compare and look for over charges.

Tom

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Standard Member

gunarea posted this 28 July 2010

Hey NIPRO

I'm a Red dot guy. My Colt sucked down many kegs of the stuff at 4.4 gr pushing a Lyman 185 gr semi wad. In the last four years I have pretty much switched over to Alliant Promo. Same charge. It works my light action pistol very nicely and isn't dirty in the gun. In my Dillon RL 300 it does dribble a little loose powder but not to any degree of unsuitability or measurable velocity deviation. My commander spits the slug out around 850 fps. The Promo and Red dot perform pretty much the same but Promo is more cost effective. If price really doesn't figure in for you, Titegroup will give a full case.

Even using a loading block, the stubby 45 case makes it very easy to see if there is a double or reduced charge. A Red dot or Promo load will give enough case fill, in the 45 acp cartridge, as to render the charge virtually location insensitive.

Ok then, a couple more options for you to consider, good skill.

Roy

Shoot often, Shoot well

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Standard Member

nlpro posted this 28 July 2010

thanks for all the recommendations one thing i read that titegroup burns to hot to be good for cast bullets is that true ?

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CBA Member

Bongo Boy posted this 28 July 2010

A great low velocity powder, I think, is Clays. Readily available, relatively clean, relatively low smoke compared to say No. 2 or No. 5, and generally relatively inexpensive. Seems to meter quite well even though it's not that small a flake. For a 200 gr bullet you might be looking at something like 3.4-3.8gr or so, providing a good number of loads per jug. That's not a load recommendation--it's a fairly good guess at the range you might be looking at for economy planning purposes. This may be about the most popular/prevalent powder in .45 ACP among IDPA and IPSC shooters I know of.

Hodgdon 'Clays'. NOT Universal Clays, NOT International Clays. But...Clays.

AA No.5 is said to be 'made for' .45 ACP, and I've loaded just one pound of it in that caliber and find it's just okay, nothing remarkable except for the smoke. Lots of it, by my standards. I've just loaded 800 rds or so using a minimum 4.1gr load of HP38, but can't say anything about how it shoots. Hope to do that tomorrow.

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Standard Member

gunarea posted this 29 July 2010

Hey NIPRO

My personal experience with Titegroup does not extend into loading for 1911 pistols in 45 acp. In calibers designed for higher velocities/pressures/heats I have found no problem using cast bullets. For plinking, it worked fine in the few calibers I tried it in. Titegroup has a different aroma when burnt, not unpleasant but distinctive. The pound I played with was a promotional item given to me. Because of the quantity required per charge and the cost per pound, I appreciated the gift but went back to my beloved Red dot.

Red dot, beer and an accommodating wife, I'm already in heaven.

Good luck in your quest for the grail.

Roy

Shoot often, Shoot well

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