Local powder deals - pick up or pass?

[Odin]

Went to pick up a gun this afternoon and realized the shop had a number of powders on sale.

Bullseye, Accurate No5 and No7 at $15 per pound. Eight pounders of AA5 and AA7 at $115.

I can readily use Bullseye in 357mag and 45acp, but I've little experience with either of the Accurate powders, so I'm looking for a little guidance.

I'm wondering about the usefulness of AA5 and AA7. Likely cartridges include the above mentioned 357 and 45 along with a midframe 44 Special and 475 Linebaugh.

As an aside, I currently use a good bit of HP-38/Win231 and HS-6 in the 475 and find that velocity range both comfortable and effective.

[nicholst55]

Accurate has load data available online. Take a peek and see if they look like something you can use>

www.accuratepowder.com/load-data/

[pleadthe2nd]

I've burned 11 # of AA #9 since February, that's a great price, I would buy.

[bradshaw]

Oct 16, 2020 16:59:22 GMT -5 Odin said:

Went to pick up a gun this afternoon and realized the shop had a number of powders on sale.

Bullseye, Accurate No5 and No7 at $15 per pound. Eight pounders of AA5 and AA7 at $115.

I can readily use Bullseye in 357mag and 45acp, but I've little experience with either of the Accurate powders, so I'm looking for a little guidance.

I'm wondering about the usefulness of AA5 and AA7. Likely cartridges include the above mentioned 357 and 45 along with a midframe 44 Special and 475 Linebaugh.

As an aside, I currently use a good bit of HP-38/Win231 and HS-6 in the 475 and find that velocity range both comfortable and effective.

*****

Rod.... HP-38 is Winchester 231 with Hodgdon label. To be sure, a benchmark fast pistol powder. Accurate #5 is a medium pistol powder which produces extreme accuracy at the upper end of its loading range in .45 ACP. Accurate #7 is a slower pistol powder in the medium burn range which produces excellent accuracy in 10mm Auto.

I would not use Bullseye in .357 Mag at all. Heavily doubt I would use 231 in .475 Linebaugh.
David Bradshaw

[harold89]

For no particular reason I just never got much into the Accurate powders with the lone exception of #9. And it just never did for me what H110 can do for accuracy. Great prices though and at that, I’d probably had to pick up some to try. I’d a bought the heck out of Bullseye though. I don’t have any revolvers that don’t love it for target work.

[Odin]

Oct 16, 2020 20:30:50 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

Rod.... HP-38 is Winchester 231 with Hodgdon label. To be sure, a benchmark fast pistol powder. Accurate #5 is a medium pistol powder which produces extreme accuracy at the upper end of its loading range in .45 ACP. Accurate #7 is a slower pistol powder in the medium burn range which produces excellent accuracy in 10mm Auto.

I would not use Bullseye in .357 Mag at all. Heavily doubt I would use 231 in .475 Linebaugh.
David Bradshaw

David, my use of Bullseye and HP-38 in the 357 Mag and 475L, respectively, are for "target speed" loads. Can't imagine trying to run either cartridge into full-throttle speeds with such fast powders.

Oct 16, 2020 20:38:07 GMT -5 harold89 said:

For no particular reason I just never got much into the Accurate powders with the lone exception of #9. And it just never did for me what H110 can do for accuracy. Great prices though and at that, I’d probably had to pick up some to try. I’d a bought the heck out of Bullseye though. I don’t have any revolvers that don’t love it for target work.

This is my problem with Accurate powders too. I've just never gotten into them as HP-38, HS-6, and H110 have really covered the bases quite well for my needs.

Seeing quite a bit of data for both Accurate powders for 45acp (online), in Brian Pearce's articles on the 44 Special, and in Jeff Hoover's writings on the 480 Ruger (think deep-seated 475L) have me thinking I need to make another run over there and pick up a few pounds. 

[matt56]

I believe Accurate #5 is similar in burn speed to unique. I was going to give it a try before everything dried up

[blackmamba]

Accurate #5 is a good bit slower than Unique, falling somewhere between Herco and Blue Dot. Accurate #7 is very close to Blue Dot in burn rate, and some impressive accuracy and velocity can be achieved with it in the larger cases: 44 mag, 45 Colt, etc. It will give you 90% or more of the velocity of #9 while using 15-20% less powder, so it's very economical.

[rufus]

AA #5 has also been listed as good for sub maximum loads in .38 special, .357 magnum, 44 special and 45 colt. It meters really well. I would not be afraid to purchase for handgunning loads if you like the price

[Fowler]

Who knows how long the current powder/primer shortage is really going to last. I know I am in dire need of standard small pistol primers for my 327 guns that have been getting used heavily this year. I have a bunch if mag primers but standards seem to be more accurate and have a lot more consistent velocity variances.

But during the last big shortage handloader did a good article on all the different powders you could use to get to a standard 250gr 45 Colt load at 825fps because you just don’t know when all of the powders will dry up and you just want something to make it work. I grabbed 8lbs of 700X then because of the deal of a lifetime was offered and I have developed a very nice 38sp load with it that I have shot a lot of in my S&W 19. That said I’m sure I still have 7lbs of it left and can make an awful lot of target loads from it in a wide variety of handguns.

So depending on you powder back stock situation I’d think hard about stashing some of the powder away. The price is right and with today’s political climate who knows what lies ahead.

And I’m not a doomsdayer by any means.

[Odin]

Oct 17, 2020 9:48:18 GMT -5 rufus said:

... if you like the price

$15.63 per pound with tax.







Why is this even a question for me? Sheesh!!

[Odin]

Oct 17, 2020 10:27:38 GMT -5 Fowler said:

...And I’m not a doomsdayer by any means.

Me either. And I'm not short of components at all. The only thing I should probably go ahead and stock in deep, just because I never have, is primers (as I've told my young son, no Bic, no bonfire). But your logic is sound, Bill. No surprises there.

[rufus]

Oct 17, 2020 10:56:18 GMT -5 Odin said:

Oct 17, 2020 10:27:38 GMT -5 Fowler said:

...And I’m not a doomsdayer by any means.

Me either. And I'm not short of components at all. The only thing I should probably go ahead and stock in deep, just because I never have, is primers (as I've told my young son, no Bic, no bonfire). But your logic is sound, Bill. No surprises there.

Haha I’m a zippo man (don’t smoke, they are just handy to carry) but good logic on the bic
I always carry a zippo and a pocket knife-always